Belmont High School (Belmont, Massachusetts)

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Belmont High School in Belmont, Massachusetts was built in 1970 at a cost of $9 million. The school had 1,170 students enrolled and a student/teacher ratio of 16.1 in the 2004-05 school year. ^[1]^[2]

Belmont High School is a part of Belmont Public Schools.

It is built on an old landfill and sits next to a notoriously polluted pond. The town's high school used to be located on Orchard street, but it was badly damaged by fire in the late 60's, and a new school was eventually rebuilt on Concord Avenue. The previous high school is now an elementary school.

The girls swim team is regularly champion of the Middlesex League, but did not fare very well this season, following an exodus from the team of the top swimmers. Most recently, the baseball and softball teams went on prolonged winning streaks until season ending losses to their Concord Carlisle counterparts.

1 Administration and Faculty
2 Courses and Graduation Requirements
3 Notable alumni
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Administration and Faculty

The school administration is composed of Michael Harvey, the interim principal, and two assistant principals, Dan Richards and Layne Millington. The school's administration has changed frequently in recent years.

In June 2004, the school's long-time principal, Foster Wright, decided to retire. Jonathan Landman was hired to replace him, but the school department did not renew Landman's contract for the 2006-2007 school year. Michael Harvey, who had been among the candidates for principal in 2004, was selected to be an "Interim Principal" for the 2006-07 school year. He had been the Director of Social Studies during the previous school-year. In addition, one of the school's two assistant principals has left the system in June 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

The result is that not only has the administration changed completely since the 2002-03 school-year, but also that no current member of the administration was employed by the system at the same time as any member of the previous administration. Furthermore, only Richards and Harvey were even employed in the year directly following the departure of a member of the previous administration, and the student body has changed completely since the 2003-03 school year. These discontinuities, combined with the fact that Landman's administration was widely considered to be unable to communicate with the student body, leads many students to worry that the culture of freedom present under the old administration will be slowly eroded.

The changing administration also worries some parents. They feel that this, when combined with the school's decision to let go many well-liked teachers, indicates problems with the school department's ability to select and retain good faculty and staff.

[edit] Courses and Graduation Requirements

The school requires that all students complete:

4 years of English
4 years of Mathematics
4 years of Science
3 years of Social Studies
2 years of Foreign Language
1 year of Fine and Performing Art
4 years of Physical Education and Health

In addition, all students are required to log 40 hours of community service during their time at BHS. Like all public schools in Massachusetts, BHS also requires that students pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).

Independent study options are available for credit towards the required classes, and 3 of the 4 required years of PE may be completed outside the school. Requirements may also be waived on an individual basis by the school's principal, and students who can complete all requirements in three years are given the ability to chose early graduation.

[edit] English

All students are required to take English 9, English 10, English 11, all of which are offered at either a college prepatory (CP) or honors (H) level. Seniors must take one of three courses:

Humanities, which meets for twice as much time as most classes. Half of it is taught by the Social Studies department and half is taught by the English department.
Humanities H, which, unlike Humanities, is taught as a regular class by the English Department
AP English, which is taught as a regular class by the English Department

In addition, electives such as Creative Writing and Public Speaking are offered for interested students.

[edit] Social Studies

All students are required to take World History, Modern World History, and American Studies, all of which are offered at either a college prepatory (CP) or honors (H) level. Electives such as You and the Law and Facing History are also offered to interested students. In addition, the Social Studies department also offers Humanities and AP Psychology, both of which are "double classes". See above or below, respectively, for more information.

[edit] Mathematics

All students are required to take 4 math courses. Most students take, in order, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-calculus, and Calculus, though some students elect other options including:

taking a review of Algebra I during their first year and ending with Pre-calculus
taking Geometry during middle school, Calculus during the junior year, and doing an independent study (typically a course at the Harvard Extension School) during their senior year
replacing their last course, either Calculus or Pre-calculus with Finance and Business or Advance Topics in Mathematics

In addition, the Mathematics Department also offers electives like Finance and Business and AP Computer Science.

Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-calculus are offered at either a college prepatory (CP) or honors (H) level. Algebra I and all electives are only offered as CP classes. Calculus is offered at three levels: one CP class and two classes to prepare students for either the AP Calculus AB exam or the AP Calculus BC exam.

[edit] Science

All students are required to take, in order, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, all of which are offered as both CP and honors courses. In addition, students must take at least one elective. Potential electives include AP Chemistry, Biology, or Physics, Physics 2, Astronomy, Design and Technology, or AP Psychology / Neuroanatomy. AP Psychology / Neuroanatomy is a "double course", taught by both a Social Studies and a Science teacher. Students receive the same grade for each course on their transcripts.

[edit] Foreign Language

Two years of foreign language are required at BHS. Students may elect to take courses in Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, or Latin. Independent studies are also offered some years in German. In addition, exchange programs exist to Argentina, France, and Italy.

[edit] Fine and performing arts

Belmont High School offers many performing art courses, in both theater and music. This includes the PAC(preforming arts company), the wind ensemble, the symphonic band, the chamber orchestra, the jazz band, and the marching band. It also offers fine art courses including Drawing and Painting, Sculpture, Photo, and Ceramics.

[edit] Physical Education

All students are required to take Wellness during their freshman year, which is both a traditional PE class and a health/sex-ed class. (Parents can exclude their children from the sex-ed classes if they chose.) During their sophomore, junior, and senior years, students are required to fulfill two semesters of PE, which they can obtain either by playing a school-offered sport, joining certain clubs, taking Wellness II, or doing PE outside of school under a "contract" with the Athletics department.

[edit] Notable alumni

Wilbur Wood, MLB pitcher.
Patty Shea, champion field hockey player and coach, member of the US Olympic team in 1988 and 1996. (class of 1980) ^[3]
Masako Owada, Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess of Japan (class of 1981).
Dan Walker, Republican Senator from Illinois and World War II veteran
Michael Bivins, founder and member New Edition and BellBivDeVoe