John Bapst

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John Bapst John Bapst is an academically challenging, independent, college-preparatory day and boarding school in Bangor, Maine Our mission is excellence – and virtue.

Thank you for visiting the John Bapst page. We’re pleased to show you around one of America’s best boarding and day schools. School rankings are not the most important or even the first thing to look at when choosing a school. But when The Washington Post ranked John Bapst #1 in northern New England in 2014 for the second time in two years, we were pleased to be noticed. John Bapst has been known as an exceptional academic high school for many years. In the 1990’s, John Bapst led state testing results year after year. Since that time, the school has only grown stronger. John Bapst students took 395 AP (Advanced Placement) exams in May 2012 in 16 subject areas. Graduates go on to many of the nation’s top colleges and universities: Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, NYU, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Penn, Williams, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and many others. Here in our state, dozens of John Bapst scholars have entered the honors programs at the University of Maine; followed the liberal arts to Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin; or specialized at Maine Maritime and other schools. Located in the attractive, safe city of Bangor in the beautiful state of Maine, John Bapst is an independent boarding and day school serving girls and boys in grades 9 through 12. Our small size conveys friendliness and caring. But size can be deceptive, as our spirited athletic teams and outstanding music, art, and drama programs demonstrate each year. John Bapst is home to students from more than thirty Maine towns, as well as China, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Spain, Germany, Austria, Sweden, and Ecuador. Please contact us at [email protected] if you know someone who should have the opportunity to attend John Bapst. John Bapst welcomes your opinions and we encourage open discussion about the topics we post. If we become aware of messages containing advertising, are on themes off-topic, use offensive or inappropriate language, are intended to defame, infringe someone's rights, or are a violation of law, we reserve the right to remove them.

We had a special visitor in the orchestra room last Friday! We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Nash Ryder to our orchestra ...
10/13/2026

We had a special visitor in the orchestra room last Friday!

We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Nash Ryder to our orchestra rehearsal on Friday. Dr. Ryder, a Cherryfield, Maine native, is Professor of Violin at Florida Gulf Coast University and Concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra.

Senior Julian Jeon is performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the orchestra this semester, a highly virtuosic piece he has been working on for two months. Dr. Ryder showed Julian how a concerto soloist communicates with an orchestra through gestures, and how to get the most out of the music by leaning into the story the piece tells and drawing on the emotions behind it. He also coached the rest of the orchestra to play with more feeling and power.

Moments like this are what make our Instrumental Music program so special. Thank you, Dr. Ryder, for sharing your time and talent with our Crusaders, and thank you to Mr. Richmond for making it happen. We can’t wait to hear Julian and the orchestra bring this concerto to the stage!

It was a nice day for a walk yesterday. πŸ’œ Thank you to our band, cheerleaders, football team, students, faculty, staff, ...
10/11/2026

It was a nice day for a walk yesterday. πŸ’œ Thank you to our band, cheerleaders, football team, students, faculty, staff, and all of the spectators for making the homecoming parade so much fun. We capped off the night with a homecoming 🏈 win. We love our John Bapst community! Go Crusaders!

Homecoming week is officially underway, Crusaders! πŸ’œWe kicked things off yesterday with a pep rally that shook the audit...
10/10/2026

Homecoming week is officially underway, Crusaders! πŸ’œ

We kicked things off yesterday with a pep rally that shook the auditorium. The band brought the energy, our cheerleaders led the way, Dr. Maxwell joined in the fun, and Coach O had the entire student body learning the fight song (and belting it out like pros).

Afterward, students spilled outside to enjoy food trucks lining the front of campus and a special appearance by our friends at Z107.3.

That’s Crusader spirit at its best and the week is just getting started.

Football keeps things going tonight with our homecoming game at Cameron Stadium at 7 PM. We hope to see you there!

Yale Comes to John Bapst! πŸ’œLast Friday, we welcomed Aminah Praileau, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissio...
09/29/2026

Yale Comes to John Bapst! πŸ’œ

Last Friday, we welcomed Aminah Praileau, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University, to campus. Interest in her session was so strong that we moved it from the Guidance Office to the library to make room for everyone!

