Worcester Public Schools - From Here, Anywhere... Together

Quarter Two Honor Roll Listings 📝 Congratulations to the many scholars who are being acknowledged for their academic achievements during quarter two! Please note: If a parent or guardian has opted out of media consent for their child, their child's name will not be included in the honor roll publication. Find your scholar here 👉 https://buff.ly/3Xhc3fW

Judge Margaret Guzman Visits Students at Dr. Arthur F. Sullivan Middle School 👩‍⚖️ Judge Margaret Guzman recently visited Sullivan Middle School to speak with 7th and 8th grade scholars. During the visit, Judge Guzman shared her journey to the judge's bench and insights into the legal profession with students. Judge Guzman, who was raised in Worcester, currently serves on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is an active participant in the Mock Trial Program, working directly with Sullivan Middle School students. Students enjoyed the visit from Judge Guzman, and even had the chance to try on a judicial robe!

🎉 Attendance Matters at Lincoln Street School! 🥞 40 students with perfect attendance for Q2 were treated to a special pancake breakfast! 🏆👏 Their hard work and dedication paid off, and families joined in to make the morning extra special. Great job, Lincoln Street School community—let’s keep the momentum going and show up strong all year long! 💪🔥

Accelerated Learning Academy at Elm Park Community School 📝 Scholars at Elm Park participated in the Accelerated Learning Academy over winter break, collaborating with educators to enhance their learning skills. Throughout the week, scholars engaged in learning sessions with educators, focusing on open response assignments, test-taking strategies, and creative projects. Fun activities included physical exercise in the school gym, cooperative board games, and quality time with friends. The Accelerated Learning Academy was hosted across various WPS sites, including Burncoat Preparatory School, Burncoat High School, Forest Grove Middle School, North High School, and Worcester East Middle School.

Woodland Academy's Staff Dodgeball Tournament 🏐 Woodland Academy came together just before winter break for a staff dodgeball tournament! Students had a blast cheering on their teachers, even wearing team colors and making signs to show support. Big shoutout to the Red Team – Mr. Axford, Ms. Dorant, Ms. King, Mr. Swan, Ms. Tighe, and Ms. Yau – for taking home the win! 💪

🌟 Celebrating Black Excellence at Vernon Hill School! 🌟 Vernon Hill has been honoring the incredible contributions of Black leaders and trailblazers who have shaped our world. From researching icons like Marcus Garvey, Alma Thomas, Simone Biles, and Barack Obama, to hosting Spirit Week, door decorating, inviting community storytellers, and exploring African-American influences on modern music—students are learning, creating, and celebrating legacies that inspire us all!

Butterfly Project Mural at Woodland Academy 🦋 A mural was recently unveiled at Woodland Academy, featuring colorful ceramic butterflies painted by the school’s former sixth-grade students. The mural showcases over 60 hand-painted butterflies created during the 2023-24 school year. These butterflies are part of The Butterfly Project, an arts and education initiative that memorializes the 1.5 million children killed during the Holocaust. During the unveiling ceremony, students from last year's sixth-grade class returned to Woodland Academy to see the completed mural. The mural was created in partnership with Veronica Parretti, a local artist and daughter of Woodland Academy assistant principal Sherilynne Parretti. The words within the butterflies’ wings are inspired by WPS' Vision of a Learner and Woodland Academy's kindness values. After the ceremony, students, along with families and caregivers, enjoyed a fun evening of math games, pizza, and community.

🎉 Doherty Memorial High School's MCAC Day! 🎉 Doherty's Class of 2025 came together to celebrate their high school journey during Massachusetts College Application Celebration (MCAC) Day! 🙌 Hosted in collaboration with the school's guidance department, the event featured tasty donuts, hot coffee and music in the cafeteria. From there, students took to the gymnasium for fun games and activities, including Spike Ball, Jenga, Connect Four, Cornhole, and plenty more! 🏐🎯 Shoutout to the Class of 2025 for all your hard work to this point! 💪🎓

⭐ Aerla Kodra, 8th Grade Scholar at Forest Grove Middle School ⭐ “Aerla participated in a Lions Club Peace Poster Contest back in November. Since then her artwork won at both the district and state levels in competition with hundreds of other student's artwork. Her painting is now moving on to the International level of judging. There will be approximately 200 posters competing at the International level and a final Peace Poster winner will be chosen in April. We are wishing her the best in this exciting endeavor! Aerla’s talent, integrity, and determination is an inspiration to others! She exemplifies the qualities of a WPS scholar that we all should be proud of.” This work demonstrates that Aerla is a Curious Learner. Aerla discovered and explored their strengths, interests and talent while further connecting with their passion for art. (CL. 3) ⭐ Do you know a WooStar? We are looking for students and staff who have gone above and beyond to feature on our social media channels. 👉 Nominate a student at https://buff.ly/4g5M2aW 👉 Nominate a staff member at https://buff.ly/3Mlru0N

Columbus Park Preparatory Elementary School's Peace Wall Students at Columbus Park Elementary collaborated to create a 'Peace Wall,' honoring Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream. Through colorful drawings and messages, they shared their own hopes for kindness, equality, and a better world.

