Ponaganset High School is a school of the Foster-Glocester School District, located in Glocester, Rhode Island in Providence County. (It has a North Scituate, Rhode Island address for postal purposes.) The majority of high school students live in the rural towns of Glocester and Foster, Rhode Island. This is a public high school, known for its music program, AP and honors classes, as well as its CTE approved pathways; plant systems, animal systems, materials and manufacturing, pre-engineering, music technology, music performance, and pending programs: computer science and information technology, and biomedicine. The school's athletic teams are named the "Chieftains," and the FIRST Robotics Competition team is called "5112, The Gongoliers." The principal as of 2012 was Renee Palazzo.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 722 students enrolled for 2012-2013 was:
- Male - 51.5%
- Female - 48.5%
- Asian/Pacific islanders - 0.1%
- Black - 0.3%
- Hispanic - 0.3%
- White - 99.2%
- Multiracial - 0.1%
Additionally, 18% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Mascot Controversy
Ponaganset's mascot is the Chieftain in a full headdress, which the Foster-Glocester School District mascot came under controversy by the local Nipmuc Tribe, which formed from the scrutiny in recent years as mascots with Native American imagery and symbolism have been reevaluated. The Rhode Island Commission on Prejudice and Bias was initially scheduled to present their case for replacing the mascot of the Foster-Glocester School District, but has been postponed indefinitely.
Capital improvement plan
In the late 2000s, the school underwent a major multi-phase renovation in which the former middle school was relocated to a new building and the existing high school took over the old middle school structure. An indoor glass walkway was put in to attach the high school with the old middle school. The renovations were completed at the end of 2009.
Notable alumni
- Sherwood C. Spring, retired United States Army Colonel and former NASA astronaut and graduate of the Class of 1963.
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