page_title: Souhegan High School
section_title: Coalition of Essential Schools
hierarchical_section_title: Souhegan High School / Culture / Coalition of Essential Schools
caption_attribution_description: English: Fang Fest
context_page_description: Souhegan Cooperative High School is a Coalition of Essential Schools high school located in Amherst, New Hampshire, in the United States. Students from Amherst and Mont Vernon attend Souhegan for 9th through 12th grades. There are about 750 students. The school was founded based on the work of Theodore R. Sizer, a former dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a notable American education reform leader and the father of the Essential Schools movement. Notably, Souhegan's progressive reputation has been chronicled in the book Standards of Mind and Heart: Creating the Good High School by Tony Wagner, Peggy Silvia and Dr. Robert A. Mackin. Based on this history, the school was founded with the mission "Souhegan High School aspires to be a community of learners born of respect, trust and courage." The school name is derived from its proximity to the Souhegan River, which adjoins the school property. The word Souhegan comes from the Algonquin language, meaning "waiting and watching place".
context_section_description: Intended to codify Ted Sizer's insights from his book Horace's Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School (Mariner Books, 1984), and the views and beliefs of others in the CES organization, the essential schools movement was based on ten principles:
  Learning to use one's mind well
  Demonstration of Mastery and Deep Learning
  Less is more, depth over coverage
  Goals apply to all students
  Personalization
  Student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach
  A tone of decency and trust
  Commitment to the entire school
  Resources dedicated to teaching and learning
  Democracy and Equity
caption: Fang Fest Celebration
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