Telstar Regional Middle/High School

Telstar Regional Middle/High School
Address
284 Walkers Mills Rd.
Bethel, Maine, Oxford, 04217
Coordinates 44°25′7″N 70°45′55″W / 44.41861°N 70.76528°WCoordinates: 44°25′7″N 70°45′55″W / 44.41861°N 70.76528°W
Information
School district MSAD 44
Superintendent David Murphy
Dean Cheryl Lang (HS), Mark Kenney (MS)
Principal Ann Bell (HS), Clark Rafford (MS)
Grades 6–12
Color(s) Navy blue, Columbia blue and white
Athletics Football, Field Hockey, Golf, Nordic Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Soccer, Baseball, Softball,
Website www.edline.net/pages/Telstar_High_School

Telstar Regional Middle/High School is a middle/high school located in Bethel, Maine, in the United States as part of Maine School Administrative District 44.

History

The school was founded in 1968 and named after Telstar — the satellite's Andover Earth Station is in the school district, in Andover. In 1968, a controversy brewed up when a local Baptist minister attempted to get the school to not use the novels Demian by Hermann Hesse, The Emperor of Ice-Cream by Brian More, and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes in an English class.[1]

Notable alumni

Budget issues

The period between 2006 and 2009 saw many changes at Telstar. The State of Maine mandated that school districts with low student populations consolidate with neighboring districts.[5]

District property valuations also caused issues within the district itself. With several million dollar homes in the vicinity of Sunday River Ski Resort, the tax base of the area keeps rising. Increasing valuations have led to a dramatic decrease in state aid, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the 2009-2010 district budget.[6]

While property valuations have increased, many middle income jobs have been lost due to economic conditions and the poor business climate for the area's paper industry.[7] Sunday River itself, able to weather just about any economic crisis, shed 32 full-time positions in 2009. The loss of jobs in the area have brought about a steady decrease in the school population as families move away seeking employment.

In the summer of 2009, district officials invited taxpayers to share their views on a possible $5-million-dollar addition to the school, which would cost taxpayers roughly $300,000 per year over the next 15 years. At this meeting, held at the end of July, voters shared their perspectives. [needs more info from the meeting.] Following the meeting, the SAD 44 School Board met and decided to put the proposal out to voters.[8]

2013-14 School Year In the 2013-14 school year, Charles Raymond resigned from his Dean Of Students position. Dan Hart also resigned from his principal position and now is the principal at the Guy E. Rowe Elementary School in the Sad 17 district.

References

  1. ↑ Titcomb, Caldwell (January 3, 1969). "What Johnny can read". To the Editor (Maine Times)., reprinted in The Best of Maine Times. Bangor, Maine: Maine Times Publishing Company. 2003. pp. 23–24. ISBN 0-9729124-1-X.
  2. ↑ http://www.mainewsc.org/teams-and-programs/cross-country-team/fred-bailey.html
  3. ↑ http://espn.go.com/action/athlete/_/id/49768/chris-duplessis
  4. ↑ http://www.wrc.com/wrc-academy/drivers-and-teams/drivers/chris-duplessis/?whoid=120
  5. ↑ Need Link: Maine Department of Education, District Consolidation
  6. ↑ Newspaper: Bethel Citizen, need link to specific page.
  7. ↑ need citation
  8. ↑ Bethel Citizen article: http://www.bethelcitizen.com/story.php?storyid=6488

External links