North Reading High School

For other schools of a similar name, see Reading High School.
North Reading High School

North Reading High School
Location
191 Park Street, North Reading, Massachusetts
United States
Information
Type Public
Established 1955 / 2015
Principal Anthony J. Loprete
Faculty 62
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 801 (2015–16)
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Green and gold         
Athletics conference Cape Ann League (CAL)
Mascot Hornet
Average SAT scores 540 verbal
548 math
527 writing
1615 total (2014-2015)[1]
Newspaper The Deliberator (defunct)
Website hs.north-reading.k12.ma.us

North Reading High School is the public high school serving students in grades 9-12 from the town of North Reading, Massachusetts. It has an enrollment of 755 students as of the 2013-2014 school year with a pupil-teacher ratio of about 12:1. The school has 62 full- and part-time faculty and staff, several of whom are NRHS graduates. The current principal is Anthony J. Loprete; the current assistant principal is Michael Downs.[2]

NRHS was voted one of the top 50 public high schools in Massachusetts in 2013 and 2015 by U.S. News & World Report. It failed to make the same publication's rankings in 2014.[3]

Construction

In 2012, the secondary schools building committee and the citizens of North Reading, in overwhelming support, voted to begin the creation of a combined high school/middle school facility. With the help of state and local funding, construction began on the new school in the fall of the same year.

The structure began to take shape just above and behind the 1955 high school building. In fall 2014, the first phase of construction was complete: the new high school building went into use while the old high school building, down the hill, received one final year as a temporary home for middle school students. The 2014-2015 school year saw the overhaul renovation of the old middle school building next to the newly completed high school.

In fall 2015, the building project was considered to be complete. Students in grades 6-12 entered permanent classrooms in the middle school, the high school and the shared common area. By winter 2015, the 1955 high school was completely demolished and final work began on the creation of athletic fields in its place.

The new facility consists of a completely new high school, a completely renovated middle school, and a shared common area linking those two institutions. This common area includes a two-court gymnasium, cafeteria, state-of-the-art theatre and television studio. New tennis courts and softball fields complete the project.

As one, the North Reading Middle-High School campus serves 1,370 students.[4] The school was designed by architectural company Dore & Whittier and built by the workers of Gilbane Construction Company.[5]

Extracurriculars

North Reading High School has athletic, academic and artistic extracurricular activities in which students can participate.[6]

Athletic Teams
Academic/Social/Philanthropic Clubs
Artistic Organizations
The Masquers

The Masquers Club is North Reading High School's dramatic organization. Its funding is financially independent of its school's. The club was founded in 1968 and produces at least one fall play and one winter musical every season. Masquers garners local acclaim as an entirely student-run organization and participates in the METG drama festival annually. Its productions, actors and crew have earned numerous titles including best actor, best actress, technical excellence, and best set design. The organization regularly sends alumni to top national universities including NYU Tisch, Carnegie Mellon and Boston Conservatory for theatrical performance and technical production.[7]

Controversy

In May 2014, the North Reading Police Department began investigations into president of the Athletic Boosters Association John Norton after he mailed them a personal check to pay for a police detail hired to work a basketball tournament. In August, the North Reading School Board officially severed its ties with the Athletic Boosters organization, at the time giving no official reason. Norton was arraigned in October of the same year. He is charged with embezzlement of over $10,000 intended for students.

The School Committee has encouraged citizens not to continue donating to the Athletic Boosters, but the police have insisted that they believe the behavior to be isolated. In addition to the arraignment of Norton, NRPD issued a formal complaint to the Attorney General's Office about the Athletic Boosters' failure to register proper legal filings as a non-profit organization.

The Athletic Boosters is an independent club which is separate from other associations like the School Committee, Music Boosters or Parents Association.[8]

Demographics

North Reading High School's predominant student ethnicity is Caucasian.[2] Its male-female ratio is nearly 1:1.[9]

Ethnicity Percentage of Enrollment
Caucasian 94%
Asian/Pacific Islander 2%
Multiracial 2%
Hispanic 1%
Black, non-Hispanic 0.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan 0%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0%
Gender Enrolled
Male 379
Female 376
Other Not measured
Subgroup Percentage of Enrollment
Low-income 7.2%
Students with Disabilities 14%
Free Lunch 4.9%
Reduced Lunch 2.3%
High Needs 19.6%

Coordinates: 42°34′25.96″N 71°05′00.82″W / 42.5738778°N 71.0835611°W / 42.5738778; -71.0835611

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/sat/sat_perf_dist.aspx?orgcode=02170505&orgtypecode=6&
  2. 1 2 http://www.zillow.com/north-reading-ma/schools/north-reading-high-school-30446/. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
  3. ↑ http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/massachusetts. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
  4. ↑ http://www.automatedlogic.com/branch/massachusetts/project/north-reading-middle-high-school/. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
  5. ↑ http://www.nrssbc.org/. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
  6. ↑ "North Reading High School Handbook". 2014–2015.
  7. ↑ http://masquers.weebly.com/awards.html. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
  8. ↑ http://wp.localheadlinenews.com/?p=2971. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
  9. ↑ http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=02170505&orgtypecode=6&. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
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