Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School
Encyclopedia
Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, commonly known as Whittier Tech, was founded in 1972. Located in Haverhill, MA, the school currently serves about 1400 students, with a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. It serves many surrounding cities and towns primarily in the northern section of Essex County
, accepting students from Haverhill
, Newburyport
, Newbury
, West Newbury
, Rowley
, Amesbury
, Merrimac
, Georgetown
, Groveland
, Ipswich
, Salisbury
, Lawrence
and Methuen
. The school was named in honor of local resident, Quaker poet, and slavery abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier
.
Courses are designed in a sequential format and are integrated with the vocational-technical areas, wherever practicable and mutually beneficial. All academic courses offer advanced sections for students who desire to further their education. Moreover, a Tech Prep program is offered to eleventh and twelfth grade students which parallels the College Prep program and provides students with the opportunity for college credit and/or advanced college placement.
Another annual tradition Whittier Tech takes part in is the building and donation of a parade float for Haverhill, Massachusetts
's annual Santa Claus Parade held every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving
Day. (In the judging of the floats, it has become the norm for the impressive Whittier floats to win each year.)
, cross country
, cheerleading
, track & field, volleyball
, soccer, basketball
, wrestling
, baseball
, quidditch
, lacrosse
, and softball
.
Seniors in good academic standing are eligible for Co-op employment. Students selected for Co-op will receive "on the job" training during their shop schedule along with compensation for services provided.
Cooperative Placement requires a formal agreement in concert with the school, Department of Labor, employer, and student employee. The shop instructor, Vocational Coordinator, and Placement Director will approve individual student eligibility. The office of Cooperative Director supervises Cooperative training. Students under 18 years of age must obtain a Co-op Permit to allow them to participate in certain hazardous occupations.
training program. This program is free and is mandatory for Co-Op. The OSHA class is free of charge.
. Whittier states that they have assumed a proactive role in this endeavor and their goal is to work with students to develop the skills necessary for successful MCAS results.
Essex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, accepting students from Haverhill
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
, Newburyport
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
, Newbury
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
, West Newbury
West Newbury, Massachusetts
West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,450 at the 2006 census. Along with neighboring Merrimac and Groveland, it is part of the Pentucket Regional School District....
, Rowley
Rowley, Massachusetts
Rowley is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,500 at the 2000 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Rowley.-History:...
, Amesbury
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Though it officially became a city in 1996, its formal name remains "The Town of Amesbury." In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900, 9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The population was 16,283 at...
, Merrimac
Merrimac, Massachusetts
Merrimac is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and on the southeastern border of New Hampshire, approximately northeast of Boston and west of the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated along the north bank of the Merrimack River in the Merrimack Valley. The population was 6,504 in 2008...
, Georgetown
Georgetown, Massachusetts
Georgetown is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,183 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1838 from part of Rowley.-History:...
, Groveland
Groveland, Massachusetts
Groveland, Massachusetts Groveland is a small residential town located in northern Essex County, bordering Boxford, Georgetown, Haverhill, and West Newbury. The town is divided into two precincts, Groveland and South Groveland.-History:...
, Ipswich
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
, Salisbury
Salisbury, Massachusetts
Salisbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2000 census. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston on the New Hampshire border....
, Lawrence
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
and Methuen
Methuen, Massachusetts
Methuen is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 43,789 at the 2000 census.-History:Methuen was first settled in 1642 and was officially incorporated in 1726; it is named for the British diplomat Sir Paul Methuen. Methuen was originally part of Haverhill,...
. The school was named in honor of local resident, Quaker poet, and slavery abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
.
Academic program
Whittier's academic program is designed and offer students a broad base in fundamental skills through its core curriculum in English, Math, Science & Technology, Social Studies, World Languages, Physical Education/Health, and Elective subjects and to afford students with varying abilities the opportunity to succeed.Courses are designed in a sequential format and are integrated with the vocational-technical areas, wherever practicable and mutually beneficial. All academic courses offer advanced sections for students who desire to further their education. Moreover, a Tech Prep program is offered to eleventh and twelfth grade students which parallels the College Prep program and provides students with the opportunity for college credit and/or advanced college placement.
Student activities
Whittier Tech has an extensive number of student activities. They include the Key Club, SADD, Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (SkillsUSA-VICA), Multicultural Club, Model United Nations, Performing Arts, FICI club, Chess Club and Student government.Another annual tradition Whittier Tech takes part in is the building and donation of a parade float for Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
's annual Santa Claus Parade held every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
Day. (In the judging of the floats, it has become the norm for the impressive Whittier floats to win each year.)
School athletics
Whittier Tech's athletic teams are nicknamed the "Wildcats". The school's colors are Maroon & Gold. They are a member of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.The Wildcat Football team has recently won its first state championchip title with a perfect 12-0 season. Sports offered include footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, track & field, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, quidditch
Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by British author J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series of novels. It is described as an extremely rough, but very popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches around the world...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
.
Vocational Courses
Whittier tech offers many different career training options:- Automotive training
- Autobody (collision repair and exterior designing of automotive vehicles)
- CAD/DraftingDraftingDrafting or draughting may refer to:* Campdrafting, an Australian equestrian sport* Drafting , slipstreaming* Technical drawing, the act and discipline of composing diagrams that communicates how something functions or is to be constructed. E.g.:** Architectural drawing** Electrical drawing**...
- CarpentryCarpentryA carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
- Child Care
- CosmetologyCosmetologyCosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....
- Culinary
- Diesel (Maintenance and repair of diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s) - Electrical
- ElectronicsElectronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
/RoboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots... - Graphic ArtsGraphic artsA type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
- Health Occupations (NursingNursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
/Medical Training) - HVACHVACHVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
- Machine Technology (Handling and configuration of heavy machinery)
- MasonryMasonryMasonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
- MarketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
- Metal Fabrication
- Office Technology (Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
training) - PlumbingPlumbingPlumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
(Pipe Laying Master Certificate) - Telecommunications
- PrintingPrintingPrinting is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
- AnimationAnimationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
(coming 2013)
Co-Op
Whittier Tech offers a comprehensive service for Cooperative Programs, part-time and full-time employment. Cooperative Education is a trade-related work program designed to provide a learning/work experience in which eligible seniors and juniors are placed in jobs during shop week. On alternate weeks the students will return to school for their academic and related subjects.Seniors in good academic standing are eligible for Co-op employment. Students selected for Co-op will receive "on the job" training during their shop schedule along with compensation for services provided.
Cooperative Placement requires a formal agreement in concert with the school, Department of Labor, employer, and student employee. The shop instructor, Vocational Coordinator, and Placement Director will approve individual student eligibility. The office of Cooperative Director supervises Cooperative training. Students under 18 years of age must obtain a Co-op Permit to allow them to participate in certain hazardous occupations.
OSHA
Every shop at the school goes through a 10 hour OSHAOccupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
training program. This program is free and is mandatory for Co-Op. The OSHA class is free of charge.
MCAS
Whittier's MCAS Enrichment Program has been developed to improve students performance on the MCASMCAS
MCAS can mean:*The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System *Matricula Consular de Alta Seguridad a.k.a...
. Whittier states that they have assumed a proactive role in this endeavor and their goal is to work with students to develop the skills necessary for successful MCAS results.