Amherst Regional High School (Massachusetts)

Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) is a secondary school in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, for students in grades 9–12. It is part of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District, which comprises the towns of Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury, Massachusetts.[3] Its official colors are maroon and white. ARHS's current principal, beginning in the 2019-20 academic year, is Gene T. Jones, Jr.[4]

Amherst Regional High School
Address
21 Mattoon Street

Amherst
,
Massachusetts
01002

United States
Coordinates42°22′51″N 72°30′46″W
Information
School typePublic High School
Open enrollment[1]
MottoVeritas Unitas Caritas
(Truth Unity Charity)
Founded1956
SuperintendentMichael Morris
PrincipalGene T. Jones, Jr.
Teaching staff70.81 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment924 (2018-19)[2]
Student to teacher ratio13.05[2]
LanguageEnglish with ELL programs
AreaAmherst, Pelham, Leverett, Shutesbury
Color(s)Maroon and White          
MascotHurri the Hurricane
Team nameHurricanes
NewspaperThe Graphic
YearbookThe Goldbug
Websitearhs.arps.org

Academics

Amherst Regional High School ran on a trimester system until switching to a semester system in 2016. The students used to take five courses per trimester: normally, three to four were academics, and one to two were electives. Most academic classes ran for two trimesters. They ran either straight through or were broken up by the winter trimester. The exception to this was some social studies and English courses that were a trimester each and some music and AP courses that ran for all three trimesters. Under the current semester system, student take seven classes per semester with a rotating drop schedule. Some classes run for one semester and some for the full academic year.

Most students take five academic subjects (four for students not taking a world language) worth 4 credits each, or the equivalent, each year. The equivalent of a four-credit subject may be two separate classes within the same department. Only credits earned during grades 9-12 count toward graduation. Most full-year courses in grades 9-12 earn 4 credits and most one semester courses earn 2 credits. To graduate, each student must earn a total of 88 credits in grades 9-12, including the following:

  • English: 16 credits (including at least one semester-long literature course in both 11th and 12th grade)
  • Social Studies: 12 credits (4 of which must meet the U.S. History requirement)
  • Mathematics: 8 credits
  • Science: 8 credits in laboratory courses
  • Physical Education—Adventure Challenge: 2 credits (taken in 10th grade)
  • Health Education: 2 credits (taken in 9th grade)

ARHS has 11 departments and programs in total that all offer a variety of classes for students:

  • Art
  • English
  • English Language Education
  • Mathematics
  • Performing Arts
  • Health, Family, and Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Business, Technology, and Computer Science Education
  • World Languages (Chinese, French, Latin, and Spanish)

Extracurricular/non-academic activities

Sports

The school's sports teams are known as the Hurricanes.

The boys' cross-country team has been listed in the top 100 high school teams in America, and has won many Western Massachusetts championships, most recently in 2018.[5] In 2001 they won the State Championship.

ARHS is one of many high schools in Massachusetts with a nationally ranked Ultimate program.[6][7] The program hosts the annual Amherst Invitational Ultimate Tournament which pits 30 high school teams from across the country in the oldest and one of the largest high school tournaments in the USA.[8]

The 1992–1993 girls' basketball team inspired the book In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeleine Blais.

The Football team won the 1999 Massachusetts High School Super Bowl by defeating Southbridge, 27–7. It was the first Super Bowl win for Amherst in 25 years.[9][10]

The boys' soccer team won the first Western Massachusetts Division I Championship in school history in 2012. That team reached the 2012 State Finals, losing to Needham 1-0. The boys' soccer team won the program's second championship in 2014 after beating West Springfield 1-0. The program won its third title in 5 years in 2016.

Amherst High Athletics came to national attention in the fall of 2016 when the entire volleyball team with the exception of one player decided to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem at an away game against rival Minnechaug on Oct. 7, 2016. The sole player who choose to stand was profiled by ESPN.[11]

State championships
  • Girls' Cross-Country: Seven since 1990
  • Boys' Cross-Country: 2001
  • Girls' Basketball: 1993
  • Boys' Basketball: 2003
  • Baseball: 2010[12]
  • Boys' Indoor Track: 2014, 2015

Survival living

ARHS is one of the few schools in the nation to offer a Wilderness Survival program.[13] The class meets after school from January through June, and covers subjects such as orienteering, wilderness first aid, emergency shelters, wild edibles, and emergency fire-building.

Performing arts

ARHS has a program in music, dance, and theater for beginners and experienced students.

List of Music Ensembles

  • Symphonic Orchestra (audition based upper-level orchestra; often plays the music for the graduation ceremony)
  • Philharmonia (freshmen orchestra/open to all string players)
  • Chorale (audition based upper-level SATB choir)
  • Hurricane Singers (audition based upper-level treble choir)
  • Concert Choir (non-audition choir, open to anyone interested in singing)
  • Jazz Band (audition based upper-level band)
  • Wind Ensemble (audition based upper-level band of woodwinds and percussion)
  • Symphony Band (freshmen band/open to all brass, woodwind, and percussion players)

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - Error Page" (PDF). www.doe.mass.edu.
  2. "Amherst Regional High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  3. "Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools - Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools". www.arps.org.
  4. "ARPS Staff Directory | Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools". www.arps.org. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. "Amherst reclaims boys Division 1 cross country title | GazetteNet.com". Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  6. "USA Ultimate youth boys rankings". Archived from the original on 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  7. "USA Ultimate youth girls rankings". Archived from the original on 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  8. "2012 Amherst Invitational Tournament Website". Archived from the original on June 24, 2012.
  9. Fitchburg Sentinel from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Monday, December 8, 1975, Page 8
  10. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Super Bowl history from 1972–2013, Boston Herald, August 10, 2014
  11. http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/18519123/the-national-anthem-experience#!ourflagwasstillthere
  12. "2010 MIAA Baseball - State Division 1". Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-05-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2014-04-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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