Weston High School - Key Yearbook (Weston, MA)

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School Outside Of School “From suburbia, the work of the world is largely invisible. ” That is the postulate which inspired the development of Weston High School’s ONE-TO-ONE program, which provides as option for students at all four grade levels to select adult mentors and spend a day observing them as they go about their vocations. Choices are made from among more than 150 mentors, ranging from a brain surgeon to a farmer of a cranberry bog. “ The suburbs are faulted for isolating adolescents from the sweaty business of making a living. A few of our students are not sure what it is, exactly, that their parents do.” comments Principle Bruce Mac¬ Donald, who dreamed up the program. “Nor do they understand the wide variety of employments required to make a technological society function.” Making ONE-TO-ONE a reality was the work of Roberta Siegel, who spent many hours in correspondence and phone calls with mentor volunteers, many of whom have chosen to participate to create interest and variety of their jobs as well as for their own interest in teenagers and in education. Not every mentor has been shadowed, but some have been observed several times. One physician took a student a week for six consecutive weeks. As the program catches on the range of contacts will naturally widen. In addition to students who choose to participate on their own, the most extensive use of ONE-TO-ONE has been in the sciences. Susan Majors requires all members of her Honor’s Biology classes to spend a day with someone in applied science. One student spent twelve hours with a pediatric surgeon; another helped collect and analyze water samples with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Marine Biologists. Bruce MacDonald’s goal for the program is to cultivate students’ humanity as well as their intellects, “We encourage students to dis¬ cover people and ideas that are completely new to them, rather than to follow familiar paths,” commented Mrs. Siegel who coordinates the program and who can be found every morning in the Main Office Con¬ ference Room for discussion with students and teachers, and for match¬ making with mentors. As with any educational program, the ultimate test is what it does for kids. This is a typical comment from the re¬ quired report: (from a student who spent a day with a psychiatrist at a major urban hospital). “I was very impressed with him that he could live in such a nice neighborhood and then go to work in such a poor part of town. That he cared so much to help the poor and to let them have dedicated doctor. I think it takes a very impressive man to do that. It’s one thing to say that you want to help the poor but it’s another thing to actually do something about it and to spend your entire life dedicated to them. I had an interesting experience that I ' ll never for- get.” □ Opening □ 19

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RIGHT: Rachel Caesar becomes excited when she hears about ONE-TO-ONE. BELOW: Bill Watkins writes down suggestions for ONE-TO-ONE. FAR RIGHT: Tara Walpert gets off the bus , forgetting that she was going to her ONE-TO-ONE appointment. RIGHT: Jonah Disend learns about what goes on in an eye doctor’s office. 18 □ Opening

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Dedication Barry McNeil is the man who keeps Weston High School going. His willing¬ ness to come to school at 4:00 in the morning to turn on the heating system; his optimism when coping with any spill, broken window, or cluttered cafeteria table; and his ability to relate to all individuals, adults and teenagers alike, indicate the indispensability of Barry to Weston High School. There is something truly special about Barry McNeil. He counsels fellow employees when they need a helping hand. He has earned respect from students by dealing with each of them and by show¬ ing a genuine interest in the lives of all who know him. When a student has prob¬ lem in school or at home, Barry McNeil is always there, willing to spend his time and energy to help ease the pressures of high school. Indeed, there is some¬ thing very special about Mr. Barry McNeil and the class of 1988 respectfully dedicates this yearbook to him. □ Allen Wang Beardless Barry in 1983 20 □ Dedication