Millis High School

Millis High School is located in the small town of Millis, Massachusetts, near Medway and Medfield, in Norfolk County. The school building consists of both the middle school and high school (grades 5–12).^[2]

Enrollment

In 2005, the graduating class of Millis High School was 73 students, which was one of the larger classes of the past few years. The class of 2009 surpassed the class of 2005 with its student body of 75 individuals, and the current class of 2010 has exceeded the previous year. In total, the high school has around 350 students. The class of 2012 currently has 87, however this number can increase or decrease before graduation.

History

In 1999, Millis Middle/High School underwent a complete renovation.

Millis came in tenth in the state in the Math portion of the MCAS in 2006, while also ranking first in the state with Boston Latin School for English MCAS scores.

In 2007, Millis was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Of Excellence award by the Federal Government under the No Child Left Behind Act.^[3]

Clubs and extracurriculars

Peer Leaders

Student run with teacher adviser, Stephen Bigelow.

The Mohawk Post

Millis High School offers a full, monthly high school newspaper, drafted and written entirely by students. The newspaper highlights local news, as well as a wide variety of topics both nation and worldwide.

Drama club

Millis High School also offers a Drama club. Consisting of students under the direction of various faculty members, The Millis Drama Club hosts yearly productions of various plays, musicals and other shows.

Robotics

Founded in 2006 but started competing in 2007, Alarm Robotics is a team of robot makers who create a robot to compete in the annual FIRST Robotic Competition (FRC). There are three sub-teams: Mechanics, Electronics and Programming. Competitions include a regional competition in Boston, Battle Cry at WPI, and Beantown Blitz in Boston.

Chorus

In 2011, the Millis High School chorus won the Glee Give A Note Contest and was awarded $10,000 by the National Association of Music Educators.^[4]

Common Ground

Acceptance group.

SADD

Students Against Destructive Decisions. They conduct a mock car crash every year to show the consequences of drinking and driving.

Investment club

Students have the opportunity to invest with fake money to learn about the stock market.

Amnesty International

Students study worldwide issues

Woodworking

Students learn to safely work with power tools and create things out of wood.

Athletics

Girls volleyball

The girls' volleyball team for Millis has had some success over the past couple years. Div. III State Champs '03, South Sectional Champs '03, Eastern Mass Champs '03, Central Sectional Champs '07, Div. III State Champs '08, Central Sectional Champs '08, Central Sectional Champs '10, Central Sectional Champs '11.

Boys volleyball

The boys' volleyball team has made the state tournament frequently the last 10 years, they have been in the state tournament 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011. They were State Champs in 2003. The team was also Regional Champs in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Football

The Millis High School football team won the State Championship in 1980, 1994, and 1999. The team won the league multiple times in 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2011, 2012 and 2014. Millis plays its Thanksgiving rivalry game every year against the Medway Mustangs. In 2009 the Mohawks went 5-6 for the second straight year, a vast improvement from an 0-11 campaign in 2007. Millis' football team is a cooperative team, joined by neighboring Hopedale.

In 2011, led by Boston College bound lineman Jon Baker, the Mohawks ended their season with a record of 10-2 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1999, but were defeated in the first round by eventual state champion Mashpee. They also beat Medway for the first time in ten years with a memorable Thanksgiving Day performance.

In 2012, the Mohawks repeated as Tri-Valley League Small Champions after a victory over Bellingham High School and qualified for the state playoffs again in the process. However, they were once again eliminated in the first round by Abington, who also went on to the win the state championship.

In 2013, the Mohawks failed to three-peat as TVL Small Champions, losing the title to Norton. However, they once again qualified for the playoffs and made a dramatic run to the Division 6 South Sectional Finals, where they eventually lost to state runner-up Cohasset. This was also the final season for Millis' head coach Dale Olmstead, as he was hired to be the head football coach at nearby Nichols College after the season. Olmstead is regarded as one of the best coaches in Eastern Massachusetts and is credited with reviving the once downtrodden football program at Millis, which was in jeopardy of folding before his arrival.

The Mohawks qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2014, however they lost the league title to Ashland High School. Once again, the Mohawks advanced all the way to the Sectional Finals, defeating a strong Mashpee team and upsetting top-ranked Pope John Paull II along the way. The Mohawks were pitted against powerhouse Cohasset in a rematch of the previous years' sectional finals game. Unfortunately, the Mohawks lost to Cohasset, the eventual Division 6 state champions, 20-13. The Mohawks were led by All-State and Boston Globe All-Scholastic junior running back Josh Pierre-Charles, who ran for 2,133 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2014, both school records.

