Real Winchendonians

While people often comment about the effective academic approach or the wonderful facilities that we have at The Winchendon School, I am always quick to respond that it is the people who make our community so special. With that in mind, I am going to work to regularly bring you a quick profile of a different person within the Winchendon community to provide readers with a sense of who we are.

To start this off, I grabbed Victoria, a senior who has been a boarding student at Winchendon for three years but who has been a Winchendon School family member and hockey fan for much longer. She talks about how as a kid she hated to miss brother Jordan's ('03)hockey games. She loved to stand outside the locker room before and between games, giving all of the players 'dubs'. Now she has found her own place at Winchendon as a successful student, a hall proctor and a leader on the women's hockey team.

Victoria, what would you consider as one of your favorite Winchendon moments?

V - "Playing Red Rover with the other girls during cross training fall of my first year!

What has changed the most during your time at Winchendon?

V - The food!

What is your favorite book?

V - Travis Roy's 11 Seconds - it is inspiring. Note: Travis Roy was a Boston University hockey player who had a paralyzing injury in a hockey game and has gone on to become a successful motivational speaker and leader.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

V - Italy - it's about the food. I love eating and cooking Italian food.

What are your near-term goals?

V - I want to go to the best college that I can and then do the very best that I can. This year, my goals are to have a great senior year and have our hockey team make it to the playoffs.

Is there a teacher that you already know that you will miss?

V - Mrs. Giusti - She has always been there for me in the dorm, in the classroom...even though she wasn't actually my teacher.

What does the School need to improve?

V - The food was the biggest issue, but that has been fixed. I am not sure that there is anything else right now...

Favorite Music?

V - Maroon 5

What has your biggest accomplishment been?

V - Coming to Winchendon. It has really changed me and made me a stronger person. The opportunity to work with people from so many backgrounds is amazing and makes you a better person.

What do you plan on studying at college?

V - Business or marketing, but this could change!

We are fortunate to have Victoria as a leader in our community. Meet her, and you will immediately note the combination of a warm smile and a great handshake.

Creative Programs Take Off

I keep getting asked about what the highlights of the opening of the school year have been. While there have been numerous from the great new students, returning seniors stepping up, and lots of excitement about the dining hall improvements, one of the most exciting has been the strong participation in the newly-designed Creative Programs. Under Director Joanna Draugsvold's leadership, the different offerings are generating all sorts of excitement. This is reflected in the fact that approximately a third of the School's students are participating in different programs either full time or when their schedule allows. There is a lot of buzz about the program with the sounds of the chorus drifting from Posich in the afternoons, photographers flashing their lenses around campus and Ms. Leshay's group creating impressive, fun and even thought-provoking art at different spots around campus. The image above is a temporary piece of work created in painter's tape. Over the last two weeks, four of Ms. Leshay's students completed this on north wall of the Rotenberg gymnasium. The attention to detail is fascinating. I hope that you have a chance to see this one before it fades away, but, if you don't, I am very confident that there will more exciting things coming from the Winchendon artists this fall.

We're back!

After a week of Winch U and another of preparatory meetings, the threat of Hurricane Earl and lots of hard work by the Winch staff, we are back, with students and parents convening on a beautiful fall afternoon to kick the 2010-2011 year off. We are now in the midst of a couple of days of orientation workshops and activities, which means that this will need to be a short post. I hope that the following shots capture a little of the spirit of all that is going on.

Members of the men's and women's soccer teams arrived first for preseason. Here they enjoyed the best of both worlds - a good workout while cooling down.

Then most of this year's proctors arrived on Friday to get organized for the arrival of the students. They have some great ideas for the year ahead.

Old friends reconnected and new friends met for the first time at the cookout Saturday evening.

Mr. Tevlin, our new Development Director, and his daughter Kiley '14 shared a moment at the cookout.

Then it was time for getting to know everyone in your dorm...

...before breakfast and adviser meetings this morning.

How can a room look so messy so quickly? Room inspection will come soon enough!