As some of you may know, this is the 10th year of Poland Regional High School. Some of our teachers have been here longer than you think. We thought it might be a good idea to ask some of the 10-year veterans whether they think a 10th birthday for PRHS is a big deal.

“It is a big deal,” said Ms. Medd, the PRHS principal. “Poland was the first new high school in 20 years in Maine. We’re still young compared to the others. This high school was created when other high schools started to reform. I think that’s part of our history, too.”

Ms. Sev, a Humanities teacher, said, “This school was founded on pretty unique principles. The fact is that 10 years later, despite some challenges, the same basic ideas and practices are still in use today. It demonstrates what we believed, that these practices are what’s best for student learning.”

What makes Poland so different from other high schools?

“This school began with a team of people who were committed, unafraid to initiate some untraditional and innovative approaches to education,” said Mrs. Nancy Young, a math teacher. “We’re not only new, but we have taken the lead for setting new standards in education. We have been closely watched by other school districts and colleges, wanting to see how much we succeed and wanting to see if it can meet their needs. Whenever a new school is beginning or changing something, they go through similar things to what we’ve gone through at PRHS.”

Mr. Lafreniere, the dean of students, said what makes PRHS so unique is “the kids here, the curriculum …Kids being respectful to kids and teachers.”

Added Ms. Medd, “We often hear from kids and teachers that there are strong relationships between students and teachers. I would say every student is known well by at least one teacher, and that’s something to be proud of in the high school.”

How does the community perceive us now, compared to how they perceived us 10 years ago?

“In 1999, the community expected us to be like any other high school that kids were going to,” said Mr. Lafreniere. “We knew research out there suggested that high schools need to change to be different and couldn’t operate on a 1960s model. We needed to be responsive to kids’ needs. It’s different now because people are realizing the benefits of what we implemented. Kids going to college seem well-prepared and we’re part of the community.”

Ms. Medd agreed, “When we opened, all the teachers, all the adults were new. Everyone was an unknown. Now families know teachers, since multiple kids in one family have had the same teacher. It really helps people know who we are.”

“Initially the community was very adversarial,” noted Ms. Sev. “They were ready to attack and get rid of things they were not comfortable with immediately. Today, they are still ready to question things we do, but are willing to work with us.”

Mrs. Lori Young, a special education instructor, left PRHS a few years ago, but came back. She was asked how things had changed here while she was gone.

“When I got back, I realized there had been change, (it was) easy to see change,” she said. “There was a much more temperate climate in school, there was not as much stress. I came back because I really missed the kids and I had enjoyed working with the staff and working in the community. I came back for the students.”