Somerville High School is a public, four-year

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 ...

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area ...

, United States. The school offers a wide selection of classes and vocational programs. Classes offered include music, performing arts, journalism, TV and media production, ceramics, and computer applications. There are vocational programs in health careers, childhood development, electrical work, carpentry, auto repair, advanced manufacturing, graphic communications, drafting, cosmetology, culinary arts, and metal fabrication.

Reconstruction

New building of Somerville High School, May 2021

Somerville High School underwent extensive rebuilding in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Planning began in 2012, and voters passed a Proposition override in 2016. Construction began in April 2018, displacing students. The original 1895 building was retained, as was the facade of the 1929 War Memorial. A new connected building opened to a small number of high-need students in various grades on March 4, 2021, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts The COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts is part of an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The first confirmed case was reported on February 1, 2020, and the number of cases began increasi ...

. Construction on the auditorium and cosmetology lab was still in progress, and new athletic fields are expected to be complete by spring 2022. A new broadcast studio is shared with the city government, and the 750-person auditorium and a 100-person lecture hall will be available for community events. The new complex is with capacity for 1,590 students.

Extracurricular

Clubs and societies

Somerville High School students participate in a wide range of self-run extracurricular clubs and societies. Competitive clubs include its Trivia Team, Science League, and a

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
6201 The Highlanders
The Trivia team has sent students to compete a
WGBH's High School Quiz Show
They have competed on the show six times. Their most recent appearance was in the 2018–2019 school year. In the 2015–2016 school year, The Highlanders won Highest Rookie Seed and Rookie Inspiration Award. In the 2016–2017 school year, the Highlanders won Creativity Award, Gracious Professionalism as well as placing for Districts Championship and placing for the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis. In the 2018–2019 school year, The Highlanders won the Team Spirit Award.

Student publications

Somerville High School publishes an online student newspaper, ''The Piper,'' founded in 2011. Students contribute to ''The Piper'' through credited Journalism courses, as well as the school's Journalism club.

Sports

Somerville High School has a sports program, highlighted by the recent success of its Cross Country team, that went 6–0 in the

Greater Boston League The Greater Boston League (GBL) is a high school athletic conference in District B of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league originally included teams from the cities and towns of Medford, Malden, Somerville, Everet ...

in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, capturing the GBL championship each season. The girls' indoor track team was successful, going undefeated and also capturing the GBL indoor track championship in the 2007–08 through 2010 seasons. Somerville High's outdoor track team also won the GBL Championships, with an undefeated winning streak for the 2008 through 2011 seasons. The Football and Basketball Cheerleading team captured the National Championship title in Florida both in 2003 and in 2007, and has won the GBL title numerous times.

Gosder Cherilus Gosder Cherilus (; born June 28, 1984) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions 17th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft ...

earned ''Boston Globe'' and ''Boston Herald'' All-Scholastic honors as a senior at Somerville High School. He played tackle on both sides of the ball, and was named to Tom Lemming's All-America team in 2002. He also captured 2002 All-State accolades from the Mass. State Coaches Association. Cherilus also excelled on Somerville's basketball and track teams, and was selected with the 17th overall pick in the

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by the

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Theater

Highlander Theatre Company is Somerville High School's theater department. Highlander Theatre Company usually presents four productions per year: a musical, a touring festival play, a full-length play (alternating between a contemporary piece and a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play), and a student-run fringe festival. Students participate as actors, crew, student

directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, stage managers, and more. All sets, lights, and sound for productions are designed and operated by students. In response to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

pandemic, the 2020-2021 season was changed to feature a full-length play, multiple works written and/or directed by students, and a one-act musical. Performances took place virtually, using both video conferencing technology and pre-recorded techniques. A modified four-show season would run for the 2021-2022 school year, signalling Highlander Theatre Company's return to in-person theatre.

Guinness World Record

On June 2, 2015, 59 Somerville High students attempted to break the world record for "most arm-linked people to stand up from the floor simultaneously." The previous world record is 49 people. After a total of 19 tries, the students managed to successfully stand up twice. Documentation footage was sent to the Guinness World Record Committee for further validation. On June 19, 2015, the Guinness World Record Committee officially verified and confirmed that 59 Somerville High School students officially set the new world record for "most arm-linked people to stand up from the floor simultaneously." The school received its first certificate in August 2015.

Notable alumni

* Mike Capuano, former mayor of Somerville and congressman of

Massachusetts's 7th congressional district Massachusetts's 7th congressional district is a congressional district located in eastern Massachusetts, including roughly three-fourths of the city of Boston and a few of its northern and southern suburbs. The seat is currently held by Democra ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

player *

Joseph Curtatone Joseph Anthony Curtatone (born June 28, 1966) is an American politician from Somerville, Massachusetts who formerly served as the city's mayor from 2004 until 2022. Early life and education Curtatone, born and raised in Somerville, Massachusett ...

, former mayor of Somerville * Henry Hansen, Iwo Jima, World War II *

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, former

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, studio musician and long time

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, FAIA, American Architect - 1890-1964 - 1908 Class President *

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, former Major League Baseball player *

Stephen Mahoney Stephen H. Mahoney (1890 – February 17, 1974) was an American football player and coach and a longtime municipal recreation official. Early life Mahoney was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1890. He was a standout football player at Some ...

, former

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head football coach *

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Annie Stevens Perkins Annie Stevens Perkins (, Stevens; after first marriage, Perkins; after second marriage, Jackson; April 12, 1868 – May 22, 1946) was an American writer. Her works include, ''Thoughts of Peace'', ''Appointed Paths'', and ''Book of Poems'', as wel ...

(born 1868), writer *

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, singer songwriter * Maurice Roberts , former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

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References

External links

Official webstite

School building exterior envelope study
{{authority control Somerville, Massachusetts Schools in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Public high schools in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1852 1852 establishments in Massachusetts Hartwell and Richardson buildings