North Quincy High School (NQHS) is a public secondary school located in the North Quincy neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12, and has an enrollment of over 1,200 students. It is one of two public high schools in the city—the other being Quincy High School. The school's mascot is known as "Yakoo", and its school colors are red and black.
History
The school was originally built as North Junior High School in 1925. An additional wing was added to the eastern side of the building in 1931, and the school was changed into a senior high school. The newly established North Quincy High School graduated its first class of seniors in 1934, and a second wing was added to the building two years later. Both the original structure and the two subsequent additions were designed by Frank Irving Cooper.
In the 1970s, the school underwent major renovations, adding a new gymnasium and cafeteria. A large new wing in the Brutalist style was added to the rear of the building, designed by the Colletti Brothers of Hingham, built atop Oliver Street, which was controversially razed for the construction; the old glass "gondola" in the rear of the old building which served as the principal's office in the 1950s and 1960s was also removed. Finally, the entrance to the school was changed, removing stairs leading into a second-floor vestibule as well as two flanking concrete statues of lions.
The school is once again slated to undergo exterior renovations, beginning with the purchase and razing of much of Hunt Street, and nine houses occupying the section, which will be replaced with parking and access to nearby Teal Field, as well as the fencing in of the entire campus, in conjunction with ongoing modifications of Hancock and West Squantum Streets for easing of traffic constrictions.
The school's atrium was rededicated as the Atrium of Honor in April 2011. The Atrium honors North Quincy High School students and graduates who have served in the U.S. military. This includes two Medal of Honor recipients, Everett Pope and William Caddy. Wall panels are dedicated to Pope, Caddy, E. Alan Brudno, Richard A. Stratton, and Charles Sweeney.
The school has had nine principals in its history. The first, James S. Collins, served as principal from the school's opening in the 1920s and retired in 1956. John Walsh was a Spanish teacher, assistant principal, and then the school's second principal from 1956 to 1972. Peter J. Chrisom, a graduate of the school, was principal from 1972 to 1998. The school's auditorium is named for him. He was succeeded by his long time assistant principal, Eileen Feeney, who served as the school's fourth principal from 1998 to 1999. The fifth principal was Louis P. Ioanilli, who served from 1999 until his retirement in 2007. He was followed by Earl Metzler, principal from 2007 to 2012. Metzler left to become a superintendent of schools in a New Hampshire district. The seventh principal was Robert Shaw, from 2012 to 2021. In 2021, Keith Ford was appointed as the eighth principal of the school; the following year, he moved to Quincy High School and was followed by former Broad Meadows Middle School principal Daniel Gilbert.
Demographics
From the 1990s to 2011 the number of Asian students increased by 40%. According to former student Tony Liang, quoted in The Patriot Ledger, the Asian students in the 1990s were mostly born in China, but by 2011 most of the Asian students were American-born. As of 2021, 53.5% of students were Asian and 34.2% where white.
Athletics
"North" competed for many years in the high school Atlantic Coast and Old Colony Leagues, which comprised teams from the South Shore. In recent years, the school has competed in the Patriot League, and its athletic teams are known as the Raiders.
North Quincy High School has shown the most success in its girls' volleyball program, which has won six state championships within the last twenty years under coach Jim Rendle.
Clubs and teams
North Quincy High has a range of teams and clubs.
Academic teams
North Quincy High has many academic teams, including Debate Team, Academic Decathlon, Math Team, History Bowl, and Science Olympiad.
MOON (Mathematical Organization of North Quincy) has competed in the Greater Boston Math League.
The Debate team participates in regional debates hosted at venues such as Harvard University and Boston University, as well as many other events throughout the Northeast.
The Model United Nations club participates in academic discussions and intellectual forums throughout the Boston area.