Duxbury High School
Duxbury High School is a public high school located in the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, United States, and operating in the Duxbury Public School District. The superintendent of the Duxbury Public School District is Danielle Klingaman, the interim assistant superintendent is Beth Wilcox and the principal of Duxbury High School is James Donovan. The building that houses the Duxbury Middle and High School is located at 71 Alden Street, Duxbury, MA and was newly constructed in 2014. The Duxbury High School mascot is the Dragons and its school colors are green, white, and silver. Demographics. The 2020  total school population was 981 students, a figure 2% less than enrollment in 2019 and 6% less than enrollment in 2018. Of the total number of students enrolled in Duxbury High School in 2020, 17.3% are High Need Students, 5.9% are Economically Disadvantaged, 0.3% are English Language Learners, 12.3% are Disabled, 0.3% are African-American, 1.4% are Asian-American, 2.1% are Hispanic, 3.0% are Multiracial, and 93.1% are White. Of the 78 full-time teaching staff, 99.2% are licensed teachers and 89.2% are licensed teachers in the subject they teach. Academics. Ratings. In 2011, Duxbury High School was ranked #13  of all public Massachusetts high schools and #272 of national public high schools by U.S. News and World Report, while Boston Magazine ranked Duxbury High School #27 among 150 greater-Boston public high schools in the same year. In 2017, U.S. News and World Report ranked the school #17 in Massachusetts and #271 nationally, while Boston Magazine ranked it #47 among greater-Boston area public high schools. The Massachusetts Department of Education placed Duxbury High School in the 92nd percentile of Massachusetts public high schools in 2017. In 2020, the Massachusetts DoE classified Duxbury High School as a "School of  Recognition" overall, placing it in the 99th percentile of public high schools in Massachusetts. Opportunities. 71.8% of students have access to participate in an arts course. 83.1% of 11th and 12th grade students have completed at least one advanced course, including Advanced Placement. 95.9% of 9th grade students pass all of their courses. 100% of students complete the MassCore program of studies. Standardized test performance. Students who take the SAT averaged a score of 590 in Reading and 591 in Math in 2017. Students who scored a passing grade of 3 or higher on Advanced Placement examinations accounted for 73 % in 2017. Students in the 10th grade who met or exceeded expectations on the MCAS ELA, Math, and Science portions numbered 89%, 86%, and 97%, respectively. Funding. The total dollars spent per student amounted to $16,037 in 2020, $15,960 of which (all except $77) came from local and state funds. Post-secondary preparedness. The four-year graduation rate is 98.8%, with 86.1% matriculating to a 4-year university and 2% matriculating to a 2-year university. Athletics. The Duxbury Dragons have won the following state championships. History. The first high school in Duxbury was established as a  private secondary school on Tremont and Depot Streets at the behest of U.S. Congressman George Partridge in 1844. A public high school in the town of Duxbury was first proposed in 1866. Public secondary education in Duxbury was originally conducted in privately-owned buildings throughout the town. The town was unable to afford teachers' salaries from the outset. In 1868, an agreement between the Partridge Academy Trustees and the Town of Duxbury was reached, which allowed Duxbury's high school-age residents to attend the Partridge Academy. The Duxbury High School football team was established in the 1925-1926 school  year, while schooling continued at Partridge Academy. In 1927, a new high school building was constructed at 77 Alden Street for $85,000. The building served as the location of the Duxbury Ellison High School until 1997, when the Duxbury Free Library moved from the Wright Building to occupy 77 Alden Street. The Duxbury High School moved in 1997 to Saint George Street, where it remained until 2013, when the building was razed and replaced with playing fields. The present building housing the high school is located at 71 Alden Street. Controversy. Duxbury High School football program. During a March  12, 2021 game against rival Plymouth North High School, Duxbury High School football players were heard using anti-Semitic words and potentially other derogatory language as part of their play-calling system. The incident sparked international and national attention in the weeks following its discovery and elicited public statements from virtually every party to the incident, including the Anti-Defamation League. By March 24, 2021, Head Coach Dave Maimaron had been terminated in his position at the Duxbury High School football program and placed on paid administrative leave in his position as a special education instructor at the Duxbury High  School. Duxbury Public Schools Superintendent John Antonucci announced that an investigation into the etiology and pervasiveness of anti-Semitic or otherwise offensive language was underway and contracted to Just Training Solutions, LLC by March 24th. On June 7, 2021, the results of the investigation conducted by Just Training Solutions, LLC were submitted in a 56-page document to Superintendent John Antonucci, who summarized the report in a document made publicly available on June 10, 2021. The investigation concluded that anti-Semitic language and references to the Holocaust by members of the Duxbury High School football program were in violation of  the School District’s Vision-Values-Mission-Goals Policy, its Harassment Policy, and its Staff Conduct Policy. These violations took the form of using the words "Auschwitz," "Rabbi," and "Dreidel" to call plays at the line-of-scrimmage since 2010-2012. Additionally, the report concluded, "Coaching staff engaged in profane and vulgar language and condoned the use of profane and vulgar language by students." Finally, the report concluded that the football program violated the aforementioned School District policies in addition to the School Ceremonies and Observance Policy inasmuch as Catholic worship and prayer was integrated into the football program's  preparation for competitions. Mr. Maimaron submitted his resignation from his teaching position at Duxbury Public Schools to Superintendent Antonucci on June 7, 2021. Administrative. In June 2021, Duxbury High School Principal Jim Donovan announced that the contract of Thom Holdgate, who has been the school's Director of Athletics and Wellness for 19 years, would not be continued into the 2021-2022 school year.