For more information on these groups, click on the group name below.
Band/Jazz Combo
Concert band members perform in two school concerts and many community activities including parades and basketball games. Many members have been chosen for District VI and Washington County Honors Music Festivals. The band members also raise money each year for their Boston Fine Arts trip to experience live professional musicians and tour colleges of music.
Our award winning Jazz Combo consistently achieves ratings that send them from district to state level of competition. They frequently perform at community events and bring joy to the residents of the assisted-living facilities when they play there. Our graduates have gone on to major in music at Berklee College of Music, USM and UMO. CHS Stage Band received State Champion honors in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987.
The Calais Skatepark Committee is comprised of middle school and high school students who have a passion for skateboarding, inline skating and BMX stunt bike riding. Members of the CSC meet every week during the school year and participate in many work sessions throughout the calendar year either at the Skatepark or in the CHS Tech Ed Lab. The CSC plans for, and then operates, several competition and demonstration events at the park during the skateboarding, inline skating and BMX riding season. This project began in 1999 with a CHS student idea and the skatepark has since been designed and constructed by students, and is now operated and maintained by the current membership of the CSC. This organization welcomes all interested students to fill the design, construction and promotional roles required to move the project into the future.
Calais High School currently has a full-time Career Coordinator in addition to the Guidance Counselor to help students in grades 8-12 explore career pathways. This program, known as CAP (Career Aspirations Program), follows the Maine State Learning Results Standards.
Since its implementation in 2005, the program has been used by hundreds of students as a valuable tool for choosing a post-high school path.
The goal of the CAP program is to inform students about careers and colleges,
as well as raise their academic and career aspirations through individualized career planning.
Activities will include computer career searches (Choices), job shadowing experiences and interviews, career-oriented workshops, and one-on-one career counseling. Students focus on attitudes necessary for successful entry to the world of work. The CAP program currently has a 98% participation record at Calais High School.
Chorus
These are the singers in the school who, although they are Blue Devils, have angelic voices. They perform at two school concerts and many have the opportunity to participate in the District VI and Washington County Honors Music Festivals. Chorus members have also delighted the audiences at local assisted-living facilities.
Civil Rights Team
Members, comprised of faculty, staff and students, are trained to help other students deal with discrimination issues and how to address them in the school.
NEW!!! Domino Club NEW!!!
Recently started by avid domino players at CHS, the domino club meets weekly under the guidance of Mr. Chaffey. They are currently playing Cardinal's Mexican Train, but will begin learning different variations and new games as the year progresses. To play on your own, click here for domino rules!
The Blue Devil Company Players usually perform in two or three productions a year. Opportunities abound as they learn set design, perfect technical lighting, create illusion via costume makeup and costume design, memorize lines, and create fantasy worlds for all to enjoy. They also entertain the audience at the Spring Arts Festival with various skits. They won the State championship in 1995.
Fencing
Started in the 2006-07 school year, the fencing club teaches students the fundamentals of fencing and the techniques involved.
Foreign Exchange Students
CHS has had students from all over the world to help communicate the true concept of a global economy. These students have taught our students firsthand the cultural differences that separate our countries and also the similarities that bind humanity together. Our trophy case is filled with flags from the countries of the students CHS sponsored. This in turn has fostered a desire for CHS students to travel abroad and learn more about these countries. CHS students have traveled to Spain, Germany, Morocco, England, Australia, and Greece since 1993.
Horatio Alger Award
Every year, one school per State is named a Horatio Alger School by the Horatio Alger Association. A student in this school will win a $10,000 scholarship and an all-expenses paid conference in Washington, D.C. This four-day experience gives scholarship recipients an opportunity for a firsthand exploration of government and free enterprise system in action. CHS is the only school in Washington County to have ever won this prestigious award. CHS won it in 1990 and again in 2000. It is very rare to have any school win it twice and rarer still to win it twice in the same decade.
