Needham High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Needham,

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, educating grades 9 through 12. Aaron Sicotte is the principal of Needham High School. Its three assistant principals are Alison Coubrough-Argentieri, Mary Kay Alessi, and Pierre Jean. As of 2016, the school had 1,644 students and over 201 part-time and full-time instructional staff members, plus support staff employees. Needham High School was awarded a gold medal by U.S. News & World Report for its academic excellence. The school is ranked as the 11th best for Massachusetts and 307th best nationally on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best high schools in 2016.

History

Needham High School is situated on a hill overlooking Memorial Park, and is located at approximately the geographical center of town. The original building was dedicated in 1930. As a result of the town's rapid growth following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, additions were opened in 1955 and in 1967. These newer additions were demolished in 2008 due to renovation of the school. The school underwent a $62-million renovation consisting of a new wing which was opened in the fall of 2006 and another smaller wing opened in the fall of 2007. The renovated high school offers laboratory facilities, computer equipment, and Smart Boards throughout the school. The high school underwent another renovation in 2018 that repaired much of the A-gym, replace non-working HVAC systems, and added another section to the school which provided six additional classrooms and a new main office. This recent renovation costed $13,188,000 and was completed in late December of 2018.

Governing bodies

Each year the four classes hold elections to determine class president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and three class representatives. The collective term for these positions is Student Council, and each class's Student Council is responsible for community and fundraising activities for the class, including bake sales, semi formal dances, and charity donations. Other governing bodies include the Teacher Advisory Board, the School Council, and the School Committee.

Extracurricular activities

Sports

Students in Needham participate in athletic activities throughout the school year. Needham High School is a member of the

Bay State Conference The Bay State Conference, is an interscholastic high school athletic league located in the Metro Boston, Metrowest, and Southeastern Massachusetts ( South Shore) regions of the United States. The Bay State Conference is named after the nickname of ...

of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and Needham competes with other towns in the state. The schools colors are gold, navy blue and white. The Needham High School mascot is a rocket, chosen in the 1950s based on Cold War tensions. Prior to that, the school's mascot was a pansy, based on the town flower.

Fall sports

*Football (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Boys' and Girls' soccer (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Field hockey (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Girls' volleyball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Girls' swimming and diving (Varsity, JV) *Cross country (Varsity, JV) *Cheerleading (Varsity, Club) *Golf (Varsity) *Dance (Varsity, Club)

Winter sports

*Boys' and Girls' Hockey (Varsity, JV) *Boys' Swimming (Varsity) *Boys' and Girls' Indoor Track (Varsity, JV) *Ski Team (Varsity, JV) *Boys' & Girls' Basketball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Cheerleading (Varsity, Club) *Gymnastics (Varsity, JV) *Wrestling (Varsity, JV) *Squash (Club)

Spring Sports

*Lacrosse (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Baseball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Softball (Varsity, JV, Freshman) *Tennis (Varsity, JV) *Spring Track *Boys' Volleyball (Varsity, JV) *Boys' Rugby (Varsity, JV)

Club Sports

The Ultimate Team was founded in 2001. It was ranked 9th in the country in 2004, 7th in 2007, and again 7th in 2010. The team beat Amherst Regional High School March 24, 2007, ending ARHS' 4 year long win streak dating back to April 2003. The State Finals of Needham vs. ARHS in 2007 was named by the Ultimate Players Association as the best State Finals ever played because of an epic collapse by The Rockets. Needham took an early lead and held it throughout the game until reaching 11–8, but preceded to fold to a strong Amherst side which stormed back with a 6–1 run to win 14–12. The team reached the UPA High School Eastern Championships in 2007(T-3), 2009(T-7), 2010 (2nd), and 2011 (T-7). In both 2012 and 2013, the team came in second place at the USAU Northeasterns Championship losing to Amherst 13–2 and then Lexington 8–6. In 2013, the team beat ARHS in the semi-finals of the MA State Championship but lost again to Lexington, 11–9 in a rematch of the USAU Northeasterns Championship. The team is coached by alumni from the 2004 team, Dan Hourigan and Jimmy Foster, but throughout the fall and pre-spring seasons it is largely student run and directed. There is also a B-team which plays locally and Girls' Team formed in the spring of 2009. The Needham Rugby team was established in 2007 by a group of male and female students interested in forming a rugby club at the high school. For the first year of the program, the club was only able to field a partial girls side, however since then, the program has grown and includes over 40 active members on the boys' roster. The boys' rugby team will be entering their sixth year as a Varsity sport, competing in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). The boys' rugby club participates in the Division 1 Conference against BC High, St. Johns Prep, Bishop Hendricken, Xaverian, and Belmont High School. The girls' team that once folded is now trying to rebuild and establish themselves in the 2015 spring season as a club team. The head coach of the boys' team is Joshua Yankell. Joshua played Club Rugby for Brandeis University. He is a Rugby Certified Referee.

