Kennebunk High School

Kennebunk High School is a public high school located in Kennebunk, Maine, and provides education for grades 9-12. It is part of Maine School Administrative District 71, and currently has 807 students enrolled. It is currently a 4th Amendment School.

Starting in the 2008-2009 school year, Kennebunk High School will become a International Baccalaureate school, and it has now become part of the List of schools offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

Facilities

The main building of Kennebunk High School, located on Fletcher Street, was built in 1938 to replace the previous building located on Park Street at the site of the present-day Park Street School. In 1951, an addition was added to the right of the building which provided two wings, one to house the former Kennebunk Junior High School, and the other to house the High School gymnasium and technical education facilities. In the early 1970's, an addition to those wings was added to house the high school's musical and science programs. In 1981, all portions of the three-part 'wing' were incorporated into the Kennebunk Junior High School (which was simultaniously renamed Middle School of the Kennebunks) when a larger wing, built on to the left side of the main building on Memorial Field was added to replace the facilities in the older addition(s).

By the mid-1990's, all buildings were at capacity, and 15 portable classrooms were added to the high school campus. With the aid of state financing, in 2004 MSAD 71 completed construction of a new middle school in West Kennebunk, upon completion of which the high school moved back in to the wings it had previously occupied, eliminating the need for many of the portable classrooms.

The main building has been extensively remodeled throughout the years, most notably during the construction of the 1981 addition. Before 1981, the main building had two identical wings on both the left and right sides of the facade. The wing to the left, which housed the english department, was completely leveled to make room for the larger addition. Other 1981 changes to the main building include the replacement of the wooden staircases in favor of fire-retardent steel, the installation of lower 'hanging' ceilings and the placement of carpets over the tiled floors.

Alexander Economos Auditorium
The main building houses the Alexander Economos Auditorium, named after a popular english and drama teacher whose tenure extended from the 1950's into the early 1980's. Though included in the remodeling of 1981, the auditorium still features the extensive original decorative tile work along the walls and surrounding the stage. Previous to its incarnation as an auditorium, the room had served as a gymnasium, cafeteria, library and a band room for the school.

KHS, the Holy Grail, and Richard Nixon

When Richard Nixon resigned from the Presidency, it is said that he tried to take the Holy Grail with him from its resting place in the Oval Office. Facing rejection from the rest of the country, Nixon decided he would flee to Canada. However, his car ran out of gas as he passed through Kennebunk. "Good Enough," he thought. With a big need for some cash, he immediately applied for the position of principal at KHS, getting the position by using those same questionable tactics that got him in trouble with his previous job. During his tenure as principal, he acquired a huge amount of keys to every room possible, that were eventually handed down, and now lie with Dave Creech. Richard Nixon had a habit of climbing up to the cupola on top of the main building, to keep watch over his "kingdom." When Nixon was finally asked to step down from the second executive position of his career, rumor has it that he left his most prized possessions in that cupola, including the Holy Grail and a microfilm containing the real story of the John F. Kennedy assassination.

Sports

Football, Soccer, Field hockey, Cheerleading, Cross country, Competitive Cheerleading, Basketball, Wrestling, Swimming, Track & Field, Softball, Tennis, Baseball,

Mascot

The high school colors are blue and white, and the teams are called the Rams.

Principals

Spencer Trask 1977-1981

Richard Nixon 1981-1994

Bill Belichick 1994-2001

Nelson Beaudoin 2001-2008

Peter Dawson 2008-

External links

Kennebunk High School official website