Souhegan High School

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Souhegan High School
Souhegan Rear Entryway.jpg
Location
Souhegan High School
Amherst
,
New Hampshire

United States
Information
Type Public
MottoRespect, Trust, Courage
Opened1992 (Fall, First Class Year 1993)
PrincipalDana Curran [1]
Teaching staff67.00 (on an FTE basis) [2]
Enrollment691 (2023-2024) [2]
Student to teacher ratio10.31 [2]
Campus Exurb (exurban)
Color(s)Black and gold    [3]
MascotSabers [3]
Website shs.sau39.org

Souhegan Cooperative High School ( /saʊˈhiːɡən/ ) is a Coalition of Essential Schools high school located in Amherst, New Hampshire, in the United States. Students from Amherst and Mont Vernon attend Souhegan for 9th through 12th grades. There are about 750 students. The school was founded based on the work of Theodore R. Sizer, a former dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a notable American education reform leader, and the father of the Essential Schools movement. Notably, Souhegan's progressive reputation has been chronicled in the book Standards of Mind and Heart: Creating the Good High School by Tony Wagner, Peggy Silvia, and Dr. Robert A. Mackin (Teachers College Press, 2002). Based on this history, the school was founded with the mission "Souhegan High School aspires to be a community of learners born of respect, trust, and courage." The school name is derived from its proximity to the Souhegan River, which adjoins the school property. The word Souhegan comes from the Algonquin language, meaning "waiting and watching place". [4]

Contents

History

Authorized Regional Enrollment Area

The town of Amherst had long sought to apply economies of scale through a cooperative high school in partnership with adjoining towns and made several overtures in the late 1950s and early 1960s to neighboring Milford and other towns, but found no support. A proposal for a cooperative district with Bedford came to a vote in 1961, passing overwhelmingly in Amherst, but being defeated in Bedford. [5] : 224  In November 1964, Amherst and Milford entered into the state's first Authorized Regional Enrollment Area (or "AREA") agreement, a long-term tuition agreement under which Milford would retain ownership and absolute control of the high school and Amherst would pay tuition to Milford based upon Milford's per-pupil costs of the preceding year, plus a share of the school's capital debt, but had no voice in the school's governance; the agreement was irrevocable while the debt was carried. [5] : 225  Mont Vernon joined the AREA agreement and additionally sent its middle school students to Milford. Amherst was dissatisfied with the high school and its lack of voice, and "Milford felt that Amherst had educational ideas too rich for Milford's blood." [5] : 225  The school boards of Amherst and Milford tentatively planned in 1976 not to renew the AREA agreement in ten years when the high school's capital debt was anticipated to be paid off. [5] : 225  The Amherst School District appointed a committee to examine the alternatives, including building a high school of its own. The committee commissioned a study by an architectural and educational planning firm, published in 1982. [5] : 225 

Beginning in 1984, Amherst and Mont Vernon were each permitted to send one non-voting delegate to the Milford School Board, as was the high school's student body. Despite the tentative plan from nine years earlier for the towns' school districts to go their separate ways, negotiations for a prospective new AREA agreement began in 1985 with Amherst and Mont Vernon seeking significant improvements to the high school. The debt and the AREA agreement expired as expected at the end of the 1985–1986 academic year, while negotiations continued; its tuition terms continued under annual tuition agreements in the interim.

Cooperative High School Era

A regional school district was proposed and put before the voters of all three towns in 1988. The proposal was defeated at the Milford School District's special deliberative session. Days later, the Amherst School District held its special deliberative session, where Amherst voters established the Souhegan Cooperative School District. Mont Vernon followed suit within the week.

The school opened in 1992, on property previously owned by the Amherst School District, adjoining the Amherst Middle School and sharing some outdoor facilities. The school added a second building in 2003, called the Annex.

The school is part of the SAU-39 school district, which includes the middle and elementary schools in Amherst and Mont Vernon.

The current principal of the high school is Dana Curran. [1]

Recognition

In June 2009 Souhegan was listed #15 in "The Top of the Class", a ranking of the top 1,564 public high schools in the United States (approximately the top 6%) by Newsweek . [6]

In April 2016, officials from the U.S. Department of Education toured the school and met with students and staff to discuss Souhegan's involvement with P.A.C.E. (Performance Assessment of Competency Education), Competency Based Education and Deeper Learning initiatives. [7]

Souhegan consistently ranks as one of the best public high schools in New Hampshire:

Academics

The Annex The Souhegan Annex.jpg
The Annex

Unique programs

The four traditional grade levels at Souhegan are split into two. Division One consists of the Freshman and Sophomore years. Division Two consists of Junior and Senior years. The following project-based programs are core academic requirements:

