Somerset Berkley Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Somerset Berkley Regional High School is the public secondary school for the towns of Somerset
and Berkley
, Massachusetts
, beginning in September 2011. The school will include grades nine through twelve. Its athletic teams compete as the Blue Raiders.
Students score well above the state average score for Advanced/Above Proficient knowledge in each section of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
exams.
The school offers Advanced Placement courses in Studio Art, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, European History, United States History, World History, Psychology, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Students may also take other Advanced Placement courses online. A majority of students receive passing scores on Advanced Placement exams in every subject offered, with the exception of Biology.
In 2008-2009, Somerset High School's SAT averages were 504 in Reading, 488 in Writing, and 519 in Mathematics.
. Current sports include: Baseball
, Boys & Girls Basketball
, Cheerleading
, Boys & Girls Cross Country
, Field Hockey
, Football
, Golf
, Gymnastics
, Ice Hockey
, Boys & Girls Soccer, Softball
, Boys & Girls Spring & Winter Track
, Boys & Girls Tennis
, Volleyball
, & Wrestling
.
Teams are fielded at the Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Freshman levels, depending on the sport.
Most teams compete in the Eastern Athletic Conference
(EAC), which also includes Bishop Feehan High School
, Bishop Stang High School
, Coyle and Cassidy High School
, and Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
.
The school's traditional athletic rivals are the Cardinals of Joseph Case High School in Swansea, Massachusetts
. The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Somerset
and Swansea
is a storied tradition.
attended Somerset High School through a special tuition agreement between the two towns. Under this agreement, the Town of Berkley
paid for the right of their students to attend Somerset High School. However, the school was run by the School Committee of the Town of Somerset
, in which Berkley
residents held no formal representation.
Debate about the creation of a regional high school - in which both Somerset
and Berkley
residents would be represented - existed for many years. However, the issue gained little political traction until a variety of factors - mainly the lingering end of the tuition agreement and the rapid deterioration of the Somerset High School building - brought the issue to the forefront of political debate in both towns in 2009-2010.
In August 2010, Massachusetts
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell D. Chester formally approved a regional school district agreement voted on by the two towns that created a regional school district between Berkley
and Somerset
at the high school level. Under the agreement, each town will pay a share of the school's budget proportional to their percent representation among the student body. Seats on the Somerset Berkley Regional School Committee, which will govern the school, will be divided similarly.
(NEASC) declared that the physical condition of the current high school building “does not adequately support” educational programs and support services. Difficult conditions in the building include “a lack of adequate space in certain instructional areas”, limited handicapped accessibility, out-of-date fire safety equipment, a small gymnasium space, and poor ventilation. Questions about the structural integrity of the building's foundation led to some areas of the building being condemned during the 2008-2009 school year. The building was originally constructed as a project of the Works Progress Administration
, but has since grown considerably with the addition of several new wings over the years.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) offered a significant amount of financial assistance to the Town of Somerset
to fund a new high school building should it choose to form a regional high school with Berkley
.
As of 17 March 2011, the MSBA lists a new high school for the Town of Somerset
as an "active project".
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
and Berkley
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
, 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...
, beginning in September 2011. The school will include grades nine through twelve. Its athletic teams compete as the Blue Raiders.
Academics
Somerset Berkley Regional High School possesses departments of Art, Business Technology, English Language Arts and Reading, Engineering Technology, Foreign Languages, Health, Family & Consumer Sciences, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, and Special Education.Students score well above the state average score for Advanced/Above Proficient knowledge in each section of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, commonly shortened to MCAS , is the Commonwealth's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993, in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year...
exams.
The school offers Advanced Placement courses in Studio Art, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, European History, United States History, World History, Psychology, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Students may also take other Advanced Placement courses online. A majority of students receive passing scores on Advanced Placement exams in every subject offered, with the exception of Biology.
In 2008-2009, Somerset High School's SAT averages were 504 in Reading, 488 in Writing, and 519 in Mathematics.
