New Canaan High School

New Canaan High School is the only public high school in New Canaan, Connecticut.

New Canaan High School
Address
11 Farm Rd

New Canaan
,
Connecticut

United States
Information
TypePublic
PrincipalWilliam Egan
Staff96.35 (FTE)[1]
Number of students1,284 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio13.33[1]
Color(s)Red and black
MascotRed Ram
Websitewww.ncps-k12.org/Domain/9

In 2017, it was ranked the best public high school in Connecticut, and one of the top 200 in the nation.[2] In 2018, 21 seniors won national recognition in the National Merit Scholarship program.[3] New Canaan High School was ranked 74th in the nation for best STEM high school by U.S. News & World Report.[4]

The school is a part of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, otherwise known as the FCIAC. The New Canaan Rams have won numerous state championships. New Canaan is known for its competitive football, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, volleyball, and track teams. Its football team holds 22 state championships and is consistently a top 10 team in the state.[5][6] In 2016, its boys lacrosse team was ranked 3rd in the nation.[7]

History

Construction on the current school building was finalized in 1971. The school is located on grounds donated by the Lapham family, carving off approximately 46[8] acres of Waveny Park.

The donations of land came in two installments, one being 31 acres (130,000 m2) in 1964 and the second being 15 acres (61,000 m2) in 1966.

The school is at the intersection of Farm Road and South Avenue, with the latter being a major thoroughfare into and out of downtown New Canaan. The school is set back from South Avenue by a 19-acre (77,000 m2) wetlands buffer which includes running trails, a part of Waveny Park.

In August 2018, two lunch ladies from the school were arrested and accused of stealing about $500,000 from the cafeteria over a five-year period. The school received nationwide attention for the arrests.[9]

For the purpose of comparison with the achievement levels of similar schools, the state Department of Education classifies schools and communities in "District Reference Groups," defined as "districts whose students' families are similar in education, income, occupation and need, and that have roughly similar enrollment." New Canaan is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (the others are Darien, Westport, Wilton, Weston, Ridgefield, Easton, and Redding.).[10] "Report" (PDF). sdeportal.ct.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-11.

Campus

The school recently completed a multi-year, $60+ million renovation.[11] An additional $14 million was spent on asbestos abatement, a portion of which was reimbursed through the settlement of an asbestos related lawsuit.[12]

In 2010, the program was honored by the American Association of School Librarians with the National School Library Program of the Year Award and the Connecticut Association of School Librarians with the state equivalent, the Bernice "Bunny" Yesner School Library Media Program of the Year Award. It also received honorable mentions for instructional collaboration from two international educational technology organizations: the International Society for Technology in Education and the Consortium for School Networking.

According to the NCHS parking registry, the three most popular cars for NCHS students in 2016 were the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the BMW X3.[13]

Athletics

New Canaan High School is part of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC).[14] The main rival of the New Canaan Rams within the FCIAC are the Darien Blue Wave.[15]

Football

The school's football team, dubbed the Rams, defeated Darien High School in 2018 in their annual Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl, the biggest rivalry between the two schools.[16] The school's football coach, Lou Marinelli, is well renowned for his unique style of coaching. As of 2018, this will be his 38th season as head coach, and he has been coaching since 1981. He is the winningest coach in CT high school football state history. At New Canaan he has won a total of 12 State Championships (1982, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). His total career record is 340 wins, 103 losses and 7 ties. His record against arch rival Darien is 24-16-1.[17]

Football Game at NCHS

Lacrosse

The varsity lacrosse program was founded by Howard Benedict in 1973, and he coached the team for 34 years. Benedict is considered one of the greatest high school lacrosse coaches of all time.[18] The girls' lacrosse team earned state titles in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018.[19] The boys earned state titles in 1996, 2001, 2003, 2015, 2016 and 2017.[19]

Soccer

The varsity boys' soccer program won its first ever state championship in 2005. The team was coached by Eric Swallow, currently the athletic director at Southington High School.[20] The boys went on to win the state championship in 2006 and 2010, as well.[19] The girls have won state championship in 1988, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2009.[19]

Basketball

On January 10, 2019, one of the school's players, Ryan McAleer, made national headlines on publications such as The Idaho Statesman and The Kansas City Star when he intercepted the ball from Stamford High midair with 0.9 seconds on the clock, then shot the ball from half-court and made it. The game was tied 49 to 49, so the shot helped them to win the game.[21] McAleer said, "I just lofted it up; I saw it and took it... As soon it left my hand, it felt good, and then I saw it go in and it was so surreal."[22] Also in 2019, the team won the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Division IV championship for the first time since 1962, topping Granby Memorial High School 55–39.[23] The boys' basketball team also earned CIAC class-level titles in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1956, 1957 and 1958.[19]

Swimming

In March 2019, the boys' swimming team won the CIAC Class L State Championship with a total score of 776.[24] The boys also came in second in the 2019 CIAC Boys Open Championship in 2019.[25]

Golf

The girls' varsity golf team has won the state championship title in 2003, 2008, 2017, 2018, and 2019. The boys' varsity team earned state titles in 1974, 1988, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 (co-champions with Notre Dame High School in West Haven) and 2015.[19]

Tennis

The boys' varsity tennis team won the CIAC Open Championships in 1968 (co-champions with Wethersfield High School), 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1976 (co-champions with Weston High School). The team has also won CIAC class-level championships in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985 (co-champions with Stamford High School, Glastonbury High School, and Greenwich High School), 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 (co-champions with Darien High School), 1992 (co-champions with Hall High School), 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 (co-champions with Wethersfield High School), 1999 (co-champions with Wethersfield High School), 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The girls' varsity tennis team won CIAC class-level championships in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.[19]