The Black Student Unions of each WPS high school recently came together to celebrate Black History Month at Worcester Technical High School. The event drew over 200 students from Burncoat High School, Doherty Memorial High School, North High School, South High Community School and Worcester Tech. Students from Abby Kelley Foster School also participated, highlighting the spirit of unity among Black students across Worcester. Throughout the evening, students came together to enjoy the camaraderie of friends, play fun games with peers, and share a delicious buffet-style dinner, creating a vibrant atmosphere of celebration for Black History Month.

📢 Attendance Matters at Grafton Street School! 🐊✨ Congratulations to Jadrian Beltran (Grade 3) for winning the "Name the Attendance Gator" contest! 🎉 Meet Kobe the Attendance Gator, who will go on monthly adventures to the classroom with the highest attendance percentage. 📚✏️ Students will document Kobe’s journey in a special journal, capturing his classroom experiences throughout the year! Plus, students with great attendance can enjoy Friday afternoon attendance events like a Lollipop Walk and extra recess! 🍭🏃‍♂️ Stay engaged and see where Kobe’s journey takes him next. Great job, Grafton Street School community—let’s show up strong all year long! 💪🏽✨

🍪✨ Heard Street Discovery Academy Family Fun! Heard Street Discovery Academy’s Family Event brought together over 80 students, parents, and siblings for a fun night of cookie decorating! 🎨🍪 Cookies and frosting were courtesy of the talented students of Culinary Chapter 74 at Worcester Tech! 🙌💙 It was great to see our families laughing, decorating, and creating sweet memories together. 💛

✨ Lunar New Year Fun at Norrback Avenue School! ✨ Ms. Sturtevant's fourth graders recently enjoyed a fun lesson all about Lunar New Year with world cultures teacher, Ms. Shan-Shan King! 🌏 Scholars explored unique Lunar New Year traditions, from lion dancing to traditional clothing, and even made their own lucky red envelopes, which symbolizes prosperity, happiness, and good fortune in Chinese cultures! 🧧🐉

🎉 South High Community School's Lunar New Year Festival! 🐉🌟 The Asian Student Association (ASA) hosted an unforgettable evening with delicious food, vibrant music, and fun games! Guests enjoyed Sushi, Spring Rolls, Lo Mein, Banh Mi, and more. 🍣🎶 Students were joined by GongCha, Mia Cane, and Mochi Dough, who added to the celebration with their booths. A huge thank you to Chef Quy from Kyoto Bar and Grill for supporting the Culinary Arts team and contributing several dishes. 🍽️ This event was made possible by the dedication of the ASA council and the entire South High Community School community! We look forward to making this an annual tradition! 🙌🎉

Friendly Faces of Roosevelt Elementary School 🤗 We recently visited the students and staff of Roosevelt Elementary School! Young scholars were checking out books at the school's Worcester Public Library branch, painting handmade cups in art class and participating in group activities. Roosevelt School is a place where every child’s potential shines. Situated on Grafton Street in the North Quadrant, Roosevelt proudly serves 620 students from preschool to grade six. Roosevelt's mission is to inspire and empower students to become future-ready, lifelong learners who are engaged, informed, and prepared to make a meaningful impact in the world. Roosevelt strives to offer high-quality instruction tailored to meet the diverse needs of its students. There is a strong emphasis on equity, diversity, and the holistic development of each child. At Roosevelt, students not only excel academically but also forge lasting friendships and create memories that will stay with them for a lifetime.

⭐ Ann Ruchala, Elementary Instructional Coach at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School ⭐ "Ann’s passion for sparking creativity, innovation, and joy in learning is truly inspiring! Last year, she shined as a Spark Teacher, and now, as a Spark Coach, she is taking her impact even further—building coaching skills, supporting teachers, and designing innovative lesson plans that bring the Vision of a Learner to life. Ann’s dedication to Future Ready Instruction is making a lasting difference for educators and students alike!" ⭐ Do you know a WooStar? We are looking for students and staff who have gone above and beyond to feature on our social media channels. 👉 Nominate a student at https://buff.ly/4g5M2aW 👉 Nominate a staff member at https://buff.ly/3Mlru0N

🎉 Thank you to Source International for your generosity! 🧤🧣🧥 Source International organized a staff-led drive to collect hats, gloves, and coats, helping us provide warmth and comfort to students at several schools and the Parent Information Center. We appreciate our community partners who support Worcester Public Schools and make a difference for our students! 💙

South High Community School's Bryan Bascones Reaches 1,000 Career Points! Congratulations to South High senior Bryan Bascones for reaching the 1,000 career points milestone in girls basketball! Bascones surpassed the career mark with a 17 point, 11 rebound performance in the team's win against Sandwich this past weekend.

WPS High School Scholars Join 2025 Pipeline Dreams Program at UMass Chan Medical School High school juniors and seniors from Worcester Public Schools (WPS) will be participating in the 2025 Pipeline Dreams Program, a 12-week learning experience organized by the UMass Chan Collaborative in Health Equity. The Pipeline Dreams Program, which began on January 15 at UMass Chan Medical School, is intended to expose students to future careers in medicine, scientific research and public health. It is a program of Patients R Waiting, Inc. Click here for more information: https://buff.ly/40Nc9g6