Newton South High School

For schools of a similar name, see South High School.

Newton South High School
Address
140 Brandeis Road Newton , Massachusetts 02459 U.S.A.
Coordinates	42°18′51.73″N 71°11′11.36″W File:Home-logo.jpg
Information
Motto	Bona Mens Omnibus Patent
Established	1960
CEEB code	221548
Principal	Joel Stembridge
Faculty	220 (as of 2007)
Enrollment	1700
Campus size	33.477 acres
Color(s)	Red & Orange
Mascot	Lions
Website	www.newton.k12.ma.us/nshs/

Newton South High School is one of two public high schools in the city of Newton, Massachusetts, the other being Newton North.

Mission statement

Newton South High School, a community of students, parents, faculty, and staff,

• Is dedicated to peace and love for all citizens
• Expects integrity; responsibility; and respect for self, others, and the environment
• Creates a climate of safety and kindness
• Nurtures curiosity, creativity, and a passion for learning
• Fosters self-confidence and success for all learners

Ground plan

Newton South High is divided into four sections known as houses. The houses are Goldrick, which contains the History and Home Ec departments, as well as the nursery school; Wheeler, which contains the English department and some math and science rooms; Cutler, which contains the Math and Science departments; and Goodwin, which contains the World language department. Building 1 is Goldrick; 2 is Wheeler; 3 is the science wing; 4 is Cutler; 5 is the field house, and associated classrooms; 6 is Goodwin; 7 is the cafeteria, and the college and career resource room; 8 is the administrative section; and 9 is the arts wing, as well as the Van Seasholes Auditorium.

Organization

Newton South places all students into one of four houses, in which they remain for the duration of high school. Unlike many other schools, the houses at Newton South are only for administrative and attendance purposes. They have no effect on the courses or activities of students, except for students' homerooms.

The four houses are:

• Cutler House
  • Housemaster: Mrs. Donna Gordon
  • Assistant Housemaster:
  • Secretary: Janice Ingemi
  • Counselors: James Medieros, Donna Segal, Marcy Davidson
• Goldrick House
  • Housemaster: Mr. Henry Turner
  • Secretary: Janis Rotker
  • Counselors: Lenny Lebinzon, Sue Batler, Maggie Shih
• Goodwin House
  • Housemaster: Mr. Charles Myette
  • Assistant Housemaster: Mary Ann Price
  • Secretary: Angela DeRubeis
  • Counselors: Kathryn Jason, Kara Veley, Marcy Davidson
• Wheeler House
  • Housemaster: Ms. Josepha Blocker
  • Assistant Housemaster:
  • Secretary: Linda Curran
  • Counselors: Aaron Lewis, Kristin Santos, Homer Turner

Partnerships

The Newton-Beijing Jingshan School Exchange Program is the oldest exchange of public secondary school students between the United States and the People's Republic of China. The city of Newton hosts students and teachers for four months each fall and sends students and teachers to Beijing each spring. It has become a tradition for the Jingshan students to give an entertaining presentation about their culture to the school just before returning to their country.

Newton has also had a long-standing relationship with its sister city of San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Every February, a small group of Newton South students go to Nicaragua to live with local families and do community service.

Athletics

Newton South's ultimate frisbee team, Angry Corn, placed first in the 2009 div II state tournament in Greenfield, Ma.

Newton South competes in the DCL (Dual County League), which includes Arlington High School, Acton-Boxboro High School, Bedford High School, Boston Latin School, Concord-Carlisle High School, Tyngsboro High School, Wayland High School, Westford Academy, Waltham High School, and South's rival, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School

South has 29 Varsity Sports, including a Dance Team, which replaced the under-represented Cheerleading Team.

The Department is headed by Athletic Director Scott Perrin and Secretary Barbara Castoldi

Fall Sports
Football (B), Soccer (B+G), Cross Country (B+G), Volleyball (G), Golf (Co-Ed), Ultimate Frisbee (B+G), Field Hockey (G)
Winter Sports
Basketball (B+G), Gymnastics (G), Nordic Skiing (B+G), Alpine Skiing (B+G), Indoor Track and Field (B+G), Wrestling (B), Hockey (B+G), Swimming (B+G)
Spring Sports
Lacrosse (B+G), Baseball (B), Softball (G), Volleyball (B), Track and Field(B+G), Tennis (B+G), Ultimate Frisbee(B+G)

Awards and Recognition
During the mid and late 90's Newton South's Men Tennis Team lead by Coach Dr. Edward Jackson "Doc", made a state record of three consecutive state finals, bringing Newton South the State Championship in 1997. Ten players from these teams over a four year period (1995–1998) would become Boston Globe All-Scholastics and Boston Herald All-Stars.

