Hamden Middle School

Infobox_School
name =Hamden Middle School


imagesize =300px
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type =Public
grades =7-8
principal =James O'Connor
faculty =
conference =
colors = Green and Gold
mascot ="Green Dragon
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location =Hamden, Connecticut
website = [http://www.hamden.k12.ct.us/hms/ Official school website]

Hamden Middle School is a two-year middle school for grades 7 and 8, located in Hamden, Connecticut (40°22'50.7N, 72°54'43.02W). It was the 1998-99 Connecticut School of the Year. The current principal is James O'Connor. The assistant principals are Daniel Levy, Grade 8 and Rhonda Jackson, Grade 7 .

oil Contamination at Former Site

In January 2001, the school remained closed for nearly two weeks after the end of the winter vacation when the DEP found high concentrations of lead, carcinogens and other toxins in the soil surrounding the building, as well as at the sports field across the street. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E2D8153DF937A25752C0A9679C8B63 As New Term Nears, Town Is Split on the Safety of a Middle School Built on a Landfill] by David M. Herszenhorn, The New York Times, January 14, 2001] It was soon revealed that the building had been constructed on the site of a previous toxic waste disposal ground in the 1950s. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E7DF153EF933A05755C0A9649C8B63 A School on a Dump Site Divides Hamden] by Richard Weizel, The New York Times, June 30, 2002] This was followed by claims that the school had seen unusually high rate of death among faculty members in their 50s due to cancer.fact|date=November 2007

Crews took action to make the building as safe an environment as possible as classes commenced. However, residents voiced concern led to plans for the construction of a new building on a Dixwell Avenue site. The project began in September 2004 and the new Hamden Middle School was completed in time for the start of the 2006 school-year. Unfortunately construction problems have yet to be resolved. These problems include a leaking roof and the inability to turn any of the lights out.fact|date=November 2007

The New Hamden Middle School

On September 5, 2006 Hamden Middle School opened its doors to at least one thousand students. All students are assigned one of five houses for either 7th or 8th grade. Some of the houses are divided by academic capability. Houses on Both floors consist of the same colors: peach, yellow, blue, green, and purple. The eighth grade is on the first floor and the seventh is on the second. Although the school is for 7th and 8th graders, the school takes in 6th and 5th graders from elementary schools for the Advanced Math Placement (AMP) program in the morning.

References

External links

* [http://www.hamden.k12.ct.us/hms/ Official school website]
* [http://hamdenmiddleschoolpta.com/ School PTA website]