Keene High School (KHS) is a public high school located in Keene, New Hampshire. It serves the city of Keene and the surrounding towns of Chesterfield, Harrisville, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Stoddard, Sullivan, Surry, Westmoreland and Winchester.
The Cheshire Career Center, a co-curricular and community education center, is located in the South Annex of the building.
As of the 2014–15 school year, the school had an enrollment of approximately 1,391 students and 121.8 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 11.0.
Awards and recognition
Teacher Kelly Budd was recognized in 1999 as a winner of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards for work that included a ninth-grade unit on The Holocaust that culminated in a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. for the entire freshman class.
Keene High School was winner of the 2002 International Envirothon title, a high school environmental competition, defeating 47 teams from high schools across the United States and Canada. The Keene team won the New Hampshire Envirothon competition in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, placing 12th overall in the North American competition in 2006 and placing 9th in 2009. In the 2010 state competition two KHS teams competed, one winning and the other placing third. The winning team tied for ninth nationally.
The Drama Club has won multiple Theatre at the Mount Youth (TAMY) awards for its musicals.
In 2013, the Cheshire Career Center Television Production Program won national gold medals for TV (Video) Production through SkillsUSA. In 2014, students won national gold medals in Digital Filmmaking through SkillsUSA. In 2015 and 2016, student were top 10 at the SkillsUSA NSLC in Broadcast News.
Courses
On average, 200 courses are taught each school year, pending involvement from staff and students.
Administration
The school is within the New Hampshire School Administrative Unit No. 29, covering Keene and six other communities in Cheshire County.
Within the school, there is a Main Office, Guidance Office, Health Office, Department Offices and "House Offices". The Houses are arranged in groups of students, alphabetically. There are three house offices: Blue, Gold and Green.
Departments
There are 11 curricular departments:
Social Studies
Mathematics
Science
English
Foreign Language
Fine Arts
Life Education
Special Education
Physical Education
Technology Education
Business Education
Music
KHS has the largest music department of any other surrounding high schools. It has two choirs: the Concert Chorus and the A Cappella Choir. It has one concert band and two jazz groups: the Vocal Jazz Ensemble; and the Jazz Ensemble which is a big band. The Jazz Ensemble is the focus of many local jazz concerts.
In addition to the performing classes, there are courses in Music History, Music Theory, Beginning Piano, Intermediate Piano, and Beginning Guitar.
Each May, the Keene High Music Department hosts the variety show "Nostalgia". Keene High participates in the New Hampshire All-State Music Festival, New England Music Festival, and Monadnock Valley Music Festival.
Athletics
2006 was a successful year for the Keene High School sports teams, with the Boys Swimming and Diving winning the state championship over Oyster River High School 235–135, and the girls winning the Division I cross-country skiing championship over Concord High School. The boys ski team was runner-up to state champion Concord High School in both the Division I Alpine and Division I Cross Country.
The boys baseball team won back-to-back Class L state championships in 1996 and 1997, winning their second in a row with a 12–5 win over Merrimack High School in the championship game. They won the Class L state championship again in 2009, defeating Alvirne 9–4.
Keene High School's Dave Minickiello retired in 1999 after 31 years as the school's wrestling coach, having led the team to nine state titles and a New England crown, having coached seven New England individual champion wrestlers and winning more than 60 New Hampshire state championships.
Activities
43 student clubs and activities are listed on the school's website. The oldest club is the Ushers club; the Drama club is one of the largest, with an enrollment of over 110 students.