| Somerset-Berkley Regional High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 270 Grandview Avenue New England Somerset, Massachusetts, Bristol, 02726 United States of America |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Superintendent | Richard Medeiros |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Language | English |
| School Colour(s) | Navy Blue & White |
| Athletics | MIAA, Division 3 |
| Athletics conference | Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Nickname | Blue Raiders |
| Rival | Joseph Case High School (Swansea, MA) |
| Accreditation(s) | New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1] |
| Newspaper | The Breeze |
| Communities served | Berkley, Massachusetts and Somerset, Massachusetts |
| Affiliation | Somerset-Berkley Regional School District |
| Alumni | Jerry Remy, Greg Gagne, Nancy Pimental |
| Telephone | 508-324-3115 |
| Website | SomersetBerkley.org |
Somerset Berkley Regional High School is the public secondary school for the towns of Somerset and Berkley, Massachusetts, beginning in September 2011.[2] The school will include grades nine through twelve. Its athletic teams compete as the Blue Raiders.
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Somerset Berkley Regional High School possesses departments of Art, Business Technology, English Language Arts and Reading, Engineering Technology, Foreign Languages, Health, Family & Consumer Sciences, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, and Special Education.[3]
Students score well above the state average score for Advanced/Above Proficient knowledge in each section of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams.[4]
The school offers Advanced Placement courses in Studio Art, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, European History, United States History, World History, Psychology, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.[5] Students may also take other Advanced Placement courses online. A majority of students receive passing scores on Advanced Placement exams in every subject offered, with the exception of Biology.[6]
In 2008-2009, Somerset High School's SAT averages were 504 in Reading, 488 in Writing, and 519 in Mathematics.[7]
Somerset Berkley Regional High School competes in Division Three of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Current sports include: Baseball, Boys & Girls Basketball, Cheerleading, Boys & Girls Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Boys & Girls Soccer, Softball, Boys & Girls Spring & Winter Track, Boys & Girls Tennis, Volleyball, & Wrestling.
Teams are fielded at the Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Freshman levels, depending on the sport.
Most teams compete in the Eastern Athletic Conference (EAC), which also includes Bishop Feehan High School, Bishop Stang High School, Coyle and Cassidy High School, and Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.
The school's traditional athletic rivals are the Cardinals of Joseph Case High School in Swansea, Massachusetts. The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Somerset and Swansea is a storied tradition.
Before 2011, high school students from Berkley attended Somerset High School through a special tuition agreement between the two towns. Under this agreement, the Town of Berkley paid for the right of their students to attend Somerset High School. However, the school was run by the School Committee of the Town of Somerset, in which Berkley residents held no formal representation.
Debate about the creation of a regional high school - in which both Somerset and Berkley residents would be represented - existed for many years. However, the issue gained little political traction until a variety of factors - mainly the lingering end of the tuition agreement and the rapid deterioration of the Somerset High School building - brought the issue to the forefront of political debate in both towns in 2009-2010.
In August 2010, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell D. Chester formally approved a regional school district agreement voted on by the two towns that created a regional school district between Berkley and Somerset at the high school level.[8] Under the agreement, each town will pay a share of the school's budget proportional to their percent representation among the student body. Seats on the Somerset Berkley Regional School Committee, which will govern the school, will be divided similarly.[9]
A 2010 report by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) declared that the physical condition of the current high school building “does not adequately support” educational programs and support services.[10] Difficult conditions in the building include “a lack of adequate space in certain instructional areas”, limited handicapped accessibility, out-of-date fire safety equipment, a small gymnasium space, and poor ventilation.[11] Questions about the structural integrity of the building's foundation led to some areas of the building being condemned during the 2008-2009 school year. The building was originally constructed as a project of the Works Progress Administration, but has since grown considerably with the addition of several new wings over the years.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) offered a significant amount of financial assistance to the Town of Somerset to fund a new high school building should it choose to form a regional high school with Berkley.
As of 17 March 2011, the MSBA lists a new high school for the Town of Somerset as an "active project".[12]