Taunton High School
| Taunton High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
50 Williams Street , Bristol County , 02780 | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public |
| School district | Taunton Public Schools |
| Principal | Matthew Mattos |
| Grades | 8–12 |
| Enrollment | 3,073 |
| Color(s) | Black & Orange |
| Team name | Tigers |
| Website | www.tauntonschools.org/THS.cfm |
Taunton High School (often abbreviated THS) located within a large , three-floor, interconnected, multi-block complex in the eastern section of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. It is a four-year suburban public high schoolthat cannot compare to Coyle because Coyle is better. with an estimated average student enrollment of 3. specialty academic programs, extra-curricular clubs, various after-school programs and a wide array of scholastic sports.
The main building complex once contained a public middle school, John F. Parker Middle School, until 2009 where, during a total renovation of the school, a fifth, exterior wing was added to the front of the school. The high school section of the building is divided into four different "houses" in which different classes are held, along with an associate headmaster’s office in each, and the main headmaster’s office in the middle. On the side of the building is also the high school's auditorium, Robert H. Park Auditorium, which currently holds seating capacities up to 1,500 people, and beneath that the music rooms and storage. The school also has a two-leveled gymnasium, where most of the indoor sports teams perform and several "pep rallies" are held throughout the year, as well as a now unused indoor swimming pool. The school's field house is one the largest gymnasiums in New England, capable of holding both indoor track meets and basketball tournaments simultaneously.
Students at Taunton High School are assigned eight 84-minute classes for the year, with one or two classes being electives (i.e Business, CAD, or Chorus) depending on which grade the individual student is enrolled in. The eight classes are then separated, four coming in the first semester, the other four in the following semester. Each class is called a "block" (named A-Block through D-Block according to their allotted times throughout the school day). The 3rd class of the day is divided into four lunch periods of about 24 minutes each. Unlike many high schools across the state, Taunton High's class schedule does not rotate the time of day each class is held; rather, the schedule is stationary.
As of 2011, Taunton High School will also house the city's eighth graders, making the school a grades 8–12 school, rather than the grades 9–12 school it has been since its relocation to Williams Street in 1975. In addition to this change, Mulcahey Middle School in Taunton will be switching from a grades 5–8 school to a grades K–4 elementary school, the city's other middle schools, Martin, Friedman, and Parker Schools, will house grades 5–7, and two of the city's elementary schools, Walker and Maxham Schools, will be closed.
Campus
Taunton High School is set on a large urban campus containing many buildings including five student academic houses. The campus also features a field house, football stadium, eight athletics fields, swimming pool, ice rink, cross country trails, 1500-seat capacity multi-level auditorium, four LGI mini-auditoriums, student operated restaurant, TV and radio stations, bank, and a planetarium.
The current Taunton High School campus was state of the art for its time when it first opened in 1975, for it featured a modern greenhouse, planetarium, a modern public address system with a tone used for class-change signaling (in contrast to standard class-change bells) and telephones, and a high-tech (for 1975) TV studio. The academic houses and class rooms were carpeted from its opening in 1975 through the 2000 school year.
History
The requirement for High School level classes in Taunton was established in 1838. The City of Taunton, at that time, did not have a central building in which to hold high school level classes. The local school officials decided to hold high school classes in a neighborhood schoolhouse and rotate each semester to a different location. The first organization of a high school class was held in the District #11 Schoolhouse that later became known as the Woodward School at 52 Worcester Street. The rotation system continued for two years and the state of Massachusetts decided to discontinue the requirement for cities and towns to offer high school classes. From 1840 to 1848, there were no high school classes offered in Taunton. In 1849, Massachusetts, once again, required cities and towns to establish high school classes. The leaders of Taunton decided to hold high school classes in the basement of a church on Spring Street known as the Winslow Church. The classes continued at that location until local officials expanded the interior of the Town Hall. The high School classes were moved to the second floor of Taunton City Hall in the mid-1850s and remained there until 1885 when a new High School was built on Washington Street on the site of a popular picnic grounds called 'King's Grove'. The Taunton High School on Washington Street received numerous additions as well as a face lift over the years. The building was in need of replacement and city officials purchased the Baylies estate on Williams Street to construct a new and current Taunton High School complex in 1975.
Renovation
Taunton High School is undergoing an $112 million dollar renovation. The John F.Parker Middle School is being removed from the High School and a new wing is being constructed that will house the operations of the John F. Parker Middle School. The renovation is being handled by the firm of Bacon & Agostini.
From Bacon & Agostini
The project consists of renovations to the existing 496,503SF three story high school and middle school building and a new 62,365SF three story middle school addition, as well as site, utility and road work.
This is a phase project in which the existing building will continue to be occupied during construction. The schedule is aggressive, especially during the summers and coordination will be complicated. The final completion is scheduled for August 2011.
Academic departments
(as of 2010)
- Business Technology
- English/Language Arts
- English Language Learners Programs
- Family and Consumer Science
- Foreign Languages
- Industrial Technology
- Junior ROTC
- Mathematics
- Performing Arts
- Physical Education/Health & Wellness
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
- Visual Arts
Athletics
(Division 1, Old Colony League)
Fall Sports Teams
- Football
- Boys/Girls Soccer
- Field Hockey
- Cheerleading
- Girls Volleyball
- Cross Country
- Golf
Winter Sports Teams
- Boys/Girls Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Ice Hockey
- Boys/Girls Indoor Track & Field-
- Boys/Girls Swimming
- Powerlifting
- Wrestling
- Bowling
Spring sports teams
- Baseball
- Boys/Girls Outdoor Track & Field
- Softball
- Boys/Girls Tennis
- Boys Volleyball
Clubs and organizations
(as of 2009/2010 Handbook)
- Academic Decathlon
- African-American Club
- Art Club
- Asian Club
- Cape Verdean Club
- Communications Club
- Debate Club
- D.E.W.A.
- Drama Club
- Fellowship of Christian Students
- French Club
- Gay Straight Alliance
- Hispanic Club
- Interschool Diversity Networking Group
- Journal
- Key Club
- Latin Club
- Marching Band/Colorguard
- Math Team
- Matthew's Outing Club
- Mentors in Violence Prevention
- National Honor Society
- Peer Assistant Leaders
- Peer Mediation
- Portuguese Club
- Spanish Club
- Student Council
- Students Against Destructive Decisions
- Taunton Youth Court
- Tech Club
- Tiger Book Club
- Traveling Club
See also
References
External links
- City of Taunton's official web page
- Taunton High School's official web page
- Taunton Public Schools' website