Braintree High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Affiliation | Braintree Public Schools |
| Principal | David Swanton |
| Faculty | 116 |
| Students | 1,576 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 128 Town Street, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA |
| Accreditation | NEASC |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Mascot | The Wamps |
| wikimapia | lat=42.2 lon=-71 |
| SAT Average | 504, 519, 526 (R,W,M) |
| Website | Braintree High School |
Braintree High School is a secondary school located in Braintree, Massachusetts, within Norfolk county. The school is part of the Braintree Public Schools department and is located to the north side of Sunset Lake.
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[edit] General
As of 2008, the headmaster is David Swanton. Braintree's school colors are blue and white and their school and athletic teams claim the nickname of "The Wamps." It is currently held by the school that the name is derived from the Massachusetts Indian Nation Chief Sachem known as Wampatuck, meaning "White Deer." However, it is unsure if this is where the school's nickname was originally derived from. The name "Wampanoag," a Native American tribe historically based in the South Shore of Massachusetts, would seem to make more sense, seeing as Wampatuck was simply one person while the Wampanoags were an entire tribe. No matter what the source of the nickname itself is, concerns over political correctness with the use of a Native American name have arisen, with some consideration of changing the mascot to a Boxing Kangaroo.
[edit] Statements
Both the following mission statement and beliefs are required to be known by teachers and students alike.
[edit] Mission Statement
The mission of the Braintree Schools, in partnership with parents and the community, is to prepare students to become responsible and contributing members of a diverse and changing society. [1]
[edit] Beliefs
• Students should acquire, and use wisely, a rigorous core of knowledge in an environment that promotes higher level thinking skills across the curriculum.
• Students should be encouraged to attain high standards of achievement.
• Students possess unique talents and gifts and should be encouraged to reach their maximum individual potential.
• Students should be able to communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking, computing, the arts, and technology.
• Students should acquire the knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to achieve and maintain optimum health and lifelong fitness.
• Students should develop a sense of self-discipline, self-respect, and self-reliance and demonstrate social and civic responsibility.
• Students should become life-long learners to prepare them for a changing society.
• Students should understand, respect and appreciate the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of our society and the democratic principles upon which this nation was built.
• A safe and orderly environment, free of prejudice, drugs, violence, and harassment is essential to promote student learning.
• Ongoing opportunities for the professional growth and development of staff are essential for continued school improvement.
• Parents, in partnership with schools, are an integral part of their child’s learning.
• Community involvement should be actively solicited, encouraged and developed.[2]
[edit] PRIDE Statement
Partnership
Respect and Responsibility
Involvement
Diversity
Educational Excellence
[edit] School-Wide Expectations
Students at Braintree High School will:
1. Be prepared and ready to learn
2. Write effectively
3. Use research skills appropriately
4. Think critically
5. Work cooperatively in groups
6. Use technology appropriately
7. Appreciate cultures of the world
8. Use an understanding of history to make decisions
9. Recognize democratic principles of the United States
10. Communicate effectively in a foreign language
11. Use the arts for expression and self-discovery
12. Make healthy choices
13. Develop career skills
14. Read and interpret literature of different kinds
15. Use mathematics to problem solve
16. Use science to solve problems
17. Participate in democracy
18. Help create a safe and positive environment
19. Develop self-discipline, self-respect and self-reliance
20. Demonstrate civility in interactions with others
21. Respect diversity [3]
[edit] Enrollment & Budget
The school district is comprised of six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, with a total enrollment of just over 5,000 students. The School Department’s budget is $43,159,023 in FY2008[4].
[edit] Schedule Structure
In a full-length school day at BHS is broken up into 7 periods, also known as blocks, lettered from 1 to 7. There are 7 days in the full schedule, each with a unique order of classes.
[edit] Rotating Schedule
In BHS's rotating schedule, blocks 1-7 change with each day, as the first period from one day becomes the last on the next day. To illustrate this further, this table shows when each block would be on each day:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
[edit] Lunch
Lunch takes place during the period occupied by block 5 on a day 1. There are three lunch sessions during this period, titled A, B and C. Which session a student attends for lunch is based upon which class he or she has during this period. Typically, classes on the third floor and gym classes have A lunch, classes on the second floors and elective classes have C lunch, and Freshman and Study Hall classes have B lunch. The student attends class during the two sessions during which he or she does not have lunch.
[edit] Academic Achievements
Braintree students have a tradition of excelling academically, with 89% of Braintree High School graduates persuing post-secondary studies. Students at all grade levels score well above state and national averages on all measures of standardized testing, including the MCAS and the SAT. Braintree High School offers eighteen Advanced Placement (AP) courses; more than ⅓ of the senior class is enrolled in at least one AP course.[5]
[edit] Athletics
Braintree High is a member of the Bay State Conference, a league in Massachusetts Division I athletics. The current athletics director at BHS is Mike Denise. They have a traditional rivalry with Weymouth High School but play their annual Thanksgiving football game against Milton High. Recently the Boys' Gymnastics squad has consistently repeated as champions of the BSC while the Cheerleading squad competes on the national stage. There have been several other state champions produced by BHS in the past several years, most notably in girls' athletics. The Lady Wamps Basketball team won the state title for the 2005-06 season while the Soccer team won both in 2005 and again in 2006, led by rising star Amy Caldwell, a player who has received national attention. [6]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- BHS website
- BHS profile provided by greatschools.net
- BHS Athletics
