The Watershed School, on Free Street in Camden, circulated the following Friday, Feb. 9.

With heavy hearts, we are announcing our closure at the end of the current academic year, drawing to a close a remarkable 20-year journey in providing exemplary independent education to high school students. This decision comes after careful consideration and a thorough assessment of the evolving educational landscape and the institution's long-term sustainability.

Since its inception, Watershed School has been at the forefront of academic excellence, nurturing hundreds of local and international students and over 150 graduates who have gone on to make significant contributions in various fields. 

Given the changing economics, demographics and educational opportunities in the midcoast area, the Watershed School Board of Trustees has decided that the Class of 2024 will be the final graduating class of the Watershed School.  The school is dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition for all its students and will provide support and guidance in the coming months to ensure our students will continue to thrive and excel.

The Watershed School expresses our sincere gratitude to the founders for building this remarkable institution, for the generations of students, faculty, parents, trustees and community members who have enriched our school these past 20 years, and for the legacy our students will leave on the world.

As we close this chapter, we look back with pride on our many achievements and the community we have built. Watershed School will forever cherish the memories and the lasting impact it has made. 

In the summer of 2000, a group of parents, artists, and educators sat around Ralph Moore and Bridget Buck‘s kitchen table brainstorming ideas for a new school. They wanted a place where students would have a voice in their education, in an intellectually challenging environment. They wanted a place where the context of the learning experience is as important as the content. They wanted to cultivate an inclusive community of teachers and learners grounded in personal integrity and decency toward others. Over the months, the participants grew in number as they planned and formed the charter of the school that would become a certified educational institution. In the fall of 2003, the first group of students and teachers gathered as Watershed School in the Lincoln Street Center in Rockland.

According to late Founding Director, Phil Gerard, these parents and the 12 pioneering students that composed the first Watershed class established many of the core program elements that would serve hundreds of students over the course of the next two decades. 

Watershed School combined intellectual rigor and courage with project-based learning, design thinking, consensus building  and a joy of learning, together with a commitment to purposeful work within a community setting. Relevant research and applied problem solving tied to community issues have been an essential part of the school’s academic program.

A meaningful reciprocity between Watershed students and community organizations led to improved street lighting in Rockland, refined data monitoring for the Seabright Dam, the reinstatement of Camden’s Energy Committee and Camden’s participation in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, just to name a few. Student learning was enriched through the working relationships with organizations such as the Steel House, the Camden Conference, the town of Camden, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Darling Marine Center, Bay Chamber Concerts, Liberian Education Fund, Trekkers, and the Maine State Science Fair. 

A Watershed education was built on the principle that exceptional individual growth develops out of strong teacher-student relationships within the context of a close-knit community. Faculty concentrated on knowing each student in the school--in terms of learning style, interests, attitude toward learning, challenges, and aspirations--so they can help develop each student's full potential. The democratic nature of the community developed skills leading to effective citizenship and fosters a healthy affection and sense of responsibility for the school, thereby increasing student openness toward learning, toward each other, and toward adults. The attitudes fostered at Watershed School prepared students for a lifetime of learning and for involvement in local communities and the larger world.  Will Galloway who served as Head of School for 16 years, stated, “Engaging with--and empowering students--is a role we take seriously.”

In 2012, Watershed moved to the Knox Mills Center in Camden, and finally to their current home at One Free Street in Camden in 2017. The building will be sold at the end of the school term.

We invite you to join us in our heartfelt celebration of the Watershed School as its final commencement and graduation ceremony honoring the class of 2024 in June. Stay tuned for date, location, and more information.