OTHS Honors Diploma

Old Town High School
Honors Diploma Program

Upcoming Events 2009-2010
Mentor groups during ATS
(Thursdays: Sept. 24, Nov. 19, Jan. 28, March 25, May 13)

Senior due date - all Honors Diploma program components must be submitted by
8 AM the day after the Senior Exhibition Fair

Senior Exhibition Fair
(Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 - 7 PM)
(Required event for Seniors wishing to earn an Honors Diploma - does not count toward seminar requirement for seniors)

Upcoming Seminars

Service Opportunities

Outside Seminars: You may complete up to two of your Honors Diploma seminars on your own - click "Calendar" at UMaine.edu for some ideas! We recommend checking with your mentor to have a seminar pre-approved, to make sure it fits our guidelines.

*Tutoring (see Mrs. Vatne)

*Working on a dance for people with special needs (see Mrs. Parker)

*Working with "Literacy in the Family" (treasure hunt and read-alouds with younger children) - see Dr. Pusey

Mr. Doty's Office Hours

Need to consult with Mr. Doty about your Honors Diploma progress, Service Projects, your Senior Exhibition Project, online courses, etc.? You can find him in the "Independent Computer Lab" (across from the library). Office Hours are posted just outside his door.

Can't make any of those times? Email him (jon.doty@rsu34.org) and he'll get back to you as soon as he can.

Honors Diploma Requirements
The Old Town High School Honors Diploma was created to recognize sustained academic achievement of extraordinary distinction, and to encourage students to take full advantage of the rich offerings at Old Town High School. In order to earn an Honors Diploma, students must:

Successfully apply to join the Honors Diploma Cohort
Excel in highly challenging courses:
- Maintain a 90% average in:
  - Two college-level courses (Advanced Placement courses, for example)
  - An additional eight Honors or college-level courses
  - These courses shall be taken over a minimum of seven semesters, except in the case of early graduation
  - Only courses with final grades of at least 85% count toward this requirement
Thoroughly explore all disciplines at Old Town High School
- Complete four years each of Math, Science, English, and Social Studies
  - Must include three lab sciences
- Complete the third year of a foreign language
- Maintain a 90% average in this set of courses
Complete an approved Service Project(s) (ServeReqForms.pdf)
- A total of 20 hours, in 1-3 projects
Complete a Senior Exhibition Project of superior quality
Participate in nine Honors Seminars (see below )
- Up to two of the seminars may be external (not arranged by Old Town High School)
  - Written pre-approval strongly recommended (mentor or committee member)
    - Guidelines: similar to seminars offered through OTHS (formally arranged, expert in field, at least an hour in length, diverse content, aimed at near-adult or adult audience, reflective paper to mentor within 1 week)
    - Examples: University lecture, special guest lecture hosted by a community agency
    - Non-examples: routine talk, sermon, or guest speaker in a class
- Reflection paper submission procedure (ReflectionFY10.pdf)
  Reflection paper template (FY10Template .txt, FY10Template.rtf)
  Examples of excellent reflections are here: (Exemplars.pdf)
Students shall maintain an honorable academic career, free of cheating and plagiarism
Completing course requirements to earn the Honors Diploma is ultimately the student's responsibility; keep the requirements in mind as you make course enrollment and add/drop decisions. It is highly recommended that you plan well ahead and not rely on a perfect schedule your senior year to finish the requirements.

Keeping Track of Progress
Students are annually provided with feedback as to their progress. Below is an example of a student well on her way toward earning an Honors Diploma:

To request your most recent record, please see or email Mr. Doty (jon.doty@rsu34.org).

Honors Diploma Committee
Mrs. Kelley Weiss, Science
Mr. David Walker, M. Ed., C.A.S., Supt. of Schools
Ms. Vi Smith, Français
Mr. Paul Smith, Social Studies
Dr. Judith Pusey, Curriculum Coordinator
Ms. Karen Marley, M. Ed., English
Mr. Ed Lindsey, Science
Mrs. Amy Ketch, M. Ed., C.A.S., Academic Dean of Students
Mr. Scott Gordon, Principal of Old Town High School
Ms. Colleen Fitzgerald, Guidance Counselor
Mr. Jon Doty, M. Ed., C.A.S., Gifted/Talented Services
Mr. Steve Dexter, History
Ms. Millie Cannon, Librarian

2006-2007 Seminars

Philosophical Thought
Guest Presenter: Dr. Michael Palmer, University of Maine
Media Impact on Democracy
Guest Presenters: Dr. Amy Freid (University of Maine),
Mr. Jeff Tuttle (Bangor Daily News)
Oppression and Civil Rights/Liberties
Guest Presenter: Dr. Nathan Godfried, University of Maine
Global and Historical Theology
Guest Presenters: Dr. Alexander Grab (University of Maine),
Pastor Bruce Stevens (United Baptist Church),
and Dr. Doug Allen (University of Maine)
Confluence of Environmental and Economic Policy
Guest Presenter: Mark Anderson, University of Maine

2007-2008 Seminars

Quantum Mechanics
Guest Presenter: Dr. James H. Page
Cycle Notation, Group Theory, and other Rubik’s Cube Mathematics
Guest Presenter: Kevin Roberge (University of Maine and EMCC)
Forensics, Cult Psychology, and Mass Murder
Guest Presenter: Cornel Plebani, M.A. (Husson College)
Our Changing Atmosphere: The Ozone Layer and Carbon Dioxide
(UMaine Lecture: Nobel laureate F. Sherwood Rowland)
Roots of Terrorism: From the Horn of Africa to Pakistan
(UMaine Lecture: Ambassador M. Bellamy and B. Riedel)
Geoarchaeology in Peru
Guest Presenter: Dr. Alice Kelley
Senior Exhibition Fair
Guest Presenters: 2008 OTHS Honors Diploma graduates!

Congratulations to Old Town's FIRST Honors Diploma graduates, the Class of 2008!

2008-2009 Seminars

SuperFish!
(UMaine Lecture and Premiere: Rick Rosenthal)
Military History
Lt. Col. Jim Campbell
Global Ethics
Mrs. Colleen Grover
Life in Ghana
Denise St. Peter (OTHS Alumnus, Tufts University)
Art Through Microscopy
Dr. Sara Lindsay (School of Marine Sciences, UM)
Why Video Games are Good For You
Tim Hart (College of Education, UM)
The Ethic of Collateral Damage
UM Honors College
Senior Exhibition Fair
Guest Presenters: 2009 OTHS Honors Diploma graduates!

Congratulations to the 2009 Honors Diploma graduates!
2009Grads
Front Row: Megan Dorr, Sarah Wilcox, Erin St. Peter, Molly Segee, Gabriella doAmaral, and Emily Yates
Back Row: Charlotte Kenneway, Alecsandra Washburn, Nathan Edwards, Brandon Winchenbach, Chad Paradis, Kate Goodness, and Marilyn Morrison

Seminar Requirements

Seminar Reflection Criteria
Reflection Template

RSU #34

This page managed and maintained by Jon Doty (jon.doty@rsu34.org)
Old Town High School - Regional School Unit #34