To the editor:

After all the homework is done, and dinner is over, kids go to bed. When WMS students go to bed on a weekday, they know they are going to wake up early. Why is that, you may ask? Well, it’s because school starts at 7:45am. We need to change this: WMS’ start time should be changed to 8:30am.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, schools should start no earlier than 8:30 to help middle school students ‘biological clocks’ reset. On top of that, they also say that middle school students should sleep for about eight to ten hours. But most WMS students do not get that much sleep; they cannot fall asleep as early as they need to wake up at 7:45.

If WMS continues to start the day so early, then middle school students will not be engaged during class. When they go to school,  many students are still half-asleep. Changing this rule would mean that we could just show up and start learning without any roadblocks.

On top of that, middle school students are just depressed when we wake up in the morning. We can barely function and get out of the house, and it can be a pain for adults to keep us moving. Kind of like adults, except we don’t have coffee to energize us. Don’t parents want their kids to be happy instead of turning them into zombies so early on in our lives?

Making a change like this won’t necessarily be easy. Bus schedules, extracurricular activities, and teachers’ contracts will be difficult to alter, since all these factors rely on the times, and changing them may cause some irregularity for some time. But it is worth the hassle to reschedule, since the students’ engagement is on the line here.

We need to change WMS’s start time to match teenagers’ natural rhythms. To do that, we need the School Committee to begin this process by forming a Working Group that would get everyone’s perspectives: students, staff, parents and community. We know it will take time, but this change is worth the effort.

Aron Paulos
WMS 8th grader

To the editor:

In order for the WMS community to thrive, everyone’s needs must be addressed, including those who miss school due to mental or physical health issues. One program that assists returning students at Wellesley High School is the Bridge Program, which supports students who are reentering schools. The Middle School needs a Bridge Program as well.

As seen on the Wellesley Public Schools website, approximately 11% of students are chronically absent from school and miss more than 10% of school days. Students can miss school due to a variety of reasons, however, the most common are mental and physical health conditions. More specifically, the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, which included over 38,000 students in Massachusetts 2023, found that school-related stress is reported by over half of youth.

Without professional help or treatment, those with mental health conditions may struggle with learning new information, time management, and comprehension. Students who are struggling with mental health conditions may also have an increased risk of chronic illnesses—up to 96%—such as heart diseases, obesity, and diabetes, as noted by the NIH (National Library of Medicine).

If the Bridge Program was implemented, students will likely feel less stressed academically and socially when readjusting to school. As a result, students will become more likely to succeed academically and maintain better social connections.

Wellesley High School’s Bridge Program has worked effectively and was even used by Governor Healey as a model for similar programs at other schools across the state. If the Bridge Program works well at Wellesley High School, then it should work at Wellesley Middle School, too.

While there are other resources available at WMS to help students such as counselors, advisory, and health lessons, these are not enough after an extended absence. It can be extremely difficult for students to readjust to school after receiving mental health treatments, especially since the number of assignments can easily accumulate.

Someone our group knows of has been a part of Wellesley High School’s Bridge Program, and we have heard how the Bridge Program has effectively supported this student and their family. We know implementing the Bridge Program at Wellesley Middle School would greatly improve the overall well-being of the student body and help families during a challenging transition.

Ultimately, a student’s wellbeing doesn’t just include their physical health; mental health has an impact on overall wellbeing as well. While such a program would cost money, it would be worth it. We need the community’s support for budget increases like hiring staff to support students. Making changes to the WMS school system may be hard, but it would be possible with your support. If you wish to support this cause, please sign this petition to voice your support on the implementation of the Bridge Program.

Grade 8 students, WMS
Irene Shan
Emily Qiu
Alexis Chung
Alexis Baxter
Mary Linda Staunton

To the editor:

We’d like the community to know about the issue of homework. Although we believe that homework can be useful, we have noticed that it increases stress and anxiety levels. Our goal is not to take away homework completely, but to encourage Wellesley Middle School to focus on quality, not quantity. We hope that we can reduce homework through more consistent enforcement of the faculty handbook, giving students time in class to start graded homework, and making sure that work completed entirely at home is not graded.

Teachers are commonly unaware of how much homework they are truly giving. The handbook states that 8th graders should have no more than 100 minutes of homework total, 25 minutes in each class. Our group created a survey for students, teachers, and guardians and we found that teachers are giving students more homework than they think. Most teachers said that their homework does not exceed 20-25 minutes per night, but 53% of students say that their homework often or sometimes takes longer than 20-25 minutes per class. From this, we can conclude that many teachers are unaware of the homework load they’re providing. This is a serious problem because students are drowning in homework, when they should be exploring new learning opportunities.