Football and Thanksgiving Rivalry

The football team is known as the

Rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entir ...

s. The school continues to participate in the oldest public high school rivalry in the nation, between Needham and Wellesley. The game is played every

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

and began in 1882 when Wellesley player Arthur Judson Oldman challenged the Needham team. The game was played at Wellesley's Morton Field and had little in common with modern football. The rivalry has continued uninterrupted since the event, with Wellesley maintaining the slight edge, 61–59–9. The Thanksgiving game of 2015, played at Fenway Park, resulted in the Rockets winning against the Raiders. The final score was 12–7.

Performing arts

The Dance Team is in its sixth year, and was only recently recognized as a Varsity Sport as opposed to a Club team. The team performs at

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

home games during halftime. In 2003 they came in first place at a National Competition in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, and got to perform their routine before the '' Outback Bowl'' in front of 17,000 people. In 2009, the Dance Team won the state title, beating out fellow Bay State Conference rival Braintree. The Dance Team recently took home 1st place in both the 2011 Bay State conference as well as the 2011 State competition, once again beating out fellow rival Braintree. Needham High School frequently sends students to District, All-State, and All-National music festivals each year.

Other clubs and teams

The school has over thirty extracurricular clubs and activities including a School Newspaper, Speech and Debate Team, a Mock Trial Team, and several student-run a cappella groups. The school newspaper was established in 1957, and is titled ''The Hilltopper''. The Four Square Club is the current world record-holder for the longest continuous four square game. Needham High School has a robotics club with four

FIRST Tech Challenge FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly known as FIRST Vex Challenge, is a robotics competition for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other te ...

teams, the HackHers, T-10, Delta V, and Liquid Oxygen, which frequently reach state competitions. T-10 also attended the Australian invitational competition in 2014, and advanced to super-regional competition in the 2015-2016 season. The school has a math team which participates in GBML (Greater Boston Mathematics League) and other competitions. Needham High School's extracurricular organizations are coordinated by faculty advisors although they have student-elected officials and are largely run by students.

Curricular offerings

Foreign languages

Classes are offered in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

, and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

. The foreign language program offers beginning courses in all the languages as well as logical continuation sequences from the middle school language programs. French, Spanish, and Mandarin courses extend from introductory levels to

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses. A program called INDEX, short for independent exploration, allows high-ability and highly motivated students to pursue languages or levels which are not offered.

Science

The science department offers a laboratory-based science curriculum. The departmental sequence in science consists of

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

in ninth grade,

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

in tenth grade,

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

in eleventh grade, and

and elective courses in the twelfth grade. AP courses are offered in

, and

. Science elective courses offered at Needham High School include Environmental Science, 20th Century Physics, Marine Biology, Introduction to Astronomy, and Anatomy and Physiology.

Social studies

The social studies department requires students to complete a three-year sequence including World History (9th grade), World and American History (10th grade), and an American History course (11th grade). The social studies department also offers a several elective majors, available for junior and senior students. These include

Psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

and

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

, the World Since 1945, American Legal System, and Chinese Traditions. The department offers three

advanced placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses:

AP United States History Advanced Placement (AP) United States History (also known as AP U.S. History or APUSH () is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. Course The AP U.S. History course is designe ...

AP United States Government Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students throug ...

, and

AP Psychology Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology (also known as AP Psych) and its corresponding exam are part of College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to ...

Mathematics

The mathematics department requires students to complete a three-year sequence including Algebra II (9th grade), Geometry (10th grade), and a pre-calculus (11th grade). Alternatively, students can complete the Algebra I (9th grade), Geometry (10th grade), and Algebra II (11th grade) sequence. AP level courses include

AP Calculus Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cover ...

AB and BC, and

AP Statistics Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-ca ...

. In addition, Computer Science courses are offered at the introductory and AP levels. In 2013 an introductory robotics class was added as well.

Fine and performing arts

Along with elective fine arts courses in architectural design, graphic design, ceramics, photography, production printing, the school offers a four-year art sequence. Additionally, the school offers several courses in the performing arts, such as

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

and

Chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. Certain music courses at Needham High Schools, such as Concert Chorale and Jazz Ensemble require an audition and have practices and rehearsals after school; additionally, there is an after-school chorus course for students who are not able to take chorus during the day. The Fine and Performing Arts department offers two

courses:

AP Music Theory Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory (also known as AP Music or AP Theory) is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for ...

and

AP Studio Art Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art (also known as AP Art and Design) is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D Design, and AP Studio Art 3D Design. Portfolio Unlike ...

