Portland Public School Department News

Portland High School has received state and national grants that will allow the school to double the number of Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered next year. The six new courses will be in English language and composition, psychology, statistics, chemistry, French and Latin.

The school received a $20,000 Advanced Placement Incentive Program grant through the state of Maine to pay for calculators, study guides, textbooks and tutoring during the school year and summer for AP students. Portland High also won a National Governor’s Association grant to train new AP teachers. The grant will pay for summer workshops for teachers, the purchase of books and supplies and a mentoring program.

The Advanced Placement Program offers students an opportunity to take one or more college-level courses while still in high school. The AP Program is not just for the top students or those headed for college. The only requirements to take an AP course are strong curiosity about the subject and willingness to work hard.

Currently, Portland High offers six AP courses, in English literature, U.S. history, calculus, biology, Spanish and studio art.

To find out more about the AP courses, please call the Portland High guidance department at 874-8255.

Parents and community members contributed more than 41,000 hours to Portland Public School students from September 2005 to January 2006, according to the Portland Education Partnership. That amounts to a 4 percent increase over last year. Volunteers help out in classrooms, chaperone field trips, coach sports teams, tutor students who need extra help and do many other jobs.

“Volunteers enrich students’ learning experiences and support their academic progress,” said Susan L. Steele, the Partnership’s director. “Portland residents recognize that our children are our future and are willing to invest in them,” she said.

In addition to the efforts of individual volunteers, 120 local business and community organizations partnered with Portland schools between September 2005 and January 2006. They contributed needed funds and donated products and services to meet the needs within the school community. In-kind goods and services donations exceeded $125,000 — an 80 percent increase over this time last year.

For more information, please contact the Portland Education Partnership office at 842-5431 or steels@portlandschools.org.

Deering High School is working with the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence on a coordinated plan to deal with harassment, an issue facing schools throughout the country. The school held meetings with student leaders, staff, parents and community members on March 13 to discuss the problem at Deering and steps that will be taken to address it. Brief presentations were planned for all Deering classes on March 14.

The Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence in Portland conducted focus groups with Deering students at all four grade levels last October. Students were asked about their perceptions of bias, stereotyping and harassment at the school, as well as positive actions to address those problems.

The center’s report cites particular concern about racial, sexual, anti-gay and religious harassment at the school. At the same time, the report expresses confidence that Deering students and staff will respond in bold and creative ways.

“This is a national problem in schools at all levels and in all communities,” said Deering Principal Ken Kunin. “We are committed to confronting the problem directly through communication and education. Our aim is to share students’ perceptions broadly to our community and to work to address concerns.”

The full report is on the Deering High website: http://deering.portlandschools.org/.

The Portland School Committee voted unanimously on March 8 to rename the city?’s Expeditionary Learning high school as Casco Bay High School. Students initiated the name change last October.

A naming committee that included students, parents, staff and administrators solicited ideas from the community. Most of the more than 100 proposals fell into three categories: famous or extraordinary people, concepts related to Expeditionary Learning or local geography.

The committee decided that the name should be memorable, recognizable, unique, easy to say and official-sounding. The group also wanted a name that embodies what the school stands for and that cannot be easily ridiculed. Based on those criteria, the committee winnowed the list to a small number of finalists and sought additional input from parents, students and community members. After reviewing the responses, the naming committee chose Casco Bay High School by consensus.

The high school opened in September on the second floor of Portland Arts and Technology High School. More than 80 freshmen currently attend the school. A new grade will be added for each of the next three years.