Newton South High School
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| Newton South High School | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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140 Brandeis Road , 02459 | |
| Coordinates | 42°18′51.73″N 71°11′11.36″W / 42.3143694°N 71.1864889°W |
| Information | |
| Motto | Bona Mens Omnibus Patet "A Good Mind is Open to All Things" |
| Established | 1960 |
| CEEB code | 221548 |
| Principal | Joel Stembridge |
| Faculty | 220 (as of 2007) |
| Enrollment | 1740 |
| Campus size | 33.477 acres (135,480 m2) |
| Color(s) | Blue & Orange |
| Mascot | Lions |
| Website | [1] |
Newton South High School is one of two public high schools in the city of Newton, Massachusetts, the other being Newton North.
Layout
Newton South is divided into four sections known as houses. The houses are Goldrick, which contains the History and English departments, as well as the Preschool; 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 wellness 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, which also contains 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 most students' homerooms.
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 Chinese 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 on their culture to the school shortly 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 perform community service.
Sports and extracurricular activities
Newton South competes in the DCL (Dual County League), which includes Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Bedford High School, Boston Latin School, Concord-Carlisle High School, Wayland High School, Westford Academy, Weston High School, Waltham High School, and South's principal rival, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
Fall Sports
- Football (B)
- Soccer (B+G)
- Cross Country (B+G)
- Volleyball (G)
- Golf (Co-Ed)
- Field Hockey (Co-Ed)
Winter Sports
- Basketball (B+G)
- Gymnastics (B+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)
- Football (B+G)
- Tennis (B+G)
- Rugby (B+G)
Awards and Recognition
Newton South was named Massachusetts's top athletic program by Sports Illustrated in 2009.[1]
South notables
- 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, Inc. located in Brooklyn, NY.
- Priyanka Chopra, class of 1999, Bollywood actress and Miss World 2000.
- John Krasinski, class of 1997, actor for NBC's comedy The Office.
- Ben Kurland, class of 2002, an actor in The Artist who won Best Actor at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
- Bill Lichtenstein, class of 1974, Peabody Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, radio producer.
- Jonathan Mann, class of 1965, World Health Organization chief against AlDS.
- Roger Myerson, 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'."[2]
- B. J. Novak, class of 1997, co-executive producer, writer, and actor for NBC's comedy The Office.
- Eli Roth, class of 1990, film director, producer, writer, and actor. Co-starred with Novak in Inglourious Basterds.
- Josh Altman, class of 1997, real estate agent and participant on Million Dollar Listing.
Publications
Newton South's publications used to be Denebola,[3] the school's official paper, and The Lion's Roar, a student-run paper. Jack Dvorak, an Indiana University professor who studies high school journalism, said, "I don't know of any school other than [South] that has two papers at least in part supported by the school. That really is rare, if not unique".[4]
During the 2011-2012 school year, Newton South's journalism program underwent a major revamping. "The Lion's Roar" remained unchanged. "Denebola", was dissolved, and reborn as the website, "NSHSDenebola.com".[5] In addition, a newsmagazine, "Leo", was established.
While the two papers were consistently ranked among the best in the region, The Lion's Roar has been noted as one of the best scholastic papers in the nation.[citation needed]
In 2004, The Lion's Roar won the Pacemaker Award at the National Scholastic Press Association's annual conference.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
In 2009, The Lions Roar was once again nominated for the Pacemaker Award, and received a finalist position. In November 2011, the Lion's Roar won 5th place in the Best in Show competition at the NSPA/JEA National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[citation needed]
After "Denebola" was shut down in early 2012, The Lion's Roar continued to receive regional and national awards. In 2012, The Lion's Roar won the MSPA General excellence prize and in the same year was nominated as a finalist for NSPA's 2012 Pacemaker award.[citation needed]
"Denebola" was ranked as one of the best papers in New England during its existence. In the spring of 2007, 2008, and 2010, Denebola won first place at the annual New England Scholastic Press Association conference. In 2009, Denebola won second place at this annual conference. In 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 Denebola also won the Massachusetts Press Association's Award for General Excellence at Suffolk University, a title for the best high school newspaper in Massachusetts.[citation needed]
In its December 2007 issue, Denebola reported on five hidden security cameras found at the school.[6] 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,[7] and reports appeared on local TV channels WCVB, WHDH, and WBZ.[citation needed]
Public attention
The school gained notoriety in 2002 for its "Senior Scavenger Hunt",[8] a student-organized contest that featured theft, vandalism, illegal drug use, 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.
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.[9]
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.
References
- ^ "Top athletics program in each state and the District of Columbia - More Sports - SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2007". Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ http://www.NSHSDenebola.com
- ^ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=10875B8E85216176&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=2&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=D55L57HOMTE1NDkxNzQ4Mi40NTU2Nzg6MToxMjpuY2RtZXRyb3dlc3Q.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.NSHSDenebola.com
- ^ "Denebola » Article » Secret cameras installed". Denebolaonline.net. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ Drake, John C. (2007-12-27). "Newton school newspaper gets the scoop on hidden cameras - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ Time Waster. "Lewd, Crude High School Scavenger Hunt". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ Christopher, By (2007-02-13). "Darfur Benefit Concert Multimedia Sound Slide Show - Newton, Massachusetts - Newton TAB". Wickedlocal.com. Retrieved 2010-12-14.