PARIS – Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School may seem daunting to a newcomer. The building stretches for more than a block and the corridors seem like a maze.

Inside the walls, administrators and teachers have undertaken an effort to make the school seem smaller for the 1,200 students.

OHCHS is one of five schools that got the small learning communities grant, which provides $180,000 per school per year for three years. The grant was secured in October, said Christopher Record, assistant principal.

Other schools getting the grant include: Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Lewiston High School, South Portland High School and Noble High School in North Berwick.

At Oxford Hills, the money will go toward training teachers to give students more individual attention and to meet four goals:

• Look at the curriculum to make sure it’s rigorous, relevant, equitable and personalized.

• Prepare all students for post-secondary work and citizenship.

• See continuous improvement from professional development.

• Create vertically aligned communities.

Record said that through the goals he hopes all students will become engaged.

“Oxford Hills has always prided itself on doing what it thought was best for the students,” Record said. “We recognize we’re big.”

Math teacher Torrey Poland is the grant coordinator. She said that students who have at least one connection with an adult in the school, such as a mentor, seem to do better.

“It’s individualizing, finding ways for students to have more sense of belonging,” Poland said.

Ideas on how to use the grant money are still being formulated, Poland said. One plan is to have a team of teachers teach social studies, math, science and English to a common group of students.

Record said the change will be relatively transparent for students. Teachers will go through seminars and workshops to learn new techniques. Poland said 10 teachers recently attended a Chicago fall forum, and all teachers will take three-day seminars in differentiation, technology integration, literacy and numeracy, and interdisciplinary education.

Through the grant money, Poland said the school will track students’ progress through post-secondary education.

Record said that many Oxford Hills students will start in a college or technical school program after graduating, but not all finish.

One effort to increase the number of students pursuing further education is to offer post-secondary options while the students are still in high school.

“It will increase aspirations, and convince them that they can do it,” Record said.