Bishop Guertin High School
Encyclopedia
Bishop Guertin 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
.
, 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 students capitalize 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". "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 5 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. In 2011-12, the schedule will change from a 5 period day with 7 classes to a 6 period day with 8 classes.
The school has one of the highest rates of college acceptance for its students in New Hampshire
, currently at around 97-98%. Its graduates include students at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, Cornell, and the Boston College Presidential Scholars Program.
For decades, Bishop Guertin played their crosstown public school rival, the Nashua Purple 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 division II state championship seasons in football with a record of 35-1 between 2004 and 2006, and the girls indoor/outdoor track program. The Bishop Guertin girls indoor track team have won seven straight Class L championships, from 2003 to 2009, and the boys cross-country program won titles in 2008 and 2009. The boys hockey team won back-to-back Division I state championships in 2000 and 2001 and in 2007 and 2008.
Bishop Guertin is led by Athletic Director Tony "Tojo" Johnson, a 1977 graduate, when he was a standout football and track athlete. As a coach he has turned the girls track team into a New Hampshire powerhouse, and the football team into one of the best programs in the state.
The Bishop Guertin French Club is also noteworthy. It features a reading group, a film club, an annual trip to Quebec, and an annual exchange program to Lyon, France.
Bishop Guertin has a successful FIRST
robotics team with over 25 members. They won the regional Chairmans Award in 2004 and the Championship Competition Newton Division Finalist in 2004 as well as the Johnson & Johnson sportsmanship/gracious professionalism awards in 2003, 2007, and 2008, and the Imagery Award in 2005. Each year Team 811 successfully builds a robot and competes in the regional at the Verizon Wireless Arena
in Manchester
.
In June 2008 a group of students led by Br. Donald Tardif and Mrs. Maureen Deblasio initiated a mission trip to Zambia
to visit and do community work at a high school run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Eastern and Southern Africa.
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.
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
. It was founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart
Brothers of the Sacred Heart
The Brothers of the Sacred Heart are a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1821 by the Reverend André Coindre . Its Constitutions were modeled upon those of the Jesuits, while its Rule of Life was based upon the Rule of Saint Augustine. Its members bind themselves for life by simple vows of...
in 1963. The school is located off Exit 4 of the F. E. Everett Turnpike in Nashua, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the region of New England in the United States comprising the entire state of New Hampshire...
.
Scholastics
Subjects are divided into nine departments: EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Social Studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
, Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, World Languages, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and Fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
, Fine Arts, and Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
. 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 students capitalize 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". "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
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
(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 5 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. In 2011-12, the schedule will change from a 5 period day with 7 classes to a 6 period day with 8 classes.
The school has one of the highest rates of college acceptance for its students in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, currently at around 97-98%. Its graduates include students at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, Cornell, and the Boston College Presidential Scholars Program.
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 Purple Panthers
Nashua high school south
Nashua High School South is a public high school located in Nashua, New Hampshire. The school's current location was erected in 1975 with its first class graduating in June 1976. The school was remodeled between 2002 and 2004 when a second school, Nashua High School North, was built...
in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. However, in 2004, with the split of Nashua into the Panthers of South and the Titans of North
Nashua High School North
Nashua High School North is a public high school located in Nashua, New Hampshire. The school's current location was erected in 2002 with its first class graduating in June 2005, one year after the city's high schools officially split into two locations and establishments...
, Bishop Guertin was left as the odd man out; and thus, no longer has a Thanksgiving Day game. BG also marks Exeter High School
Exeter High School (New Hampshire)
Exeter High School is a public high school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.It serves students in grades 9 through 12 who reside in the communities of Exeter, Stratham, Kensington, Newfields, Brentwood, and East Kingston, New Hampshire...
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 division II state championship seasons in football with a record of 35-1 between 2004 and 2006, and the girls indoor/outdoor track program. The Bishop Guertin girls indoor track team have won seven straight Class L championships, from 2003 to 2009, and the boys cross-country program won titles in 2008 and 2009. The boys hockey team won back-to-back Division I state championships in 2000 and 2001 and in 2007 and 2008.
Bishop Guertin is led by Athletic Director Tony "Tojo" Johnson, a 1977 graduate, when he was a standout football and track athlete. As a coach he has turned the girls track team into a New Hampshire powerhouse, and the football team into one of the best programs in the state.
