Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 15

Your daily roundup of news and events.

We hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day yesterday. Now that it’s over, regular winter can return: The National Weather Service says there is a slight chance of rain or snow today, but the service also says the temperature will reach almost 50 degrees. Wellesley College helped organize and publish love letters between 19th century husband and wife poets. The new Wellesley High School opens Feb. 28. The School Committee wants your feedback on who to hire as the next school superintendent.

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Discrepancy Seen In How Girls and Boys Feel High School Pressure

A survey of high school students shows nearly twice as many girls as boys believe life is very stressful.

Girls at Wellesley High School say they are more stressed, depressed, bullied in person and in cyberspace and more likely to self-injure themselves than boys at the school, according to findings of an adolescent health survey taken anonymously by students last fall. The survey, conducted by the MetroWest Community Health Foundation, also found that stress and bullying peaks for both sexes in 10th and 11th grade when the pressure to get top grades starts to hit home for many students. “It’s the year that they all of a sudden realize, this matters,” High School Principal Andrew Keough told the School Committee Tuesday night. Keough also said that it’s the time when a lot of physical changes are taking place and students are trying to figure …

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Survey Shows More Seniors at Wellesley High School Drink Alcohol Than Don't

Results come as school officials call on parents to address teen drinking after students were found drunk at Friday night's football game.

A survey of Wellesley High School seniors found that more than half say they have had a drink within the past 30 days, and nearly three quarters have attended a party where alcohol was available. The survey, taken anonymously last fall by students in grades 6 through 12, also shows that 45 percent of the seniors report they have been drunk, and 37 percent report they have binged on alcohol. The survey was the third done in the Wellesley Public Schools over the past four years by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation to give communities information about the health and risk behaviors of its middle and high school students. It covered not only substance abuse, but bullying, cyber bullying, mental health, sexual behaviors and …

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