Norwell High School (Massachusetts)
Norwell High School is a public secondary school, accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. It is located in Norwell, Massachusetts, United States. The school includes approximately 50 full-time teachers. Its students consistently score above state and national averages on the SAT and other standardized tests, and on average, 97% of students from each graduating class at Norwell High School continue on to post-secondary education.
NHS has been ranked as the 12th best secondary school in Massachusetts, and is ranked in the top 6% for best public education high schools in the country by Newsweek Magazine.
Administration
On July 1, 2011, William Fish became the new principal of Norwell High School, replacing Matthew Keegan, who had been serving the school since 2006. The school's administration includes assistant principals Matthew Marani and Jennifer Greenberg. The school's administration also includes four guidance counselorsToward the end of the 1980s Norwell High School lowered their grading system, as the numbers were higher than standard grading systems.
The school's staff also includes nine cafeteria workers and six custodians.
Academics
The school's faculty offers a wide array of academic courses in several departments. Students that attended NHS are required to take four years of English, History, Mathematics and Science courses. Students are required to take at least three years of a Foreign Language. Some students complete their first year of foreign language while in middle school so they will only have to complete two years; some students choose to take their fourth and fifth year of a language and continue these courses into college. Students are required to take at least two years of Health/Physical Education. Students are also allowed to take other courses including classes in art, music and technology, as seen below.| Course Name | Notes |
| English | Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors take classes involving American and World Literature. Seniors are allowed for their final year school to choose through array of courses for their English class including a class on the study of Shakespeare's work, a creative writing class, Nonfiction, Adolescent in Literature and two other AP courses. |
| Social Studies | Classes offered for students include: World History, US History, European History, Psychology, Economics, Law, Gender/Race/Class, American Government, The Holocaust and Human Behavior, Modern War |
| Mathematics | Classes offered for students include: Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics and Discrete Mathematics, Calculus and Problem Solving. |
| Science | For science freshmen take Biology. NHS also offers an AP course for biology that students are allowed to take after freshmen year. Sophomores are required to take Chemistry in their second year at the school. Like biology, NHS offers an AP course for chemistry that students are allowed to take after their sophomore year. Juniors are required to take Physics. Like that of biology and chemistry, NHS offers an AP class for students to take after their Junior year. Seniors are allowed to choose which science class they want for their final year at the school. These classes include Anatomy, Astronomy, Marine Biology and Renewable Energy. |
| Foreign Language | NHS offers four languages for students to choose from. As of 2015 the classes include: Arabic, Spanish, French and Latin, including AP course offerings in each and courses specializing in Vergil, Horace and Catullus. |
| Art | Studio Art. When students reach a certain level in their art studies they are allowed to paint a painting on a wall located somewhere in the school. The school also offers Digital Photography classes and a Film class. |
| Music | NHS offers students Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, mixed Chorus, Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Workshop. The ensembles usually perform four to five major concerts a year, on special occasions including graduation, and for dozens of other events each year in the community. |
| PE/Health | Students are required to take two years of Health/Physical Education. After they complete course, students are allowed to choose between other Physical Educations classes. These classes include: Strength Training, Lifetime Activities, Yoga, Pilates and Lifetime Fitness |
| Applied Technology | Students are allowed to take other classes during their time at NHS. Students can take classes that include: Publications and Presentations, Web Design, Computer Animation, Computer Repair, TV Studio, Robotics, CAD, Engineering the Future and Building Construction |
| Special Education | Skills Program, Direct Academic Instruction, Life Skills, Work Experience, Life Skills Reading, Content Area Reading |
| Theater | Students may also take an Acting class taught by the school's current director of the Fourth Wall Players, Chris Lacy |
In 2009 the school began Arabic classes after teachers asked for them to be established. As of 2015 25 students take Arabic I and 10 take Arabic II. As of 2015 few other high schools in Massachusetts offer Arabic.
Athletics
Norwell High School offers several sports programs for students that include:| Sport | Notes |
| Baseball | Boys JV, Boys Varsity |
| Basketball | Boys Freshman Team, Boys JV, Boys Varsity / Girls Freshman Team, Girls JV, Girls Varsity |
| Cheerleading | Girls Game Team, Girls Competition Team |
| Cross Country | Boys JV, Boys Varsity / Girls JV, Girls Varsity |
| Field hockey | Girls JV, Girls Varsity |
| Football | Boys Freshman Team, Boys JV, Boys Varsity |
| Golf | Boys JV, Boys Varsity |
| Gymnastics | Girls Varsity |
| Hockey | Boys JV, Boys Varsity / Girls Varsity |
| Lacrosse | Boys Freshman, Boys JV, Boys Varsity / Girls Freshman, Girls JV, Girls Varsity |
| Skiing | Boys & Girls Co-ed Varsity & JV |
| Spring track and field | Boys & Girls Co-ed |
| Soccer | Boys JV, Boys Varsity, Boys Freshman / Girls JV, Girls Varsity, Girls Freshman |
| Softball | Girls JV, Girls Varsity |
| Swimming and Diving | Boys & Girls Co-ed |
| Tennis | Boys JV, Boys Varsity / Girls JV, Girls Varsity |
| Volleyball | Girls Varsity, Girls JV |
| Winter track and field | Boys & Girls Co-ed |
| Wrestling | Boys & Girls Co-ed |
In 2014, Norwell added two synthetic turf fields and a track and field facility to their athletic complex.
Co-curricular activities
Roughly 90% of Norwell High School's students participate in co-curricular activities. An means the club is now defunct. The school boasts a wide range of clubs and activities, including but not limited to:| Club | Notes |
| Amnesty International student chapter | |
| A.F.S. | |
| Animal Activist club | |
| Art club | |
| Pep Band | |
| Best Buddies | |
| Book Club | |
| Bowling club | |
| Chess Club | |
| Conspiracy Theory Club | |
| Dance Team | |
| Decibelles | A cappella vocal group |
| Diversity Club/Gay-Straight Alliance | |
| Fourth Wall Players | The Fourth Wall Players is an accomplished, award-winning theater company. The 4WPs compete in the Massachusetts Festival, and were state finalists in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2015. In 2008 and 2015 they represented Massachusetts in the New England Theater Festival. |
| Environment Club | |
| Equestrian Club | |
| French Club | |
| Film Club | |
| The Halyard | The school's literary and art magazine |
| Junior State of America | |
| Invisible Children | |
| Latin Club | |
| Math Team | |
| Medical Careers Club | |
| Mock Trial | |
| National Honor Society | |
| Norwell Navigator | The school's newspaper. |
| Paint Ball Club | |
| Peer Education | |
| Robotics Club | |
| Sailing Club | |
| Snowboarding Club | |
| Space Cadet Club | |
| Spanish Club | |
| Surf culture | |
| Student Government | |
| Tri-M Music Honor Society | |
| Ultimate Frisbee | |
| Yearbook | |
| Young Democrats | |
| Young Republicans |