In 2015, the Mohawks once again won the TVL Small Championship and qualified for the Division 6 state playoffs for the fifth straight year. Riding the momentum produced by returning All-State running back Josh Pierre-Charles, and Villanova bound lineman Peter Fallon, the Mohawks easily defeated West Bridgewater in the first round, setting up a third rematch with top-seeded rival Cohasset in the sectional semifinals. The Mohawks won convincingly over the Skippers, defeated the defending state champions 42-12. With the win, the Mohawks advanced to the Division 6 South Sectional Finals, where they faced off against another familiar rival in Mashpee. After Mashpee jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead, the Mohawks cut the lead to 16-14 at halftime. However, the Falcons widened their lead to 22-14 on a drive that took up all but 53 seconds of the 3rd quarter. Millis responded on a long touchdown that cut the lead to 22-20 with approximately 4 minutes left to play. With 36 seconds remaining, the Mohawks took over possession and drove the ball to the 28-yard line with 3 seconds remaining, setting up a potential game-winning 45-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the field goal attempt was short and the Mohawks were defeated by the Falcons, eliminating them from the playoffs in the process. This was the third year in a row that the Mohawks were defeated in the South Sectional Finals. The Mohawks football team finished the 2015 season with a 7-4 record.

Football Accomplishments

• State Champions - 1980, 1994, 1999
• State Semi-Finalists - 2011, 2012
• Sectional Finalists - 2013, 2014, 2015
• League Champions - 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2011, 2012, 2015

Boys soccer

The boys' soccer team made the state tournament in 2004. A few rough seasons followed that year of success with the team going without a win for the next two seasons. The 2007 campaign ended with an upset win over Medway and a 0-0 tie versus Westwood. The season did not go as planned, and the team won 2 games and force 2 ties. In the 2010-11 season, the team went 8-5. In the 2011-12 season, the boys soccer program added back the varsity program. They won a single game that season. The boys' soccer team went to the state tournament in 1998. They upset eventual state champion, Medway, 2-1 to clinch their tournament birth

Girls soccer

The girls varsity soccer team were the South Sectional Championship in the fall of 2009 and were named Division III State Champions.

Boys ice hockey

Students from Millis High School and Tri-County RVTHS have joined together to form the Tri-County Millis hockey team. The team plays in the Mayflower League. Home games are played at the Franklin Ice Arena in Franklin, Massachusetts. Tri-Valley League Champs '73, '74.

Girls ice hockey

Girls in grades 7-12 at Millis combine with other high school students from Medway, Ashland, and Holliston and play on the Medway/Ashland girls hockey team. They have been a team for 3 years and have qualified for the MIAA Division 1 state tournament each year.

Girls basketball

Girls basketball has had much success. They have qualified for the MIAA tournament every year since 2002. In the 2008-09 season they became the Division 4 State Champions. They defeated Georgetown High School for the title. They also won the 2013-14 Division 4 state title by defeating New Mission High School. They repeated as Division 4 State Champions in 2014-15 by defeating Fenway High School.

Accomplishments: •State Champions: 2009, 2014, 2015 •District Champions: 2009, 2014, 2015 •District Runners-up: 2008, 2013

Boys basketball

The boys basketball team in 2011–2012 had a record of 4–7. They qualified for MIAA Division 4 state tournament, won their preliminary against C.A.S.H and went on to beat Holbrook, the top seed in their division with a score of 49-42. They lost their second round game to Cathedral.

Cheerleading

The Varsity Cheerleading squad combined with Hopedale in 2012. Tri-Valley League Champs '77, '80.

Track

Millis has both boys and girls indoor and outdoor, track. Indoor track is during the winter and outdoor track is in the spring. In the 2009–10 winter track season, Millis high jumper Corey Fairfield became an All-American and won five state championships, along with numerous records and awards. State Champs '80, Tri-Valley League Champs '82. The 4 × 400 m Relay team came in 15th in the recent indoor state meet.

Baseball

Tri-Valley League Champs '73, '81, Eastern Mass South Sectional Champs '73. Played cohassest in the first round of the playoffs in 2012 but had fallen short.

Softball

In the 2012 season the team qualified for state tournament, winning their preliminary round game against Old Colony Regional Voc. Tech. Tri-Valley League Champs '71, '81. Eastern South Sectional Champs '04.

Golf

There is a golf team.

References