Our English courses prepare students well for further study and for purposeful lives in a changing world, a key element of GSA's mission.

They prepare students for classes at GSA and college. They help students become reflective and critical thinkers, learn to read at high levels through the development of main idea and inferencing skills, become adept at expository-analytical writing, the sort most frequently required in high school and college, understand a broad array of literary genres, learn to participate in vigorous classroom discussions of literature, and see that academic discussions can be electric, exciting, passionate. At college, they are more likely be called on to help their peers with writing and grammar than to need such help.

Our students develop skills they need for life. Classroom presentations and discussions, persuasive writing, personal essays, and participation in Senior Thesis all empower our students to communicate more confidently in their lives after high school and college, whether to advocate for themselves or family members, make proposals to their employers, speak their minds at a town meeting or a public forum, or write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

Nearly half draw substantially from local cultural and natural resources. Maine Writers, Junior English, and other courses engage students with the work of Maine authors, works set in Maine, and Maine-related values and themes. Our Introduction to Literature course makes connections between readings and specific locations in the area, like cemeteries, the islands in Blue Hill Bay, woods, and streams, as well as to elements of local and New England culture, like burial rites.

More than half help students make substantial connections to our communities and the people here. Local guest speakers have included Maine Poet Laureate Stu Kestenbaum and crime novelist Paul Doiron. Field trips and community interviews connect students in our English for Speakers of Other Languages courses to people in the area, like those who work at the water treatment plant, library, town hall, and co-op.

The English Department embraces these objectives: to enable students to use language effectively, whether for a career, the job market, higher education, or lifelong learning; to develop in students an appreciation for literature, both prose and poetry, and for the variety of literary genres; to develop students' skill in rhetoric and debate, and an appreciation of its importance in a democratic society; to foster collaboration and shared inquiry among peers; to improve writing skills, including grammar, vocabulary, and style; to provide opportunities for students to express their passions and interests in writing and orally.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Erin McCormick '00, Department Chair, e.mccormick@georgestevens.org

Martin Conte '11, English Teacher, m.conte@georgestevens.org

Erin Wenal, English Teacher, e.wenal@georgestevens.org

Our courses prepare students to lead healthy, happy lives. 

Our Health course teaches students the fundamentals of achieving overall physical, mental, and social well-being. Students learn how to achieve well-being now and as they navigate significant life events in the near future, to reflect on their long-term health, especially as it relates to nutrition, and to get help when they need it.

Our physical education  courses help students establish a pattern of lifelong activity, understand and appreciate the benefits of exercise, including its physical and mental effects, and understand the comparative benefits of aerobic exercise and strength training. They also learn outdoor recreation skills and how movement aids in stress reduction.

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Their benefits extend far beyond the classroom. Advanced Fitness Training, Experiential Education and Outdoor Leadership (EEOL), Health, and Physical Education all involve substantial practical life lessons that serve students well now and will continue to serve them long into the future.

Our EEOL course draws substantially on the area’s natural resources, which connects students with the community and teaches them to create those connections wherever they live. Whitewater rafting, canoeing, fishing, and orienteering are just a few of the activities through which students engage with nature on the Blue Hill Peninsula, at Acadia National Park, and in other locations across the state.

Dance helps students understand the music and movement of other cultures, which prepares them well to engage with people of other cultures around the world.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Sara Bushmann, Health Teacher, s.bushmann@georgestevens.org

Dan Kane, Physical Education Teacher, d.kane@georgestevens.org

 

Our Industrial Technology and Engineering courses are popular with students going directly into the trades and with students who looking for a practical foundation for future college studies.

Nearly all are primarily hands-on/experiential. Students in our woodworking, home repair, drafting, and other courses practice the very skills they will need if they choose to pursue careers in construction, boatbuilding, engine repair, and related fields.

But they aren’t just about using your hands. Students also learn to understand specialized terminology, read plans and diagrams, and put their ideas down on paper in ways that others will understand.

About a third involve substantial practical life education. The skills students learn serve them not only in their careers, but in their lives. They learn problem-solving techniques and how to use the tools and equipment needed for building, maintenance, and repair projects.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Corey Esposito '87, Department Chair, c.esposito@georgestevens.org

Eric Gallant, Industrial Tech & Engineering Teacher, e.gallant@georgestevens.org

 

Our math courses prepare students for careers and life.

