Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Name |
Cambridge Rindge and Latin School |
| Address |
459 Broadway |
| Town |
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 |
| Established |
See Article |
| Community |
Urban |
| Type |
Public Secondary |
| Religion |
Secular |
| Students |
Coeducational |
| Grades |
9 to 12 |
| Accreditation |
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) |
| District |
Cambridge Public School District |
| Nickname |
CRLS or Rindge |
| Mascot |
Falcon |
| Colors |
Black and Gray/Silver |
| Newspaper |
The Register Forum |
| Website | |
The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School is the only public high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
The school, serving grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Cambridge Public Schools.
Once two separate schools called Cambridge High and Latin and the Rindge School of Technical Arts, the merged entity today is now commonly abbreviated as CRLS or Rindge. In 2004-2005 the school hosted 1,883 students from various nationalities [1].
The students are divided into subdivisions which seem to change name and geography within the building every year. Currently the "Small Learning Communities" are called C, R, L, and S. Previously until June, 2000, the subdivided schools were known as the Houses of Pilot, Fundamental, A through D, and Occupation Education (later known as Rindge School of Technical Arts or RSTA).
In 1990, RSTA became a "house" within the main CRLS school. The "Houses" then became "Small Schools" 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The High School Extension Program, at the site of the old Longfellow School, just down Broadway St., offers a non-traditional approach to the High School learning process, handling only 60–100 students at a time.
Contents |
[edit] History
CRLS is actually several separate schools combined into one greater whole. In 1648, just twelve years after the founding of Harvard University, a school system was set up in Cambridge (then known as Newtowne), marking it the fifth town (after Boston, Charlestown, Dorchester, and Salem) in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to do so. Master Elijah Corlett's "lattin schoole" was born. The school was seen as a supplemental part of Harvard, and gained wide recognition.
- “And by the side of the colledge a faire GRAMMAR Schoole, for the training up of young Schollars, and fitting of them for ACADEMICALL LEARNING, that still as they are judged ripe, they may be received into the colledge of this Schoole. Master CORLETT is the Mr., who hath very well approved himselfe for his abilities, dexterity and painfulness in teaching and education of the youth under him.” [2]
Originally Rindge Tech and Cambridge High and Latin, the former began in 1888 by Frederick Hastings Rindge as The Cambridge Manual Training School, and the latter as both Cambridge English High School in 1838 and Cambridge Latin School in 1886, which came together later too and became Cambridge High and Latin. Finally, in 1977, the two schools Rindge Tech and the Cambridge High and Latin High School were merged, with the old Cambridge High and Latin building—then made mostly of wood—being finally torn down in 1980. Today a commemorative archway to the old Cambridge High and Latin building can still be observed on the street corner of Broadway and Ellery Streets overlooking the grassy field area of the Joan Lorentz Park.
[edit] Controversy
During the years of the late 1980's and early 1990's, the school became subject to multiple accusations of inherent racism in its infrastructure, which lead to the disbanding of the original houses as well as the changing of the original school mascot from a bust of a Native American, to a yellow jacket, and to the current falcon.
Albeit not intentionally, the original houses eventually represented a racial divide within the school itself. Fundamental house was comprised primarily of upper-class whites. Pilot house was known for its "alternative" students that dressed and were perceived as counter-culture /alternative lifestyle, who were allowed to address teachers by their first names during a time when this behavior was not typically acceptable. A house was comprised mostly of mid and lower class whites. B house was comprised mostly of African Americans. C house was comprised mostly of those of Latino and southern European or Mediterranean descent. D house (located two floors down in the sub-basement of the Rindge building, was comprised mostly of students of various African descent. Finally, the vocational house known as Occupation Education or Oc-Ed (later to be known as Rindge Tech and finally RSTA) was mix of lower-class students from across the municipality.
During the 2004-2005 school year, the student-dubbed "Haitian Nation" of the vastly Haitian populated School 4 was removed.
[edit] Notable alumni
- E. E. Cummings, poet
- Matt Damon, actor and screenwriter
- Ben Affleck, actor
- Casey Affleck, actor and Ben Affleck's brother
- Rumeal Robinson, NCAA Basketball Champion at Michigan and NBA Player
- Patrick Ewing, NCAA Basketball Champion at Georgetown and NBA player
- Eric Cornell, 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Korczak Ziolkowski, sculptor of the Crazy Horse Memorial
- Max Casella, actor, The Sopranos and Doogie Howser M.D.
- Orson Bean, actor
- Peggy Cass, actress and comedienne
- Traci Bingham, actress and model
- Gina Grant, famous for gaining early admission to Harvard, only to have it revoked when it came out that she had killed her mother
- Karl Hobbs - Current head coach of the George Washington University Colonials basketball team
- For more, see Notable Cambridge Alumni by Stephen G. Surette, the school's unofficial historian
[edit] Register Forum
The school's newspaper, Register Forum, has the distinction of being the oldest continually published public high school newspaper in the country. While technically a club, the Forum encourages all students to submit articles to be published. A typical issue, arriving once a month in its typical tabloid format, includes views on school, global, and local issues, school performance and film reviews, features on "Freshman of the Month" and "Artist of the Month", a cartoon, and several editorials. Occasionally, a CRLS-themed crossword will appear in the back of the issue.
[edit] Athletics
Athletics have always played a major part in the school's extracurricular activity structure, and most of the school's 30 teams have received statewide recognition of excellence in some form or another. Some of the best sports players and coaches in the world came from the athletics department at CRLS. The 11 Fall and Winter sports take place between September and Thanksgiving Day (the Football team's final game); and the first Monday following Thanksgiving and February/March, respectively. The 10 Spring sports start on the third Monday in March, and finish in late May. The teams are supported by the fund-raising efforts of Friends of Cambridge Athletics (FOCA) who sell Cambridge Athletics-branded clothing to subsidize the teams. The school's rowing rivalry with Cambridge private school Buckingham Browne & Nichols continues with an annual eights race, the Mayor's Cup Regatta.
- See main web page: CRLS Athletics
[edit] Deans and Administration
[edit] Administration
Principal: Dr. Christopher Saheed
Coordinator of Guidance: Lynn Williams
[edit] SLC C:
Dean of Curriculum: To Be Determined Dean of Students: Robert Tynes
Guidance Councilors: Serafim Da Cunha, George Finn, Stephanie Richards
[edit] SLC R:
Dean of Curriculum: Damon Smith
Dean of Students: Maxine Berry
Guidance Councilors: Brian Downes, Lorraine Davis, Stephanie Richards
[edit] SLC L:
Dean of Curriculum: Candace A. Dunlap
Dean of Students: Maria Filomena Silva
Guidance Councilors: Yvon Lamour, Larry Poirier, Jodi Mace
[edit] SLC S
Dean of Curriculum: Kathleen Wamness
Dean of Students: Jamal Prince
Guidance Councilors: Jack Costello, Gordie Axtman, Jodi Mace
[edit] RSTA
Executive Director: Dr. Michael V. Ananis
Vocational Coordinator: Diane Paradis
[edit] High School Extension Program
Principal: Dr. Joseph R. Dolan
