Bishop Guertin High School

Bishop Guertin (BG) is a college preparatory private Roman Catholic High School in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1963. The school is located off Exit 4 of the F.E Everett Turnpike in Nashua, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester.

Scholastics

Subjects are divided into nine departments: English, Social Studies, Computer Science, World Languages, Science, Mathematics, Health and Fitness, Fine Arts, and Religious Studies. Guertin students are able to take courses in these departments at the "Honors," "College Preparatory," or "Advanced Placement" level. Guertin teachers are also available for personal help and tutoring before and after school, and many of Guertin's ambitious student body capitalizes on this asset. Guertin's academics "offers a college preparatory program that encourages the 'whole person' to develop...[fostering] an environment that allows students to discover their emerging identities, to develop their particular gifts and skills and to emerge as well-rounded young men and women" [www.bghs.org]. "The excellent record of BG students in academics, plus our winning traditions in athletics, debate, Granite State Challenge and state music competitions, reflect our passion for achieving our best in whatever we do," reads the Academics section of the school's website.

World Languages at Guertin are currently Latin, French, and Spanish (including 5th year of language and/or AP language); in addition to these language foundations, Ancient Greek has been recently added to the curriculum as a semester long "Honors" elective.

Bishop Guertin offers 7 class periods a day, starting at 7:55 am until 2:00 pm. The class schedule varies from day to day. There is a 7 day cycle with 5 periods each day. For example, Day 1 would consist of periods 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The next day (called "Day 6" due to the fact that class number 6 starts that day) would continue on with the previous day with periods 6, 7, 1, 2, and 3. The schedule continues to cycle like this every day until it reaches "Day 1" again and the cycle starts over. Also, if there is a snow day, holiday, etc. the BG students return to school the next day with the schedule planned for the missed school day.

The school has one of the highest rates of college acceptance for its students in New Hampshire, currently at around 97-98%.

Popular after-school activities include Cardinal News (the school newspaper), Recycling Club (which saves the school thousands of dollars annually), Ping Pong Club, Cornerstone (a community service club), Debate Team, Band, Student Council, Campus Ministry Council (divided into 3 committees- Spiritual Life, Social Justice, and Christian Formation), and the NJCL Latin Club.

The Bishop Guertin French Club is also very noteworthy. It features a reading group, a film club, an annual trip to Quebec, and an annual exchange program to Lyon, France.

Sports

The Cardinals of Bishop Guertin participate in 14 sports year-round, usually in NHIAA Class L, the division reserved for the largest schools in the state. A notable exception to this is the school's football program, which currently is in Division II, the second highest size division of high school football programs in the state.

For decades, Bishop Guertin played their crosstown public school rival, the Nashua Panthers in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving. However, in 2004, with the split of Nashua into the Panthers of South and the Titans of North, Bishop Guertin was left as the odd man out; and thus, no longer has a Thanksgiving Day game. BG also marks Exeter High School as a rival.

In recent years, the school has become an athletic powerhouse, winning seven state titles in the year 2005. Standouts are the school's football program, who have won three state championship seasons in football with a record of 35-1 between 2004 and 2006, and the girls indoor/outdoor track program. These two dynastic teams are both coached by Tony Johnson, himself a Bishop Guertin graduate. On February 3, 2007 the Bishop Guertin Girls indoor track team won their fifth straight Class L championship. Also, on March 11, 2007 Bishop Guertin won the Division 1 hockey championship.

"Pickle" buses

For years, BG has been known for its green buses, aptly named "Pickle" buses (a miniature bus, recently retired from the BG fleet, was affectionately called the "Gurken" [sic]).

Reflective of the rivalry that continues to exist between Bishop Guertin and the Nashua public high schools, the "pickle" buses are often subject to vandalism and ridicule. A 1997 prank (assumed to be a Nashua High senior prank) found the pickle bus's hue changed from green to purple, reflecting Nashua High's colors. The prankster was never found, however NHS's seniors paid out of their senior fund, resulting in high prom/graduation costs for all NHS seniors.

Notable alumni

• Jason Bedrick, member of the New Hampshire legislature and first Orthodox Jew to hold elective office in the state; class of 2001
• Jim Collins, Rhodes Scholar and MacArthur "genius" bioengineer and inventor, Boston University; class of 1983
• Edward F. Davis, III, police commissioner of Boston, Massachusetts; class of 1974
• Mike Lupica, sportswriter for the New York Daily News and the author of several books
• Mike O'Malley, Yes, Dear actor and "The Rick" from ESPN commercials; class of 1987
• Ted Phillips, president and CEO of the Chicago Bears; class of 1975

External links

• Official Website