Wachusett Regional High School (abbv. WRHS) is located in Holden, Massachusetts, United States and services the Wachusett Regional School District. Founded in 1955, WRSD comprises Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling. William Beando was appointed principal as of July 1, 2007, succeeding the one year interim service of longtime principal Hal Lane, who had retired in 1993. The assistant principals are Rebecca Demarco, Josue Delgado, Victoria DeSimone, and Michael Pratt.
Academics
The school offers a wide range of courses in many subjects, chiefly of four difficulty levels. The CPA, College Prep - Accelerated, is the accelerated college preparatory level, and the majority of students take classes at this level. The Honors level is above CPA. CP, College Prep is the regular level for students and prepares them for studies after high school. Students at the CP level may need a little extra support with their studies to prepare them for post-high school studies. The fourth main class level is AP, or Advanced Placement, a College Board program through which college credit can be awarded for excellent performance on year-end standardized exams. There are also V or "0" level courses, which are usually mandatory or non-academic, such as physical education and special education courses.
The Advanced Placement program at the school has proven a great success. Since 2005, 88% of students taking the end-of-year examination have earned a score of "3" or better, qualifying many of the students for college credit. As of 2010, the high school offers nineteen Advanced Placement courses.
The high school also consistently exceeds state and national averages for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT.
School activities
Music Department
WRHS has a large and well regarded music department- which includes several choirs or varying sizes, orchestra and concert bands, string and wind ensembles, as well as jazz performance groups (both vocal and instrumental). WRHS's music department also has a special partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra which permits the students to sit in on rare closed rehearsals of the orchestra. In the spring of 2005, WRHS performed admirably at an international music competition in Toronto, Ontario. At the Festival of Music, Wachusett received first place in the Jazz Band competition, receiving recognition for having several excellent musicians, soloists, and sections. Jazz Choir and Orchestra also took first place in their respective categories. Singers and Chamber Choir took first place in the Mixed Men's and Women's Choir section. String Orchestra received a first place award as well. Wind Ensemble received second place overall. In April 2003 and 2007, the Honors Music Program performed in Florida and visited Walt Disney World, performing on various stages within the park and in Disney Springs. Also in 2007, the Honors Choirs performed at Foxwoods with Kenny Rogers, and also in 2008 at Mohegan Sun. In the spring of 2009, WRHS competed in the North American Festival of Music in Toronto, Ontario, receiving several first and second place awards.
The Wachusett Madrigal Singers were first led to International Music Festival Gold in 1993 by beloved director, and recipient of the MMEA Lowell Mason Award, and the MMEA Distinguished Service Award, Grace V Reidy.
Extracurricular activities
Wachusett Model United Nations and Civics Club
Wachusett's Model United Nations program was first established in the 1970s. Under the current guidance of a political science teacher, Wachusett frequents several model United Nations conferences in locations such as Northeastern University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clark University, and Princeton University. The Wachusett Model United Nations organization has since been disbanded and replaced by the Wachusett Civics Club. This new club was founded in 2018 and continues to participate in model United Nations events along with Model Congress and moot court.
Massachusetts Club
Formed during the 2005–2006 school year, the Massachusetts Club takes group trips to historic places throughout the state, usually on weekends. Trips taken include a day spent in Rockport, several visits to Boston, and a trip to Salem.