Portland High School

Fine Arts Boosters at Portland High School is a group of parents, teachers, and community members with a commitment to strengthening curriculum in the arts as well as student participation. We are unique across Maine because we include both the visual and performing arts groups within our school: band, orchestra, chorus, art, ballet, and drama.

In 1997, we established the John Ford Fine Arts Scholarships for both undergraduates and graduating seniors. John Ford graduated from Portland High School in 1914, and became a Hollywood movie director of western films featuring, among others, actor John Wayne. These scholarships are funded by our Ultimate Spring Variety Show organized each Spring. This show features Portland High's finest performers along with some of their teachers and occasionally their parents!

In 1999, we obtained a grant from the Libra Foundation to install a new piano lab at the school, and this lab has been filled to capacity with students every semester since then. Piano lab I and II are now available every semester to twelve lucky PHS students.

In 2000, we received a New Century Arts and Heritage Grant from the Maine Humanities council and Maine Arts Commission to establish a statewide sonnet writing contest for high school students known as the Longfellow Prize for poetry in Maine.

Fine Arts Boosters provides $1,000 in scholarship money to the three top winners of this contest which is judged by Dr. William C. Watterson of Bowdoin College. Winners and participants are invited to a special ceremony at the Maine Historical Society in Portland to celebrate their success.

Our fundraising activities throughout the year also allow us to provide gifts to graduating seniors in the fine arts. We feel these students along with their families serve the school honorably through disciplined practice and performances, and we like to highlight them one last time before they leave our school. Inquiries about Fine Arts Boosters or offers to provide service may be directed to Nancy Merrow via her e-mail address at nmerrow@hotmail.com.