The Newton South Men's Basketball team led by Coach Killilea reached the Division 1 South final during the 2001-2002 season, posting one of the best results in school history.

In 2006, the Gymnastics Team was a Cinderella story, reaching the State Finals and placing well. The team was featured in the Boston Globe for their unprecedented success.

In 2007, the Football team was featured in the Boston Globe for taking the DCL Championship and a playoff spot from rival Lincoln-Sudbury because they scored enough points in the first half to let Wayland's points against average dip below L-S's, breaking a tie between the two teams.

Newton South's Cross Country and Track and Field Teams have enjoyed enormous success since Steven McChesney took control of the programs. The teams are now coached by Newton South and Boston College Alumni Matt Capstick and by McChesney, a high school (South Eugene H.S.) and college (University of Oregon) All-American in his youth. They are undoubtedly the most successful athletic teams at South.

In 2008, the Girls' track and field team won the DCL, Massachusetts Division I, and Massachusetts All-State Titles, led by many All-Americans including Bridget Dahlberg, Kelsey Karys, Madeline Reed, Kathy O'Keefe, Juliet Ryan-Davis, Diana Braver, Julia Frieze.

Also in 2008, the Golf team won the DCL, Massachusetts Division I and finished 5th at the State Championship, ending their best season yet.

In 2009, the quartet of Bridget Dahlberg, Kathy O'Keefe, Melanie Fineman, and Kelsey Karys, competing as "Newton Centre Athletics," won the 4x1 Mile relay at both the Nike Indoor Nationals and the Nike Outdoor Nationals. The day after their Nike Indoor win, they substituted Juliet Ryan-Davis for Karys and took second in the 4x800 meter relay in what was a school record, Massachusetts record, and New England record.

Subsequently, Newton South was named Massachusetts's top athletic program by Sports Illustrated.

South notables

Roger Myerson, Newton South class of 1969, was one of the three recipients of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2007 "for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory".

South also sports a Science Team that competes regularly in state-wide championships such as the National Ocean Science Bowl, the State Olympiad and a 2-person team-based engineering competition sponsored by Boston University. Newton South's team finished first at the BU competition in June 2007. The Science Team finished first in the Western Suburban Science League and fourth in the state Science Olympiad for the 2005-2006 season. They then went on to finish third in state during the 2006-2007 season.

The Newton South Speech Team is also very successful. It was the top-scoring public school in Massachusetts at the State Finals in 2006, and again in 2007. In recent years, it has been home to many finalists and champions at prominent national tournaments. In 2008, and again in 2009, it won the State Championship. They have also had several national champions.

The budding Programming Club at Newton South has also had early success, placing first at the Providence College High School Programming Contest in its first year attending, merely one year after the club's creation. It was also the first team to beat the consistently strong Westborough High team in 8 years. It also won a competition held at Fitchburg State College.

Two stars of NBC's comedy The Office graduated from Newton South: B.J. Novak and John Krasinski. In addition to The Office, Novak recently starred in the highly successful Inglourious Basterds, and Krasinski has appeared in films such as License to Wed and It's Complicated. Novak, along with fellow classmates, wrote the first play that Krasinski ever performed in at Newton South. They both graduated in 1997.

Eli Roth, film director, producer, writer, and actor, graduated from Newton South in 1990.

Andy Katz, a senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com graduated from Newton South in 1986.

Priyanka Chopra, class of 1999, a Bollywood actress and Miss World 2000.

Jonathan Mann, class of 1965, World Health Organization chief against AlDS.

Ben Morse, a Class of 2000 graduate and writer for one of the student newspapers, The Lion's Roar, has gone on to write for Wizard Magazine and Marvel Comics.

Marisa Catalina Casey (class of 1997), co-author of Born in Our Hearts: Stories of Adoption, is the Founder and Executive Director of the arts education nonprofit Starting Artists, lnc. located in Brooklyn, NY.

Newton South is also cited for having one of the strongest performing arts programs in Massachusetts. The Newton South Jazz Band has won a gold medal performing in the lAJE Jazz Festival in both 2006 and 2007. Also, the Newton South Madrigals won a gold medal at the MICCA chorus festival in 2008.

South is also famous for its annual Sophomore Speech competition, in which each sophomore must give a 5-6 minute speech on a topic of their choice. There are two rounds of speaking, before the teachers each rank the students 1-6 (1 being the best, 6 being the worst). The top 6 speakers with the lowest cumulative score then advance to the prestigious final round where they must deliver their speech in front of the entire grade, teachers, faculty, staff, family and three important school administrators who are the judges.

