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Keene School District2007-2008
Current Contact Information: The mission of the Keene School District is to provide students with the tools to become productive and responsible citizens in an ever-changing world. School districts in New Hampshire are organized into School Administrative Units (SAUs). The Keene School District is part of SAU 29, which is made up of six independent school districts – Chesterfield (K-8), Harrisville (K-6), Keene (K-12), Marlborough (K-8), Marlow (K-6), Nelson (K-5) and Westmoreland (K-8). The Keene School District (KSD) is the largest of the SAU 29 districts with a student enrollment of 3,782. Keene is the county seat of Cheshire County and has a population of 22,780. There are five public elementary schools in Keene –Jonathan M. Daniels School, Benjamin Franklin School, John H. Fuller School, Symonds School and Wheelock School – one middle school, Keene Middle School, one high school, Keene High School, and a regional vocational high school, the Cheshire Career Center. The district employs about 640 people and has a budget of $52.8 for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The district is overseen by a voter-elected, nine-member Keene Board of Education, which sets policy, prepares the annual budget, and establishes district goals. ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:
Jonathan M. Daniels School
Benjamin Franklin School
John H. Fuller School
Symonds School
Wheelock School Student enrollment in Keene's five elementary schools (kindergarten through grade 5) is 1,114. Enrollments in the schools range from 325 students at Symonds School to 144 at Wheelock School. The average student-teacher ratio at the elementary level is 17:1 Because the neighborhood school concept is very important to the community, each of Keene's five elementary schools is located in a different part of the city and serves the families that live in that area. This system has encouraged each school to develop its own individual character, but because each teaches the same subject areas and comparable skills, all Keene elementary school children enter Keene Middle School (at grade 6) with a similar academic background. Recent initiatives at the elementary level that enhance the learning environment for children include full-day kindergarten, the Collins Writing Program, a core reading program, a strings program, an emphasis on the use of technology in the classroom, world language instruction, the introduction of the social curriculum and peer mediation, and intramural programs. Close collaboration with Keene State College and Antioch New England Graduate School for pre-service and teaching experiences, continued volunteer efforts and strong community support contribute to the success of Keene's elementary schools. Each of the schools is committed to providing a quality educational program to each child in a positive and highly motivating environment.
Keene Middle School Approximately 729 students in grades 6 through 8 attend Keene Middle School (KMS). A staff of 78 certified professionals provide students with a balanced academic program and co-curricular opportunities. KMS receives students from several sending towns -- sixth, seventh and eighth graders from Keene and Stoddard, and seventh and eighth grade students from Marlow, Nelson and Harrisville. KMS's staff demonstrates a strong commitment to the middle school concept, which places an emphasis on positive student-teacher relationships and responsiveness to the interests and needs (academic, social, and emotional) of young adolescents. KMS practices include continual strengthening of a challenging curriculum, the introduction of a Master Notebook system to help students organize their work and improve their study skills, implementation of the Collins Writing Program to strengthen writing instruction, numerous enrichment activities, small student/faculty advisory groups, instructional teams, and flexible scheduling to meet student needs.
Keene High School Keene High School is the receiving school for the towns of Chesterfield, Harrisville, Keene, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Stoddard, Westmoreland, and Winchester. Enrollment in grades 9 through 12 is 1758 students. The average class size is approximately 22 students. KHS, a comprehensive high school accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, offers students a well-rounded academic program (approximately 195 course offerings) in a block format and numerous co-curricular (27 varsity teams and 38 clubs) activities. Twelve Advanced Placement courses are offered in the areas of English, world languages, math, social studies, art and science. Over the past five years, approximately 75 percent of graduating seniors have pursued post-secondary education. The staff at Keene High School has made a commitment to provide students opportunities to prepare themselves for the transition to higher education and the work force. Efforts in this area have been greatly facilitated by partnerships with area businesses and industries.
Cheshire Career Center Cheshire Career Center is one of 24 vocational schools in the state. The Center, which just completed a $6 million renovation, offers programs in business and office education (accounting, computer applications, and marketing), human services (early childhood education, health science technology, culinary arts, and cosmetology), and technology and trades (automotive, construction trades, drafting, electronics, horticulture, industrial communications, and machine tool) to students from Keene, Fall Mountain, and Monadnock Regional high schools. Currently about 800 Keene High School students and 59 students from the sending high schools take courses at the Center. Students combine classroom theory with real life experiences. For instance, students in culinary arts run their own restaurant which is open to the public, students in construction trades recently built a modular home for a family that lost their home to area flooding, and students in health sciences interested in a career in dentistry intern at local dental offices to explore that career field. |
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