Scituate High School (Massachusetts)

Scituate High School is the only public secondary school of Scituate, Massachusetts. It has an enrollment of roughly 722 students, servicing grades 9-12 for the entire town. The school was originally located at Central Field in Scituate and then moved to what is now the Gates Intermediate School. At present, SHS is located along Chief Justice Cushing Highway in a recently renovated building which also houses the school district and recreation departments' central offices.

The principal of Scituate High is Donna M. Nuzzo-Mueller and its two vice-principals are John Mills and Tracey Curley.

Academics

Scituate High School is known for its fine academic standing. In the 2006 MCAS testing, 91% of Scituate High sophomores scored a "proficient" or higher on the English Language Arts section of the test, compared to just 71% of students statewide. In the Mathematics section of the MCAS, 89% Scituate High's students received a "proficient" or higher, compared to just 67% statewide.

Athletics

Scituate High School's teams are known as Sailors, with their colors being blue, white, and black. The Sailors are members of Division 3's Patriot League. The football team plays the town's rival, Hingham, during its annual Thanksgiving Day game. Scituate High also has very good athletic complexes. The basketball gymnasium has a capacity of 500+, and is usually home to the Patriot League all-star game. The soccer stadium recently had an astro-turf field installed, an expensive but worthwhile change. The well-maintained baseball stadium is used by many of the local youth baseball players.In 2008, both the boys hockey and basketball teams were South Sectional Champions and Eastern Massachusetts Champions. The hockey team lost to Westfield High and the basketball team lost to Frontier Regional High in their state championship games.Fact|date=May 2008. In 2007, the hockey team won its second state title in 22 years dating back to 1986 by defeating Westfield 1 to 0.On June 11, 2008, the boys varsity lacrosse team defeated archrival Cohasset for the state championship. Scituate routed Cohasset 17-5.

Lockdown Controversy

During the long block of a regular school day on February 2, 2007, SHS principal Ms. Donna Nuzzo-Mueller issued a school-wide lockdown. While the lockdown was in effect, no teachers or students were allowed to leave their classrooms, while nearly 15 police vehicles and three drug-sniffing K-9s from many local towns made their way to the high school.Fact|date=May 2008 The officers walked the dogs through the halls of the school, searching lockers and random classrooms for illegal drugs. After the school was searched, the officers and the dogs made their way outside to the student parking lot, where the student's cars were searched. In the end, a total of seven SHS students were arrested, and it caused an uproar in the student population. On the day of February 5th, 2007, the Monday after the Friday lockdown, many students protested in the school's courtyard, saying the searching of the school and cars was unjust and against the student's rights. The protest received local newspaper attention, and ended with Scituate superintendent of schools Mr. Mark Mason addressing a speech to the students.Fact|date=May 2008 On June 7, 2007, the last day of regular classes for the students, which is usually viewed as a fun and laid back day, the school issued a lockdown "drill," while drug sniffing dogs were brought to the student parking lot. Although the school building was not searched, two students were arrested after the K9s found substances in their cars. It ruined the spirit of the student population and caused another uproar in the school.Fact|date=May 2008

"Lockdowns", cited as drills by the administration have continued into 2008 with a minimum of two being held a year. Unlike the previous year, there have been no arrests directly related to the most recent lockdowns.

Chorus And Drama

The school has an extensive arts program, including six chorale groups, two bands, a dramatic arts club, and basic and advanced art classes. The chorus director is the music organizer for the Scituate Public Schools district. Every other year the chorale and band groups go to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, to perform nationally.

Tragedy

On February 2, 2008, a tragedy struck the school when sophomore Timothy J. Mahoney was killed in a car accident. The driver, Christopher R. Barrow, was paralyzed from the waist down. Mahoney was a member of the hockey and lacrosse teams, and was announced in the starting lineup in every hockey game even after his death. The team also had "#9" patches embroidered on their jerseys and "#9" pins were available for students who wanted to show their support. In his memory, the basketball, hockey and lacrosse teams dedicated their seasons to him. Timothy was a great person and could always make people laugh. He will be remembered in the hearts of all his friends and family forever.

tudent interpretations

Student's at Scituate High School SHS love to interact with their teachers and further their education. However, it is not always this simple; from the few students who make trouble for no reason to the administration who creates policies which strictly limit the good students and the teachers from carrying out a normal and friendly atmosphere conducive to learning.

Principal Nuzzo along with other members of the administration have decided that teachers and students should stay separate, they do not allow students to build bonds with their teachers. Many students' feel that this constrains the learning environment, eliminating factors like trust, respect, and even cutting down on pathways of communication for learning. Principal Nuzzo, along with her vice principals, also enforces a strict visitor policy. Where alumni of the school are not permitted to visit the building freely to maintain the relationship with the teachers and peers which provided them with the education and encouragement necessary for them to continue on successfully in life. This guest policy is not globally enforced and requires those who are caught in the red tape to acquire scheduled appointments with professors in advance. A policy which creates difficulty and bars some students from seeing their dear old science teachers.

Students' continually feel more repressed and confined each year principal Nuzzo has held office. The general feeling is that they are no longer there to benefit from an education or to grow as individuals, but rather just have to "deal" with the current administration. Over the past five years, much of the staff has turned over, replaced by younger, inexperienced teachers looking to gain experience. Students feel that these teachers are more prone to act on the administrations wishes and are referred to as "Nuzzo's lackey's" by many. Their actions include pulling students out of class and/or athletic events under the suspision that they are under the influence without any standardized tests or due process. This, creates an atmosphere in which many students' also feel that the policies and actions of their principal and administration aggravate and interrupt their teachers and/or clubs. Many wonder and look towards the day when Nuzzo will leave SHS.

External links

* [http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/cgi-local/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1127945236 2005 MCAS Test Results (PDF)]
* [http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/shs/ Scituate High School Official Page]