Groton-Dunstable Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Groton-Dunstable Regional High School (GDRHS) is located in Groton
, Massachusetts
and serves the communities of both Groton and Dunstable
in the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District
. While GDRHS is the only public high school located within those communities students from Groton may also attend the public Nashoba Valley Technical High School
, while those from Dunstable may attend the public Greater Lowell Technical High School
. Students who attend GDRHS are mainly graduates of Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School. GDRHS has a primarily college preparatory curriculum with approximately 87% of its students attending four-year colleges and over 90% attending two- or four-year colleges upon graduation in 2010.
Approximately 850 students attend GDRHS. The school's colors are maroon, white and black.
that was held in Groton town center for which there are funding records as far back as 1758. The residency of the grammar school migrated between the district schools and in 1808 was kept for four months in District school number 1, then two months in number 2, two months in number 3, and two months in number five.
While Lawrence Academy
had long provided private secondary school opportunities in town, a committee was appointed in November 1855 to consider establishing a new high school. On Monday, December 5, 1859 the first public high school opened in the lower hall of the Town House (Town Hall).
For some time in the 1860s, the high school was held in the upper part of the Gerrish building at Groton Center, before moving into the new District Number 1 school, built in 1870 at a cost of $32,000. On March 2, 1874, the district schools, were named according to town vote with the high school being named Butler Grammar School after Caleb Butler, former principal of Lawrence Academy, and town historian. A new high school was built in 1927. Now known as the recently closed Prescott Elementary, it continued to be known as the Butler School for some time.
The regional school district was established in 1967 with the high school located on Main St. in Groton
. In 1997, the school adopted 4x4 block scheduling. In 1999, the "new gym" at the Main Street campus was renovated and renamed as the Peter Twomey Youth Center (PTYC) in order to honor a then recently deceased student. The PTYC is now "...a self-supporting facility that provides space for youth athletic leagues, adult education, and youth groups in Groton and Dunstable." With the student population expanding from 370 in 1993 to its current levels, a new building was needed. In 2003 at cost of $35 million, the high school relocated to its current location near the border between the two towns it serves.
The main campus building was designed by HMFH Architects to allow outside light into nearly every room and thus features windows along many interior walls. An exception to that rule is Mr. Donnelly's technology room as well as the Black Box Theater which hosts both school and local community performances. Also located within the school is Public-access television
cable TV station, The Groton Channel.
curriculum that includes four credits of English, three credits of mathematics
, social sciences, and laboratory-based science
s (Integrated Science is required), two credits each of a single foreign language and physical/behavioral health
, one credit of fine art
s and one half credit of computer applications. Seniors must also complete a senior project. As G-D is on a 4x4 block schedule, full credit courses are equivalent to a year-long course in a school with traditional 40-50 minute periods. A small number of students with significant special needs instead participate in the Life Skills Experiential Learning program.
Students can choose from 11 Advanced Placement
courses
to earn college credits.
The English department requires two courses focused on the role of the hero, one on American literature and one on Shakespeare and Chaucer. Electives include courses in both print and broadcast journalism
, videography, film studies, theater arts, and creative writing
classes along with an English literature AP course. The social studies core requires a credit in world history, and two in United States history
. Humanities electives include contemporary issues, women’s studies, economics, marketing and entrepreneurship, the student and the law, international business, accounting, modern European history, sociology, public speaking/debate and the U.S. History AP course.
Groton-Dunstable's foreign language offerings include French, Spanish, and Latin
. There are AP electives for Latin and Spanish.
Groton-Dunstable's science/technology department offers courses in molecular biology, anatomy & physiology, environmental studies, astronomy, engineering
design & construction. Its AP offerings include biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics (B). Through the math and business & technology departments, computer oriented electives include Java, digital imaging, and web page design. AP level courses are offered through the math department for both calculus tests as well as for statistics.
The visual arts program includes sequences in ceramics, sculpture, collage and mixed media, and photography, with further options in graphic design. Music courses include concert band, chorus and chamber chorus.
In addition to the usual sports and conditioning options, the physical and behavioral health program provides courses in child development, health, life-management, and psychology.
and competes in the Midland Wachusett League B.
The girls team were state semifinalists in 1998 and were the MIAA Division 3 Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2006-7 season.
The following year the Crusaders went 8-3.
The girls team has also had success in recent history. They were state semi-finalists in 2004, and district finalists in 1998 and 2002.
The team is now coached by Sean Wisbey who joined the G-D coaching staff in 2010. Wisbey took the team to the district championship game where they lost to Nipmuc Regional by a score of 2-1.
's existing team. They competed in the State Finals in 2011.
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and serves the communities of both Groton and Dunstable
Dunstable, Massachusetts
Dunstable is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,179 at the 2010 census.-Etymology:Dunstable was named after its sister town Dunstable, UK....
in the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District
Groton-Dunstable Regional School District
Groton-Dunstable Regional School District is a school district in the U.S. state of Massachusetts which serves the towns of Groton and Dunstable.-Old Groton School District:By the 1750s Groton had been providing public schooling to its children...
