Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for New Wilmington High School

Town, school, and state officials spoke of the importance of building the new school during a ceremony on Town Common Thursday afternoon.

It's been a trying time for the Wilmington community, with thousands of residents packing Town Common on Saturday to grieve the loss of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. While Collier's memory was still fresh in the minds of state and town officials on Thursday, there was a lighter feeling in the air during a different kind of gathering on Town Common. "From loss and from tragedy and from grief comes optimism and hope," said Massachusetts State Treasurer Steve Grossman during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new high school. "And nothing gives us more hope than to know that to my left a new school will go up and we will celebrate every single day the values of the people of Wilmington." Though appeals have delayed construction …

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Wilmington Municipal election 2013

Candidates Cordial During School Committee Debate

Five of the six hopefuls for three School Committee seats attended the Tuesday event at WCTV.

The candidates for School Committee agreed on a main topic during Tuesday night's debate at Wilmington Community Television - the fact that they agree on many items on the forefront in Wilmington schools. Five of the six School Committee hopefuls sat in front of the WCTV cameras during the event, though incumbent Kathleen Carroll was unable to attend as her daughter underwent surgery. Discussion was cordial throughout the night, with candidates often agreeing with their opponents on questions throughout the evening. When given the opportunity to ask a question of any other candidate, each resident passed. One of the first questions of the night asked the residents to weigh in on what can be done about drug and alcohol abuse by the district…

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School Department Officials To Introduce A.L.i.C.E Thursday Night

Willmington schools will be implementing new safety protocols in all buildings by the fall.

School Department Officials To Introduce A.L.i.C.E Thursday Night

Willmington schools will be implementing new safety protocols in all buildings by the fall.

The Wilmington School Department was already well along in the process of investigating new safety protocols in mid-December. But when a gunman murdered 26 people, including 20 children, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the project took on much greater significance. On Thursday, parents and the general public are invited to the Wilmington Middle School Auditorium for an informational meeting on the school department's new safety protocols. Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate, or A.L.i.C.E., will be fully implemented in Wilmington High School and the Middle School this year and in all Wilmington schools by the fall. To this point, lockdown protocols in the Wilmington schools have been limited to locking the …

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March-A-Pella V

The fifth annual A Cappella concert - March-A-Pella V to be held on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 7pm at The Wilmington Middle School.

Construction Officially Underway at High School

Demolition at the Wilmington HIgh School gym began this week, and things were particularly busy on Wednesday.

After years of discussion, there is finally evidence that a new high school will be built on Church Street. Demolition of the Wilmington High School gymnasium began this week with students gone for February vacation, and on Wednesday the building began to come down brick by brick. For interested residents, pieces of the basketball court will be sold individually, with proceeds going to pay for the September 11 memorial that will be built at the new school.

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Steven McGinley

10:09 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013

Already it's a joke as far as I'm concerned. For months I was driving by the old Polaroid site in Waltham where they took a building 20 times the size of that gym, tore it down, had it sorted and hauled away in 2 weeks. After a week but we still have piles of debris.   more ›

Many Thanks To a Wilmington Teacher Named Dana

Chivalry lives! Here is a beautiful story of generosity from one of Wilmington's teachers.

Taking Hamilton-Wenham Job 'Bittersweet' for Tracy

Wilmington High School principal Eric Tracy said he will most miss his students as he leaves for the new job at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School.

Eric Tracy is excited about what is ahead of him. But he can’t help but thinking about what he’s leaving behind. Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School announced this week that it hired Tracy to take over as their principal, effective after the current school year. “It’s a bittersweet thing for all of us,” said Tracy. “The kids have always been my favorite part about my job. They make every day very easy with the way they present themselves. I’ve always bragged that I can take them anywhere, and I still say that. They’re my energy that gets me through the days, and I always look forward to coming to work.” Tracy said he enjoyed the interview process, as it allowed everyone involved to get a good idea if he would be a fit at Hamilton-Wenham. …

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Eric Tracy Selected for Hamilton-Wenham Job

The current Wilmington High School principal is slated to take over on July 1.

Update: Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton said it is too soon to comment on where the district goes from here in a search for Tracy's replacement, but said she wishes him luck in his new role. "I wish Mr. Tracy good luck. It is a great career move for him. I believe that Hamilton Wenham will be a good challenge for him as he takes on a regional school district for his next principalship," said Benton. "Mr. Tracy has done many wonderful things for the students, staff and parents in Wilmington and for that I am grateful." Original Story: Wilmington High School will be in the market for a new principal in the upcoming months. Dr. Michael Harvey, Hamilton-Wenham schools superintendent, announced Monday afternoon that current WHS …

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UPDATE: Wilmington Public Schools Closed on Friday

Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton made the decision Thursday in advance of Friday's anticipated blizzard.

Updated at 6:05 p.m.: According to the Wilmington Public Schools website, all schools in town are closed on Friday. During his news conference Thursday evening, Governor Deval Patrick encouraged all schools to close for the day Friday if possible. Drivers have been asked to stay off the roads beginning at noon if possible. Original Story: With a potential blizzard moving into the area on Friday, Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton announced that students across the district will be released early. Benton announced in a letter to parents in the district that there will be no kindergarten or preschool classes on Friday. All other students in town will go to school to start the day before they are dismissed early. Wilmington Middle School…

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