High School Ropes Course Back Next Semester

The high ropes challenge course, sacrificed for construction of the new high school, should be rebuilt in another location and ready for students by second semester, according to School Committee member Suzi Newman.

Newman said she had been doubtful the elective gym class would find a new home.

"Our first thought was, where could we reproduce the whole ropes course?" she said. With much of the land surrounding the high school either involved in the construction process, uneven or swampy, prospects seemed slim that a suitable location could be found.

But after shrinking the footprint of the course, a new site in the triangle next to Rice Street was a perfect fit.

Newman said the Natural Resources Committee and Wetlands Protection Committee were supportive of the project and were a tremendous help in getting the needed approvals over the summer to move forward with plans to erect the 55-foot poles and ropes needed for the course.

With approvals in place, bids went out in July and were opened in August. Newman said negotiations with a contractor are "ongoing," and once a contract is signed the poles will take four to six weeks to be delivered. Once delivered, construction should take about a week, and then final inspections and teacher training on the new equipment must be complete before students can start using the new course.

The high ropes course is an elective. Students get trained inside on how to use the climbing ropes safely with a partner before going outside.

Newman and the School Committee thanked the Wellesley Education Foundation and the high school Parent Teacher Student Organization for funding the ropes course.

The PTSO, in fact, is still fundraising to help cover the cost of the project.

Also last night, School Superintendent Bella T. Wong thanked WEF, PTOs at all the schools and individual donors for a concerted effort in providing interactive smart boards in every school in town.

Wong said she was skeptical of the new technology, but approved purchase of the first smart board five years ago.

Immediately, she said, teachers saw the advantage of having the new interactive technology in their classrooms.

But over the next few years the schools were unable to find funding to provide the smart boards.

That's when private funding took over.

According to Wong, it was the focused fundraising effort of WEF, the PTOs and private donors that has now put a smart board in every classroom at most of the elementary schools, and in nearly a third of all classrooms at Wellesley Middle School and Wellesley High School. 

"I really want to express my appreciation," Wong said. "It's just exciting, so exciting to see what was accomplished."