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There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.

– Jiddu Krishnamurti

5/6 Curtis House

Our 5th and 6th grade multi-age grouping is called Curtis House, named after Curtis Cove in Harpswell. It is the first half of our Division 1. The Curtis curriculum includes workshops that focus on core Math and English knowledge and skills, in addition to science and social studies investigations. Topics of study include mythology, Native American history, physics, and genetics. Much of the Curtis house programming is geared towards evaluating and improving upon foundational academic skills and habits of work and learning, including perseverance and community mindedness.

Students get to know each other and build community in their crews, which is a small, tight-knit group of students from grades 5 – 8 and a teacher that becomes a school family. Students start and end the school day with their crew. They build trusting and supportive relationships while developing speaking and listening skills, practicing collaborative problem solving and habits of work and learning.

7/8 Stovers House and Basin House

Our 7th and 8th grade multi-age groupings are called Stovers House and Basin House. These groups are named after Stovers Cove and Basin Cove in Harpswell. They constitute the second part of Division 1. Students need to have met all of the Division 1 standards by the end of their 8th grade year in order to be eligible for passage to Division 2, which is HCA’s high school. Stovers and Basin topics of study include persuasive writing, activism, ecology and biology.

Students get to know each other and build community in their crews, which is a small, tight-knit group of students from grades 5 – 8 and a teacher that becomes a school family. Students start and end the school day with their crew. They build trusting and supportive relationships while developing speaking and listening skills, practicing collaborative problem solving and habits of work and learning.

9/10 Division 2

Grades 9 and 10 are called Division 2, which has its own set of high school standards required for passage into the next division. Division 2 classes include Civics and US History, Project Based Math and First Year Seminar. Division 2 students have some voice and choice when it comes to our course content, but also have a core set of classes. All HCA classes are graded by Trimester. Student ideas take shape into real classes that are offered by teachers on a Trimester by Trimester basis.

The Division 2/3 campus has access to some trails and outdoor opportunities, as well as established connections to other organizations that our students benefit from. Many HCA students attend Region 10 Technical High School and earn standards through their vocational programming as well as HCA classes. Division 2 HCA students are also eligible for early college classes through the UMaine system. Some students also join our Pathways Program, where they can focus on social change or entrepreneurship with a cohort of other like-minded students.

11/12 Division 3

Grades 11 and 12 are called Division 3 students and have met Division 2 standards. Division 3 students work on the last set of standards required for graduation from HCA. Most of our Division 3 students have created a learning plan that fits their interests and aspirations. For some students this includes courses at Region 10 Technical High School and for others it involves a walk across our parking lot to take college classes at the Brunswick branch of Southern Maine Community College. Division 3 students also complete a senior project of their own invention and design.

By the time HCA students round the last corners of their high school education, they have become an integral part of our school community. From reaction and participation in their learning community to community service to personal discovery, HCA students leave us having experienced considerable growth. HCA students learn about themselves, about their world, and about how they can contribute to it and change it for the better.