HHS Humanitarian Club: Political Debate

The HHS Humanitarian Club is hosting its first political debate/discussion! See the poster for more details!

Sign-up Link: https://forms.gle/RRMMminJMboyqxPR9
 

Transition Roundtable Scheduled for Dec 8, 2020

 

Virtual Transition Roundtable Event

on Post-Secondary Transition Options from Local and State Adult Service Providers

Presented by Holliston, Natick, and Newton Public Schools

https://youtu.be/ig01xa00kus

HHS (Remote) Open House, Oct. 14, 2020

UPDATE: Opening Remarks (passcode: j^^drj6y) | Recordings of teacher sessions

This fall's Open House will begin remotely at 6:30 pm with a presentation by Ms. Bottomley. Parents and guardians can then follow their students' schedules to meet the teachers via Zoom or Google Meet, beginning with A Block at 7 pm. Parents and guardians do not need to attend Advisory.

• 6:30 pm Principal's Address
• 7:00 - 7:10  Block A
• 7:15 - 7:25  Block B
• 7:30 - 7:40  Block C
• 7:45 - 8:00  Block D

For security, Zoom and Google Meet links will be emailed to families during the afternoon before the event, so please check your email inbox for links from hpsinfo@holliston.k12.ma.us.

School Start Times Public Forum

The Holliston School Committee voted to hold a public forum on the new school start times for the 2020-21 academic year. The forum will be held Thursday, October 10, 2019, in the Holliston High School auditorium, at 7:00 p.m. It is open to the public.

Judith Owens, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Boston Children's Hospital and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, will present on the science of pediatric sleep. There will be a Q+A so that members of the public may ask questions of Dr. Owens, the School Committee, and Dr. Brad Jackson, superintendent of schools.
For more information on the issue of School Start Times in Holliston, please review the information on the School Start Times website.

>> Event Flyer

HHS Open House Tonight, Sept. 19, 2019

Tonight's Open House will begin at 6:30 pm with a presentation by Ms. Bottomley. Parents and guardians can then follow their students' schedules to meet the teachers, beginning with A block at 7 pm. Parents and guardians do not need to attend Advisory.

• 6:30 pm Principal's Address
• 7:00 - 7:12  Block A
• 7:17 - 7:29  Block B
• 7:34 - 7:46  Block C
• 7:51 - 8:03  Block D

For your convenience, your student can download this printable schedule to fill in teachers' names and room numbers.

UPDATE: Watch a recording of the opening presentation

Freshman Orientation Aug. 21, 2019

All incoming 9th graders are reminded to attend the 9th Grade Orientation on Wednesday, August 21st from 9:30a.m. – 11:30a.m. 

Students will be provided a printed copy of their schedule. They will have a chance to tour the school, find their lockers and classrooms and meet many of the 11th grade Student Advisory Leaders (SAL's) who will help with the transition to the high school. Freshman will also receive their 2019-2020, school-issued Chromebook at the end of the orientation. Students who are not able to attend the orientation can pick up their Chromebooks on the first day of school in the Library. There is more information listed on the Holliston High School website regarding the technology program and the Chromebook Loan Agreement. 

Parents/Guardians, this orientation is for students only so enjoy dropping off your students and taking a nice two-hour break for yourselves.

1st Annual Bill Wechsler 5K

Holliston High School’s National Honor Society will be hosting the 1st annual Bill Wechsler 5K Walk/Race to Find a Cure for ALS in memory of Bill Wechsler, who passed away earlier this year. 

Join us Saturday May 11th at 9:30 A.M. at the Adams Middle school for a fun community event that will benefit Massachusetts General Hospital! 

Register at https://events.eventzilla.net/e/the-bill-wechsler-als-5k-walkrace-to-find-a-cure-2138750405 Sports teams that register together will get $5 per person!

Theatre370 Presents Puffs

Theatre 370 is proud to present this hilarious, two-act play in our blackbox MAY 2, 3, 4, 2019! Tickets will be available at the door, Coffee Haven (SOON) and online at https://puffs370.bpt.me NOW!

An international hit, currently playing Off- Broadway, Puffs tells the story of Wayne Hopkins, another boy who goes to the magical school with which we have all become familiar. With his friends and his Puffs crew beside him, they tackle school subjects (Herbology is the best!) dating ( we Puffs need to talk about the birds and the bees too!)Oh, and a certain boy wizard is there too with all the trouble he brings year after year.

