Newburyport High School

Newburyport High School
Address
241 High Street Newburyport, Massachusetts 01950 United States
Coordinates	42°48′47″N 70°53′10″W / 42.81306°N 70.88611°W / 42.81306; -70.88611Coordinates: 42°48′47″N 70°53′10″W / 42.81306°N 70.88611°W / 42.81306; -70.88611
Information
School type	Public High School
Established	1831
Status	Open
School district	Newburyport Public Schools
CEEB code	221510
Principal	Michael Parent
Faculty	~100
Grades	9–12
Gender	Co-Ed
Enrollment	780 (2015–16)
Campus type	Suburban
School color(s)	Crimson and Old Gold
Song	"Alma Mater"
Athletics conference	Cape Ann League
Mascot	Clipper Ship
Team name	Newburyport Clippers
Rival	Amesbury High School
Accreditation	New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Average SAT scores	549 verbal 563 math 544 writing 1656 total (2015-2016)[1]
Publication	Record Magazine
Newspaper	Masthead
Yearbook	En-Aitch-Ess (NHS)
Building designer	Edwin S. Dodge
Website	newburyport.k12.ma.us/high

Newburyport High School (NHS) is a public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Newburyport, Massachusetts and is part of the Newburyport Public School System. It was established in 1831 and is one of the oldest public schools in the United States of America.

History

In 1868, the Latin and English High School (1831), later called the Brown High School (1851); the Putnam Free School (1838);^[2] and the Female High School (1843) merged to form the Consolidated High and Putnam School. In 1889, the name changed to Newburyport High School.^[3]

The current building, designed by architect Edwin Dodge, occupies the previous Mount Rural on High Street. The school has been renovated a number of times, with the most recent renovations completed some time around 2003. Today it is a grandiose building with a particularly grand entrance, retaining many of the Federalist architectural motifs it was built with. The hill it stands on continues to descend to the river, and the slope supports a residential area of colonial and nineteenth century buildings in good repair.

The school colors are "crimson and olde gold" as stated in the student handbook, The Clipper's Compass. The school emblem is a clipper ship and its official song is "All Hail to Our Alma Mater." The school has a student government for each class and it maintains a three-season athletic program, as well as an award-winning drama program.

Concerning accreditation the handbook says: "Newburyport High School is an accredited member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and has met the evaluation requirements of the Commission on Public Secondary Schools."

The current site of Newburyport High School was purchased from Harvard University early in the 20th century. Newburyport High School is one of the oldest public high schools in the United States.

Administrators

• Michael Parent: Principal
• Mike Testa: Associate Principal

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Newburyport High School competes in the Cape Ann League in several interscholastic sports.

Fall sports

Winter sports

Spring sports

Clubs and organizations

Students participate in several clubs and organizations

School traditions and major organizations

Newburyport High School has many traditions, all outlined in the school's rulebook, the Clipper's Compass. Among these traditions are:

Color Day: A major class competition and football rally between each grade at Newburyport High School. Each class has a specific duty to perform; the Freshmen Class presents an original cheer, the Sophomore Class presents the traditional "Poster Parade", the Junior Class present an original song, and the Senior Class performs an original skit. Furthermore, each class must decorate a certain part of the auditorium and dress up in school colors. The class that best exemplifies these traits, as well as demonstrating the best school spirit is named "the Winner of Color Day" and awarded the "Color Day Jug". Color Day traditionally takes place on the Wednesday before American Thanksgiving.

Senior Week: Usually the first week in June, Senior week is the week preceding the graduation of the Senior Class. There are a number of traditional activities that are planned by the Class Officers during this week.

Senior Trip: An entire class event designed to bring the graduating class together while being far from home.

Vespers: A solemn (formerly religious) ceremony featuring speeches by a number of students revolving around a central theme.

Ivy Day: Newburyport High School's oldest tradition, where the exiting Senior Class plants a sprig of ivy next to the school to symbolize their time as students. The silver trowel used to plant the ivy is then passed to the reigning Junior Class President, who accepts it on behalf of his/her class and adorns the trowels with ribbons in their class colors. The Class of 2016 currently holds the trowel.

Senior Banquet: Usually at a restaurant in Boston, this is when the yearbook (En-Aitch-Ess) is presented to the Senior Class, and copies are signed by students.

Senior Prom: A dance following the promenade of students on the front steps of the school.

Senior Singout: The culmination of the Class Historians' work throughout the four years of at NHS, it is a forty-five-minute multimedia presentation (predominantly a slideshow) featuring pictures of the class dating back to kindergarten.

Graduation: Featuring student/upper level staff speeches, as well as the conferring of diplomas by the Mayor of the City of Newburyport.

Senior Celebration: A tradition dating back to 1989, parents work together to produce an all-night substance free celebration for graduates which often takes them to various locals around the state, capping off the Senior Week activities.

Class Organizational System: Newburyport High School relies on the four respective class governments as a primary source of student leadership, each class consists of one faculty class adviser and five elected class officers; a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian. Separately, they plan various activities for their class including proms, dances, etc. as well as coming together occasionally to plan major school events such as Color Day.

Field Day: Occurs in early June, organized by the faculty, and features a number of popular games, entertainment, and a dance the same night.

Spirit Council: A group made up of all class officers, team captains, and one member of each club, the council is a new initiative designed by students to restore a sense of school pride and enthusiasm. Although a relatively new club, it already exerts tremendous pull and authority under the superior guidance of Senior Class President.

Notable alumni

• Harry Curtis, Former MLB player (New York Giants)
• Georgia Dabritz, Former artistic gymnast, Utah Red Rocks team member.
• Angelo Dagres, Former MLB player (Baltimore Orioles)
• Joe Keery, Actor
• John Phillips Marquand, Pulitzer Prize winning author
• Chet Nourse, Former MLB player (Boston Red Sox)

References

External links

• High School website
• School District website