. While GDRHS is the only public high school located within those communities students from Groton may also attend the public Nashoba Valley Technical High School
Nashoba Valley Technical High School
Nashoba Valley Technical High School is a public, four-year, career-focused high school located on Route 110 in Westford, MA. Following a $25 million renovation and expansion, its service area covers 14 communities including the seven District towns of Chelmsford, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell,...
, while those from Dunstable may attend the public Greater Lowell Technical High School
Greater Lowell Technical High School
Greater Lowell Technical High School is a public vocational high school in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. Greater Lowell Technical High School former name was Greater Lowell Vocational Technical High School. The school serve the city of Lowell and towns of Tyngsborough, Dracut, and Dunstable. There...
. Students who attend GDRHS are mainly graduates of Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School. GDRHS has a primarily college preparatory curriculum with approximately 87% of its students attending four-year colleges and over 90% attending two- or four-year colleges upon graduation in 2010.
Approximately 850 students attend GDRHS. The school's colors are maroon, white and black.
History
The earliest incarnation of GDRHS was as the grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
that was held in Groton town center for which there are funding records as far back as 1758. The residency of the grammar school migrated between the district schools and in 1808 was kept for four months in District school number 1, then two months in number 2, two months in number 3, and two months in number five.
While Lawrence Academy
Lawrence Academy at Groton
Lawrence Academy at Groton, , is a co-educational preparatory school located in Groton, Massachusetts, in the United States...
had long provided private secondary school opportunities in town, a committee was appointed in November 1855 to consider establishing a new high school. On Monday, December 5, 1859 the first public high school opened in the lower hall of the Town House (Town Hall).
For some time in the 1860s, the high school was held in the upper part of the Gerrish building at Groton Center, before moving into the new District Number 1 school, built in 1870 at a cost of $32,000. On March 2, 1874, the district schools, were named according to town vote with the high school being named Butler Grammar School after Caleb Butler, former principal of Lawrence Academy, and town historian. A new high school was built in 1927. Now known as the recently closed Prescott Elementary, it continued to be known as the Butler School for some time.
The regional school district was established in 1967 with the high school located on Main St. in Groton
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
. In 1997, the school adopted 4x4 block scheduling. In 1999, the "new gym" at the Main Street campus was renovated and renamed as the Peter Twomey Youth Center (PTYC) in order to honor a then recently deceased student. The PTYC is now "...a self-supporting facility that provides space for youth athletic leagues, adult education, and youth groups in Groton and Dunstable." With the student population expanding from 370 in 1993 to its current levels, a new building was needed. In 2003 at cost of $35 million, the high school relocated to its current location near the border between the two towns it serves.
Campus
GD's 179 acre (0.72438794 km²) campus lies on Chicopee Row on the Groton side of the Groton-Dunstable border. The current site is just to the east of Reedy Meadow and its fields are bordered by eastern white pine, as well as vernal pools including Bauch Pond and the Ennis Puddle. Near the upper fields and entrance to the grounds is the "Spirit Rock", a large boulder which student groups and individuals have periodically repainted since the spring of 2007.The main campus building was designed by HMFH Architects to allow outside light into nearly every room and thus features windows along many interior walls. An exception to that rule is Mr. Donnelly's technology room as well as the Black Box Theater which hosts both school and local community performances. Also located within the school is Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV station, The Groton Channel.
Curriculum
Most Groton-Dunstable students undertake a college preparatoryUniversity-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
curriculum that includes four credits of English, three credits of 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...
, social sciences, and laboratory-based science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
s (Integrated Science is required), two credits each of a single foreign language and physical/behavioral 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...
, one credit of fine art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
s and one half credit of computer applications. Seniors must also complete a senior project. As G-D is on a 4x4 block schedule, full credit courses are equivalent to a year-long course in a school with traditional 40-50 minute periods. A small number of students with significant special needs instead participate in the Life Skills Experiential Learning program.
Students can choose from 11 Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
courses
to earn college credits.
The English department requires two courses focused on the role of the hero, one on American literature and one on Shakespeare and Chaucer. Electives include courses in both print and broadcast journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, videography, film studies, theater arts, and creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
classes along with an English literature AP course. The social studies core requires a credit in world history, and two in United States history
History of the United States
The history of the United States traditionally starts with the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776, although its territory was inhabited by Native Americans since prehistoric times and then by European colonists who followed the voyages of Christopher Columbus starting in 1492. The...
. Humanities electives include contemporary issues, women’s studies, economics, marketing and entrepreneurship, the student and the law, international business, accounting, modern European history, sociology, public speaking/debate and the U.S. History AP course.
Groton-Dunstable's foreign language offerings include French, Spanish, and 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...
. There are AP electives for Latin and Spanish.
