Concord-Carlisle High School


Concord-Carlisle Regional High School is a public high school located in Concord, Massachusetts, United States, northwest of Boston. The school serves grades 9–12, and as part of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, has students from both Concord and Carlisle, Massachusetts. The school also has a notable portion of minority students from Boston enrolled as part of the METCO program. Concord-Carlisle Regional High School is widely regarded as one of the top public high schools in the state, with the September 2009 issue of Boston magazine rating it the number one public high school in cost efficiency and third in academic performance in eastern Massachusetts.

Academics

Class subjects include the normal core subjects of English, mathematics, science and social studies, but a number of elective studies are offered as well, including programming, art, music, and photography.
In social studies or English, a broad course selection is offered. CCHS chooses not to offer AP classes in the humanities in order to allow for a more flexible curriculum, but students may choose to take the AP tests. For students' freshman and sophomore years, they are required to take world cultures and US history respectively, neither of which are levelled classes. The English department offers classes on topics such as rhetoric and debate, American literature, British literature, contemporary literature, world literature and black literature. The social studies department curriculum includes classes on ancient Greece, ancient Rome and 20th century United States history, as well as psychology, economics, sociology, world religions and Russian history.
Foreign languages offered are French, Spanish, Latin and Chinese.
Educational experiences and trips to other countries include one to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008, two to Prague in the Czech Republic, Salzburg and Vienna in Austria in 2001 and 2005, a trip which explored the entire length of Italy from north to south in 2003, and a trip to Spain in 2004, staying in Madrid and Málaga. In 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014 there were trips to Quito, Ecuador. In 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2010 there were trips to Hokkaido, Japan, for the Concert Band and the Sci Fi club. There have been trips to China, East Timor and Estonia.
A trip to Italy for Latin students is regularly offered, as is an exchange program with a private school in Ecuador and an exchange program with Concord's Japanese sister city of Nanae.
A staple of recognition, the school's old campus had a one-of-a-kind attribute – a giant high purple crayon covering an exhaust pipe in the middle of the courtyard. Later, a double-rainbow sculpture was added in the memorial of Richard Koch.

Extracurriculars

Extracurricular activities are strongly encouraged. CCHS has over 42 after-school activities that do not include sports. Many of the activities have been created and maintained by the students for many years. The school supports a moot court, Spectrum: Gay/Straight Alliance, Dance Crew, The Voice, Reflections, yearbook club, several foreign language clubs, and high school radio station, among others. Concord-Carlisle also hosts local chapters of Model United Nations, Amnesty International, Interact Club, JSA, Academic Bowl and a Math Team.

Arts

Musical arts are very prominent and respected extracurricular activities at CCHS. The music department currently supports a Concert Band, Repertory Band, orchestra, chorus and numerous jazz ensembles.
In 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2010 the Concert Band, led by Alfred Dentino, traveled to Japan in celebration of their national recognition for achievement and played with the Sapporo Shiroishi High School wind ensemble, which is currently ranked as the second best high school band in Japan. The joint concert by these two bands took place in Sapporo at the world-renowned Sapporo Concert Hall. Additionally, the CCHS Concert Band has won a gold medal at the annual Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association invitational for the past 19 consecutive years, earning the chance to perform at Tanglewood, Boston's Symphony Hall and Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts numerous times.
In April 2008, the Orchestra and Chorus traveled to Walt Disney World to perform in Festival Disney. Competing separately, this was the Orchestra's first trip with Scott Knopf as conductor.
CCHS is also known for presenting very high caliber theatrical performances. In winter 2011, over 120 students participated in a musical production of The Producers. Other shows performed at Concord-Carlisle include, A Little Night Music, West Side Story and Falsettos. In early 2013, the theatre department performed A Chorus Line, and was recognized with nominations from the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild for outstanding production and performance in three separate categories. A production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance the following year received five nominations, winning one. In April 2014, an adaptation of the play Nation, based on the novel by Terry Pratchett, was selected to represent Massachusetts at the New England High School Drama Festival in St. Johnsbury Vermont.

