Dear Deering Family,

What a 150th anniversary year it has been for Deering! There’s too much to list here, but here are a few quick highlights:

• Word is getting out: Deering is by far the top school choice for rising 9th graders.
• We saw soccer, drama, debate, wrestling, math team, chorus, and science olympiad all advance to States or beyond.
• Again a DHS student won the Maine App Challenge.
• Volleyball and football both made it to the playoffs, football for the first time in recent memory.
• Our seniors are entering directly into trade careers and the military as well enrolling at Yale, Smith, Boston College, Mount Holyoke, Emory, UConn, our UMaine schools, and a number of other higher education institutions.
• Nearly 50 seniors started college a semester early through SMCC’s Spring Ahead program.
• Twenty-three students have earned the rigorous Seal of Biliteracy.

We are proud to be the most diverse high school in the three-state region. In the outside world, difference can be cause for rancor, war, and strife. At Deering, we respect each other, learn from each other, and care for each other. At Deering, our differences are our strength. Spend some time in our halls, and you will see what it means when we say we are “All One School.”

Having laid this foundation, our next challenge is to continue raising overall academic achievement. You can see on Maine’s ESSA Data Dashboard, which has been updated with 2022-2023 data, that we have a lot to be proud of academically but also have significant work left to do. That’s why our staff has been looking carefully at student data, refining systems, and rallying the school community around the mantra of “Learning Together.” You can help us by making sure your student comes to school on time every day, by monitoring their grades on Infinite Campus, and by reaching out when you or your student need help. We are all in this together.

With gratitude and respect,

Jake Giessman, Principal