PUFFS is recommended for wizards, witches, Mug-Borns, sorted and unsorted 12 years old and up. It does contain mild language, discussion of teenage themes (ahem, birds and bees as previously stated) and mildly sad and occasionally comedic violence. If you wouldn't let your little one read all of the very famous, very long books about a boy called Harry, then you might want to make an inquiry.

Above all, PUFFS is a show about what it means to be the hero of your own story, even when your story is not what you were expecting it to be. Deep down, we all are a little bit Puff, aren't we?

Please note: This is presented in our blackbox format so seating is limited. We are trying our best to bring you, the audience, into our tale so actors will be among you, sometimes with bubbles. Also, there are some loud noises and Soul Sucking Security Guards, but your Narrator will help you with those.

"PUFFS" (Two Act Edition) is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French INC., a Concord Theatricals Company

PTO Mindshare Event, Apr 30: Recovery Advocacy & Addiction Awareness

FREE EVENT – OPEN TO ALL
Middle School and High School students encouraged to attend

Breaking the Stigma: Recovery Advocacy & Addiction Awareness

Tony Hoffman, Former BMX Pro, U.S. Olympic Coach & Recovering Addict

Tuesday, April 30th, 7pm at Robert Adams Middle School,

323 Woodland Street, Holliston

Mindshare is proud to introduce a free seminar with Tony Hoffman, former addict of alcohol, marijuana, and prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycontin.

His substance abuse led him to commit a crime that resulted in a prison sentence. Tony is a Former BMX Elite Pro and is currently ranked #2 in Masters Pro class. He is a 2016 Rio Olympic Games Coach, with Women’s BMX PRO, Brooke Crain, in his line-up. Join us to hear Tony’s story of redemption as he recounts some of the highest highs, and the lowest lows.

This event is sponsored by Mindshare, Connecting the Community with Education.

Mindshare is Holliston PTO’s parent education program For more information, please contact Anne Buckley at parentedevents@gmail.com

Public Forum: The Future of Holliston High School

The Future of Holliston High School: A Community Conversation

Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 7 pm, HHS Auditorium

Originally designed in 1965 and opened in 1969, Holliston High School has served our community well for almost 50 years. Although it received a cosmetic renovation in 2000, now, 18 years later, the administration estimates that there are an estimated $10,000,000 in building infrastructure repairs and infrastructure replacements that we can reasonably expect to see in the coming decade. Understanding that our students’ classroom experience has changed significantly from 50 years ago and before investing such a significant amount of money in a 50-year old building, the School Committee asked the administration to review the building’s usefulness and effectiveness as a 21-century learning center. That review revealed a significant number of areas where the physical plant did not support the technology-rich, collaborative instructional model used today.

Given the significance of the anticipated costs over the next decade to maintain the building and the design deficiencies that impede our ability to provide our students with comparable 21st century learning environment available in most MetroWest communities who have already modernized their high school, the School Committee feels that it is time for Holliston to begin a serious conversation as a community regarding the High School and options moving forward.

To begin this discussion, the School Committee is holding a public forum, The Future of Holliston High School: A Community Conversation, on Tuesday, January 15, 2019, at 7 pm in the Holliston High School auditorium. This forum is open to all members of the public. The decisions our community face are important and will likely impact our students’ high school experience for the next several decades. Your attendance and participation as we begin to explore these issues is strongly encouraged.

MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey

To make sure we give the best possible education and services to children in Holliston, we want to learn about their attitudes and behaviors with regard to a variety of health issues. In order to accomplish this, students at Holliston High School are being asked to participate in a survey called the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey. The questions of the survey cover many topics including alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; violence and safety; nutrition and physical activity; sexual behaviors; online behaviors; and mental health. This project will help our district develop and enhance its health education and prevention services. We will be giving this survey to students in grades 9-12 on November 15th.

The survey is anonymous, meaning students will not put their name on the survey and no one will know what they write. There will be no identifying information on any of the surveys.

Completing this survey is voluntary. Your child’s grades in school will not be affected by participation. Your child can also decide not to take the survey or skip any question your child doesn’t wish to answer.

