Charlestown High School
Encyclopedia
Charlestown High School is a public school located at 240 Medford Street in Charlestown
, Boston
, Massachusetts
with a zip code of 02129. Charlestown High School is the only high school in Charlestown. Charlestown is part of Boston which means the school is part of the Boston Public School System. According to the article, "Focus On Children, the Boston Publics Schools School Report Card," of the students enrolled in 2003-2004, 70.6% were in regular education 7.1% in bilingual education, and 22.2% in the special education. The racial/ethnic decomposition of the student population in the school was: 46.3% Black, 26.4% Hispanic, 19.5% Asian, and 7.6% White.
and exploration. Most of the students participate in the Boston University COACH (College Orientation and Career Help) program. Each Friday two groups of Boston University students come to the school where they divide up by teams and go to the pathways classes, for both juniors and seniors. They work with the students on the entire college application process and portray what college life is like to the students. Since the Boston University (and Harvard at one point) COACH program has been at the Charlestown High School, college application and admission has risen 28%. Because of this rise in college applicants at Charlestown High, over 70 percent of the recent graduates have gone to college.
Charlestown High School is also known for its vibrant visual arts program. Recognized in a 2005 Fund for Teachers award, student artwork adorns many school and municipal facilities.
In addition, the school provides extensive support services through college and business partnerships, such Harvard, Bunker Hill, Liberty Mutual and more. Student volunteers from the Harvard College chapter of Peer Health Exchange
also visit the high school to teach sexual and health education classes.
year when court-mandated forced busing brought African-American children to what was at that time a predominantly white high school in an Irish neighborhood of Boston. Forced busing initially brought great discord and resulted in fights and arrests. There were also enduring images such as the famous photograph of a black and a white student holding hands out the
window of their school bus (see the NPR article in the external links below).
program which is annually ranked as one of the top teams state-wide and nationally. It also has a good reputation of sending basketball players to college. The Charletown High school boys basketball team is in the Boston City League. The Basketball team won the State Championship for four straight years, in 1999-2003. The team won division 2 State Championshion again in 2005. In the 2004-2005 season the team record was 26 and 1. For all these years, the head coach was Jack O'Brien and his assistant coaches were Zach Zegarowski,Steve Cassidy and Hugh Coleman.
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, 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...
with a zip code of 02129. Charlestown High School is the only high school in Charlestown. Charlestown is part of Boston which means the school is part of the Boston Public School System. According to the article, "Focus On Children, the Boston Publics Schools School Report Card," of the students enrolled in 2003-2004, 70.6% were in regular education 7.1% in bilingual education, and 22.2% in the special education. The racial/ethnic decomposition of the student population in the school was: 46.3% Black, 26.4% Hispanic, 19.5% Asian, and 7.6% White.
Academic organization
The school consists of grades nine through twelve. The school provides a strong academic program due to the five Small Learning Communities/Pathways. These Communities and Pathways are within an Upper School and Lower School. They were created in 1998 and 1999. The five Small Learning Communities have a college-based curriculum with a signature theme. These signature themes range from Web Design, Law & Justice,and Pre-Engineering, to Business/Technology and MCAS Preparation/Academics. There are ten teachers and one leader in each Small Learning Communities. Each teacher has one specific theme to teach.Curriculum
The Charlestown High School curriculum is strongly based on preparing students for a college education. In addition to the basic curriculum, extensive attention is given to collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
and exploration. Most of the students participate in the Boston University COACH (College Orientation and Career Help) program. Each Friday two groups of Boston University students come to the school where they divide up by teams and go to the pathways classes, for both juniors and seniors. They work with the students on the entire college application process and portray what college life is like to the students. Since the Boston University (and Harvard at one point) COACH program has been at the Charlestown High School, college application and admission has risen 28%. Because of this rise in college applicants at Charlestown High, over 70 percent of the recent graduates have gone to college.
Charlestown High School is also known for its vibrant visual arts program. Recognized in a 2005 Fund for Teachers award, student artwork adorns many school and municipal facilities.
In addition, the school provides extensive support services through college and business partnerships, such Harvard, Bunker Hill, Liberty Mutual and more. Student volunteers from the Harvard College chapter of Peer Health Exchange
Peer Health Exchange
Peer Health Exchange is a 5013 organization that was created to address health problems in today's youth. It is made up of college students in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and the Bay Area who volunteer in public high schools to teach health education classes...
also visit the high school to teach sexual and health education classes.
Busing and desegregation
Charlestown High School received considerable national attention in the 1975-1976 schoolyear when court-mandated forced busing brought African-American children to what was at that time a predominantly white high school in an Irish neighborhood of Boston. Forced busing initially brought great discord and resulted in fights and arrests. There were also enduring images such as the famous photograph of a black and a white student holding hands out the
window of their school bus (see the NPR article in the external links below).
Sports success
The school is famous for its basketballBasketball
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...
program which is annually ranked as one of the top teams state-wide and nationally. It also has a good reputation of sending basketball players to college. The Charletown High school boys basketball team is in the Boston City League. The Basketball team won the State Championship for four straight years, in 1999-2003. The team won division 2 State Championshion again in 2005. In the 2004-2005 season the team record was 26 and 1. For all these years, the head coach was Jack O'Brien and his assistant coaches were Zach Zegarowski,Steve Cassidy and Hugh Coleman.