Gloucester High School (Massachusetts)

Infobox School
name= Gloucester High School


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streetaddress= 32 Leslie O Johnson Rd.
city= Gloucester
state= Massachusetts
zipcode= 01930
country= USA
url= http://www.gloucesterschools.com/
district= Gloucester Public Schools
superintendent= Christopher Farmer
principal= Dr. William Goodwin
asst principal= Mark Bedrosian
staff=
type= Public
schooltype= high school
grades= 9-12
language= English
ceeb code= 220878
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mascot= Fighting Fishermen
colors= Maroon and White
founded=
enrollment= 1351
enrollment_as_of= June, 2008
rival=
conference= Northeast Alliance of High Schools
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Gloucester High School is a public four-year comprehensive secondary school with 1,351 students and 150 faculty and staff. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the Northeast Alliance of High Schools.

History

Established by 1839, Gloucester High School became a four year institution by 1857. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=oosVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA97&dq=%22Gloucester+High+School%22&lr=#PPA97,M1 The Rise of the High School in Massachusetts] , Alexander James Inglis, 1911, p 97] ] In 1889, the school moved into its then new building on Dale Avenue [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/717987122.html?dids=717987122:717987122&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Aug+30%2C+1889&author=&pub=Boston+Daily+Globe&desc=GLOUCESTER+HIGH+SCHOOL&pqatl=google Boston Daily Globe article] ] The Dale Avenue building was converted to Central Grammar School in 1939. [Gloucester and Rockport, John Hardy Wright, 2000, [http://books.google.com/books?id=WqKCKSvoJL0C&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=%22Gloucester+High+School%22+massachusetts+architect&source=web&ots=cniUc1ayDL&sig=A-dypmifKg3I0p5L_i7e-TFf-N4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result pictured on page 18] ] In 1970, the school started to utilize the former St. Peter's High School building for some classroom and office space. The building had been purchased from the Archdiocese of Boston. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=esgnpJUy4j4C&pg=PA56&dq=%22Gloucester+High+School%22&sig=R4dQKeczOKsNKjchzb2HAvXlLM8#PPA56,M1 Voices: An Anthropologist's Dialogue with an Italian-American Festival] , Richard M. Swiderski, 1987, pp 55-56] That building is now called Fuller School and no longer houses any of the high school.

Mission Statement

"The mission of Gloucester High School is to produce graduates with foundation knowledge and fundamental skills necessary for productive citizenship. To achieve these results, instruction is purposeful, engaging, relevant and rigorous. A culture of positive relationship building and personalization within the school and the community encourages and supports self-reliance and problem-solving for success."

Courses of Study

Gloucester High School Has Several Diffrent Courses of Study for the 7 period day. Traditional Courses in Math,Science,Social Studies,and English are avalible as well as multiple AP and Honors Courses Avalible for those who qualify. Several diffrent electives are Avalible at Gloucester High School Including
*Photography
*Visual Arts
*Jazz Band
*Health and Physical Educatation
*Child Study
*Vocational Programs (Automotive Repair, Eletrical Shop, Machine Shop, Carpentry and Cabinetmaking
*Computer Aided Design
*Technology Courses
*Study
*Buisness Department: Buisness Math;Banking Theory;Lucky Lobster Marketting

Notable alumni

*Roger Cressey, former member of the United States National Security Council, terrorism analyst for NBC News, president of Good Harbor Consulting, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University
*Billy Macleod, Boston Red Sox pitcher
*Benjamin A. Smith II, US Senator from Massachusetts

Teen pregnancy controversy

On June 18,2008, the high school drew international attention as news reports broke that a group of 17 female students had become pregnant in the last year, with some, reportedly, as a consequence of an agreement they had made. Some of the girls allegedly said that they had participated in the pact so that they could raise their babies together. There have been reports that one student went so far as to recruit a homeless 24-year-old man in her efforts to conceive. [ [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html “Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High”] , "Time", 2008-06-18.] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7464925.stm “US fears of teen ‘pregnancy pact’”] , "BBC", 2008-06-20.]

Media reactions to the event ranged from general criticism of the episode as representing a misguided adolescent shortcut to adulthood and identity, to the matter of whether statutory rape occurred. (Many of the adolescent girls involved were sixteen years old or younger.) However, most early media reactions appeared to be poorly researched and sensationalist in nature. [ [http://randazza.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/gloucester-and-its-pregnancy-pact-a-natives-perspective/ Gloucester and the Pregnancy Pact, A Native's Perspective] ]

During the 2007-2008 school year, two staff members began to publicly advocate that the school clinic provide contraception without parental consent, largely in response to the surge in student pregnancies. This recommendation drew opposition from the board of Addison Gilbert Hospital, which sponsors the clinic. The clinic staff, a pediatrician and nurse practitioner, resigned in protest at the end of the school year. [ [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/05/29/17_gloucester_high_students_are_said_to_be_pregnant/ “17 Gloucester High students are said to be pregnant: State aide urges action at school”] , "Boston Globe", 2008-05-29.] On October 8, 2008 the Gloucester School Committee granted the use of contraceptives by way of the Student Heath Center Provided that the use be approved by the parents.

References

External links