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment is a Federal Law that requires us to notify you ahead of time about the survey, and give you the chance to look at it, so you can let us know if you don’t want your child to take part. If you want to see the survey before deciding, a copy will be available at the main office from October 29th – November 13th.

If you DO NOT want your child to take part in the survey, please complete the Opt Out form below and have your child return it to the main office by November 13th.

•    Opt Out form

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nicole Bottomley at 508-429-0677

Sincerely,

Nicole Bottomley, Principal
Holliston High School

Back to School Info 2018

Welcome Back to HHS! Our complete set of back-to-school forms and information has been posted on the website in the Back to School 2018 page. Check it out for:

• Required and optional forms
• First day bell schedule
• Technology information
• Band & chorus signups
• Sports try-out info
• and more!

Holliston Freshman Working Toward Strengthening Support for Food Pantries

Most people are happy to donate to food pantries and drop necessary items but except for an annual food drive, they are really not aware of shortages of certain items at their local pantries. So how about if they received a fortnightly or a monthly email with the list of items needed? Given that food pantries are run by volunteers, they do not have the personnel to send out such emails on a regular basis. Some food pantries do have a website that lists their inventories but do people actually go and check the website before their next shopping list? Holliston High School freshman, Akshara Shankar, is on a mission to find some solutions. 

Akshara has been working on her project, ‘ManyHands’ with the support of the MIT Leadership Training Institute’s mentorship program. Akshara has worked to design the website, contacted over 20 food pantries of which 11 have already registered on her site including the Holliston Pantry Shelf. She has received lists of the most essential items and is now working to get the community to sign up on her website to receive alerts about items required by food pantries. Holliston High School students, parents and teachers who would like to receive alerts about what your local pantry needs can sign up on www.manyhandsfoodpantry.com

Senior Events Calendar 2018

May 18th

JUNIOR-SENIOR PROM
Mechanics Hall
6:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Buses Leaving HHS at 5:00pm

May 23rd

SENIOR PICNIC
(Last Day of Classes for Seniors) 1:00 p.m.

May 24th 

SENIOR EXAMS - A and B blocks 7:30 a.m.

May 25th 

SENIOR EXAMS - C and D blocks 7:30 a.m.

May 29th 

CLASS TRIP
Brownestone Exploration and Discovery Park, Portland, CT
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

May 30th 

GRADUATION PRACTICE (Mandatory)
8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

May 30th 

SENIOR AWARDS NIGHT
High School Auditorium
7:00 p.m.

May 31st 

GRADUATION PRACTICE (Mandatory)
8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

BACCALAUREATE CELEBRATION
A non-school sponsored interfaith service
Temple Beth Torah at 7:00 p.m.

June 1st 

IN-SCHOOL GRADUATION
Students & Faculty Only

June 3th 

GRADUATION
High School Field House
1:00 p.m. – Graduates arrive at HHS 2:00 p.m. – Graduation begins

All Night Graduation Celebration at Forekicks
A non-school sponsored event

8th Grade Orientation Night Presentation Posted

The 2018 8th Grade Program of Studies Night was held on March 14, 2018. In case you need more information, we have provided a link to the presentation. As always, please contact us with any questions.

>> 2018 8th Grade Program of Studies Night presentation

Upcoming Transition Fairs

March 29, 2018 - Personal Pathways for Career Success


7:00-8:30pm Natick High School Cafeteria
Hosted in Collaboration by Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Newton, Wellesley Public Schools

Students and families are invited to learn about a variety of postsecondary options beyond typical 4 year colleges. There are a variety of opportunities and this can be difficult to navigate. A student's transition to adulthood is individually
based on interests, preferences, aptitudes and skills - there is no one size fits all!

