Old Orchard Beach Schools Nationally 28 Jameson Hill Road, Phone Fax
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A SNAPSHOT OF OLD ORCHARD BEACH, MAINE Old Orchard Beach is a small coastal town (six square miles) located in southern Maine, 25 miles south of Portland, Maine and 100 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts with a year round population of approximately 8,000 people, which swells to over 100,000 during the summer. Old Orchard Beach is the second smallest town in geographical size in Maine. Tourism is the economic base of the community. In addition to the usual tourist related businesses, the town has small convenience stores, laundromats, two grocery stores and several restaurants. Over seventy-five percent of the population leaves town for employment traveling to work in towns and cities in the surrounding area. The schools are located on a seventy-two acre campus beyond the business district, near the police/fire complex. Included in the complex are the three schools, athletic fields, parking lots, playgrounds and tennis courts. A five-person school committee, elected for two year staggered terms, governs the schools. The High School was accredited in 1984, reaccredited in 1995 and was recognized in the spring of 1991 as a "National School of Excellence". It is one of the twelve schools described in the book, Ten Schools That Work by Maryann Horenstein. At Jameson School (grades K-3) students receive music instruction by learning to play the violin. It is the only general music program of its kind in the entire country. The Middle School and High School routinely have award winning concert, jazz and marching bands. Jameson and Loranger Middle School both have an afternoon school enrichment program, Kaleidoscope. This program provides many varied opportunities to students to expand their learning. The YMCA offers an after school child care program at Jameson School for K-5 students. The middle and high school both have many extracurricular activities including seasonal sports, student government and cultural offerings. The schools serve as a focal point in the community for many activities including a strong and viable music program, varied athletic and cultural opportunities, recreational and leisure activities and a model regional adult education program which recognizes that education does not end with the K-12 population. |