Giving students less homework helps them to take their time on their work and improve their academic quality. Students will also have time for other learning experiences through activities they personally enjoy. The less homework there is, the more free time and less stress students will have. Less stress helps students gain more sleep, new possibilities, and better mental health which overall benefits students’ learning quality.

Students get home from 6 long hours of school, just to do more work. They still have to go to practice, hang out with their family, and eat dinner, but they have to spend another two hours on schoolwork. They are up all night finishing up just to go to bed at 11:30pm to then wake up at six the next morning, which leads to a loss of sleep. Enforcing the rules in the faculty handbook and focusing on quality work over quantity will break the pattern.

This community can help us reach our goal by signing our brochures that can be returned to the Wellesley Middle School main office, filling out our Google form, and telling friends to do the same. We can be the start of a bigger change that will benefit all students, families, and even teachers in future. Link for form

Wellesley Middle School 8th graders,

Evie McCarthy
Scarlett Poirier

To the editor:

The job of a school is to prepare its students as best it can for whatever comes next in their lives. Whether that be continuing school or starting a career, there’s one thing that every student needs to comprehend in order to function well in our society: money. That is why financial literacy classes should be mandatory in order to graduate high school.

Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills to manage your money. It is an incredibly important and relevant topic in our Wellesley community, especially as children grow up and gain independence. However, at Wellesley High School, this is not currently required for graduation.

According to a survey collected from more than 100,000 college students from over 410 colleges, on average, only 2 out of 6 people (about one third) said they were financially literate, and only 15% of people reported they had the education to pay off their student loans in the future. If these people are unable to pay off their student loans, then they likely will fall into other debt traps and struggle to repay loans. This lack of knowledge puts students at risk of getting stuck in a situation where they can lose what they’ve worked for, and on top of that, have a hard time getting back.

Additionally, students who are financially literate are set up for success. In a 2020 study, it was shown that individuals ages 18-21 with more than 3 years of financial education were 40% more likely to not fall behind on credit card payments. Finances are a system, and this demonstrates how those who were taught to understand how the system works are able to keep up with it. Financial success comes from making the most of what you have, and that requires seeing the bigger picture, which this education allows you to do.

Wellesley Public Schools are dedicated to a mission that “prepares its students to be college, career, and life ready, and empowers them to contribute locally and globally.” It is impossible for Wellesley students to be truly prepared for their next chapter in life if they lack financial education. If we want to ensure that our graduates succeed, we need to teach them how to handle money. Therefore, a mandatory financial literacy class would ensure that all students are prepared and educated on managing their finances as they navigate through life.

Overall, financial literacy is a necessary topic that should be a graduation requirement for all students. If you would like to support this issue, you should consider emailing the Wellesley School Committee to inform them of this change we want to see in our schools.

Thank you,
Jack Paye
Wellesley Middle School, 8th grade student

To the editor:

Drive-thrus, cars, and customer service have one feature in common: Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is transforming the world, automating tasks that were once daunting, like building an app or running a business. However, as a school, we need to educate the next generation on the ethical use of AI. Wellesley Middle School must integrate the ethical use of AI through a clear policy given to all students and teachers while also educating students about the proper use of it.

Firstly, a schoolwide survey verifies the presence of AI: over 90% of the school utilizes it, with 50% of students and 30% of teachers frequently interacting with it. However, respondents rated the clarity of the current expectations on AI use at a 6 out of 10. This mediocre rating proves that change is needed. Kids are using AI in schools, this can’t be stopped. Therefore, embracing AI is essential, as an NPR study shows it can help students learn efficiently and effectively while also letting teachers save time, but only if used properly.

Furthermore, AI education could be implemented into the already existing advisory period where we already discuss bullying, emotions, and social media. AI is just as important as those topics, so it makes sense to educate students on it. Integrating interactive lessons about how to use AI ethically during advisory multiple times a month would provide students with the skills to use AI. This simple, feasible solution demonstrates that AI integration doesn’t require a schedule overhaul, just a small fraction of a student’s time.

Even if incorporating AI into everyday school life may increase unethical use, that risk is why we must teach kids how to use AI. If we lock down on AI use instead of allowing it, then today’s kids will be lost in the inescapable AI filled future. Right now, kids are hindering their development and learning with AI. The only solution is to teach AI literacy to kids in the place where they learn everything else: the classroom.

