NORTH HAVEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
In the Department of Education, we use North Haven as an example of what can be done by a small isolated community to provide meaningful education tailored to suit the needs of its children.
Dr. Carroll McGary, Maine State Commissioner of Education, at the dedication of the North Haven Community School, 1973
In 1971, islanders voted to approve $131,200 to build a new school for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 near the site of the High School - Center School. A newspaper article noted:
The sum of slightly more than $131,000 may seem low for erection of a new building but Anthony Bok, principal of North Haven High School, said the school will be of open concept construction, not unlike the old one-room schoolhouse but with two large rooms basically allowing much flexibility in handling different classes.
Dr. Carroll McGary, Maine State Commissioner of Education, at the dedication of the North Haven Community School, 1973
In 1971, islanders voted to approve $131,200 to build a new school for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 near the site of the High School - Center School. A newspaper article noted:
The sum of slightly more than $131,000 may seem low for erection of a new building but Anthony Bok, principal of North Haven High School, said the school will be of open concept construction, not unlike the old one-room schoolhouse but with two large rooms basically allowing much flexibility in handling different classes.
A committee chose the name North Haven Community School and construction was completed in December of 1972. Under one roof, the new school housed all island students, about 90 total in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Following a trend in open concept schooling, the building design was meant to be adaptable to the changing needs of students and teachers.
There weren’t many walls in the school then. When they needed to seperate rooms, they used walls with wheels on them.
Nancy Hopkins Davisson, NHCS Class of 1975, North Haven Community School yearbook, The Pilot, 2008
However, with the turn of the 21st century, it became increasingly apparent North Haven was again in need of a new school. After over 30 years of steady use, the island’s community school could not sustain decades more. Besides issues of mold, asbestos, and inadequate heating and ventilation, the building that was constructed on a shoestring budget at residential standards, was also overcrowded.
There weren’t many walls in the school then. When they needed to seperate rooms, they used walls with wheels on them.
Nancy Hopkins Davisson, NHCS Class of 1975, North Haven Community School yearbook, The Pilot, 2008
However, with the turn of the 21st century, it became increasingly apparent North Haven was again in need of a new school. After over 30 years of steady use, the island’s community school could not sustain decades more. Besides issues of mold, asbestos, and inadequate heating and ventilation, the building that was constructed on a shoestring budget at residential standards, was also overcrowded.
We love our current school, but it has outlived its lifespan. What used to be funky is now falling apart; instead of cozy, we are crowded; there isn’t even a foot of free wall space to showcase the wonderful work of our students.
North Haven Community School yearbook, The Pilot, 2008
In 2005, community members launched a campaign to privately raise $6 million for the school, in addition to $1.9 million committed by the town. Building the new school was the largest public works project in the history of the island.
With the advice of several summer resident architects, the design plans for the new community school mimicked island architecture with a series of “houses” connected by common spaces, rather than the cookie cutter design of many mainland schools. As plans for the new school evolved, students and teachers took on the project as yet another learning opportunity.
Students such as alumnus Jesse Davisson [Class of 2006] had essential roles in the building’s design. “For our math class, we made little modular homes out of cardboard and did light studies,” he says while leading a tour of the new building site. Students studied scale and fractions, oriented models according to the construction site plan, and placed them outside in the middle of the winter for a number of days. The results horrified them: Except for a few midday hours, shadows darkened the whole front of the school. “The light studies showed it would be a better idea if we flipped it so we had sunlight coming into the classrooms and the main entrance,” he says. Davisson, his classmates, and their teacher met with architects in Portland, and the students successfully argued for a reorientation of the school.
“Treasured Island," Edutopia, April/May 2008
Groundbreaking for the new school took place in 2007, with the construction site located just behind the older community school building and on land donated by neighbors Dick and Janet Witherspoon. In July 2008, the older North Haven Community School was razed and again, in island thriftiness, parts of the building were repurposed for local homes. With the dedication and ribbon cutting of the new school in August 2008, islanders celebrated another milestone in over two centuries of community education.
We believe that, as a unique island community, our small size is a part of our strength and that island life relies on cooperation, collaboration, and empathy, which foster an environment where every person is valued. Our mission is to educate, empower, and challenge all students to realize their full potential, as individuals and as citizens of the world, and to develop a life-long thirst for knowledge.
North Haven Community School mission statement, adopted in 2000
North Haven Community School is a tiny school with a huge heart…The people of North Haven Island have much to be proud of in their small school. Within the school there exists a spirit of cooperation, dedication, resourcefulness, and instructional focus that rivals the best schools in New England.
Wayne R. Ogden, Committee Chair, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Final Accreditation Report, 2001
North Haven Community School yearbook, The Pilot, 2008
In 2005, community members launched a campaign to privately raise $6 million for the school, in addition to $1.9 million committed by the town. Building the new school was the largest public works project in the history of the island.
With the advice of several summer resident architects, the design plans for the new community school mimicked island architecture with a series of “houses” connected by common spaces, rather than the cookie cutter design of many mainland schools. As plans for the new school evolved, students and teachers took on the project as yet another learning opportunity.
Students such as alumnus Jesse Davisson [Class of 2006] had essential roles in the building’s design. “For our math class, we made little modular homes out of cardboard and did light studies,” he says while leading a tour of the new building site. Students studied scale and fractions, oriented models according to the construction site plan, and placed them outside in the middle of the winter for a number of days. The results horrified them: Except for a few midday hours, shadows darkened the whole front of the school. “The light studies showed it would be a better idea if we flipped it so we had sunlight coming into the classrooms and the main entrance,” he says. Davisson, his classmates, and their teacher met with architects in Portland, and the students successfully argued for a reorientation of the school.
“Treasured Island," Edutopia, April/May 2008
Groundbreaking for the new school took place in 2007, with the construction site located just behind the older community school building and on land donated by neighbors Dick and Janet Witherspoon. In July 2008, the older North Haven Community School was razed and again, in island thriftiness, parts of the building were repurposed for local homes. With the dedication and ribbon cutting of the new school in August 2008, islanders celebrated another milestone in over two centuries of community education.
We believe that, as a unique island community, our small size is a part of our strength and that island life relies on cooperation, collaboration, and empathy, which foster an environment where every person is valued. Our mission is to educate, empower, and challenge all students to realize their full potential, as individuals and as citizens of the world, and to develop a life-long thirst for knowledge.
North Haven Community School mission statement, adopted in 2000
North Haven Community School is a tiny school with a huge heart…The people of North Haven Island have much to be proud of in their small school. Within the school there exists a spirit of cooperation, dedication, resourcefulness, and instructional focus that rivals the best schools in New England.
Wayne R. Ogden, Committee Chair, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Final Accreditation Report, 2001