Telstar High School

Telstar High School (Telstar or THS) is a high school located in Bethel, Maine, in the United States as part of Maine School Administrative District 44.

Telstar High School
Address
284 Walkers Mills Rd.

Bethel
,
Oxford
,
Maine
04217

United States
Coordinates44°25′7″N 70°45′55″W
Information
Founded1968
School districtMSAD 44
SuperintendentMark Kenney
DeanJohn Eliot (HS) Lindsay Luetjie (MS)
PrincipalTBD
Grades9-12
School roll178
Color(s)  Columbia blue
  White
  Navy
AthleticsFootball, Field Hockey, Golf, Nordic Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Track, Cross Country.
SportsFootball, Field Hockey, Soccer, Cross Country Running. (Fall)

Basketball, Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing. (Winter)

Baseball, Softball, Track & Field. (Spring)
MascotYosemite Sam
NicknameRebels
Communities servedWoodstock, Greenwood, Bethel, Newry
Websitesad44.org

History

The school was founded in 1968 and named after Telstar — the satellite's Andover Earth Station is in the school district, in Andover. In 1968, a controversy brewed up when a local Baptist minister attempted to get the school to not use the novels Demian by Hermann Hesse, The Emperor of Ice-Cream by Brian More, and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes in an English class.[1]

Notable alumni

Budget issues

District property valuations also caused issues within the district itself. With several million dollar homes in the vicinity of Sunday River Ski Resort, the tax base of the area keeps rising. Increasing valuations have led to a dramatic decrease in state aid, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the 2009-2010 district budget.[2]

While property valuations have increased, many middle income jobs have been lost due to economic conditions and the poor business climate for the area's paper industry. Sunday River itself, able to weather just about any economic crisis, shed 32 full-time positions in 2009. The loss of jobs in the area have brought about a steady decrease in the school population as families move away seeking employment.

In the summer of 2009, district officials invited taxpayers to share their views on a possible $5-million-dollar addition to the school, which would cost taxpayers roughly $300,000 per year over the next 15 years. At this meeting, held at the end of July, voters shared their perspectives. Following the meeting, the SAD 44 School Board met and decided to put the proposal out to voters.[3]

References
  1. Titcomb, Caldwell (January 3, 1969). "What Johnny can read". To the Editor. Maine Times., reprinted in The Best of Maine Times. Bangor, Maine: Maine Times Publishing Company. 2003. pp. 23–24. ISBN 0-9729124-1-X.
  2. Newspaper: Bethel Citizen, need link to specific page.
  3. Bethel Citizen article: "Welcome to the Bethel Citizen, Bethel, Maine". Archived from the original on 2009-08-18. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
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