Division I Exhibition

The Division I Exhibition is designed to help students recognize and acknowledge their progress in the Souhegan High School Academic Learner Expectations and the Mission Statement. It is a multipart process for sophomore students moving into their junior year. The first part of the process is for a student to complete a portfolio of 9th and 10th grade work reflecting on this work through the lens of the learner expectations. Next, using the information in the portfolio, students write a reaction to their entire Division I (9th and 10th grade) experience. The final part of the process is the exhibition, students participate in the form of a 45-minute "roundtable" where the student presents his/her portfolio and written reaction in the company of his/her advisor, parents, peers, and a second Souhegan staff member. The Division I Exhibition is a graduation requirement. Students who do not complete the Division I Exhibition will work with their advisor and counselor to develop a plan for meeting this requirement.[ citation needed ]

Junior Research Project

The Junior Research Project, a graduation requirement, is a research writing process that culminates with a comprehensive research paper written in the spring of the junior year. As part of the World Studies curriculum, students gain research and writing skills that aid them in the completion of this paper. In their final product, students exhibit their competence in the Academic Learner Expectations. The Junior Research Project is a graduation requirement.[ citation needed ]

Governance

Souhegan Rear East Entrance Souhegan Courtyard.jpg
Souhegan Rear East Entrance

Governance at Souhegan is unique among other public high schools. Given that inclusion and student voice are critical cultural components at the school, governance includes not only the Administration and the Souhegan Cooperative School Board, but also a Community Council. Community Council was founded in 1992 during Souhegan's first year of service. Its task is to create and modify school procedures as a representative body of forty-seven members. Council is purposefully diverse and purposefully student-led. The representatives discuss and vote on various proposals concerning student life, school initiatives, disciplinary procedure, grading procedure, and any other matter of importance to the school community.[ citation needed ]

Community Council

The Community Council is the main governing body of Souhegan. The Community Council has the power to create and change Souhegan's policies, including but not limited to:

All of the Community Council's power is derived from the Souhegan Cooperative School Board, rather than the school's administrators, which has the power to override any decision made by the Community Council. Community Council consists of parents, external community members, students, teachers, and administrative faculty, although all community members are encouraged to be a part of the discussions. [12] Community Council meets directly after school once each week, except for one night a month when the meeting takes place at night. The Community Council consists of:

Community Review Board

The Community Review Board is a body of community members that was created to ensure the fairness of disciplinary actions by the school's administration. The Community Review Board only has authority in cases that do not involve outside agencies, such as the police. The Community Review Board consists of eleven members , including:

The Community Review Board has the authority to:

In cases where the police department is involved, a student can appeal to the principal, superintendent, and then the school board. In cases where the school chooses not to pursue legal action, a student may still appeal to the CRB.

Souhegan Cooperative School Board

The Souhegan Cooperative School Board is a seven-member board that consists of five elected members serving Amherst, New Hampshire and two elected members serving Mont Vernon, New Hampshire. Different seats have terms of either two or three years, depending on the seat. Elections are held every year in March.[ citation needed ]

Athletics and clubs

Calvetti Family Field entrance Calvetti Family Field.jpg
Calvetti Family Field entrance

Athletics

The Souhegan Sabers compete across several divisions in the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association. The Sabers field 27 different girls, boys, and co-ed athletic teams.

Notable alumni and staff

Campus

Calvetti Field seating area Calvetti Field Seating Area.jpg
Calvetti Field seating area

References

  1. 1 2 "Contact Us". Souhegan High School. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Souhegan Coop High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Souhegan High School". New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ Caduto, Michael J. (2003). A Time Before New Hampshire: The Story of a Land and Native Peoples. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. p. 143.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Amherst New Hampshire 1881–1982: A Sleeping Town Awakens, The Historical Society of Amherst New Hampshire; Canaan (N.H.): Phoenix Publishing, 1983.
  6. ↑ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools". Newsweek. June 8, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  7. ↑ Duffort, Lola (August 19, 2017). "New Hampshire's testing pilot, PACE, gaining ground".
  8. ↑ "U.S. News Best High Schools in New Hampshire". U.S. News & World Report.
  9. 1 2 "2018 Best Public Schools in New Hampshire". Niche.com. 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  10. ↑ "New Hampshire High School Rankings". SchoolDigger.com. 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  11. ↑ "New Hampshire High Schools, College Readiness". U.S. News & World Report. 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Souhegan High School Community Council By-Laws" (PDF). Official school website. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Reuters wins Pulitzer for fentanyl investigation; New York Times takes four prizes" . Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ Ashlock, Alex (July 21, 2014). "New Hampshire Veteran Receives Medal Of Honor". WBUR. Boston. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
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