Our students aspire to careers of all kinds, and all kinds of careers depend on math fluency. Strong math skills are essential in fields like accounting, healthcare, engineering, computer programming, architecture, sales, and science, but they are also necessary in other careers.

Farmers use math, including algebra, to analyze soil samples, calculate the need for soil amendments, track production and sales, calibrate equipment, and more. Carpenters, plumbers, and electricians use arithmetic, geometry, statistics, and even calculus for preparation of estimates, planning, measuring, and other job tasks. Commercial fishermen need math skills for things like business accounting, projecting fuel and bait needs, and understanding fish stock models and quota allocations. Managers use math skills for tasks like scheduling, resource allocation, and productivity analysis.

To help them meet their career goals, we offer our students different pathways of courses. Foundations courses prepare students well for work, technical schools, and certificate programs. College-prep courses ready them for selective colleges, while honors and AP courses prepare them for more selective colleges and math-intensive careers like engineering and economics. Along the way, they master a set amount of knowledge in math language and notation; algebraic functions, graphs, and models; geometric properties, shapes, and models, to the depth required by their specific pathway.

They support student work in other courses. While on these pathways, students learn skills that serve them well in science, social studies, industrial technology and engineering courses, as well as other classes where calculations are made and measurements are taken.

Classroom tested, AP approved. Our Advanced Placement math courses have passed College Board course audits, which confirm that our courses meet or exceed the expectations of colleges and universities.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Jaime Torre, Department Chair, j.torre@georgestevens.org

Peter Conte, Math Teacher, p.conte@georgestevens.org

Isaac Vaccaro, Math Teacher, i.vaccaro@georgestevens.org

Part of GSA's mission is to provide academic and experiential programming. Nowhere is the integration of theory and practice more evident than in our science courses.

Our courses prepare students for further education. Our ninth- and tenth-grade courses lay a solid scientific foundation, while our upper-level science courses, like Marine Ecology, Environmental Science, and Chemistry, present the kind of specialized knowledge students will need in college and their careers.

They also prepare our students for informed citizenship. Together, our courses prepare students well to distinguish between opinion and science-based work in articles about issues important to them, whether that be dam relicensing, fisheries regulation, air quality controls, or food safety and sovereignty.

Nearly half draw substantially on local natural resources. For example, Exploring Earth Systems courses engage students with soil sampling and local geology, tree studies and climate change, invertebrate studies in local streams, weather-data collection, visits to local farms, restoration ecology, and more. In Marine Science, students learn what makes our coast unique and how all environmental elements impact us.

Others prepare students for careers of special importance here. One such course, Ocean Studies, depends on substantial field work and collaboration with local experts in the marine industry, all of which prepare our students well to join the vital state marine resource-based economy. Another such course, Anatomy and Physiology, was created in response to student requests and community needs. The course prepares students well for further education and careers both in scientific research and in the medical/health care fields. The Jackson Laboratory, the MDI Biological Laboratory, and area hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care businesses are chief drivers of job growth in Hancock County, but employment opportunities in both fields are growing across the country and around the world.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Steve Whitney, Department Chair, s.whitney@georgestevens.org

Steven C. Adam, Science Teacher, s.adam@georgestevens.org

Emma Baker, Science Teacher, e.baker@georgestevens.org

Sara Bushmann, Science Teacher, s.bushmann@georgestevens.org

In our social studies courses, our students become better students, better citizens, and better at making connections across cultures and to local cultural, historic, and community resources.

Our courses help students become better students. They help students become better at taking notes, making presentations, gathering research materials, determining the credibility of information, building arguments, and supporting them with facts and reasoning, skills which serve our students well in their other coursework at GSA and at college.

And better citizens. Students who successfully complete a series of social studies courses understand many of the concepts essential for forming opinions on subjects of interest to citizens, are able to critically read or listen to public policy arguments, and have some understanding and appreciation of the interplay of human society at the local, state, national, and world level.

Every course forges strong cross-cultural connections. Exploring other cultures allows our students to relate their own lives to the lives of others across the country and around the world and to develop an appreciation for how cultures are different and alike. Through interaction with our course materials, guest speakers, and other resources, students come to understand the human experience.

One in four draws substantially on local cultural and historic resources. For example, students in our Introduction to Social Science course look at the geography, economics, and human resources of the Blue Hill Peninsula. They have studied the Goddard Coin found in Brooklin and weighed evidence regarding claims that Vikings visited Maine. They have calculated a local living wage and what it takes to earn that wage.

