George W. Stearns High School

George W. Stearns High School (commonly Stearns High School or SHS) is a coeducational public secondary school in Millinocket, Maine, United States, and is part of the Millinocket School Department. It serves students in grades 6–12. The school is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.[2]

Stearns High School
Address
199 State Street

Millinocket
,
Maine
04462

United States
Information
Other namesStearns Junior/Senior High School
School typePublic high school
Established1963
School districtMillinocket School Department
NCES School ID230828000227[1]
PrincipalFrancis Boynton
Faculty21.8 (FTE)
Grades6–12
Enrollment258[1] (2018–19)
Student to teacher ratio11.83
Campus typeRural Fringe[1]
MascotMinuteman
Websitemillinocketschools.org/.../Stearns_High_School

History

In the 1970s the school had about 700 students.[3]

As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 326 students and had 27.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 11.7.

International student program and Global Times controversy

By 2010 the enrollment had declined to about 200,[3] and the school began experiencing budget shortfalls,[4] prompting the school district administration to attempt to recruit international students.[3] The school planned to have 25, and later, 60 international students. Kenneth Smith, the superintendent, planned the international student recruitment.[5] The school district planned to charge $24,000 per student per year. It planned to use all of the Katahdin Inn as a dormitory for the students.[6]

In June 2011 Patrick Mattimore, an adjunct instructor at Tsinghua/Temple Law School, wrote a negative editorial in the Chinese Communist Party tabloid Global Times about the school.[7] Mattimore stated that a New York Times article provided the background information and that the editors of the Global Times had removed his credits to the NYT; Mattimore stated in a guest column for the Bangor Daily News "I wish the background had been credited."[8] In response to his critics, Mattimore wrote in the column that the article tone was "a little more “Mattimore versus Millinocket” than I would have liked" because some of his material about unethical recruiters for U.S. universities and high schools had been removed, and Mattimore stated that he planned to visit Millinocket to clarify the situation.[8]

Adam Minter, a U.S. journalist, asked Kenneth Smith and Eugene Conlogue, the town manager of Millinocket, to provide defenses against the Global Times article,[4] and Minter posted a criticism and rebuttal of the Mattimore article. Kenneth Smith accused Mattimore of having "suspect" credentials.[9] Max Fisher of The Atlantic accused the article of being a propaganda piece to discourage Chinese from sending their children to U.S. high schools.[4]

After the Global Times incident, a recruiter who stated plans to provide 60 students for Stearns ultimately did not provide students. The school only had six international students for the 2011-2012 school year. The district stated that it would continue to do the international student program.[5]

Academics

In 2007, the percentage of 11th grade students meeting the reading proficiency standard was 32%, and meeting the math standard was 21%.[10][11][12] Based on these results, it has received a GreatSchools rating of 4 out of 10.[13]

The University of Maine offers support from The Bartley Family Scholarship Fund to a graduate of the high school majoring in English or forestry.[14]

Extracurricular activities

Sports

Their teams are known as The Minutemen, and the school colors are royal blue and white.[15] The complete list of sports offered are:

  • Football
  • Softball
  • Basketball (Men's and Women's)
  • Baseball
  • Field hockey

Former Stearns basketball coach, George Wentworth, was inducted, posthumously, into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Wentworth's record while coaching Stearns High School was 478 wins to 153 losses. During the 31 years that Wentworth was the coach, Stearns won six Eastern Maine, four State, and one New England title,[16] and got the first glass backboards in the state.[17]

Arts

Activities in the Performing Arts Department are:

  • Band
  • Jazz Band
  • Pep Band
  • Chorus
  • Show Choir
  • Fall Musical
  • One act play

The Show Choir at Stearns is combined with the Show Choir at Schenck High School in East Millinocket, Maine. Together they won a state championship and the best choreography award in 2007, 2010, and 2011. They are also combined in Jazz Band, Pep Band, One Act, and Fall Musical. In One Act, they won 2nd place in the state behind Lisbon High School in 2019.[18]

References
  1. "Search for Public Schools - Stearns Jr-sr High School (230828000227)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  2. "State of Maine School Educational Profile". State of Maine DOE. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2008-04-06. Accreditation for Stearns High School is provided by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The school is currently accredited. The most recent evaluation for accreditation was conducted in 2007.
  3. Goodnough, Abby. "Needing Students, Maine School Hunts in China." The New York Times. October 27, 2010. p. A1 New York Edition. Retrieved on December 16, 2014.
  4. Fisher, Max. "China Launches Propaganda War Against Small Maine Town, Loses." The Atlantic. June 9, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2014.
  5. Canfield, Clarke. "Maine School Falls Vastly Short Of Chinese Recruiting Goal After Newspaper Labels School 'Mediocre'." Associated Press at the Huffington Post. August 12, 2011. Updated October 12, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2014. Also posted at NBC News.
  6. Nemitz, Bill (Columnist). "Bill Nemitz: Millinocket officials return fire after Chinese paper’s attack." Portland Press-Herald. June 12, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2014.
  7. Mattimore, Patrick. "US high schools no easy path to Ivy League." Global Times. June 6, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2014.
  8. Mattimore, Patrick (Guest Column). "Is a Millinocket education a good buy for Chinese families?" (Opinion). Bangor Daily News. June 15, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2014.
  9. Sambides, Nick Jr. "Chinese newspaper slams Millinocket; student recruiting effort sparks cold war of words." Bangor Daily News. June 10, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2014. "“The author is very suspect,” Smith said of Mattimore. “It depends on which story he is writing. One time he is [described on the website as] an adjunct professor, then he is a professor and another time he is [described as] nothing, and my suspicion is that he knows very little about Maine and certainly less about Millinocket. He is taking articles and other people’s writing and concentrating on as many negative points as possible.”"
  10. "Eleventh Grade English & Math Proficiency Levels at Stearns High School". SchoolMatters.com. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  11. http://www.schoolmatters.com/schools.aspx/q/page=sl/sid=92820/midx=GradeJ11
  12. "Reading & Math Proficiency at Stearns High School". SchoolMatters.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  13. "Stearns High School - Millinocket, Maine - ME - School overview". GreatSchools. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  14. "Scholarships for Graduates of a Particular High School". University of Maine. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  15. Stearns Minutemen. "Stearns Minutemen, Maine, High School Football". SportsPower. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  16. Nason, Jerry (25 Mar 1963). "No Odds, Betting, Ridicule, Booing, Name Calling, Rumbles: Nason Finds Maine Final 'Refreshing'". Boston Globe.
  17. Ken Anderson (July 17, 2003). "George Wentworth to be Inducted into New England Basketball Hall of fame". Magic City Morning Star. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-04-06. Some of the greatest moments in the history of Maine high school basketball have happened in Millinocket, involving George Wentworth and the Stearns Minutemen.
  18. http://www.wabi.tv/news/11134/millinocket-show-choirs-win-state-competition

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