John Bapst Memorial High School

Infobox Private School
name = John Bapst Memorial High School
motto = Integrity. Achievement. Respect.
established = 1928
type = Coeducational secondary
religion = Nonsectarian
head_name = Head of School
head = Melville G. McKay III
city = Bangor
state = Maine
country = USA
enrollment = 478
faculty = 37
class = 16
ratio = 13:1
year = 2007
athletics = 17 interscholastic
colors = Purple color box|Purple and White color box|white
mascot = Crusader
homepage = [http://www.johnbapst.org www.johnbapst.org]

John Bapst Memorial High School is a private, independent, college preparatory high school in Bangor, Maine, United States. It serves just under 500 ninth through twelfth grade students from 45 different communities in the region. However, the vast majority of students who attend John Bapst Memorial High school come from the towns of Orrington, Glenburn, Veazie, Dedham, and School Administrative District 63 (which includes the towns of Holden and Eddington).

In the 2007-2008 school year the annual tuition was $8675. However, under Maine's school choice program, most students have their tuition paid for by public funds provided by their sending communities. Typically, only communities that lack their own high school are eligible to participate in Maine's school choice. Some communities that either have a high school or lack one only pay a percentage of the tuition. Some communities may even pay the full tuition, but the families that send their students there with full tuition still have to pay for books and the $275 sports fee.

History

Founded on September 10, 1928 as a Catholic school as a result of overcrowding at St. John's School and Bangor Catholic High School for Girls, the school graduated its first class of girls in 1929. The school operated for four decades as a gender-specific educational environment: the school was bifurcated by the auditorium, with the North wing for boys, the South wing for girls. When built, the auditorium was the largest in Maine.Fact|date=September 2007 Later, due to fire safety codes, the rear parts of the auditorium were turned into the front hallways on the first and second stories which now connect the two wings of the original building.

In June 1980, the Diocese of Portland, Maine made the decision to close the school. It reopened the following fall as [http://www.johnbapst.org/ John Bapst Memorial High School] , an independent, coeducational, nonreligious, college preparatory institution, for 193 students. This was championed by a small group of community members lead by Joe Sekera who was the school's principal until 2002. In 1988, the institution purchased the building from the Diocese of Portland.

It is named after John Bapst, a Jesuit missionary and educator who among other things built the first Catholic church in Bangor in 1856. More information about this can be found on the school website.

chool procedures

Each class is 43 minutes long as of the 2008-2009 school year. A normal school day starts at 8:00 in the morning and ends at 1:50 in the afternoon.

Dress code

John Bapst has a casual dress code at the school, forbidding blue jeans and t-shirts, except on designated "Jean and T-Shirt" days which occur a few times a year. Under the dress code, males can wear khakis, cargo pants, polo shirts, button down shirts, sweaters, and sweatshirts, only if they are in good condition. Females may wear skirts, pants, blouses (as long as they have sleeves), shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, or dress clothes. The dress code forbids males to wear anything that shows something immodest while standing, sitting, or bending over. Males cannot wear sweat pants, hospital-type pants, and anything within this category. Females can wear skirts, if they don't show anything immodest. Females are forbidden to wear tank tops, half shirts, and other sleeveless blouses, shirts, and dresses.

Sports

Bapst offers 17 of 20 varsity sports sponsored by the Maine Principals' Association. These sports include:

Bapst sports facts and figures

Since 1981, Bapst teams have brought home 13 State Championships spread among the following teams: Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball, Boys Varsity Baseball, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Cheerleading and Girls Outdoor Track and Field. [ [http://www.johnbapst.org/programs/athletics.php 1] ]

The Girls Outdoor Track and Field team is the most successful team at Bapst, having successfully defended their State Title for the 5th consecutive time in 2006. They are the current holders of the Maine State Class C Title, having won it from 2002-2006. [ [http://www.mpa.cc/outtrack.html 2] ] The 2005 women's 3200 meter relay team currently hold the Maine state record with a time of 9:43.30. [ [http://www.mpa.cc/otrkrec.html 3] ] The Bapst Cheering team is the only team to have ever won two consecutive state championships, having won the Class B title in 2005 and defended it in 2006. [ [http://www.mpa.cc/cheer.html 4] ] They now hold the Eastern Maine title for three years running.

Since 1981, Bapst teams have been nominated for 10 Good Sportsmanship awards spread among the following teams: Wrestling Team, the Swim Team, the Girls Soccer Team, and the Girls Varsity, Boys Varsity, and Freshman Basketball Teams. Of those banners, Bapst Wrestling holds the most with 5 (1991, 1997, 2000, 2004-5), followed by Bapst Girls Swimming/Diving with 3 (2004-6). [ [http://www.mpa.cc/goodspt.html#ic 5] ]

Clubs and activities

John Bapst offers many clubs and activities as well. Here are some examples:
Art Club
Band Council
Chamber Ensemble
Chess Team
Chorale Council
Civil Rights Team
Concert Choir
Debate Team
Destination Imagination
Fall Drama
French Club
International Club
Intramural Sports
Jazz "Improv" Club
Jazz Combo
JB Peppers (Play for games and sporting events)
Junior Classical League (Latin Club)
Key Club
"Passages" (Literary Magazine)
Math Team
National Honor Society
Newspaper "The Crusader"
Outing Club
Photography Club
Sailing Club
SEAC (Student Environmental Action Committee)
Spring Musical (Some past productions include: "Brigadoon" and "42nd Street")
Student Ambassadors
Student Senate
Tai Chi Club
Technology Club
Troll Club
Yearbook

Trivia

The John Bapst band gained national notice in 1991 when it organized on short notice to welcome the first troops back from the Gulf War at Bangor International Airport.

In the fall of 2004 the John Bapst band and cheerleaders performed for President George W. Bush when he came to Bangor, Maine to make a speech.

During the 1990s, a group of students from John Bapst published their poems into a book. This book is currently in the Bangor Public Library.

List of associated notable people

Alumni

*Pat LaMarche - 2004 Green Party Vice Presidential Nominee
*Tabitha King - Author and wife of Stephen King
*Katee Stearns - 2006 Miss Maine USA

Other

*Matt Stairs - A Philadelphia Phillies outfielder is a current assistant Hockey Coach.
*Johannes Bapst - The school's namesake.

References