My son talked me into attending this school instead of Haverhill High…read more I was reluctant at first concerned about the image of a "vocational" school. I was pleasantly surprised that the image vocational schools are given is way off the mark Not only was he allowed hands on exploratory work in about 9 fields, he was evaluated according to his interests and learning style. The teachers are strict and the administration tolerates little They expect the kids to show up and show up on time. They let the parents know everything that is going on with the student ...if they're late, absent . If your child is out of school, they follow up and expect a reason. The kids are expected to behave, keep their noses clean and respect each other What I like about the school is that they prepare them for real world. They don't baby them My son was OSHA and "WORK READY" certified and will be going on COOP in a job in his field The only down side is the lack of resources for the kids in the form of guidance. I know the guidance counselors are trying but there are no programs in the Freshman year that guide, inspire and assist the students to think of college as a possibility -not on a grand scale anyway I was in constant contact regarding the COOP programs and they seem to be in a rut, relying on a few employers for the jobs instead of trying to get as many employers on board as possible to expose the kids to all kinds of work in their field My son has had to get me involved in order to get something done or nothing gets done at all. The guidance counselors know whose parents are involved and whose aren't. So if a kid has the misfortune of having parents who don't get involved or give a crap, they have little voice If you have your child attend here, you won't be sorry. Really The teachers can be quite awesome and the administration will not tolerate a slack teacher The kids come out independent and ready to work. Just make sure you get to know your guidance counselor well and don't think that if your kid can't get the resources he needs to look beyond high school by himself, its automatically it is their fault. You have to push a bit

I must admit that I had reservations about sending my daughter here. When I was a teenager,…read moreWhittier was the place where all of the misfits were sent. However, the school has made quite a transformation in the past 20+ years. It is highly regarded as one of the top academic institutions in the area. As an educator, I want a top quality education for my child, and I've certainly found it here at Whittier.

Send ur kids to this school to prep them for college.read more

I went there from 1996-2000 The bad things about the school when I was going there: 1. The Science…read moreProgram 2. The policy for bullying not only in private but also in the open in front of teachers 3. Lack of awards to students (they need more awards to be given) 4. Lack of the arts, especially in TV/Film 5. Extra help/extra credit options in all classes 6. Selective theatre guild (same students get cast, harder for newbies to get cast) Improving these 5 areas can definitely increase students love for the school. 1. The Science Program did NOT challenge me. Freshman Bio was hard, and it was because I was stuck with the hardest teacher, Mr. Jowett. I won Science Fairs in middle school and even on my first day answered "What is biology?" when nobody would answer the question. Sad to say I failed the entire year. Mr. Jowett was scary, his class looked scary and dark, and he scared a lot of kids, also his tests would strictly be on the reading from the book and NOT from what we went over in class. I was openly made fun of in his class by jocks/sports players who would goof off, and he'd think of me as dumb and place me sitting last all year. Nice, huh? I went from a "B" student in science who won places in Science fairs to an "F" student. Mr. Jowett should only be required to teach HONORS classes only. My Sophomore teacher, Mr. Benedetto was awesome, he actually gave his students projects which is what Jowett NEVER did. Benedetto, however, favors the women and sportsplayers though he is totally awesome. I remember busting my butt off in easy quarters and always ending up with C's. He is very tough to get above C+ if you're not a girl or sportsplayer and just some average guy who'd go overboard on projects like I was. He does get hard in some quarters you take him (I even got a D in one quarter and failed him the next quarter when I was a senior for Marine Bio, then got C's in the end), but he's very easy to talk to and knows how to teach Science unlike Mr. Jowett. Benedetto should teach level 2 bio to all Freshmen, Jowett, honors. He has the most clout of all the teachers there to be Freshman Bio teacher and Freshmen would love this guy. He has a lot of energy and he's not scary. However, I noticed a trend with my other 2 Science teachers other than Jowett...if you were a girl or sports player you'd get an A/B even if you didn't do a lot of work. 2. Bullying went on in front of teachers. They heard it. Some teachers didn't like it, but I never really reported it as being threatening. Today, teacher's need to stop that. I got bullied all Sophomore year/Junior year by this one guy in public, teacher's saw it, and I almost got explelled because of him when he targeted me because of what happened in Columbine. In the end, teacher's knew I wasn't like the way he described me as and knew he was a menace to me and it was all resolved, but would have been resolved sooner had they stopped the guy from being a wise-guy. 3. The school is VERY tough. I never once made the honor roll. I look back and feel bad I couldn't get it once. I came close only one quarter, but with a 2.7, it hurt how that was my highest average I had in all 4 years in any quarter, my first of Sophomore year, all the others I had 2.1 or 2.0 because of my constant " C+or below" grades in Math or a mix of them in 4 out of 6 subjects each quarter. But a lot of students would complain when they would miss the honor roll. Central should change their policy on honors and make it ANY GRADES ONE GETS (like colleges do) but 3.0-3.2=Honors, 3.3-3.5 =High, 3.6-4.0=Distinguished. As long as they MEET the 3.0 or above they can place on it. Also, if a student gets 2.7-2.9 (thats a B- average in many colleges), they should be given "Honorable Mention Awards", this way, more students will be rewarded for above average quarterly averages, even if not on the honor roll. Plus, they should give special awards. For example, they should do science fairs. We never had ONE. They should give awards to students in subject areas who get A-/A grades all year, not just to the highest student. More students will be recognized this way. They should do some sort of "student of the month" in each homeroom class, where 1 student each month gets selected based on a lot of factors and NOT just grades. 4. They need to have classes that focus on Screenwriting, Film production, et. Afterschool clubs even. 5. All teachers meeting once a week for extra help for any students with below "C+" grades in their 6. Theatre guild organized fairly. No favoritism. Same students made the plays. Auditions in fall of 1996 were poorly done. Same students year after year. One girl, she was such a drama queen and thought she was a great actress when she was mediocre and low, being cast in everything. She even mouthed off to my drama teacher and didn't get dropped.