Athletics

CCHS supports all of the 33 available sports teams organized by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The fall sports include soccer, girls' field hockey, girls' volleyball, cross country, boys' American Football and boys' golf. Winter sports are fencing, basketball, indoor track and field, ice hockey, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, swimming, diving and wrestling. The spring sports are baseball, lacrosse, softball, tennis, outdoor track and field, boys' volleyball and gymnastics. Concord Carlisle has made its cheerleading team a sport with fall and winter cheerleading. They compete in competitions and support the school's teams.
In most sports, Concord Carlisle competes in the Dual County League.
CCHS also offers a squash club in the winter and an ultimate frisbee club in the spring.

Cross country

The school has both a girls and boys cross-country team. In 2017, the boys’ team came in fourth in the Massachusetts Division 1 state meet, while the girls’ team won. In 2018, the boys' team won the state meet and the girls' team came in second. In 2019, the girls' team won the state meet, with a notable 2nd place finish by Emma Kerimo. The boys' team placed third, with William Chaffin placing 2nd overall.

Fencing

Concord-Carlisle's fencing team was the first in the state of Massachusetts 2018 and 2019. This winter sport has men's and women's teams, with JV and Varsity levels. The current coach is Michael Marx. CCHS's fencing team has produced two individual Olympic Champions, and numerous individual state champions.

Swim and dive team

One of the largest sports team at this school, there are members every year who make it to the Sectionals and State meets. The team is split between swimming and diving with their practice facility right opposite the school at the Beede Center, a private pool operated by the Town of Concord Recreation Department. The team is mixed sex. The dive team competes in most meets, competing by sex, not age. Matthew Goldberg is the head swim coach and the dive coach is Tracey Bird.
The diving team has produced several individual state champions. 2011 graduate Sloane Brazina was a three-time Div. 1 individual state champion and three-time All-American. She dives for Stanford University. 2012 graduate Sean O'Brien was a three-time individual state champion and set Massachusetts state records while at CCHS. 2015 graduate O'Brien's younger sister Meghan is a four-time Div. 1 individual state champion who now dives for the Texas Longhorns. Between Brazina, the younger O'Brien, and Livy Poulin who won an individual state champion title four years in a row, CCHS had the best female diver in the state for over eight years running. Charlie Reichle was the male diving champion in 2018 and 2019.

Ski team

Nationally recognized in 1998 as a top ski school. The team competes at a local ski area in both slalom and giant slalom races. Dr. Bob Furey, head ski coach since 1972, was awarded the National Coaches Association Ski Coach of the Year Award in the early 1990s with assistance from 1988 Men's Olympic Biathlon coach Duane "Dusty" Johnstone. Johnstone retired in 2007. In 2007, he was awarded a Boston Globe All-Scholastic Coach of the Year.
The Nordic ski team won the Mass Bay West Divisional title for both the girls' varsity and boys' varsity team. The team also did well in state competitions: the girls' team secured second place and the boys' team had a close third-place finish. Outstanding skier Tyler Lee lead the league and was first in the division. Lee was also selected for the 2016 Boys' Scholastic Team by the Boston Globe. Coach Jeff Campbell also was named to the 2016 Coaches of the year Scholastic Team by the Boston Globe for coaching the girls' varsity team to a first-place finish.
In 2018, after an undefeated regular season for both the boys' and girls' teams, the boys' team won the state championship. Henry "Hank the Legendary" Johnstone, grandson of former CCHS coach Dusty Johnstone, won the race.

