Casco Bay High School

Casco Bay High School
Address
196 Allen Avenue (2nd floor)
North Deering
Portland, Cumberland, Maine 04103
United States
Coordinates 43°41′50″N 70°17′38″W / 43.6973°N 70.2940°W / 43.6973; -70.2940Coordinates: 43°41′50″N 70°17′38″W / 43.6973°N 70.2940°W / 43.6973; -70.2940
Information
School type Public
Founded 2005
Opened September 2005
School code 200804
Principal Derek Pierce
Grades 9-12
Gender All
Age 14 to 19
Enrollment 55–100 students per year
Student to teacher ratio 11.4
Language English
Hours in school day 6 hours 10 minutes
Color(s) Teal and black
Athletics Ultimate Frisbee
Mascot Cougar
Graduates 57
Website cbhs.portlandschools.org

Casco Bay High School is a public Expeditionary Learning school in Portland, Maine, USA. Since the 2005–06 school year, the school has been housed on the site of the Portland Arts and Technology High School on Allen Avenue, in the city's North Deering neighborhood. Casco Bay is one of three public high schools within the City of Portland, the other two being Portland High and Deering High.

Opening in 2005, Casco Bay High made Portland the first city in the United States to offer Expeditionary Learning from kindergarten to 12th grade.[1] Every year after, Casco Bay added a grade level, with 70 students per grade, and the school now has all grade levels attending (9-12) with 100 students per grade. The school has won numerous awards, and in 2012 was named the 8th best high school in Maine. It is also one of the few high schools in Maine to offer Independent Study courses to Junior and Senior students. These are student-designed courses that can range from a study of 19th-century Literature to an exploration of Quantum Mechanics.

Crew

Every student at Casco Bay High School is assigned to a "crew". The students stay in a crew for all four years (not necessarily the same crew advisor). A crew is a group of 10 to 15 students and one faculty member. Activities are held within the crew every day of the week. Crews in the freshman and senior grades are sent on a 3-night 4-day Rippleffect mini-expedition. For that week, students will kayak in Casco Bay in order to get to know their crew members. Many students feel that the experience is a very positive one. Active members on this trip receive 0.5 credits for physical education.

Junior Journey

An integral part of a student's experience at Casco Bay High School is his or her Junior Journey. Each year, the entire junior class is given the opportunity to plan a class trip to a location where one can experience a new culture and service learning. To date, all Junior Journeys have been executed in association with Habitat for Humanity in Biloxi, Mississippi, Almost Heaven, West Virginia, and Rockaway, New York. During the trip, which is entirely funded by the students' own fundraising efforts, the junior class spends time volunteering, team building and bonding, and taking in local culture, history, and landmarks. Participation in Junior Journey bears 0.5 elective credits.

Freshman Year

In freshman year, most students take 6 classes. Typically, English (Known as Humanities 1), Social Studies (Known as Humanities 1 Social Studies), Math, Biology, Art, and one elective (usually French or Spanish).

Administration

Derek Pierce has been the school's principal since it opened in 2005.[2] In 2014, he won Nellie Mae's Larry O'Toole Award for exhibiting "great leadership through innovation or courage in moving student-centered approaches to learning forward". CBHS received $100,000 as a result.[3] Two years later in 2016, Pierce was named Maine Principal of the Year by the Maine Principal's Association.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Canfield, Clark: "Outward Bound Schools Emphasize Learning By Doing", The Boston Globe, 2006.
  2. ↑ Ellis, Colin (October 6, 2014). "Portland high school principal wins $100,000 for school in online contest". The Forecaster. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Margolin, Alexis (September 30, 2014). "Casco Bay High School Principal Derek Pierce Receives Nellie Mae Award". eleducation.org. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Gallagher, Noel K. (March 28, 2016). "Leader of Casco Bay High School named Maine's Principal of the Year". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
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