Braintree High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Braintree High School

type = Public
gender = Coeducational
affiliations =
affiliation = Braintree Public Schools
principal = David Swanton
asst principal = | vice principal =
Housemaster = Suzanne Kelly
Housemaster = Nancy Moynihan
Housemaster = John Hurstak
faculty = 116
teaching_staff =
enrollment =
students = 1,576
grades_label =
grades = 9–12
address = 128 Town Street
city = Braintree
state = Massachusetts
country = USA
accreditation = NEASC
campus = Suburban
colors = Blue and White color box|blue color box|white
mascot = The Wamps
testname = SAT
testaverage = 504, 519, 526 (R,W,M)
National_ranking =
website = [http://www.braintreeschools.org Braintree High School]

Braintree High School is a secondary school located in Braintree, Massachusetts, within Norfolk county. The school is part of the Braintree Public Schools department and is located to the north side of Sunset Lake.

General

As of 2008, the headmaster is David Swanton. Braintree's school colors are blue and white and their school and athletic teams claim the nickname of "The Wamps." No matter what the source of the nickname itself is, concerns over political correctness with the use of a Native American name have arisen, with some consideration of changing the mascot to a Boxing Kangaroo. It is correctly held by the school that the name is derived from the Massachusetts Indian Nation Chief Sachem known as Wampatuck, probably meaning (wamp: white or light and attuck meaning deer) "White Deer." He was also known as Chickatubut This makes sense since the greated Boston area was the central part of the Massachuseuk territory. The Commowealth took its name from this tribe whose territory encompassed all of the area south of NH to Cape Cod. The Pokanoket who became the Wamapanoag, were located on the western side of Narragansset Bay.

Notable Alumni

Joseph Sullivan, first mayor of the town of Braintree

Jim Calhoun, University of Connecticut Men's Basketball Coach
Chris Doherty, Gang Green lead singer

tatements

Both the following mission statement and beliefs are required to be known by teachers and students alike.

Mission Statement

"The mission of the Braintree Schools, in partnership with parents and the community, is to prepare students to become responsible and contributing members of a diverse and changing society. " [ [http://www.braintreeschools.org/mission/index.htm Mission Statement & Beliefs Braintree Public Schools ] ]

Beliefs

• Students should acquire, and use wisely, a rigorous core of knowledge in an environment that promotes higher level thinking skills across the curriculum.

• Students should be encouraged to attain high standards of achievement.

• Students possess unique talents and gifts and should be encouraged to reach their maximum individual potential.

• Students should be able to communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking, computing, the arts, and technology.

• Students should acquire the knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to achieve and maintain optimum health and lifelong fitness.

• Students should develop a sense of self-discipline, self-respect, and self-reliance and demonstrate social and civic responsibility.

• Students should become life-long learners to prepare them for a changing society.

• Students should understand, respect and appreciate the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of our society and the democratic principles upon which this nation was built.

• A safe and orderly environment, free of prejudice, drugs, violence, and harassment is essential to promote student learning.

• Ongoing opportunities for the professional growth and development of staff are essential for continued school improvement.

• Parents, in partnership with schools, are an integral part of their child’s learning.

• Community involvement should be actively solicited, encouraged and developed. [ [http://www.braintreeschools.org/mission/index.htm Mission Statement & Beliefs Braintree Public Schools ] ]

PRIDE Statement

Partnership

Respect and Responsibility

Involvement

Diversity

Educational Excellence

chool-Wide Expectations

Students at Braintree High School will:

1. "Be prepared" and ready to learn

2. "Write effectively"

3. "Use research skills" appropriately

4. "Think critically"

5. "Work cooperatively" in groups

6. "Use technology" appropriately

7. "Appreciate cultures" of the world

8. Use an "understanding of history" to make decisions

9. "Recognize democratic principles" of the United States

10. Communicate effectively in a "foreign language"

11. "Use the arts" for expression and self-discovery

12. "Make healthy choices"

13. "Develop career skills"

14. Read and "interpret literature" of different kinds

15. "Use mathematics" to problem solve

16. "Use science" to solve problems

17. "Participate in democracy"

18. Help "create a safe and positive environment"

19. "Develop self-discipline", self-respect and self-reliance

20. "Demonstrate civility" in interactions with others

21. "Respect diversity" [ [http://www.braintreeschools.org/BHShdbk.pdf Braintree High School ] ]

Enrollment & Budget

The school district operates six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, with a total enrollment of just over 5,000 students. The School Department’s budget is $43,159,023 in FY2008 [ [http://www.braintreeschools.org/district/index.htm Untitled Document ] ] .

chedule Structure

In a full-length school day at BHS is broken up into 7 periods, also known as blocks, lettered from 1 to 7. There are 7 days in the full schedule, each with a unique order of classes.

Rotating Schedule

In BHS's rotating schedule, blocks 1-7 change with each day, as the first period from one day becomes the last on the next day. To illustrate this further, this table shows when each block would be on each day:

Lunch

Lunch takes place during the period occupied by block 5 on a day 1. There are three lunch sessions during this period, titled A, B and C. Which session a student attends for lunch is based upon which class he or she has during this period. Typically, classes on the third floor and gym classes have A lunch, classes on the second floors and elective classes have C lunch, and Freshman and Study Hall classes have B lunch. The student attends class during the two sessions during which he or she does not have lunch.

Academic Achievements

Braintree students have a tradition of excelling academically, with 89% of Braintree High School graduates persuing post-secondary studies. Students at all grade levels score well above state and national averages on all measures of standardized testing, including the MCAS and the SAT. Braintree High School offers eighteen Advanced Placement (AP) courses; more than ⅓ of the senior class is enrolled in at least one AP course. [ [http://www.braintreeschools.org/district/index.htm Untitled Document ] ]

Athletics

Braintree High is a member of the Bay State Conference, a league in Massachusetts Division I athletics. The current athletics director at BHS is Mike Denise. They have a traditional rivalry with Weymouth High School but play their annual Thanksgiving football game against Milton High. Recently the Boys' Gymnastics squad has consistently repeated as champions of the BSC while the Cheerleading squad competes on the national stage. There have been several other state champions produced by BHS in the past several years, most notably in girls' athletics. The Lady Wamps Basketball team won the state title for the 2005-06 season while the Soccer team won both in 2005 and again in 2006, led by rising star Amy Caldwell, a player who has received national attention. [ [http://www.braintreeschools.org/athletics/index.htm Braintree High School Sports ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.braintreeschools.org/bhs/index.htm BHS website]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ma/366 BHS profile] provided by greatschools.net
* [http://www.bhswamps.com/ BHS Athletics]