Bow High School is a four-year
public high school
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
in
Bow,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and is part of th
Bow School District (SAU 67) The
principal
Principal may refer to:
Title or rank
* Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university
** Principal (education), the head of a school
* Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...
is Matt Fisk and the
vice principal
In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making author ...
is Brenda Barth.
[
As of the 2022-2023 school year, the school had an approximate enrollment of 604 students and 35 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 17.26.][Bow High School](_blank)
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...
. Accessed August 28, 2024.
History
Bow High School was established in 1997, serving grades 9 through 12.[Sullivan, Margo]
"Board to decide whether to open school with two or four grades Other schools say there are advantages, disadvantages to both approaches"
''The Eagle-Tribune
''The Eagle-Tribune'' (and ''Sunday Eagle-Tribune'') is a morning daily newspaper covering the Merrimack Valley and Essex County, Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire. It is the largest-circulation daily newspaper owned by Community Newspa ...
'', February 5, 2008. Accessed February 17, 2008. Before this time high school students from Bow went to Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words
Arts and media
* ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...
.[ In 1993 the Concord School District told Bow they could no longer send Bow students to Concord High after the 1996-1997 school year.][ Immediately Bow started to make plans for a high school of their own.][ The school was built and now sits on the shores of Turee Pond.][ The school was originally designed to accommodate 600 students,][ and in the 2021-2022 school year had a student population of 621. However the building is never at student capacity thanks to the school's scheduling system.][ The school cost $16 million to build. Beginning in the fall of 2014, the school began serving students from the neighboring town of Dunbarton.
Some features of the school and campus include: a 595-seat auditorium, 800-seat gym, rock climbing wall, zipline course, and state of the art technology.][
]
Academics
Classes
Each student at BHS is required to take two science classes, which is fulfilled through a mandatory Integrated Science and Technology class freshman and sophomore year, although the majority of students take more than that.[Profile 2007-2008](_blank)
, Bow High School. Accessed February 17, 2008. Students are required to graduate with two and a half Building Essential Skills for Tomorrow (B.E.S.T) classes (physical education).[ Students are also required to take a freshman Humanities class, a sophomore American studies class, a junior World Studies class, and seniors are required to take Senior Seminar, a class that directs them through their senior project.][ The school offers many different elective classes, such as art, music, STEM, and physical education.
Bow High School revamped its schedule adding in a 40 minute study period called "flex time." The start time of the school day has been pushed back on certain days of the week as well.
]
Graduation credit requirements
Bow High School requires students to acquire 24 academic credits to graduate.
Non-Credit Requirements for All Students:
* Minimum of 20 community service Community Service hours.
* Minimum of 20 Career Exploration hours.
* Senior Project (as part of the Senior Seminar course)
* Digital Portfolio
* Per NH HB 1367, passing grade on the United States Citizenship & Naturalization Exam
Athletics
Mike Desilets is Bow School District's Athletic Administrator. As of 2024, Bow has won 87 state championships.
The athletic teams participate primarily in NHIAA Division 2 with some teams participating in Division 1 and 3.
Extracurricular activities
Bow High School offers an extensive and diverse list of student and staff ran clubs in addition to their Athletic Programs. Clubs range from service based clubs such as Interact, Peer Outreach, and NHS, to Language, Arts, STEM, and Special Interests Clubs.
Student Teal Van Dyck won second place in the national Poetry Out Loud
The Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest was created in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts under chairman Dana Gioia and The Poetry Foundation. The contest seeks to promote the art of performing poetry, by awarding cash prizes to partici ...
in 2006, earning a $10,000 scholarship. Van Dyck was also selected to be one of Bow High School's Granite State Challenge
''Granite State Challenge'' is an American television quizbowl game show that airs on New Hampshire PBS and began in 1983.
Description
High schools from around the state compete against each other to win "brainy bragging rights" and grant money ...
competitors on New Hampshire's PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
station, NHPTV
New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS), known as New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) prior to October 1, 2017, is a PBS member network serving the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is operated by New Hampshire Public Broadcasting (NHPB), a community-based ...
.
Notable Events
The school auditorium was the scene for a town hall campaign event by then-Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former naval officer who served as the 19th United States Secretary of Transportation, United States secretary of transportation from 2021 to 2025. A me ...
on October 24, 2019.
The school was the scene of a set piece speech by Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
on January 8, 2008 in support of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.
Controversies
In June 2005 the student population, with the exception of the senior class, took place in a school mandated DHHS survey. 17% of surveyed students reported smoking marijuana during a 30-day period and 31% reported consuming alcohol during the same period. The results were below the state average for student substance abuse and the school principal did not consider the results sufficient to necessitate drug testing of student athletes.
External links
Official site
School District YouTube Channel
References
*
{{authority control
Educational institutions established in 1997
Schools in Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Public high schools in New Hampshire
Bow, New Hampshire
1997 establishments in New Hampshire