Field Hockey

The girls' varsity field hockey team won CIAC class-level championships in 1983, 1997, 2003, 2015 and 2016.[19]

Baseball

The boys' varsity baseball team won the CIAC Class L championship title in 2013, beating Waterford High School 3–0.[19]

Indoor Track

The boys' indoor track team won CIAC class-level championships every year from 1954 to 1958 and in 2011. The girls' indoor track team won the CIAC Open championship title in 1997 and 1998, as well as CIAC class-level titles each year from 1997 to 1999.[19]

Outdoor Track

The girls' outdoor track team won the CIAC Class MM championships each year from 2001 to 2004. The boys' team won the CIAC Class S championships each year from 1954 to 1958, in addition to the CIAC Class M championship in 1964 and CIAC Class L championship in 2007.[19]

Cross Country

The boys' cross country team won the CIAC Open Championship in 1964, in addition to CIAC class-level championships in 1961, 1963, 1964, 1973 and 1978. The girls' cross country team won CIAC class-level championships in 1995, 1996, and 2001.[19]

Ice Hockey

The boys' ice hockey team won the CIAC Class I Championship in 1972, beating Hamden High School with a score of 2–1.[19]

Academics

Forbes Magazine rated the school's education quality a 91.57 out of 100 in 2011.[26]

80% of seniors have taken at least one college level class.[27]

The average SAT score is a 1290, and the average composite ACT score is a 30.[28]

The school offers Advanced Placement, Honors-level and accelerated courses, but has no IB programs.

Advanced Placement

The AP Program at New Canaan High has a 93% AP Test pass rate[27] and consists of 30 AP Courses in all fields of the 38 total that are offered.[29] They include:

Theater

The New Canaan High School theater program has earned Best Choreography in a Musical (2017, 2018), Outstanding Contemporary Musical (2018), Outstanding Contemporary Play (2016), Outstanding Running Crew (2016), Best Classical Musical (2015), Best Musical (2014), Best Dancing (2013, 2014), Best Original Program Cover Design (2014), Best Sound Design (2014), Best Lighting Design (2013) and Best Props Design and Management (2013) at the High School HALO Awards.[37]

Notable alumni

Pictures
  • Lower Field - artificial turf and lights
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References
  1. "New Canaan High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. "New Canaan Ranked Top High School In Connecticut". New Canaan Daily Voice. August 8, 2017.
  3. "2018 National Merit Scholars" Check |url= value (help). http.
  4. "2020 Best STEM High Schools in America". US News. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  5. "New Canaan Rams | Football".
  6. "New Canaan Ranked In Top 5 In CT High School Football Poll". New Canaan, CT Patch. October 11, 2017.
  7. "Super 25 Boys Lacrosse Expert Rankings | USA TODAY High School Sports".
  8. "1974 Agreement on High School property". Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  9. "Lunch Lady Sisters Accused of Stealing Nearly $500,000 From School Cafeterias". Time.
  10. http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/Files/Pdf/Reports/db_drg_06_2006.pdf
  11. "New Canaan High School Building Committee Update" (PDF).
  12. "Asbestos Lab Settles with School District | Mesothelioma Lawyer & Asbestos Cancer Resource | Sokolove Law".
  13. Dinan, Michael. "New Canaan High School's Most Popular Cars". NewCanaanite.com.
  14. Athletics - This Week
  15. Ruden, Dave (November 28, 2016). "It Seems To Me: Darien-New Canaan Rivalry Sits Alone In State Penthouse". The Ruden Report.
  16. "New Canaan Rams | Football".
  17. "New Canaan Rams | Lou Marinelli".
  19. "CIAC Sports Champions Database Search". content.ciacsports.com. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  20. http://www.myrecordjournal.com/latestnews/article_b95301d6-f3cd-5c64-8acd-37c808a3cdba.html
  21. https://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/article224334015.html
  22. Grathoff, Pete. "High school basketball team scores six points in game's last second for 'surreal' win". kansascity.com. The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  23. "New Canaan tops Granby in Division IV for first state title since 1962". GameTime CT. 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  24. "CIAC Boys L Championship". www.collegeswimming.com. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  25. "CIAC Tournament Central". content.ciacsports.com. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  26. Fisher, Daniel. "Tables: America's Best School Districts For Your Housing Buck". Forbes. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  27. "New Canaan High School Scores Continue Upward Trend". New Canaan, CT Patch. October 11, 2018.
  28. "Explore New Canaan High School". Niche.
  29. "Program of Study 2020-21 / Academic Expectations and Policies" Check |url= value (help). http.
  30. "Program of Study 2020-21 / Career and Technical Education" Check |url= value (help). http.
  31. "Program of Study 2020-21 / English" Check |url= value (help). http.
  32. "Program of Study 2020-21 / Mathematics" Check |url= value (help). http.
  33. "Program of Study 2020-21 / Social Studies" Check |url= value (help). http.
  34. "Program of Study 2020-21 / Science" Check |url= value (help). http.
  35. "Program of Study 2020-21 / World Languages" Check |url= value (help). http.
  36. "Program of Study 2020-21 / Visual and Performing Arts" Check |url= value (help). http.
  37. "Awards". New Canaan High School Theatre. Retrieved 2019-03-23.

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