Activities
Popular after-school activities include Cardinal News (the school newspaper), Recycling Club (which saves the school thousands of dollars annually), Drama Club, Mock Trial, French Club, Rock Appreciation Club, the Crossword Puzzle Club (XWC), Asian American 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), the FIRST Robotics team, and the NJCL Latin Club.The Bishop Guertin French Club is also noteworthy. It features a reading group, a film club, an annual trip to Quebec, and an annual exchange program to Lyon, France.
Bishop Guertin has a successful FIRST
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
robotics team with over 25 members. They won the regional Chairmans Award in 2004 and the Championship Competition Newton Division Finalist in 2004 as well as the Johnson & Johnson sportsmanship/gracious professionalism awards in 2003, 2007, and 2008, and the Imagery Award in 2005. Each year Team 811 successfully builds a robot and competes in the regional at the Verizon Wireless Arena
Verizon Wireless Arena
The Verizon Wireless Arena is an indoor events arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, and seats 9,852 for ice hockey and just under 10,000 for basketball and some concerts.Verizon Wireless paid for the arena's naming rights...
in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
.
In June 2008 a group of students led by Br. Donald Tardif and Mrs. Maureen Deblasio initiated a mission trip to Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
to visit and do community work at a high school run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Eastern and Southern Africa.
"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 "Sweet Gherkin").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
Nashua high school south
Nashua High School South is a public high school located in Nashua, New Hampshire. The school's current location was erected in 1975 with its first class graduating in June 1976. The school was remodeled between 2002 and 2004 when a second school, Nashua High School North, was built...
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 BedrickJason BedrickJason Bedrick is a former member of the New Hampshire state legislature. He was a Republican representing Windham, New Hampshire....
, former member of the New Hampshire legislature and first Orthodox Jew to hold elective office in the state; class of 2001 - Jim CollinsJames Collins (Boston University)James J. Collins is an American bioengineer, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator...
, Rhodes Scholar and MacArthur "genius" bioengineer and inventor, Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
; class of 1983 - Edward F. Davis, III, police commissioner of Boston, Massachusetts; class of 1974
- Tim DorseyTim DorseyTim Dorsey is an American novelist. His writing style is frequently compared to those of Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen . Dorsey's books are crime capers in the Florida style pioneered by John D. MacDonald.-Biography:Dorsey was born in Indiana but moved to Florida at an early age...
, novelist; class of 1979 - Russell FindlayRussell FindlayJ. Russell Findlay is an American advertising and marketing executive.-Career:Russell Findlay is the first Chief Marketing Officer in the history of Major League Soccer. Prior to MLS, Findlay worked for PepsiCo alongside American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame inductee Alan Pottasch. He...
, Chief Marketing Officer for Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
; class of 1983 - Mike LupicaMike LupicaMichael Lupica is an American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.-Biography:...
, sportswriter for the New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
and the author of several books; class of 1970 - Jared NathanJared NathanJared Nathan was an American child actor from Nashua, New Hampshire, United States. He starred on the first season of the revival of the PBS Kids television show ZOOM. He died in a car accident in 2006.-Early life:...
, cast of PBS hit television show ZoomZoom (1999 TV series)ZOOM is an American educational television series, created almost entirely by children, which aired on Public Broadcasting Service originally from January 4, 1999 to June 24, 2005. It was a remake of a 1972 TV series by the same name. Both versions were produced by WGBH-TV in Boston...
in 1999; attended 2 years before transferring to another school - Mike O'MalleyMike O'MalleyMichael Edward "Mike" O'Malley is an American actor and playwright who has appeared in films and television series. He hosted Nickelodeon GUTS, and he starred in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear...
, Yes, DearYes, DearYes, Dear is a television sitcom that aired from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, on CBS. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley and Liza Snyder....
actor, "The Rick" from ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
commercials, GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
actor, and the host of Nickelodeon GUTSNickelodeon GUTSNickelodeon GUTS is an American television reality "action sports" competition series hosted by actor/comedian Mike O'Malley and officiated by British actress Moira "Mo" Quirk. The series was broadcast by the cable television network Nickelodeon from 1992 to 1995...
; class of 1984 - Ted PhillipsTed PhillipsTed Phillips is the President and CEO of the NFL's Chicago Bears. He became president on February 10, 1999, and is the fourth president in the team's history.-References:...
, president and CEO of the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
; class of 1975 - Bridget VezinaMiss USA 2000Miss USA 2000, the forty-ninth Miss USA pageant, was held in Branson, Missouri at The Grand Palace on February 4, 2000.At the conclusion of the final competition, Lynnette Cole of Tennessee was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kimberly Pressler of New York....
, Miss New Hampshire 2000, 1st Runner-up Miss USA 2000; class of 1998