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New
Lawrence High Schools
Lawrence
Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy
Lawrence
High School has served the Lawrence community since its
opening in the 1800’s. Thousands of Lawrence
residents have learned, studied and grown there over the
years. Today, Lawrence High School is filled to capacity,
and the building is beginning to fail. Fortunately, the
Lawrence public schools embarked on a dynamic building
project in the fall of 2003. Housed on a twenty-five acre
campus next to the newly renovated Veterans Memorial
Stadium, Lawrence High School is engaged in the work of
converting the current Lawrence High into six thematic
high schools.
The Lawrence High School for Business Management and
Finance, the Lawrence High School for Health and Human
Services, the Lawrence High School for Humanities and
Leadership Development, the Lawrence International
School, the Lawrence High School for Math, Science and
Technology, and the Lawrence High School for Performing
and Fine Arts, will all be housed in six self-contained
buildings on the campus.
The schools will have 500 students each and will share a
state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, new field
houses, a technologically advanced media center, and a
new library. The new auditorium will seat over 1200, and
after the school opens, Lawrence High will be able to
hold the high school graduation in Lawrence for the first
time in years. On this 565,000 square foot campus, there
are eighteen computer labs, twenty-six science labs, six
tennis courts, varsity baseball and softball fields, as
well as outdoor basketball courts. Each school is being
designed to meet the needs of the Lawrence community and
prepare our graduates for college success and
professional experiences.
As enthusiasm about these new schools grows, more and
more students who have generally attended other local
area schools are planning to enroll at Lawrence High in
September of 2006. Because of current enrollment numbers,
and anticipated students for the 2006-07 school year, I
anticipate having to implement a transitional schedule at
the school. This schedule will start with the opening of
Lawrence High at the current building in the fall, and
end when the Lawrence High School campus is entirely
finished and the students and staff move to the new
facility.
Currently, the school day runs from 7:45 a.m. to 2:22
p.m. for all students. The proposed schedule is an
overlapping schedule.
This is different than a double session schedule. In a
double session, one group of students starts earlier and
ends earlier, and a second distinct group starts later
and ends later, and the two groups are never in the
building at the same time. In the proposed overlapping
session, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students would arrive
at school at 7:00 a.m. and leave at 1:46 p.m., and 9th
grade students would arrive at 9:48 a.m. and leave at
4:32 p.m. This proposed schedule takes into account the
proposed number of 9th grade students in 2006-07. There
is the potential for there to be approximately 1100 9th
grade students, a number equivalent to the 10th-12th
grade students combined. This is a testament to the
strength of the Lawrence High School program and further
strengthens the argument towards implementing the
small-school conversion process to meet the needs of all
students in Lawrence.
The proposed schedule ensures that there will be enough
classroom space for all students. The proposed schedule
will decrease the number of students in each class. The
schedule allows for all after-school activities and teams
to continue uninterrupted. This schedule is the best plan
to be used in an interim basis until the move to the new
high school can occur.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The May, 2006 Edition of
the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2006, Valley Patriot, Inc.
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North Andover, Methuen, Haverhill,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury and Lowell.
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