Thornton Academy
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Thornton Academy (often abbreviated as TA) is an independently-owned public high school located in Saco, Maine.
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[edit] History
Thornton Academy was first established in 1811, when the Maine region was a part of Massachusetts. It was founded because of a petition by citizens of Saco to the Massachusetts Senate, which passed a bill granting six square miles of land for the use of the academy so long as the city of Saco raised USD $3000 in funds. It was dedicated on January 4, 1813 as Saco Academy. The school was plagued for years by financial difficulty. The name was officially changed to Thornton Academy in 1821 when Dr. Thomas G. Thornton donated $1000 worth of bank stock to the school.
The academy was destroyed by fire on Saturday, July 28, 1848 in what was concluded to be arson, although no culprit was ever found. Almost all records were lost in the fire, and the academy was closed indefinitely. Although the board of trustees continued to meet and discuss the school's future, serious efforts to rebuild the school were not taken until 1884, when investments by trustee James W. Bradbury had more than quintupled the academy's financial endowment.
In 1885 eight acres of land were purchased by the board at the corner of Main Street and Fairfield Street in Saco as the future site of Thornton Academy. On July 27, 1886, Thornton Academy became a legal corporation. The plans for the new school building were designed by H. G. Wadlin. It officially re-opened on September 6, 1889 and began its school year three days later with a class of 108 students.
Over the course of the 20th century, separate buildings have been added to the grounds, such as a gymnasium, a science building and a building containing a library and English classes. In 1996 construction was completed to link the original building with the science building, as well as to add more classrooms. However, since the academy consists of several buildings, it more resembles a university campus than a traditional American high school.
In fall 2006 a middle school was opened on campus, a decision met with much controversy.[1]
[edit] Administration
The academy is privately owned and governed by a board of trustees, while at the same time receiving public funds and functioning as part of the public school system. The current headmaster is Carl Stasio, who fulfills the role of principal.
The school's class scheduling system is unusual, in that rather than students taking all of their classes in a single day, classes are divided along a two-day cycle with four class 'blocks' in each day. This causes each class to meet for 80 minutes every two school days instead of 40 minutes every school day. The intent of this system is to allow teachers and students to be more thorough in each class meeting, with a smaller amount of time devoted every day to the transition between classes. The two alternating days are named "Maroon Days" and "Gold Days" after the school's official colors.
[edit] Sports
The school's main focus in sports is American football, in which the school team, the "Trojans," have a historic rivalry with the "Tigers" of nearby Biddeford High School. The annual game between the two teams is called the "Battle of the Bridge," after the fact that the two schools and their respective towns are separated by the Saco River.
[edit] External links
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