Ponaganset High School is a school of the Foster-Glocester School District, located in
Glocester, Rhode Island
Glocester is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the 2020 census. The villages of Chepachet and Harmony are in Glocester. Putnam Pike ( U.S. Route 44) runs west through the town center of Gl ...
in
Providence County
Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state capi ...
. (It has a
North Scituate, Rhode Island
North Scituate is a village in the town of Scituate, Rhode Island. Since 1967, the village has been home to the Scituate Art Festival. address for postal purposes.) The majority of
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
students live in the rural towns of Glocester and
Foster, Rhode Island
Foster is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, in the United States. The population was 4,469 at the 2020 census.
History
Foster was originally settled in the 17th century by British colonists as a farming community. In the year 1662, ...
. This is a public high school, known for its music program, AP and honors classes, as well as its CTE approved pathways; Plant Systems, Animal Systems, Materials and Manufacturing, Pre-Engineering, Music Technology, Music Performance, and Pending Programs: Computer Science and Information Technology, and Biomedical. The school's athletic teams are known as the "Chieftains," and the
FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...
Team is known as "5112, The Gongoliers." The principal is Renee Palazzo.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 722 students enrolled for 2012-2013 was:
*Male - 51.5%
*Female - 48.5%
*Asian/Pacific islanders - 0.1%
*Black - 0.3%
*Hispanic - 0.3%
*White - 99.2%
*Multiracial - 0.1%
Additionally, 18% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Mascot
Ponaganset's mascot is the Chieftain. This has come under fire in recent decades as mascots with Native American imagery and symbolism has been reviewed. The regional school district is now deciding whether to keep a symbol many consider to be cultural appropriation, or to change it to something more appropriate as the local tribe, the Nipmuc, have been asking for.
Capital improvement plan
In the late 2000s, the school underwent a major multi-phase renovation in which the former middle school was re-located to a new building and the existing high school took over the old middle school structure. An indoor glass walkway was put in to attach the high school with the old middle school. The renovations were completed at the end of 2009.
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Notable alumni
* Sherwood C. Spring, retired United States Army Colonel and former NASA astronaut and graduate of the Class of 1963.
References
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North Scituate, Rhode Island
Schools in Providence County, Rhode Island
Public high schools in Rhode Island
Scituate, Rhode Island