Others connect our students to our communities. Local small business owners visit Economics class to talk about the joys and challenges of running their businesses. Local, state, and national political leaders, like Sen. Susan Collins, have visited other classes. Spirited discussions in our Current Affairs course often center on local and state issues and events.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Caroline Richards, Department Chair, c.richards@georgestevens.org

Morgan Lowe, Social Studies Teacher, m.lowe@georgestevens.org

David Stearns, Social Studies Teacher, d.stearns@georgestevens.org

Our VPA courses engage our students with the purposeful practice needed to thrive in the arts. They find meaning and purpose in art, and it enriches their lives, whether they see art as a career or as an essential part of a happy life.

Our courses prepare students for college and careers. As our visual artists explore their creativity, they become more confident in both their conceptual and technical art skills. They learn how to create an art portfolio whether for admission to schools or to get their work into galleries. Students in AP art and the 2D, 3D, and photo courses make real-world connections, and for those who may not pursue fine arts careers, they learn what it takes to succeed in commercial art. Our performing artists also develop their creativity and confidence, all while learning to put on a show. When they leave the classroom and the stage, they take with them a polished performance repertoire for college auditions and their careers.

More than half connect students to the community. Through active participation in the arts, our students take their place in the community. Our visual artists build community connections through visits with some of the many artists who live and work here. Our Spring Arts Festival brings that community onto campus for the benefit of all GSA students, not just arts students. The GSA Jazz Band, Band, and combos perform often, whether at the Blue Hill Fair, basketball games, community concerts, or competitions. Our extracurricular drama program produces a fall play and and a one-act play for competition in spring.

More than half connect students to other cultures. Many visual arts courses draw on the art of other cultures and look closely at how the visual elements, materials, and meaning differ. Our performing artists are exposed to music and theater from across time and around the world.

Our students learn the importance of attitude. Our artists learn to think creatively and to express that creativity while finding their voice. Our visual arts students open themselves up to constructive criticism through peer critiques. They develop high self-motivation and a goal-setting mindset. They learn that what they first thought was failure may be a building block for success. They learn that perseverance is key to overcoming obstacles. Our performing artists learn to take constructive criticism well and to set high performance standards. They also strengthen their collaborative and improvisational mindsets.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Melissa Rioux '01, Department Chair, m.rioux@georgestevens.org

Martin Conte '11,Steel Drum Teacher, m.conte@georgestevens.org

Danyel Ferrari, Visual Arts Teacher, d.ferrari@georgestevens.org

Phelan Gallagher '02, Music Teacher, p.gallagher@georgestevens.org

Our World Language courses are rich explorations of language and culture that open doors to lifelong learning and career opportunities.

Language study builds cross-cultural connections and is just plain fun. Every course opens students’ eyes to new, different ways of living through cross-cultural connections made in classroom visits by parents, teachers, alumni, and friends, as well students sharing their or their family members’ experiences in other countries.

It prepares students well for travel and study abroad. After two or three years of focused study at GSA, our students are comfortable making conversation in the language of study and are well-prepared for travel to a country where that language is spoken, or a semester or year abroad. A four-year Spanish student recently spent a year traveling in South America after graduation.

Language study prepares students for success in college. Our four-year programs of study in French and Spanish meet the foreign language requirements of very competitive colleges and universities, like Boston University and Skidmore. Four years of honors-level language study meet the requirements of the most selective institutions, like Bowdoin, Harvard, and Middlebury. Students who have successfully finished one of our four-year programs have reported testing out of up to two years of college language courses.

And it prepares them for careers across the globe, nation, and state. For those who aim to live overseas, it’s important to speak the language, but even those who live in Maine use the language skills they acquired here to further their careers. GSA alumni who go to Maine Maritime Academy use what they learned in our classrooms during student voyages at sea, as well as in their careers after leaving MMA.

But even those who never leave Hancock County have incentives to learn Spanish or French. The last census reported that 17,000 Mainers speak Spanish, and about four times as many speak French. An increasing number of employers in the retail-service sector look for candidates with Spanish or French language skills to communicate better with these Mainers and with the hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting from other countries, chiefly French speakers from nearby Canadian provinces.

For course information, visit Academics.

Our Faculty

Maria Razi, French Teacher, m.razi@georgestevens.org

Patricia Ugaz, Spanish Teacher, p.ugaz@georgestevens.org