American football

The CCHS American football team has a long history with significant success recently. The Patriots made it to the 2010 MIAA Eastern Mass Div. 2A Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium before losing to Duxbury High School. It was the team's first Super Bowl place since 1978. On December 3, 2011, the Patriots football team returned to Gillette Stadium and beat Oliver Ames High School by a score 42–9, to finish the season undefeated at 13–0, as the MIAA Eastern Mass Div. 3 Super Bowl Champions.
In 1978, the year of their first Super Bowl title, the Patriots' head coach was Al Robichaud, who was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Robichaud was CCHS's head coach from 1972 to 1990 and coached CCHS to three Dual County League titles and one Super Bowl title.
In 2011, the year of their second Super Bowl title, the Patriots' head coach was one of Robichaud's sons, Mike, who in his six years as the head coach at CCHS has won four Dual County League titles, advanced to two Super Bowl games, and was named the 2010 Boston Globe Division 2A Coach of the Year. His all-time record at CCHS stands at 52-16.
On February 26, 2012, running back George Craan committed to Boston College, becoming the first CCHS player to earn a scholarship there since 1987. Craan finished his senior season at CCHS with 24 touchdowns and 1,800 rushing yards.

Soccer

The CCHS boys' soccer team is also consistently highly ranked, not just in the state, but nationally. In 2010, CCHS was ranked No. 16 nationally and No. 2 in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The team also won its second straight state championship and its third in five years.
In 2014, the CCHS boys' team finished with a record of 20-0-1 and won the school's fourth state championship. The team was ranked No. 1 in Massachusetts by ESPN Boston and No. 8 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The team conceded only eight goals all season and posted the school's first no-loss record.
In 2017, the CCHS boys' team also won the MIAA Division 2 State Championship, defeating Oliver Ames by a score of 2-1 in the final. The winning goal was scored by CCHS Captain, Logan Dick.
The team has been coached by CCHS alumnus Ray Pavlik since 2002. Pavlik has been the coach for all six of the team's state title runs.
The CCHS girls soccer team has many accomplishments including undefeated seasons and many division titles. In addition, they have progressed to the state finals multiple times and years in a row.

Golf

In 2013, the golf team captured the second state title in program history, winning the Division 2 state championship by 12 shots. The program has placed in the top four in the state five of the last six years, including a third-place finish in 2011. The program has won Dual County League Small Division titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Ryan Harris , Andrew Wester and Karolyne Shieh all played NCAA college golf. In 2019 the golf team had a notable season, placing second in the state championship and losing by only one stroke.

Track and field

In 2016, at the MIAA All State Meet, exceptional senior athlete Thomas Ratcliffe set a state record in the 1 mile run; 4:06.92. He went on to break that record several months later at the Adrian Martinez Classic, a meet that CCHS hosts for professional and semi professional athletes to fund the Adrian Martinez scholarship and the school's cross country and track and field programs. At this meet, Ratcliffe ran a 4:01.5 1 mile, his personal best. Ratcliffe's senior class was filled with exceptional track and field and cross country athletes, notably Lior Selve, Meg Wilson, Eli Decker and Cole Winstanley. In the 2018 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, exceptional sprinter Claudia Koontz broke the 300 and 200 meter dash school records. She broke the school record of 42.06 with a time of 41.85. Named the 2018 spring track most outstanding sprinter and valuable athlete awards, the 2018 graduate ran 25.38 at 2018 outdoor New England's placing 4th in New England. She runs for division 2 Assumption College.

Notable alumni

Concord Carlisle High School moved to a brand new, eco-friendly building in mid-April 2015, after almost 18 years of planning. The old school was built in the 1960s and 1970s, with a one-level "California Layout" that was unsuitable for Massachusetts weather and conditions. Initial approval for the building of the school was granted by the towns of Concord and Carlisle in 2011. The school took around 4 years to build, and is situated directly behind where the former CCHS building once stood. The entire project cost $93 million.
Interesting features of the new school include a 600-seat auditorium, a black box theater, 2 attached gyms, a 'media wall' consisting of 24 flat-screen televisions in the cafeteria, and another display in the lobby which lists water usage and air quality facts about the building in real time. The new building also includes many updated safety features that the old building lacked, including fewer exits and entrances, and automated doors with security cameras and alarms.