HHS Wraps Up 2022 – 2023 School Year

 Spring is finally here, and students welcome the warmer weather – especially a random 85-degree beach day here and there. As we dive into our final quarter, students are readying themselves for AP exams, making their college selections or solidifying their job plans post-graduation while also picking up new classes to round out the year. I am excited to pick up a rock-climbing elective as I close out my junior year.

A lot has happened over the months of April and May, ushering in some significant changes at the high school. Take a read!

Tell me about yourself:

My name is Libby Frassinelli, I am a senior at Holliston High School, and a first-year member of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America is an entrepreneurship centered club). Next year, I am attending The University of Vermont, studying Public Communications. In addition to DECA, I am also involved in Theater 370, Leo Club, National Honor Society, and Humanitarian Club.

How’d you get involved with DECA?

In the spring of my junior year, I took an entrepreneurship class with Ms. Lang. Her class was my first real connection to the business world, and I found myself loving the work I was doing. During the semester, she would encourage us to join DECA. It was the club’s first year so she was trying to gain as many members as possible. At first, I was intimidated by the idea of it. A competitive business club seemed very outside my comfort zone, and although I enjoyed the class, I doubted I would do well in a competition setting. Eventually, I caved and decided to join one of my friends as my partner in the MMTDM category (Marketing Management Team Decision Making). I’m so glad I did; we placed 1st in the district competition, and top 6 in the state. Now, we are off to nationals next week!

What does the club do?

DECA is a student organization that helps prepare future business professionals in their field, by submitting sample business plans or competing in role-play competitions at a district, state, and national level. There are dozens of possible categories and subcategories such as accounting, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and marketing. Students in “decision making” or “series” events are given sample scenarios, for which they must find solutions and present their findings to a judge.

How is the club important?

DECA helps foster aspiring business professionals by giving them real life applications. It’s one thing for me to learn about business in a classroom, but by having the opportunity to apply my learning to realistic scenarios, I am able to understand the material at a different level. I definitely learned a lot in Ms. Lang’s class, but getting to compete has strengthened my knowledge even more.

Is there anything exciting going on in the club right now?

Yes! We are so excited to announce that 11 of our club members are headed to Orlando, Florida to compete in the national competition at the end of the month! This is our last competition of the year, and the last year for the many of our seniors in DECA.

How can the community be more involved in the club?

We will often host fundraisers around town to help alleviate the costs of our many competition trips. We do bake sales, online fundraisers, and sponsored food events. Any help we can get is much appreciated!

What is in the club’s future? (Upcoming events, etc)

Our national competition is the last event of the year, however next year, we hope to gain even more members as our presence at Holliston High School has grown tremendously this year.

News Around HHS

March is always a tough month as we cross the mid-mark for term 3 and struggle to adjust to daylight savings. On the 25th, you may have spotted the junior class scattered around town on a scavenger hunt for donations to benefit the Food Pantry – the prize being prom tickets (a significant score as they aren’t cheap). The high school also hosted the annual Jack Quindley Basketball tournament which raises money for a scholarship created in honor of the late Jack Quindley, son of HHS English teacher Donald Quindley. Additionally, the high school held a blood drive on the 21st, where students volunteered and donated blood. March also brought upon the wrath of MCAS testing, which is neither a student or teacher favorite, but is nonetheless a state mandate.

In April, Term 3 marked the end of most AP classes and with a scheduled rearrangement put students into their final classes for the year. The promposals went into high gear as prom tickets went on sale for the Junior/Senior prom. Special education students left the school early on the friday before April vacation to represent Holliston in a five town special olympics. Students paused their Term 3 studies for a well-deserved April break coinciding with the Boston Marathon. April additionally marks the beginning of the annual senior assassin, where seniors ambush one another with water guns in a competition in the hopes of winning a cash prize, so don’t be alarmed by lurking seniors carrying water guns. The last week of April included a presentation about the Holocaust – this included a presentation by Holocaust survivor Janet Applewood. She discussed her experiences growing up in Communist Russia and Nazi Poland.

Administration

The most significant change this Spring was the announcement that Principal Bottomley will be leaving Holliston High School for a new position in Wrentham. In a letter to the high school community, Principal Bottomely expressed her gratitude for serving as the principal for 13 years. She will be the new principal at King Philip Regional High School This Fall. The Superintendent announced that a search for a new principal is underway, and the selection committee includes a student and parent from the community.

Unfortunately, hate speech continues to be a problem at the high school. An email went home the last week of April reporting that swastikas were etched into desks following the Holocaust presentation. The pattern continues of hate events and emails; it is frustrating for students and staff that these events keep happening.

Holliston Athletics on Twitter: “Awesome day yesterday hosting our first Unified Track meet in school history! Thanks to ⁦@HillerAthletics⁩ for a great meet! Looking forward to seeing our team at next week’s Sectional Meet at Millbury HS. #PlayUnified #ChooseToInclude https://t.co/8cgXmWiUjK” / Twitter

Sports Updates

Holliston held its first unified track meet on May 5th, pictured above were the competitors

Sport teams standings as of 5/24/22:

  • Boys Varsity Baseball
    • 14 wins to 7 losses
  • Girls Varsity Softball
    • 8 wins to 10 losses
  • Boys Varsity Lacrosse
    • 8 wins to 10 losses
  • Girls Varsity Lacrosse
    • 7 wins to 12 losses
  • Boys Varsity Tennis
    • 3 wins to 11 losses
  • Girls Varsity Tennis
    • 8 wins to 7 losses

Simon Brown

2 Comments

  1. Jean Spera on May 26, 2023 at 7:35 am

    Excellent reporting Simon.

  2. Tara Schaller on May 26, 2023 at 9:53 am

    Great job, Simon!!

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