. Certain courses (particularly the second, third, and fourth-year courses) in the art sequence, as well as the AP Music Theory course, are weighted into a student's GPA. As a graduation requirement, Needham High School requires that students complete the equivalent of two full year art courses.

Community classroom

As a graduation requirement, students must earn two community classroom credits. Students may earn one credit by either completing thirty hours of community service or alternatively by at least twelve hours of work per week for one semester during the school year. Community service opportunities include volunteer service as well as internships. Only one credit may be earned through work experience.

Associated programs

Needham is a member of the METCO Program, which allows

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

students to attend the school.

Notable alumni and teachers

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...

, 72nd and current Governor of Massachusetts *

Marsha Bemko Marsha Bemko is an American television producer. She is the executive producer of the PBS series ''Antiques Roadshow''. In addition to ''Antiques Roadshow'', Bemko is also executive producer for PBS's antiques series ''Market Warriors''. Biog ...

, executive producer of the Antiques Roadshow. Bemko first joined Roadshow in 1999 as a senior producer. *

Lee Eisenberg Lee Eisenberg (born April 5, 1977) is an American film and television writer and producer. He usually works with Gene Stupnitsky, with whom he founded Quantity Entertainment. Life and career Eisenberg was born in Needham, Massachusetts. His fath ...

, film and television writer (''Year One, The Office'') *

Anna Parker Fessenden Anna Parker Fessenden (April 8, 1896 – May 3, 1972) was an American botanist and mathematics educator. Early life and education Anna Parker Fessenden was born in Thomaston, Maine, and raised in Mattapan, Massachusetts, the middle of three d ...

, botanist, taught math at Needham High School *

Robbie Ftorek Robert Brian Ftorek (born January 2, 1952) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. Playing career Ftorek played in the 1962, 1963 and 1964 Queb ...

, NHL coach and player, born and raised in Needham(Class of 1970) *

James S. Gracey James Steele Gracey (August 24, 1927 – April 5, 2020) was an Admiral (United States), admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 17th Commandant of the Coast Guard, commandant from 1982 to 1986. Early life and education Gracey ...

, former Commandant of the United States Coast Guard *

Steven Hauschka Stephen Theodore Hauschka (born June 29, 1985) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State. Hau ...

, NFL kicker for the Buffalo Bills *

Eric Johnson Eric Johnson may refer to: Music *Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954) an American guitarist and recording artist * Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), member of multiple indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics * Eric Joh ...

, former NFL Tight End, most notably for the San Francisco 49ers. Currently married to singer Jessica Simpson. * Richard Larson, professor at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

, 56th and current Governor of New Jersey, former ambassador to Germany 2009-2013. *

Marissa Nadler Marissa Nadler (born April 5, 1981) is an American musician and fine artist. Active since 2000, she is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, ''The Path of the Clouds'', in Oc ...

critically acclaimed musician and fine artist. *

Aly Raisman Alexandra Rose Raisman (born May 25, 1994) is a retired American artistic gymnast and two-time Olympian. She was captain of both the 2012 " Fierce Five" and 2016 " Final Five" U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams, which won their respective te ...

, Olympic gold medalist for gymnastics in London 2012 and Rio 2016 *

Karl Ravech Karl Ravech (; born ) is an American journalist who works as the primary play by play commentator for ''Sunday Night Baseball''.Sarah Saltzberg Sarah Saltzberg is an American actress and singer. Personal Saltzberg is a native of Needham, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Boston University's theatre performance program. Her brother, Adam Saltzberg, is a reality television producer. She al ...

, actress/singer, star of Broadway's

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, based on a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spe ...

Harry Swartz Harrison "Harry" Swartz (born March 19, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club New Mexico United. Career Swartz is from Needham, Massachusetts. He played soccer at Needham High Schoo ...

(born 1996), soccer player *

Mike Tannenbaum Mike Tannenbaum (born February 14, 1969) is an American football reporter. He served as the executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins from 2015 to 2018. Prior to that, he served as the general manager for the New Yor ...

, Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

* Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com *

Sunita Williams Sunita Lyn Williams (born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut and United States Navy officer who formerly held the records for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). Williams was ...

, graduated from Needham High School in 1983, U.S. Naval Academy graduate, currently a

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

astronaut

Distinguished Career Award

The George A. Dennett Distinguished Career Award has been established to recognize former Needham High School students who have gone on to distinguished careers. They were first presented in 1990.

References

Needham High School October 2017 STM (1)
October 2, 2017.

External links