In 1835 citizens of Bethel, Maine, formed an organization as trustees of the Bethel High School. A hall was fitted up for a schoolroom, and N. T. True was employed as principal. Encouraged by their success, the trustees reorganized and obtained a charter for an Academy, which by act of the Legislature on January 27, 1836, was incorporated as Bethel Academy. A building was erected, Isaac Randall was the first instructor, and the school opened for its first term on the second Wednesday of September, 1836.[1]
Bethel Academy also accepted its first tuition-paying students in 1836, both locals and boarders. Reverend Daniel Gould left his $842 fortune to the school when he died in 1843. Gould stipulated that the school be named for him; from then on it was known as Gould's Academy and eventually Gould Academy.[2]
In 1921, plans to build the Bingham Gymnasium were announced by then president Frank E. Hanscom.[3] In 1933, construction began on Hanscom Hall. In 1936, the Academy earned accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.[4]
William Bingham II,[5] who came to Bethel from Cleveland for John George Gehring's medical care,[6] was a major school benefactor from the 1930s to his death in 1955 and thereafter via the Bingham Betterment Fund.[2] Since the town of Bethel lacked a public high school, all local children were educated at Gould until 1969, when Telstar High School opened.[2]
The Original Gould Hall c. 1890; Hanscom Hall now stands where this building did.
Academics
Hanscom Hall contains the library, classrooms, and administrative offices
Gould operates on a trimester system, and students typically enroll in five to six courses per trimester. Class periods are affectionately known as "dots" (periods), and have a fixed schedule changing between four and three classes a day. The fall and spring term schedules include a half day every week on Wednesday, a late start every Thursday, and occasional Saturday classes. The Winter term schedule is based on half days Tuesday through Friday to make time for athletics, mainly the On-Snow Competition programs.[8]
Programming
Athletics
Gould's high school teams compete in the MAISAD league of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. Most sports also branch outside of the league and conference. Fall Sports include Cross Country Running, Equestrian, Field Hockey, Golf, Mountain Biking, Soccer, the Outing Club, and Yearbook. Winter Sports include Basketball, Snowboarding (competitive and not), Alpine Skiing (competitive and not), Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Learning to Ski, Rugrats, and the Outing Club. Spring sports are Baseball, Equestrian, Lacrosse, Road Cycling, Skateboarding, Softball, Tennis and the Outing Club.[9]
On-Snow Competition Program
Special class schedules and flexibility are available for students competing in the program, especially during the winter.[10]
Four Point
Gould’s Four Point Program is a 40-year-old tradition that starts in eighth grade and ends upon graduation. Every year, just before spring break, students in each class embark on a journey of self-discovery.[11]
Campus
Sanborn Family Library inside Hanscom Hall, newly renovated in 2011
Gould's 436 acre campus is located in the town of Bethel, Maine, just on the Western edge of "Bethel Village".[12]
Athletic facilities
Ordway Hall, Dining Hall at Gould Academy, Built in 1998
Farnsworth Field House: Farnsworth is a multi-purpose complex that is home to Lieblein Performance Center, Lombard Basketball Court, a fitness and weight-training center, an athletic training room, a trampoline room, an indoor skate park, two tennis courts, and a team room. Outdoors, there are four tennis courts, four full-sized athletic fields, an artificial turf field, baseball and softball diamonds, and an 18-hole golf course at the Bethel Inn Resort.[9]
^"Bethel Historical Society to oversee Gould archives". The Bethel Citizen. 2014-07-31. Retrieved 16 June 2017. The archives are being placed on long-term loan to the society which, with its newly completed Mary E. Valentine Collections Wing, is in a position to carefully monitor and maintain the archives while also making it available for display and study purposes, according to a BHS press release.