Athletics
Somerset Berkley Regional High School competes in Division Three 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...
. Current sports include: Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, Boys & Girls Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, Boys & Girls Cross Country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, Field Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, Ice Hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, Boys & Girls Soccer, Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, Boys & Girls Spring & Winter Track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, Boys & Girls Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, & Wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
.
Teams are fielded at the Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Freshman levels, depending on the sport.
Most teams compete in the Eastern Athletic Conference
Eastern Athletic Conference
The Eastern Athletic Conference, or EAC, is a high school sports conference consisting of teams in southeastern Massachusetts. The league is a subset of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. It is noted for having both a competitive conference, as well as one with an eclectic...
(EAC), which also includes Bishop Feehan High School
Bishop Feehan High School
Bishop Feehan High School is a co-educational Catholic high school in Attleboro, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. Founded in 1961 by the Sisters of Mercy, the school has grown to over 1,000 students...
, Bishop Stang High School
Bishop Stang High School
Mission Statement: Bishop Stang High School is a private Catholic secondary school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in the New England region of the United States. It was the first diocesan secondary school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River, which includes most of Southeastern...
, Coyle and Cassidy High School
Coyle and Cassidy High School
"Coyle-Cassidy High School" redirects hereCoyle and Cassidy High School, often referred to as simply Coyle, is a private, Catholic Diocesan high school located in Taunton, Massachusetts, USA. The school bases its teachings in which the Christian philosophy of life is modeled...
, and Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School or MVRHS is a high school in Oak Bluffs on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States.-History:...
.
The school's traditional athletic rivals are the Cardinals of Joseph Case High School in Swansea, Massachusetts
Swansea, Massachusetts
Swansea is a town in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts.It is located at the mouth of the Taunton River, just west of Fall River, 47 miles south of Boston; and 12 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island....
. The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Somerset
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
and Swansea
Swansea, Massachusetts
Swansea is a town in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts.It is located at the mouth of the Taunton River, just west of Fall River, 47 miles south of Boston; and 12 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island....
is a storied tradition.
Regionalization
Before 2011, high school students from BerkleyBerkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
attended Somerset High School through a special tuition agreement between the two towns. Under this agreement, the Town of Berkley
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
paid for the right of their students to attend Somerset High School. However, the school was run by the School Committee of the Town of Somerset
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
, in which Berkley
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
residents held no formal representation.
Debate about the creation of a regional high school - in which both Somerset
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
and Berkley
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
residents would be represented - existed for many years. However, the issue gained little political traction until a variety of factors - mainly the lingering end of the tuition agreement and the rapid deterioration of the Somerset High School building - brought the issue to the forefront of political debate in both towns in 2009-2010.
In August 2010, 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...
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell D. Chester formally approved a regional school district agreement voted on by the two towns that created a regional school district between Berkley
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
and Somerset
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
at the high school level. Under the agreement, each town will pay a share of the school's budget proportional to their percent representation among the student body. Seats on the Somerset Berkley Regional School Committee, which will govern the school, will be divided similarly.
New building
A 2010 report by the New England Association of Schools and CollegesNew England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
(NEASC) declared that the physical condition of the current high school building “does not adequately support” educational programs and support services. Difficult conditions in the building include “a lack of adequate space in certain instructional areas”, limited handicapped accessibility, out-of-date fire safety equipment, a small gymnasium space, and poor ventilation. Questions about the structural integrity of the building's foundation led to some areas of the building being condemned during the 2008-2009 school year. The building was originally constructed as a project of the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, but has since grown considerably with the addition of several new wings over the years.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) offered a significant amount of financial assistance to the Town of Somerset
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
to fund a new high school building should it choose to form a regional high school with Berkley
Berkley, Massachusetts
Berkley is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.-Geography:...
.
As of 17 March 2011, the MSBA lists a new high school for the Town of Somerset
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,234 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland , the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City....
as an "active project".