Newton South's student run a cappella group, The Newtones, are featured on a Ben Folds a cappella CD. Folds found the Newtones on youtube singing an original arrangement of his song "Evaporated," and e-mailed the group to come record with him.

Newspapers

Newton South's two school newspapers are Denebola, the school's official paper, and The Lions Roar, a student-started paper. According to Jack Dvorak, an Indiana University professor who studies high school journalism, "I don't know of any school other than that one that has two papers at least in part supported by the school. That really is rare, if not unique".

The two papers are consistently ranked among the best in the region, with The Lion's Roar also earning national acclaim. In the fall of 2004, The Lion's Roar won the Pacemaker Award at the National Scholastic Press Association's annual conference. In the Spring of 2007 and 2008, Denebola won first place at the annual New England Scholastic Press Association conference. In 2006, 2007 and 2008, Denebola also won the Massachusetts Press Association's Award for General Excellence at Suffolk University, but in 2009 Denebola lost to The Lion's Roar. In 2009, the Lions Roar was once again nominated for the Pacemaker Award, and will receive the results in November of this year.

In 2007, both editors in chief of The Lion's Roar finished first and second, respectively, in the 2007 JEA Massachusetts Journalist of the Year Award. In November 2007, The Lion's Roar placed 10th in the nation for "Best of Show" in Philadelphia at the National Scholastic Press Association's annual convention. All five of the Lion's Roar write-off participants placed in their respective categories, earning the highest and second highest distinctions. One of the editors-in-chief was also published in "The Best Teen Writing of 2007" for a story she wrote about a teacher battling cancer. She also received a Gold Award from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

In November 2008, at the NSPA/JEA National Convention in St. Louis, the Lion's Roar moved up four slots to sixth place in the "Best of Show" category. One of the editors-in-chief also placed second in the "Story of the Year" category for sports writing, for a piece on concussions in high school sports. In the write-off competitions, the Roar fared well for the second straight year, as six students placed: one with a Superior rating, one with an Excellent rating, and four with honorable Mentions in their respective categories.

In its December 2007 issue, Denebola reported on five hidden security cameras found at the school [1]. According to the article, students, parents, faculty, and administrators were unaware of the cameras, three of which were disguised as smoke detectors. The article was highlighted in the local newspaper, The Boston Globe, and reports appeared on local tv channels WCVB, WHDH, and WBZ.

Denebola dates back to 1960, while the Lion's Roar was founded in 1984 by disgruntled ex-Denebola staffers. Over the last few years, the Lion's Roar has gained a reputation for controversy. Prominent examples include a series of anonymous articles about students' sex lives and a front-page article about a top athlete's relationship with his ex-girlfriend (including details of her restraining order and insinuations that this order was being used to victimize the boy). At the time, Principal Michael Welch ordered the papers confiscated, but returned them after the ACLU became involved.

Public attention

The school gained notoriety in 2002 for its "Senior Scavenger Hunt" [2], a student-organized contest that featured theft, vandalism, and various sexual acts committed by the graduating seniors in exchange for points. Universal Studios owns the rights to a movie based on the incident, co-written and directed by alumnus Eli Roth.

Norman Swerling, a Drivers Education teacher at the school, was accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. Although he was acquitted, the school district no longer offers Drivers Ed, and refers its students to the Brookline Driving School. [3]

In October 2005, Newton South's theater program (South Stage) performed a production of The Laramie Project. The performance of this play was scheduled to be picketed by Reverend Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church; articles about this have appeared in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, and The Newton Tab. However, the three sold-out performances of the production passed without incident.

On April 11, 2006, Howard Zinn visited the school to talk to the members of the Social Awareness Club of both Newton South and the Social Justice Academy. Also on April 28, 2006, Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic nominee for President, visited the school to advocate political participation among the school's students. Noam Chomsky spoke on April 11, 2007 about the War in Iraq and American policy in the Middle East. Alan Dershowitz, at the invitation of the Social Awareness Club and the Jewish Student Union, spoke to students on June 5, 2007 on the Arab-Israeli conflict and American foreign policy. Jodi Picoult, author of many popular young adult novels, spoke to a small group of students in February 2007 before the release of her book Nineteen Minutes.

On February 8, 2007, the Newton South STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition chapter organized a Darfur Benefit Concert with the well known band, State Radio, raising over $23,000 for Save the Children and the Genocide Intervention Network. [4]

On March 28, 2008, for the first time in Newton South's history, the Mock Trial team became the Mock Trial state champions. Mock Trial is a program of the Massachusetts Bar Association. The team advanced to the national championships in Delaware, where it finished in 22nd place.

External links

• Newton South High School Official Website