Ultimately, Artificial Intelligence will become a part of our daily life; that’s for sure. It will become a part of every student’s life at some point. We must embrace the inevitable instead of rejecting it. The time is now to educate students on AI with a clear policy and expectations while also allowing AI use in school.

Thank you,

Krish Gupta
Grade 8 student, WMS

To the editor:

Wellesley ponds should exist at the heart of the community. They should be valued for the sanctuary and peace they provide, and the recreational opportunities they allow us. Instead we don’t really think about them much, and this may be a byproduct of a world increasingly dominated by technology or simply a result of ignorance on our behalf. Our 2026 Civics Action Project aims to improve the relationship between residents and wildlife in the vicinity of Wellesley’s bodies of water such as Longfellow Pond and Morses Pond through a family-friendly fishing tournament.

Morses Pond has dealt with a long history of environmental damage that still impacts the area today. Decades ago, the pond was heavily contaminated by nearby industrial activity, particularly from paint factories that allowed chromium to leak into the soil and groundwater. This toxic legacy was so severe that a massive project was required in the early 2000s by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to excavate and remove tons of hazardous sediment. Additionally, later in a 2005 plan that carried over into the 2010s led to more dredging that was conducted by Jay Cashman. It took a ton of work and a lot of digging just to get the area back to a point where it was actually safe for people to hang out at again.

Nearby, Longfellow Pond faces similar struggles, as both are part of a connected system where water flows from one area to the next. Even though the industrial toxins were addressed, these ponds now face a modern crisis caused by phosphorus. This nutrient primarily comes from residential sources like hazardous lawn fertilizers, pet waste, and decaying leaves that wash into storm drains. When too much phosphorus enters the shallow water, it acts like “super-food”for invasive weeds and hazardous algae.

This process, known as eutrophication, causes massive algae blooms that block sunlight and deplete the oxygen levels in the water. Without enough oxygen, fish populations struggle to survive, and the water can become murky or even toxic. These phosphorus-driven blooms are the main reason the town often has to close the beach during the summer, proving that runoff from our own backyards is now the biggest threat to the pond’s health.

Even with these challenges our ponds face, Wellesley residents really value their open spaces.  44% of those who took our group’s survey had been to Morses or Longfellow 15+ times, and only 11% had never been to either. Despite this, it’s hard to pinpoint how people actually view each pond. For example, one question asked, “How would you rate the amenities at Morses pond?” For some context on the topic, Morses pond has a well-maintained beach, picnic tables, restrooms, fishing docks and trails. Compared to Longfellow, Morses should be considered to have great amenities. Strangely we got a huge range of responses from 10 stars to 1 star. Morses still had a slightly better average (5.98) compared to Longfellow (4.65) but regardless, it brought to our group’s attention the idea that people may not be as connected to Wellesley’s ponds as we thought.

So we pivoted. Instead of just raising awareness about the environmental state of our ponds we decided to also promote residents to engage with the outdoors more. We believe engagement will drive change and awareness while also getting residents to enjoy nature. Fishing couldn’t be a better messenger for this.  Take this excerpt from an NIH article called “Recreational fishing, health and well-being: findings from a cross-sectional survey.”

“Human populations in urbanized societies tend to carry out daily activities in increasingly denatured habitats, which negatively impacts on how people interact with others and with the environment (Inglehart 1990). The progressive loss of contact with natural environments has been associated with different health problems, mainly triggered by stress.”

The act of pond fishing entails a kind of care and attention to detail that lets us be immersed in our environment. Fishing reduces stress by facilitating a deeper connection to the outdoors and as a result reduces health problems. Additionally, fishing teaches us that we can compete against nature in a healthy way for us and for the fish we eventually release.The fishing tournament will bring people together in friendly competition under the shared goal of preserving Wellesley’s ponds.

One quote that I think is a good representation of the broader ideas behind our project is this one by Henry David Thoreau, who eloquently remarked, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” It can be interpreted that in a sense, engaging with Wellesley ponds, whether that is through fishing or otherwise, is not about the goal but about the process. We are working on conservation, which implies no fixed endpoint but rather continuous maintenance. So if you want to support our ponds, join us outdoors to fish and celebrate Wellesley pond’s long history and the continued success of conservation efforts.

Wellesley Middle School 8th graders,

André Bacci
Brady Levin
Bryson Paige
Caleb McMillin
John Tedford