Gloucester High School (Massachusetts)
- This article is about the Gloucester High School in Massachusetts. For others of a similar name, see Gloucester High School
| Gloucester High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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32 Leslie O Johnson Rd. Gloucester , Massachusetts 01930 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| School district | Gloucester Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Christopher Farmer |
| Principal | Dr. William Goodwin |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1351 (June, 2008) |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | Maroon and White |
| Athletics conference | Northeast Alliance of High Schools |
| Mascot | Fighting Fishermen |
| Website | http://www.gloucesterschools.com/ |
Gloucester High School is a public four-year comprehensive secondary school with 1,351 students and 150 faculty and staff. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the Northeast Alliance of High Schools.
History
Established by 1839, Gloucester High School became a four year institution by 1857.[1] In 1889, the school moved into its then new building on Dale Avenue[2] The Dale Avenue building was converted to Central Grammar School in 1939.[3] In 1970, the school started to utilize the former St. Peter's High School building for some classroom and office space. The building had been purchased from the Archdiocese of Boston.[4] That building is now called Fuller School and no longer houses any of the high school.
Athletics
Gloucester High School is Well Known for its many athletics.
Notable alumni
- Roger Cressey, former member of the United States National Security Council, terrorism analyst for NBC News, president of Good Harbor Consulting, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University
- Billy Macleod, Boston Red Sox pitcher
- Benjamin A. Smith II, US Senator from Massachusetts
Teen pregnancy controversy
On June 18,2008, the high school drew international attention as news reports broke that a group of 17 female students had become pregnant in the last year, with some, reportedly, as a consequence of an agreement they had made. Some of the girls allegedly said that they had participated in the pact so that they could raise their babies together. There have been reports that one student went so far as to recruit a homeless 24-year-old man in her efforts to conceive. [5] [6]
Media reactions to the event ranged from general criticism of the episode as representing a misguided adolescent shortcut to adulthood and identity, to the matter of whether statutory rape occurred. (Many of the adolescent girls involved were sixteen years old or younger.) However, most early media reactions appeared to be poorly researched and sensationalist in nature.[7]
During the 2007-2008 school year, two staff members began to publicly advocate that the school clinic provide contraception without parental consent, largely in response to the surge in student pregnancies. This recommendation drew opposition from the board of Addison Gilbert Hospital, which sponsors the clinic. The clinic staff, a pediatrician and nurse practitioner, resigned in protest at the end of the school year.[8] On October 8, 2008 the Gloucester School Committee granted the use of contraceptives by way of the Student Heath Center Provided that the use be approved by the parents.
References
- ^ The Rise of the High School in Massachusetts, Alexander James Inglis, 1911, p 97]
- ^ Boston Daily Globe article
- ^ Gloucester and Rockport, John Hardy Wright, 2000, pictured on page 18
- ^ Voices: An Anthropologist's Dialogue with an Italian-American Festival, Richard M. Swiderski, 1987, pp 55-56
- ^ “Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High”, Time, 2008-06-18.
- ^ “US fears of teen ‘pregnancy pact’”, BBC, 2008-06-20.
- ^ Gloucester and the Pregnancy Pact, A Native's Perspective
- ^ “17 Gloucester High students are said to be pregnant: State aide urges action at school”, Boston Globe, 2008-05-29.