Vote For Norwood HS To Apply To Join Tri-Valley League To Come In Late June

NORWOOD, MA — The school committee will decide on a possible application to move the high school’s athletics program from the Bay State Conference to the Tri-Valley League next month.

That vote is needed before the school can move forward with the much-discussed proposed move. Norwood High School Athletics Director Jonathan Longley and Principal Jonathan Bourn were in front of the school committee Wednesday to get that permission, but committee members said more information is needed, along with an opportunity to let members of the community have their say. A forum was held in the fall, but the school committee says they’ve received emails from residents who are against the move and feel their voices haven’t been heard.

“I received probably the largest amount of emails in 24 hours on any issue and 99 percent said stay,” Committee member Patrick McDonough said.

Citing a competitive gap and the challenge of facing schools with larger enrollments, Longley said the school is simply outmatched against schools like Natick, Wellesley, Needham, and Newton North.

“I think we work as hard as any other student in any other community but they have more students to choose from who are often bigger, faster, and stronger,” Longley said.

Once Dedham leaves the league for the Tri-Valley League after this school year, Norwood will be the smallest school in the Bay State Conference. Milton will be the only other school with enrollment under 1,000, and Walpole’s enrollment of 1,166 is the only other school under 1,500.

If Norwood moves to the Tri-Valley League, only Hopkinton and Westwood would have higher student populations, with the many of the other schools not far behind.

While there has been some success with the baseball, softball, and field hockey teams, many of the teams have struggled in league play, according to stats compiled by Longley. In a poll, 70 percent of Norwood coaches who responded said they are in favor of moving to the Tri-Valley League.

Even if the school committee allows Longley to move forward in the process, it does not guarantee entry into the Tri-Valley League. That league must vote to extend an invitation to Norwood. If that happens, the school committee can then vote on whether or not to accept the offer. If a move happens, it will not take place until two years after the committee votes to join the league.

The committee will vote on letting Longley move forward with the application on June 21, with a public forum to take place before the vote. The Norwood High School athletics department is also expected to hold their own forum prior to the vote.

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