Chelmsford High School is a public, coeducational

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 ...

founded in 1917. The current building is located in

North Chelmsford, Massachusetts North Chelmsford is an unincorporated village in the town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, United States. Although North Chelmsford has its own zip code (01863), library, post office, fire station, water district, and local calling area, it is other ...

, United States, and was built in 1974. Before 1974 the high school was located in the current McCarthy Middle School building. It serves as the public high school for students in grades nine through 12 and has been ranked among the top 500 schools in the nation by ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

''. It is part of a central campus that includes four of the town's seven schools. The three other schools at the central campus are the C. Edith McCarthy Middle School, the Col. Moses S. Parker Middle School and the Charles D. Harrington Elementary School.

House structure

The school is based on a three-house system. The houses are named after

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

and

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

, three famous New England writers. When the school was built, there was an additional house named for

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

. After a decade, the school branched out from the house system; the classes were no longer strictly divided into house hallways. Now, the house structure mainly serves administrative functions. Each house has two to three guidance counselors, a dean and an office. All students are assigned a house the year preceding their entrance into the school.

Renovations

The school has recently undergone extensive renovation. The renovations included a complete overhaul of all existing science classrooms as well as the construction of a second science wing in the space formerly used for district administration offices. New ceilings and floor tiles, electrical and HVAC upgrades, and a 1,000-seat state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center (P.A.C.) were added as well. The construction, completed in 2007, gave Chelmsford High School its own auditorium for the first time in its (then) 33-year history. Previously, any performances put on by the high school were held in the 600-seat auditorium of neighboring McCarthy Middle School, the town's former high school. The new P.A.C. serves as a forum for functions such as the performances by the school's music and theater programs and various assemblies. As of May 28, 2014 the P.A.C. has been named the "Carl Rondina Performing Arts Center" in honor of longtime chorus teacher and music director Carl Rondina who recently retired. More recently, renovations have been made in the gymnasium, applying a more modern look. Further facility upgrades completed in 2008 include new enclosed stairwells at the end of the two large classroom wings to improve building flow from floor to floor, as well as a renovated library media center. New lockers have also been installed in all sections of the building.

Athletics

The athletics teams from CHS compete in the

Merrimack Valley Conference The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is an organization that sponsors activities in thirty-three sports, comprising 374 public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The MIAA is a member of the ...

(MVC). The MVC has long been considered one of the most competitive leagues on a state level. Varsity sports offered include: *Fall **

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

** boys & girls cross country **

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

, ** boys & girls

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

** girls

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

& diving ** girls

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

*Winter ** boys & girls

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

** boys & girls

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

** boys & girls indoor

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

** boys & girls

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

** boys

& diving **

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

*Spring **

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

** boys & girls

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

** boys & girls

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

** boys & girls outdoor

** boys

Beginning in 2016–17, CHS entered into a cooperative girls hockey team with neighboring

Billerica Billerica (, ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying India ...

. Beginning in 2018–19, CHS entered into a cooperative girls gymnastics team with neighboring Billerica and Tyngsboro.

Massachusetts state championships

Chelmsford Lions 21st century MIAA State Championships include: * 2000: Wrestling Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2002: Boys Swimming & Diving Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2003: Boys Swimming & Diving Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2004: Boys Swimming & Diving Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2006: Girls Gymnastics Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2007: Football Eastern Massachusetts Division 1 Super Bowl Champions * 2008: Girls Swimming & Diving Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2013: Girls Swimming & Diving Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2016: Wrestling Division 1 MIAA State Champions * 2018: Wrestling Division 1 MIAA State Champions

Notable alumni

Notable Chelmsford High School alumni include: *

Keith Aucoin Keith M. Aucoin (born November 6, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues. Playing caree ...

, former NHL player for the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

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Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campu ...

* Nancy Bauer, author and nonfiction writer *

Jeff Bauman Jeff Bauman (born January 2, 1986) is an American author. He lost both of his legs during the Boston Marathon Bombing attack in 2013 and was the subject of a famous photograph taken in the aftermath of the bombing. The film '' Stronger'' is based ...

, author and survivor of the

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Phil Bourque Phillipe Richard Bourque (born June 8, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft; instead, he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 4, 1982. He is a dista ...

, former NHL player for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

* Gerry Callahan, radio show host, sports journalist, and podcaster * Dawn Clements, artist and teacher * George Condo, visual artist * Bill Cooke, former NFL player for the

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and

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* Dan Curran, former NFL player for the

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and

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Jack Eichel John Robert Eichel (born October 28, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eichel was selected second overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Be ...

, NHL player for the

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* J. Bryan Hehir, theologian, professor at

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, Secretary for Social Services for the

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Heather Linstad Heather Linstad (born February 26, 1963) is an American ice hockey coach, best known for coaching the UConn Huskies women's ice hockey program during 2000 to 2013 and the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) during the 2015� ...

, college ice hockey coach for the

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, film director and screenwriter, '' 11:14'', ''

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'' * Mark T. Maybury, 33rd Chief Scientist to the

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, chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Secretary of the U.S. Air Force * Sean McAdam, sports journalist and author *

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, former NHL player for the

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and

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, college basketball coach for the University at Albany Great Danes and former player * Marc Pelchat,

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speed skater *

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, author and illustrator of children's books * John Traphagan, anthropologist and author, professor at the

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* Lance Wilder, animator and longtime background designer on ''

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References

External links

CHS official website

Chelmsford Public Schools
{{Massachusetts Public High Schools Merrimack Valley Conference Public high schools in Massachusetts High schools in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Chelmsford, Massachusetts 1974 establishments in Massachusetts