Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (ABRHS) is an open enrollment high school in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Massachusetts
towns of Acton
and Boxborough
, with roughly 500 students per grade level in grades 9 through 12. ABRHS has consistently ranked among the top secondary schools in Massachusetts. It was one of 39 American high schools named a Blue Ribbon School
by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009. Additionally, the town of Acton was named the sixteenth best small town in which to live in America by Money Magazine in both 2009 and 2011, and the second best town/city in the United States for education by Forbes Magazine in 2010 based on its NCLB report card.
The Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (ABRHS) is situated down-hill from the Raymond J. Grey Junior High School, at 36 Charter Road in Acton. Raymond J. Grey Junior High School occupies the facility that, until 1973, was the high school. ABRHS underwent an $80 million dollar renovation and expansion in 2005.
In the 2009 English language arts section of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
(MCAS) exam, 482 10th grade students participated in the section, 51 percent of whom scored "Advanced", and 44 percent scored "Proficient". Only 3 percent scored "Needs Improvement", and 1 percent did not pass. In the mathematics section for the same year, 482 10th grade students participated in the math section, and 83 percent scored "Advanced", and 12 percent scored "Proficient". Only 3 percent scored "Needs Improvement", and 1 percent did not pass.
In the class of 2010, over 99 percent of graduates will continue their education, and approximately 97.5 percent will attend four year colleges. The school has an average of 20 National Merit Finalists per class year.
Girls only
Boys only
Both boys and girls
Rivals
The high school
's most extensive extracurricular program is the marching band
, which is led by Mark Hickey. It is a semester-long course that consists of music
, marching
, visuals, color guard
, percussion, and drum major
s. Each year a different field show is performed. It has been regularly awarded the best band marching in statewide parades. For the first time, in October 2011, it was awarded a gold medal at MICCA, a regional marching band competition.
ABFOM is a parent-run group that financially supports the band throughout the year.
Chorus
ABRHS's Choral Program consists of four unique choirs that run year-long. Every year, the Chorus Department hosts a variety show called Cabaret Night. Other annual choral events are the Pan-Choral Concert and Spring Jam. The choirs sing repertoire from different time periods and composers.
The choral program also supports student-run A Capella groups, including "Downbeat" (females only), "13 Fish Named Jennifer", "Testostertones" (men only), "Fresh Beat" (freshmen only), "Masti"
(performs Indian music) and "Cascade."
Theater
ABRHS's theater group is named "Proscenium Circus." The club has over 100 members and produces several productions each year, producing plays since 1978. AB Friends of Drama, a nonprofit organization, helps to support PC through fundraising and volunteers.
Other Notable Extracurriculars
The Math, Science
, Robotics
and Debate
Teams regularly finish first in Massachusetts
competition
s, usually competing in national assessments and competitions afterwards. ABRHS's Academic Decathlon
has been very successful over the past several decades, often competing at the National Championship.
Other ABRHS clubs include Anime Crew, "Best Buddies" Club, Chess Club
, Chinese culture club, Classics Club, Common Ground (a gay-straight alliance), Envirothon
Team, Film
Club, French Club
, Future Business Leaders of America, Hip-Hop Club, Human Rights Club
, Invisible Children
, Italian Club
, Mock Trial
, Ocean Science Bowl
, Outdoor Club, Photography
Club, Recycling
Group, Robotics
, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Spanish Club
, Speech and Debate, Trivia Team
, Videogame Design Club, and Youth in Philanthrophy.
WHAB
is the school-run radio station operated by technical advisors and Student DJs.
ABRHS's newspaper
The Spectrum is an entirely student-run and student-produced paper. In 2009 and 2010, the paper won awards for Editorial Writing from the Suffolk University
Journalism Competition and First Place with Special Merit from the American Scholastic Press Association. The school operates student-run newspapers including Idiosyncrasy" and "Window Seat.
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...
towns of Acton
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
and Boxborough
Boxborough, Massachusetts
Boxborough is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2010 census. The town name is often spelled "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents, but the correct spelling is, in fact, Boxborough....
, with roughly 500 students per grade level in grades 9 through 12. ABRHS has consistently ranked among the top secondary schools in Massachusetts. It was one of 39 American high schools named a Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009. Additionally, the town of Acton was named the sixteenth best small town in which to live in America by Money Magazine in both 2009 and 2011, and the second best town/city in the United States for education by Forbes Magazine in 2010 based on its NCLB report card.
The Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (ABRHS) is situated down-hill from the Raymond J. Grey Junior High School, at 36 Charter Road in Acton. Raymond J. Grey Junior High School occupies the facility that, until 1973, was the high school. ABRHS underwent an $80 million dollar renovation and expansion in 2005.
Academics
The school has been ranked high academically, including being ranked 1st in Math and 3rd in Writing SAT scores among Massachusetts high schools. In 2010, it was ranked 1 in composite SAT score. Some of the highest mean SAT Subject Test scores are in Chinese (778), Math II (750), and Biology (740). ABRHS offers a wide range of subjects, and students have the option of taking CP (college prep), AE (accelerated enriched), Honors, or advanced placement (AP) (college credit) classes, among others. There are prerequisites for honors and AP classes. In 2009, students received 5s in 61% of AP exams, 32% received 4s.In the 2009 English language arts 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...
(MCAS) exam, 482 10th grade students participated in the section, 51 percent of whom scored "Advanced", and 44 percent scored "Proficient". Only 3 percent scored "Needs Improvement", and 1 percent did not pass. In the mathematics section for the same year, 482 10th grade students participated in the math section, and 83 percent scored "Advanced", and 12 percent scored "Proficient". Only 3 percent scored "Needs Improvement", and 1 percent did not pass.
In the class of 2010, over 99 percent of graduates will continue their education, and approximately 97.5 percent will attend four year colleges. The school has an average of 20 National Merit Finalists per class year.
Athletics
The athletic teams of ABRHS include:Girls only
- Field Hockey
- Softball
- Gymnastics
Boys only
- Wrestling
- Baseball
Both boys and girls
- Football
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Soccer
- Lacrosse
- Cross Country
- Track
- Ice hockey
- Basketball
- Alpine Skiing
- Nordic Skiing
- Swimming and Diving
- Golf
- Rowing
Rivals
- Football rival is Westford AcademyWestford AcademyWestford Academy is the public high school for the town of Westford, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1792, and is one of the oldest public high schools in the United States. Westford Academy was originally established as a private school and was changed to a public school in 1928...
- Track and Cross Country rival Lincoln-Sudbury
Extracurriculars
Marching BandThe high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
's most extensive extracurricular program is the marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, which is led by Mark Hickey. It is a semester-long course that consists of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, marching
Marching
See also: Loaded marchMarching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady and rhythmic walking forward, usually associated with military troops.Marching is often performed to march music, and often associated with military parades....
, visuals, color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...
, percussion, and drum major
Drum Major
A drum major is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble regarding...
s. Each year a different field show is performed. It has been regularly awarded the best band marching in statewide parades. For the first time, in October 2011, it was awarded a gold medal at MICCA, a regional marching band competition.
- In 2003 and 2009 the band traveled to Disney World in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. - In 2004, they participated in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's St. Patrick's Day Parade - In 2006, it participated in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, and was awarded "The Best Band Overall in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade," and received an award for "most entertaining" at the LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
International Band Competition. - In April 2008, the band traveled to Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to march in the annual Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. In April 2012, the band plans to return for the 100th anniversary of the parade to participate.
ABFOM is a parent-run group that financially supports the band throughout the year.
Chorus
ABRHS's Choral Program consists of four unique choirs that run year-long. Every year, the Chorus Department hosts a variety show called Cabaret Night. Other annual choral events are the Pan-Choral Concert and Spring Jam. The choirs sing repertoire from different time periods and composers.
- La Capella consists of new female members to the program.
- Concert Choir is a heterogenous group that consists of slightly advanced members of vocal performance.
- Chamber Choir includes the most advanced vocal performers of the program.
- Madrigal Singers include the some members of the Chamber Choir. It performs regularly in a medieval-style manner and performs in competitions, receiving a gold medal at MICCA competition in 2010 and 2011.
The choral program also supports student-run A Capella groups, including "Downbeat" (females only), "13 Fish Named Jennifer", "Testostertones" (men only), "Fresh Beat" (freshmen only), "Masti"
(performs Indian music) and "Cascade."
Theater
ABRHS's theater group is named "Proscenium Circus." The club has over 100 members and produces several productions each year, producing plays since 1978. AB Friends of Drama, a nonprofit organization, helps to support PC through fundraising and volunteers.
