Introduction

Maine is rocky coastlines, pristine lakes and rivers, rugged mountains and open farmland. The four seasons offer a myriad of recreational opportunities from which to choose. Besides having the reputation, as Vacationland, Maine is a unique place to live and work. Maine offers rural locations, villages, towns and cities all with a unique flavor.

Located in central Maine, are the towns of Poland, Mechanic Falls, and Minot. Each is an easy one-hour drive to Portland, Maine’s largest city, and it is approximately two hours from Boston, Massachusetts. Lewiston and Auburn, with a combined population of 60,000, are fifteen minutes away. Both the seacoast and the mountains of Maine are within an hour’s drive, and there are numerous lakes within the borders of Poland.

The towns of Poland, Mechanic Falls, and Minot are residential communities. The focus of employment and cultural events is in the Lewiston/Auburn/Portland areas. The towns have a mixture of small business and agriculture. The Poland Spring Bottled Water Company is in the town of Poland and has an active interest in local education.

Poland, with a population of approximately 4000 people, is the most populated of the three towns. The combined middle/high school will be located in the town of Poland on Route 26, a major north/south route. Mechanic Falls, with a population of almost 3000 people, is the most centered business district. Minot, with a population of 3000, lies closest to Lewiston/Auburn.

Parent and community volunteerism is a strong tradition in all three towns. From local government activities such as town meetings to parent ­ teacher organizations, community members are active in their support of the towns and the schools. Schools provide a focal point for various meetings and activities, and receive about fifty percent of each town’s tax commitment.

The three towns have had an historic opportunity to educate their secondary school students locally. With community support, involved parents, and interested businesses, the new Poland Regional High School and Bruce M. Whittier Middle School is more than a building. It is the center of a strong partnership that will provide an economic boost and a source of spirit and pride.


Background Information

The Poland School Department has created a dynamic and responsive new middle/high school that opened in the fall of 1999. The new school was created by an act of the Maine Legislature in response to the need for a new regional secondary school. A notice from the Auburn School Department that students from the towns of Poland, Mechanic Falls, and Minot could no longer attend Auburn’s high school created the need.

The middle school, which occupies a separate wing of the building, serves students in grades seven and eight from the town of Poland and will has approximately 200 students. Previously, grades seven and eight were served at the Poland Community School. The middle school wing will has team oriented instructional areas, its own health studies room, a technical education lab, and gymnasium. The high school offers additional support areas that will be shared by the middle school.

The Poland Regional High School has a student body of approximately 5000 students. The school serves students in grades nine to twelve from the towns of Poland, Mechanic Falls, Minot and Raymond. Students who attend the new high school previously attended nine public and private secondary schools on a tuition basis. The law governing the new school’s creation allowed students who attended grade twelve in the fall of 1999 to have the option to attend and graduate from the school the student had attended for the past three years.

The high school building features state of the art technology, team oriented instructional spaces, a television studio, robotics lab, video editing room, an auditorium, and a floor plan designed to be flexible and responsive to a variety of teaching methods.