Participants may include the following post-graduate programming

• College Associate and Certificate Programs
• Labor Union Apprenticeships
• Vocational and Training Programs 
• Gap Year Options
• Military Culinary
• Cosmetology
• Massage Therapy Schools
• Automotive and Technical Schools 

April 5, 2018 - Metrowest Regional Transition Fair


6:30 - 8:30PM Natick High School Cafateria
Hosted in collaboration with: Natick, Holliston, Hopkinton, Wayland and Needham Public Schools, MWCIL, MWRTA, DDS, MRC, DMH, MCB, Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation, and ACCEPT Collaborative

Providing information for students, their families and professionals on resources within the local community.
Featuring local resources in the areas of :

• State agencies
• Social/Recreation
• Mental Health
• Housing
• Transportation
• Camps/Clubs
• Community Resources
• Employment

Attend a break out session and hear from
speakers on the topics of:

• Mental Health
• Lessons Learned from Parents
• Peer Panel​​

For more information or to register
please visit:
https://sites.google.com/natickps.org/metrowestregionaltransitionfai/home
Or contact Kathryn Seyfarth
kseyfarth@natickps.org

Gimme Shelter Coffeehouse Fundraiser

DECEMBER 6TH
7 PM AT HHS

Come out next Wednesday Night, December 6, to the Gimme Shelter Coffeehouse, here in the HHS Foyer. Admission is free. 

Live music performances by HHS students and alumni will start at 7pm. Food and drinks will be provided by The Beautiful Minds Campaign. 

All proceeds and donations will benefit the Y2Y Shelter in Cambridge, MA. For more information, please visit our website.

Fall Musical "GREASE" Nov. 16-18

Holliston High Theatre370's Fall musical production of GREASE is fast approaching! We have over 50 students participating onstage and behind the scenes this year, 170 costumes, numerous dance sequences and tons of fun!

Welcome to Rydell High, 1959!

When Danny Zuko's summer fling, good girl Sandy Dumbrowski, transfers to Rydell, he struggles to keep his bad boy image together in front his too-cool-for-school friends, the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies. Can the group accept an outsider? Does Sandy have what it takes to hang with this crowd?

Follow their adventures as they skip, steal, and jive their way through the halls of high school.

Full of notable songs and standout dance numbers like, "We Go Together," "Greased Lightning," and "Summer Nights," GREASE is an upbeat musical for all ages. This show will leave you humming and bopping in the aisles!

"Grease" is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

Ticket Information

Tickets can be purchased at the door, at Coffee Haven or online at grease370.brownpapertickets.com

Performances are November 16th, 17th, and 18th @ 7:30pm.

Tickets are $15 Adults and $10 Seniors and Students

We hope to see you there!

Open House - Wednesday September 27th, 2017

Wednesday, September 27th is the first semester Open House at Holliston High School. This email serves as general reminder for families, as well as, more specific information for families who may not have attended an open house before this year. The evening will begin at 6:30pm in the auditorium with brief, opening remarks from the Principal. During this meeting there is information about expectations for the school and various ways that students and families can involve themselves in all that HHS has to offer. The meeting will conclude a few minutes before 7:00pm to give everyone time to find their first block class. Students will receive blank copies of the open house schedule in their first block class next Tuesday morning, September 26th, to fill out and bring home to parents/guardians. If your student forgets to bring the schedule home, please come to the main office at the start of the evening and we can print another copy of the schedule.

Our schedule for the evening will follow an "A" day: A, B, C, D. We will not have parents/guardians attend DSB (Directed Study Block) or Advisory. Each class will last 12 minutes, with a 5 minute passing time in between. There will be several, friendly students working as guides throughout the building to help everyone find their way. During the class time, educators will go over their classroom expectations, different learning activities throughout the course, and how to contact them to discuss a student's progress. This night tends to move very quickly so if additional discussions regarding individual students are desired, educators will schedule time independent of Open House to meet with parents/guardians.

We look forward to seeing everyone!

>> Blank Schedules for Open House Night

Therapy Dogs Return to HHS

Working with Therapy Dogs International (TDI), we were fortunate to have therapy dogs at HHS during senior final exams last May. There was overwhelming positive feedback from students and many requested they return again during the 2017-2018 school year.

The therapy dogs will be in the Holliston High School Courtyard before school from 7:00 am - 7:30 am on Tuesday, August 29th to welcome students back to school. Research demonstrates that therapy dogs not only improve the emotional, mental, and academic productivity of students, but also improve school culture as a whole.

We recognize that for all students the transition from 8th to 9th grade and/or the return from the summer regardless of the grade level can be a challenging time and we hope that the presence of the therapy dogs will help to alleviate some of that stress/anticipation.

We also recognize that not all students will want to participate so the dogs will remain in a contained location.