Other Notable Extracurriculars
The Math, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and Debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
Teams regularly finish first in 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...
competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
s, usually competing in national assessments and competitions afterwards. ABRHS's Academic Decathlon
United States Academic Decathlon
The United States Academic Decathlon is an annual high school academic competition organized by the non-profit United States Academic Decathlon Association. The competition consists of seven multiple choice tests, two performance events, and an essay...
has been very successful over the past several decades, often competing at the National Championship.
Other ABRHS clubs include Anime Crew, "Best Buddies" Club, Chess Club
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, Chinese culture club, Classics Club, Common Ground (a gay-straight alliance), Envirothon
Envirothon
Envirothon is an annual environmentally themed academic competition held by the United States and Canada on a regional, state, and national level. It is sponsored by Canon, conservation districts, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of Conservation Districts...
Team, Film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Club, French Club
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...
, Future Business Leaders of America, Hip-Hop Club, Human Rights Club
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, Invisible Children
Invisible Children
Invisible Children: Rough Cut is a 2003 American documentary film. Its subject is the abduction and forced enlistment of children by the sectarian Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.-Synopsis:...
, Italian Club
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Mock Trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
, Ocean Science Bowl
Ocean science
Ocean science can refer to*Oceanography*Ocean science, an open access scientific publication of the European Geosciences Union...
, Outdoor Club, Photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
Club, Recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
Group, Robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Spanish Club
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...
, Speech and Debate, Trivia Team
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
, Videogame Design Club, and Youth in Philanthrophy.
WHAB
WHAB
WHAB is a high school radio station licensed to serve Acton, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Acton-Boxborough Regional High School and licensed to the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District. It airs a high school radio format...
is the school-run radio station operated by technical advisors and Student DJs.
ABRHS's newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
The Spectrum is an entirely student-run and student-produced paper. In 2009 and 2010, the paper won awards for Editorial Writing from the Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
Journalism Competition and First Place with Special Merit from the American Scholastic Press Association. The school operates student-run newspapers including Idiosyncrasy" and "Window Seat.
Notable alumni
- Seth AbramsonSeth AbramsonSeth Abramson is an American poet, attorney, editor, and freelance journalist.-Life:Abramson is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop...
, poet - Tom BarrassoTom BarrassoThomas Patrick Barrasso is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St...
, NHL hockey player - Bob BrookeBob BrookeRobert William Brooke is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 447 games in the National Hockey League between 1984 and 1990....
, NHL hockey player - Jamie EldridgeJamie EldridgeJames B. "Jamie" Eldridge is a Massachusetts State Senator from the Middlesex and Worcester District. He was a candidate in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election, 2007, finishing third in the five-way election...
, Middlesex & Worcester State SenatorMassachusetts SenateThe Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state... - Jeff NortonJeff NortonJeffrey Thomas Norton is a retired American ice hockey defenseman.He grew up in the town of Acton, Massachusetts and attended Cushing Academy...
, NHL hockey player - Caroll SpinneyCaroll SpinneyCaroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney , is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
, Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
puppeteer who performs Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends.... - Bob SweeneyBob Sweeney (ice hockey)Robert Emmett Sweeney is a retired American professional ice hockey center.-Career:Sweeney was born in Boxborough, Massachusetts. He was drafted out of high school by the Boston Bruins in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, and went on to play four years at Boston College...
, NHL hockey player - Drew HoustonDrew HoustonAndrew "Drew" Houston is an American internet entrepreneur and is best known for being the founder and CEO of Dropbox, an online backup and storage service. According to Forbes magazine, he has a net worth of $400 million US dollars.-Early life:...
, co-founder of popular file hosting serviceFile hosting serviceA file hosting service, online file storage provider, or cyberlocker is an Internet hosting service specifically designed to host user files. Typically they allow HTTP and FTP access. Related services are content-displaying hosting services A file hosting service, online file storage provider, or...
, Dropbox - Actor and Comedian Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
is often thought to be an alumnus since he lived in Acton, but he attended the private Middlesex SchoolMiddlesex SchoolMiddlesex School is an independent secondary school for grades 9 - 12 located in Concord, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1901 by a Roxbury Latin School alumnus, Frederick Winsor, who headed the school until 1937. Winsor set up a National Scholarship Program for the school, the first of its kind...
in Concord, MA. - Comedian Christian FinneganChristian FinneganFletcher Christian Finnegan , better known as Christian Finnegan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in New York City.-Early life:Finnegan was born in Albany, New York...
is also thought of as an alumnus, but he also attended a private school, The Walnut Hill School, in Natick, MassachusettsNatick, MassachusettsNatick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
.