JMG
Jobs for Maine’s Graduates class is designed to teach students career preparation and life skills that they will use in future endeavors. JMG has been at Calais High School for over 14 years. For the last twelve years the Calais JMG has been the State/Regional champion of the Career Development Competition. They have also won numerous individual medals and trophies during these competitions. The JMG program has a student-led organization called Career Association. Through this program students will participate in the four goals, which include community service, social awareness, leadership, and career preparation.
Math Team
The Math Team was brought into CHS in 1987. These number-crunching wizards compete against other schools in the Hancock-Washington County Math League, with two-three teams per school in attendance. Each year they compete in the State Math Meet, an invitational meet sponsored by the Maine Association of Math Leagues.
The National Honor Society ranks as one of the oldest and most prestigious national organizations for high school students. It is an organization that recognizes and fosters academic achievement. The CHS chapter of the NHS works in the community doing between 15 and 20 service projects per year and has been awarded the State Chapter Banner for outstanding performance three years in a row. They have also had students elected to serve on the State Executive Board. Members definitely believe in the NHS motto, Noblesse Oblige, which basically means that if one feels his/her life has meaning, he/she should give of him/herself to others. The Calais chapter adopted an additional motto, “Building Character Through Service”. Members take pride in participating in local, state, national, and international service projects. These include but are not limited to The American Heart Association, St. Jude’s, Honduras Relief, Toys for Tots, Books for the Lions Club, Local Food Pantry, Odd Fellows tabs for dialysis, benefit suppers, and recycle drives.
Skills USA
The Skills USA Club has been in existence at St. Croix Regional Technical Center since 1991. As students learn their respective trade they also prepare for a State competition. Since its inception at SCRTC, Skills USA students have won numerous regional and State medals including many gold medals. They also have had students attending the National contests where they have also won medals, including gold.
The Student Council consists of elected officials from each class. It is a school service organization providing items for the school that will benefit the student body. Items include the CHS marble sign, school mat, school flag, mascot costume, picnic tables, bleacher seats for the soccer field, scoreboards in the gym and on the soccer field, bulletin boards, yearly $500 scholarship, and numerous contributions to student causes. They are also very active at the State level of Student Council. CHS has produced three regional presidents, one regional vice president, two regional secretaries, three regional representatives, one State Secretary, four State Vice Presidents, and eight State Presidents. CHS has also been named an Honor Council for the past 20 years and has been named the outstanding Student Council in the State on six separate occasions. The crowning achievement has always been the week-long competitions of Winter Carnival in February which runs until 9:00 each evening where each class tries to win the title of overall winner. This is the singular event which most past alumni remember as the most fun of their high school careers.
The CHS Website Design Team covers stories from sports to academic achievements to post on this website. Team members are also responsible for updating calendar information, posting photographs, maintaining a functional website, and evaluating website comments/suggestions. Started at the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, the website design team is always looking for reporters, web designers, photographers, and proofreaders. Each organization also assists the team by assigning a member as the group's web reporter, providing stories and pictures as they become available.
Yearbook Staff
Students learn how to prepare layouts, organize photo shoots, create advertising materials, manage time effectively to meet deadlines, and sell advertising space and the finished product. They also learn how to use special computer software which helps them further refine their computer skills.
Other Activities
At CHS, one can find students, teachers, and coaches working after school and into the evenings throughout the school year. Whether they are involved in competition, meetings, or planning sessions, they work together with Blue Devil pride. In addition to the clubs and sports teams, CHS offers Friday night dances: traditional (freshmen welcome, sophomore hop, junior prom, and senior ball), theme oriented (Super Bowl, Retro, and HiLighter) and special occasion (Scarecrow and Winter Carnival).
CHS also boasts its Student Council sponsored Winter Carnival Week that injects some good humor into a week-long series of class competitions during activity periods and after school. Other special events include the “Blue and White Review” recognition night, Mr. CHS talent contest, the Science Fair, and Spring Arts Festival.
Open to all students are several after-school programs from “Fly-tying” to “Introduction to German.” When student interest dictates, the school also organizes activities including Mock Trial, Envirothon, School Newspaper, and Photography Club. If it is not happening at CHS, you can make it happen!
