Until last July, an education at an independent high school in Rockland was mainly available to students whose families could afford the tuition.
Since then, with a letter of accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in hand, and approved as an accredited high school by the Maine Department of Education (DOE), the Watershed School is able to offer their full curriculum “for students who want to learn more” to more prospective students. The school’s mission is to, “establish a learning community that cultivates excellence, creativity, respect, and compassion.”
For the first time in the school’s eight year history, prospective students from around the state will have access to the local funding that will help pay for the $11,500 per year tuition. Maine towns with school choice pay its portion of tuition cost for student residents.
Administrative Director Laura McGrath said the cost share for towns with school choice depends on the district. Towns in the district covered by AOS 93, for example, would pay approximately $8000 per student each year, a cost determined by the DOE. Students’ families are responsible for the remaining costs. McGrath said they also help families who receive state funding obtain financial aid.
The private day school joins a list of other accredited high schools such as Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, North Yarmouth Academy, Kents Hill School and the Hyde School in Bath.
Two students from Damariscotta and Newcastle currently attend The Watershed School. Head of School Will Galloway said the goal was to have around 40 students each year, a student population number McGrath said would be ideal. This year there are 28 students. Lincoln County students Noah Begin and Colin Schott have joined their peers on trips to Quebec City for Winter Carnival, they participate in all school meetings, call their teachers by first name and learn from others in the greater community outside the classroom.
The Watershed School shares space with the Lincoln Street Center for Arts and Education in an 1868 brick building, home of the former Rockland High School. The building has pottery studio space, a dance studio, a 300 seat auditorium and a gymnasium. Students share the building with a community of painters, clay sculptors, musicians, photographers, performers and other artists. While this building serves as the school’s central meeting place, much of the learning extends beyond the boundaries of classroom walls.
The school is non-traditional from a number of standpoints. The day starts at 9 a.m. A poster on the wall of the all school meeting room had an agenda item on it one recent Tuesday afternoon that read, “Senior Project proposal presentations.”
McGrath said this first agenda item asks seniors to share their project ideas. It invests the rest of the student body and strengthens a student’s commitment to a project. McGrath said students can post topics, which everyone, students and teachers alike, will discuss. Every person at the assembly has a chance to speak on any given topic as a “meeting feather” is passed around the room.
As described on the school website (www.watershed-school.org), students learn about the world around them and about themselves through their involvement in group activities on field trips, working with local organizations, artists and other professionals and by participating in events. The fall semester starts off with a four-day canoe and camping trip along the St. George River.
“It’s a great way to get everybody together,” McGrath said, emphasizing how students develop a sense of teamwork and overcome challenges. In addition to the initial bonding effect the trip has, it can also be a physical challenge. “It can be a long day of paddling.”
Classes are small, with up to 10 students. Many faculty members are college professors in addition to teaching at the Watershed School. As Latin teacher Heather Wyman said, interaction between students and teachers is open. Students have input into the design of their curriculum and have chances to speak during all school meetings each week.
Wyman said Watershed has always been an independent high school, with grades 9 – 12. One feature that sets this school apart from others is its size, as well as its credit system. There are no grades, but students get credit for the courses they successfully complete.
Through a comprehensive curriculum of science, humanities and the arts students prepare for college by developing, “effective intellectual habits, leadership and responsibility.” The school offers a foundation of English, science, mathematics, history and a number of arts-related courses. Students also choose elective and independent study subjects.
Photography lessons take place downtown at the Community Darkroom. Professional artist and faculty member Susan Beebe teaches studio art at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Students also meet with a personal trainer at the Mid-Coast Gym.
The school’s size might limit it’s ability to manage large, traditional sports teams in hockey or baseball, but that doesn’t stop them from being creative and offering many other activities. Their weekly schedule mentions physical education, fencing, African and Latin dance, Tai Chi, yoga, and other activities. The school also has a sailing team and a very active ultimate frisbee team called the, “Tremuloides.”
Senior Emily Lane writes of her experience on the school website, “It’s truly the students’ school. Not only do we have a huge say in what happens to our school academically and organizationally, we make it what it is by just our presence and our friendships with each other and our teachers.”
Pia Walther is an exchange student attending the Watershed School from her hometown of Gorlitz, Germany. She writes, “This school is very unique and I love being here so much! I also enjoyed the canoe trip a lot. It was a good way of getting to know all the students. I could not imagine a better school for my exchange year in the U.S.”
Noah Kai, who hails from Damariscotta writes, “I like watershed because of the mutual respect, friendship and willingness to learn between both students and faculty.”
Galloway describes the typical Watershed School student as an “enthusiastic learner”. Students who come to the school, he said, might have had an experience where their enthusiasm for learning was suppressed or discouraged. Maybe their peers decided school wasn’t “cool” or they felt they couldn’t raise their hands during class.
Students chose to come to the Watershed School, because they see it as a place that encourages enthusiastic learning, Galloway said, adding, “With accreditation we want to make school accessible and affordable.”
Students benefit from the partnerships the school has with local organizations and the surrounding community. Studies abroad and international exchange students offer first hand experiences to learn from the global community. Students participate in events such as the Camden Conference and the Mid-Coast Forum on International Relations. They have traveled to New York City for a National High School event, conducted research in Boston and attended lectures at Bowdoin College. McGrath said their positive interaction and representation at these different events demonstrate, “how amazing the students are.”
The first step in the admissions process is up to each prospective student.
“They need to want to be here,” McGrath said, adding that the school asks prospective students to have at least two all day visits to see if they can envision attending.
There is an application process and a placement exam, McGrath said, but ultimately the admissions committee determines whether or not the school is able to meet the needs of each student.
To learn more about the school, visit the website at: www.watershed-school.org. The physical address is: 24 Lincoln St., Rockland, 04841. For more information call 207-594-1873.
