Wellesley High School - Wellesleyan Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

Page 9 text:

■pp |if Students were forced to make do with what they had Loss of accreditation would hinder a stu¬ dent’s opportunitity to attend any privately- owned university and might prevent his acceptance to any state college. Although Wellesley High has a high-quality academic program and faculty, deficiencies in voca¬ tional, musical, and artistic facilities and in the school library do exist. The last major addition to the pre-World War II main build¬ ing was in 1962. The staunch opposition to the proposed addition was due in part to a misunderstand¬ ing of what the loss of accreditation meant. Accreditation is granted to any high school which meets the (NEASC) association’s standards of curriculum, physical plant, and staff and recognizes the validity of a high school diploma. In spite of its academic repu¬ tation, Wellesley was faced with the possibil¬ ity of losing its accreditation because of its outdated and overcrowded building. The high school building needs could possibly be met with the use of Kingsbury school.

Page 8 text:

Wellesley Senior High School Faced Loss of Accreditation After repeated failures since 1968 of the Wellesley School Committee to produce a viable plan for additional high school facili¬ ties, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. voted to rescind Wellesley High School’s accreditation, after December 1975, unless the town acted affirmatively to redress the inadequacies of the High School plant. The unexpected action of the accredit¬ ing agency was sparked by a July 1974 refer¬ endum in which the townspeople rejected the latest proposal for an addition by a four to one margin. Spiraling construction costs caused many residents to view the recommen¬ dation as too expensive and, for the first time in over thirty years, the public reversed an approved town meeting article. Ironically, the town spent $50,000 on preliminary plans and $395,000 on final plans for the renovation proposal. Industrial arts lacked adequate facilities. Children surveyed wreckage of Kingsbury fire. 4

Page 10 text:

Visiting Accreditation Committee Cited Lack of Facilities in Non-Academic Areas Reaction to the association’s decision ranged from outrage to apathy. Many adult residents who didn’t have school age children were more concerned about higher property taxes to finance an addition than about the actual plight of the school. Others were shocked by the realization that one of the most affluent communities in the state pos¬ sessed an inadequate high school. Most peo¬ ple admitted that something had to be done to forestall the possible probation of the Wellesley High School, but were undecided on an effective course of action. The accreditation dispute was linked with the more fundamental controversy over the reorganization of the town’s elementary school system. The projected decline in popu¬ lation led many to speculate on the possible consolidation of primary schools and use of Kingsbury school as an additional part of the high school. Mr. Rokicki worked diligently for 3 Vi years on the two building projects. School Committee chairman Stephen Porter confronted the angered populace. Accreditation board explained their role to the townspeople as they investigated the senior high school facilities during the month of November. 6