Harwich High School
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| Harwich High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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75 Oak Street, Harwich Center, Massachusetts | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1964 |
| Principal | Mr. Kevin Turner |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 430 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Blue, Gold & White |
| Teams | Rough Riders |
| Rivals | Nauset Regional High School, Mashpee High School |
| Newspaper | Intercom |
| Information | (508) 430-7207 |
| Website | [1] |
Harwich High School is a public high school located in Harwich, MA. The school colors are White and Blue and their teams are the Rough Riders. Most likely Harwich High School may not exist in the future because of the problems detailed below. Harwich High School is the fourth smallest public high school school on Cape Cod.
Overview
Harwich High School has an approximate enrollment of 400 students in grades 9-12. The school's nickname is the Rough Riders and its colors are Royal Blue and Gold
- Over the past couple of years, Harwich has been in negotiations with the town of Chatham to create a regionalized school district due to declining student populations in each town. If the plan is approved, Harwich and Chatham will send its student populations to separate elementary schools within the towns, and what is now the Chatham High School and Middle School would become the town's middle school. Students from both towns will go to a new building in Harwich which would be the regional high school. This is because of the inefficient space in the schools and the deteriorating condition of both high schools. The new name of the school district would be the Harwich-Chatham Regional School District. Harwich originally planned to merge with the towns of Dennis and Yarmouth and join the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, but that plan was decided not to work. However, if the Chatham plan does not work then Harwich may have no choice but to merge with Dennis and Yarmouth or become a 7-12 high school.
- In January on 2011, the school board voted unanimously to approve the regionalization of Harwich and Chatham. Plans are currently being made to build a new school, location of the school, naming of the new regional high school, and how soon the regionalization will take effect. Most likely, the regional school district plan will take effect in 2013.
Sports
- Baseball
Harwich is notable for having an outstanding baseball team. The baseball team won the Division 3 State Championship in 1996, 2006, and 2007, under the helm of legendary Massachusetts Hall of Fame coach Fred Thacher. Harwich plays at Whitehouse Field, which is a first class baseball park which is also home to the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. It has also hosted the NCAA Division 3 New England Regional Championships on numerous occasions. Harwich also has sent numerous players to prestigious schools for baseball including Boston College, Vanderbilt, Wheaton, UMass-Amherst, South Florida, and George Mason. Harwich currently has two baseball alumni in the Major Leagues, Cody Crowell and Ryan Soares.The Rough Riders reached the south sectionals in 2010 only to lose. With Steve Wilson as the Head Coach the program hopes to rebound after a great year.
- Boys Basketball
The Harwich boys basketball team was the best in Southern Massachusetts from 1988-1991. They went to the state semifinals two of those years, led by Ricky Roderick and Chad Kodak. After the players' departure, the program declined quickly.
- Field Hockey
Harwich's field hockey team is one of the best in New England. In the past 7 years, Harwich has lost just one league game and has been the top seed in the state tournament 5 times. They have had 3 undefeated seasons in the past 6 years. In 2009, the team amassed 96 goals for the season while only allowing 6 goals the whole season.
- Football
Harwich had a longstanding co-op football team with Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, until 2009, when the MIAA disbanded the co-op stating both schools had enough players to field separate teams. Under coach David Currid, the football team has been to two Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowls in 2000 and 2006. In 2000, the football team rolled through the regular season and won a playoff berth. They played powerhouse Georgetown and were defeated handily. In 2006, the football team rolled to a 9-1 regular season record, on the shoulders of Division 3A Player of the Year, James Hamilton, who ran for well over 2,000 yards on the season. The lone loss being at the hands of rival Mashpee on Thanksgiving Day. They played West Roxbury in the first round, defeating them 35-27 and earned a spot in the Division 3A State Championship game, which they lost 7-0 to Ipswich in a heartbreaking defeat.
Harwich fielded its first football team in 2010, under the coaching leadership of legendary former Barnstable High School football coach, Paul "Spanky" Demanche. The team fielded a 6-2 JV record and played two varsity games against Joseph Case High School of Swansea and Bishop Connolly High School of Fall River, losing both games. Harwich will field its first varsity program in 2011, and is expected to join the South Shore League with promising players such as Matt Cook And His brother Dan Cook Harwich Hopes to improve with their very small but big hearted team.
- Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team was a powerhouse in the early part of the decade. They won back-to-back State Titles in 2003 and 2004 on the back of standout player, Sharee Daluze. In 2011 Jennifer Gonsalves eclipsed 1,000 points as a junior
Transportation
Students get to Harwich High by 18 School buses that run all over Harwich and some of Dennis. Also students may get a ride to school, walk, or use their own car and park in the parking lots.
Problems
Harwich High School is currently facing some problems. In 2007 the New England New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges had placed Harwich High in its warning category, describing the school as unable to support 21st Century education. Harwich High School knew they needed to act fast, so now Chatham and Harwich are working on creating a Regional School District. If it works Harwich High would be torn down.
Notable alumni
- Shawn Fanning - Class of 1998, Created of MP3 downloading system, Napster.
- Cody Crowell - Class of 2004, Outstanding pitcher for baseball team, attended Vanderbilt University, Drafted in the 14th round of the MLB Draft by Toronto Blue Jays in 2007.
- Ryan Soares - Class of 2006, First Team All-American, CAA Player of the Year, attended George Mason University and the University of South Florida, Drafted in the 36th round of the MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers in 2010.
41°41′26.41″N 70°04′12.95″W / 41.6906694°N 70.0702639°W