Groton-Dunstable's science/technology department offers courses in molecular biology, anatomy & physiology, environmental studies, astronomy, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
design & construction. Its AP offerings include biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics (B). Through the math and business & technology departments, computer oriented electives include Java, digital imaging, and web page design. AP level courses are offered through the math department for both calculus tests as well as for statistics.
The visual arts program includes sequences in ceramics, sculpture, collage and mixed media, and photography, with further options in graphic design. Music courses include concert band, chorus and chamber chorus.
In addition to the usual sports and conditioning options, the physical and behavioral health program provides courses in child development, health, life-management, and psychology.
Athletics
Groton-Dunstable is a member of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic AssociationMassachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association , comprising 365 high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, is an organization that sponsors activities in more than thirty sports. The MIAA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations , which writes the rules...
and competes in the Midland Wachusett League B.
Basketball
The boys basketball team were state finalists in 2002, and 2004. State seminfinalists in 2010 and were Central Massachusetts district finalists in 1998 and 2003. The head coach is Keith Woods.The girls team were state semifinalists in 1998 and were the MIAA Division 3 Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2006-7 season.
Football
The football team's first year was 2008. They went with a record of 9-2. The head coach is Derek Asadoorian, a math teacher at GDRHS. In 2008, the team made it to the first round of playoffs, but lost to Assabet Valley.The following year the Crusaders went 8-3.
Golf
The boys golf team is coached by David Bean. The team plays at the Groton Country Club in Groton, MA. They recently won the MIAA Division II Districts in the 2010-2011 Fall season for the first time in team history.Ice Hockey
They won the Russell Conference in 2010. They had 11 wins and 2 losses in the 2010-11 school year .Lacrosse
Groton-Dunstable had a great lacrosse season in 2010 and went to the finals. They graduated many seniors but are well prepared for the year to come. They were the MIAA Division 2 Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2009-10 season.Skiing
GD's Alpine skiing team was the MIAA Sportsmanship Award winner for the 2008-09 season.Soccer
The boys Soccer team has won state titles in 1999 and 2001. They were state runners up in 2000, district champions in 1996 and 1997, and district finalists in 1998 under head coach Richard Nyman, who coached the team for 30 seasons.The girls team has also had success in recent history. They were state semi-finalists in 2004, and district finalists in 1998 and 2002.
The team is now coached by Sean Wisbey who joined the G-D coaching staff in 2010. Wisbey took the team to the district championship game where they lost to Nipmuc Regional by a score of 2-1.
Swimming
The 2010-2011 season was the first year of GD's swim team as they joined with TyngsboroughTyngsborough High School
Tyngsborough High School is located at 36 Norris Road in Tyngsborough.Tyngsborough High School has approximately 490 students, and is part of the Tyngsborough school district.-History:...
's existing team. They competed in the State Finals in 2011.
Track, field, and cross country
The boys team is coached by Ken Magliozzi. The team's accomplishments include many league championships, District relays championship and Class championships. The Boys and Girls Cross Country teams have also had their share of runner's up in the District State Qualifier Meets, Men 1998,2001 and 2003. Women 2008. The boys also finished 3rd in state in 2004. In addition, the girls track and field team was League Champions in 2008.Clubs and publications
Groton-Dunstable offers a variety of clubs, most of which are student run and are formed by submitting a charter to an administrator and securing a faculty advisor. They range from academic clubs such as the Science, Latin, and Spanish Clubs, as well as the Music Honor Society, to recreational clubs such as the Anime Club, Book Club, Outdoor Club and Jam Club. Since 2009 Groton-Dunstable has had an Environmental Club which advocates sustainability and a greener community for the school and town. Some clubs are organized around competitions such as FIRST Robotics and the Envirothon. Others are focused on political interests including the Young Republicans and Amnesty International. Members of the Drama Guild perform in the school's Black Box Theatre. The Literary Magazine (Velocity) and Yearbook are produced by their respective club members. Additional activities include a Bible Study Group, Photography Club, Dance Club and Ski Club. The Chamber Chorus, although part of the music course offerings, has participated in a number of extracurricular competitions. In 2010, they won the Grand Sweepstakes Award, the top honor of the Music Showcase Festival in Hershey Park, PA, out of a field of nearly 200 schools.Notable alumni
- Mark Anthony ParrishMark Anthony ParrishMark Anthony Parrish is a self-proclaimed American actor, producer, and social and liberal political activist.-Biography:...
- Actor, producer, activist - Dan ShaughnessyDan ShaughnessyDan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer.-Career:After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Shaughnessy began his career as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Sun in 1977. He has been a sports writer for the Boston Globe for approximately 30 years,...
- Sports journalist, television personality, also known as "The Most Hated Man in Boston"
Former principals
- David Quattrone
- -1985 Howard Gilmore
- 1985-1995 William E. McGuirk
- 1995-2007 Joseph P. Dillon - Oversaw transition to new building and campus.
- 2007-2010 Shelley Marcus Cohen
- 2010-2011 Stephen Dlott