Falmouth High School (Maine)

Falmouth High School
Location
74 Woodville Road

,
04105

United States
Information
MottoFear the Wheel
Established1930
School districtFalmouth Schools
SuperintendentSteve Nolan
PrincipalDr. David Conrady
Teaching staff66.90 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Number of students698 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio10.43[1]
Colors    Blue, white & gold
Team name
  • Yachtsmen (1950-2021)
  • Navigators (2021-)
RivalGreely High School Cape Elizabeth High School Biddeford High School
YearbookThe Crest
Websitefhs.falmouthschools.org

Falmouth High School is a public high school located in the town of Falmouth, Maine, in the United States. The school serves roughly 680 students in grades 9–12. Located on the Woodville Road Campus, the current Falmouth High School was completed in 2001, and opened for the 2001–2002 school year. Previously the school was shared with Falmouth Middle School, and from 1930 to 1955 was in the Plummer-Motz building located on the corner of Middle and Lunt Roads. Falmouth High School is located near the geographic center of town, and is abutted by Falmouth's community park. The school's athletic teams were called the "Yachtsmen" (1950–2021), but the long-lived school mascot was replaced by the "Navigators" (2021–). The school colors are blue and gold with white as secondary.

In November 2008, the citizens of Falmouth rejected a reorganization plan to consolidate[2] with the nearby district of SAD 51, which comprises Cumberland, Maine, and North Yarmouth, Maine. Falmouth has since filed and had approved an alternative reorganization plan[3] allowing it to remain an independent district.

School name and mascot

In 1948, the name "Yachtsmen" was used in a Portland Press Herald article to unofficially name the FHS students.[4] The name began appearing in yearbooks in 1950 and became the name for the sports teams. The team nickname also had a mascot, Yachtie who was an angry, bearded yachtsman who would occasionally appear at games. In 2021, a survey was sent to students and staff asking about the popularity of the school's name and logo. The survey found that 21.5% of students "liked or loved" the nickname and 78.5% disliked or were indifferent to it, some students calling the name "uninclusive".[4] The school board decided that the name would change for the 2021–2022 school year. The school considered many names (e.g. Riptide, Kraken, Vikings) but, in the final vote, "Navigators" was voted to replace "Yachtsmen". The sports teams are now known as the Falmouth Navigators/NAVS.[5] The school has not announced a replacement for "Yachtie".

Sports

The Falmouth High School Navigators are currently members of the Southwestern Maine Activities Association (SMAA), in the class A division. There are 26 sports teams at Falmouth High School. Fall sports include Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Soccer (Girls), Soccer (Boys), and Volleyball. Winter Sports include Alpine skiing, Basketball (Girls), Basketball (Boys), Ice Hockey (Girls), Ice Hockey (Boys), Indoor Track, Nordic Skiing, Swimming and Diving, and Wrestling. Spring sports include Baseball, Lacrosse (Girls), Lacrosse (Boys), Softball, Tennis (Girls), Tennis (Boys), Track and Field, Volleyball (Boys)[6].

Clubs and Activities

Astronomy Club, Bake Sale Club, Banned Book Club, Best Buddies, Biology Olympiad, Book Club, Chess Club, Civics Club, Civil Rights Team, Class (Executive) Boards, CodeX2, Cookies For A Cause, DECA, Diverse Student Union (DSU), Dungeon & Dragons (DND), Food For Thought, F.R.O.G.S. (Falmouth Rainbow Organization of Gender and Sexuality), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), GORP, Knitting and Crocheting Club, Life Sciences Club, Makers Club, The MAST, Math Team, Model UN (MUN), National Honor Society (NHS), Navs Media, Northern Force Robotics, Ocean Bowl, Outing Club, Poetry Club, Prom Committee, Rock Climbing League, Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, Service Club, Spanish National Honor Society (Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica), Speech and Debate, STEM Mentorship, Stock Market Club, Student Ambassadors, Student-Athlete Mental Health Committee, Student Council, Student Led Change, Tri-M Music Honors Society, Unified Club, Yearbook Club, Yellow Tulip Project (YTP), Youth Maine Climate Activists (YMCA)[7]

Robotics

Falmouth High School is a member of the Robotics team Northern Force Team 172, along with Gorham High School. Falmouth offers a competitive robotics team for students in grades 9–12, where members take part in the FIRST Robotics Competition. This nationwide program brings together students and professional mentors to tackle complex engineering challenges in a fast-paced, team-based environment.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b c "Falmouth High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  2. ^ Roberts, P., "Falmouth rejects reorganization Archived 2009-03-18 at the Wayback Machine", The Forecaster (2008).
  3. ^ Roberts, P., "Falmouth schools get OK to stand alone Archived 2009-03-18 at the Wayback Machine", The Forecaster (2009).
  4. ^ a b "Maine school system retires Yachtsmen nickname, white male mascot". April 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "Falmouth Navigators Fall Sports Preview". August 19, 2021.
  6. ^ “Teams & Schedules.” Falmouth Athletics, athletics.falmouthschools.org/teams-schedules. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
  7. ^ "Clubs & Activities - Falmouth High School". fhs.falmouthschools.org. Retrieved December 2, 2025.