WHS Spells Core Values 'Rangers'

At Westborough High School, “our students identify with Rangers. We talk about being a Ranger, what it means to be a Ranger, the value of that,” Principal John Smith says.

Now, "Rangers" is an acronym for Westborough High’s core values, which the school community developed, while “refining the current ones,” as part of its 10-year accreditation review, New England Association of Schools and Colleges Steering Committee Chairman Roger Anderson says.

Responsibility, Achievement, Innovation, Growth, Engagement, Respect and Self-Reflection are “found in department mission statements,” Anderson told the school committee last week.

Feedback from the school board, teachers, students and parents shaped the core values, he said.

“These are really embedded in so much of what we do,” Anderson said.

“It really is about setting a high standard of achievement for everybody associated with Westborough High School, the entire community. This applies not only to the students. It applies to all of us.”

The high school is one year into the accreditation process’ self-study, he said. The steering committee is writing a “80 to 100 page report” as part of the process, he said. The accreditation team will visit Westborough High School in March 2014, he said.

Smith said "Rangers" is “specific, simple, but powerful.”

“Sometimes, when organizations put together core values,” he said, “things get lost.”

Anderson provided Westborough Patch with the core values statement.

“The Westborough High School community believes in a rigorous educational experience in a supportive environment that fosters respect and engagement in our diverse and global society,” it reads.

“Effective teaching and learning balances content and skills, encouraging critical and creative thinking. This requires expectations that challenge all community members to work hard to achieve their greatest potential. We need to communicate effectively and encourage the use of appropriate tools and technologies to share ideas and solve problems. By keeping an open mind while engaging and collaborating with our diverse population, we foster acceptance, appreciation and ultimately empathy. We strive to be responsible, informed citizens who make ethical decisions and honor our commitments. Every member of this community can achieve the greatest academic, civic and social growth by following these beliefs.”