With Julia Scarano '26 now studying at Yale, excitement runs high on both sides of the John Bapst and Yale connection.

Our students enjoyed Aminah's presentation, and we were thrilled to have her with us.

Last Friday, our freshman class traded homework for handwritten kindness, making cards for kids in the hospital through ...
09/21/2026

Last Friday, our freshman class traded homework for handwritten kindness, making cards for kids in the hospital through Cards for Hospitalized Kids. The cards were filled with encouraging notes, jokes, stickers, and drawings meant to bring a smile to someone having a hard day.

We're proud of our Crusaders for taking the time to think of others. Sometimes the smallest gestures make the biggest difference.

Today, the halls of John Bapst belonged to the Class of 2030. While our upperclassmen took on an asynchronous day from h...
09/18/2026

Today, the halls of John Bapst belonged to the Class of 2030. While our upperclassmen took on an asynchronous day from home, our newest Crusaders spent the morning becoming a class: sharing a faculty-made pancake breakfast, laughing their way through team games, finding stillness together in yoga, and breaking bread as one over lunch.

But the heart of the day was quieter. Each freshman took a strip of paper, wrote their name on one side, and on the other, a goal: something they hope to become, achieve, or discover during their years here. One by one, those strips became a chain, a single unbroken line stretching from the person they are today to the person they're becoming. That chain will wait for them, and on Senior Night, four years from now, each of them will be handed their very own link: a reminder of the goal they set today, and an invitation to see how far they've come.

A few weeks into their John Bapst story, and already, these Crusaders are writing something worth remembering. πŸ’œ

Our John Bapst students showed up in a big way at this year's Out of the Darkness Walk! Together, they raised almost $2,...
09/14/2026

Our John Bapst students showed up in a big way at this year's Out of the Darkness Walk! Together, they raised almost $2,000 for the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention. A special shoutout to James Ward, our top fundraiser, for going above and beyond. Thank you to everyone who walked, donated, and stood up for a cause that matters so much to our community. We're proud of our Crusaders for leading with compassion. πŸ’œ

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988.

***dePreventionAwareness

Congratulations to Surya Vel '27, who has been named an Honorable Mention for the 2026 Davidson Fellows Scholarship!The ...
09/14/2026

Congratulations to Surya Vel '27, who has been named an Honorable Mention for the 2026 Davidson Fellows Scholarship!

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is one of the most prestigious research competitions in the country, drawing roughly 1,000 applicants nationwide each year. Surya's recognition places his project among the top 40 high school research projects in the United States.

His project, "Strain Measurement using QR Code Pattern Tracking and Homography-Based Image Analysis," is the result of research he has pursued since his freshman year.

We are so proud of Surya and the dedication, curiosity, and rigor he has brought to this work.

09/03/2026

This morning, John Bapst kicked off the 2026–2027 school year with our fall convocation, and Dr. Sally Maxwell, our new Head of School, gave students a lesson they won't find in a textbook.

Her address was called "Telling Stories to Be Happy." In it, she shared her own story: growing up in South Florida, clashing with her mother over what she was allowed to wear (and winning), and attending an academically challenging school that changed the trajectory of her life.

But the point wasn't really about her. It was a question for every student in the room: you don't get to choose most of the facts of your life, but you do get to choose what they mean. What story will you tell about your time at John Bapst?

Dr. Maxwell reminded everyone in the room that happiness isn't about money or perfect circumstances. It's built through connection, gratitude, and the stories we choose to carry forward, and it takes real work.

Welcome back, Crusaders. We're so glad you're here!

Today was one of our favorite days of the year at John Bapst: New Student Orientation! πŸŽ‰ Our incoming Crusaders spent th...
09/02/2026

Today was one of our favorite days of the year at John Bapst: New Student Orientation! πŸŽ‰ Our incoming Crusaders spent the morning finding their classes and mastering their lockers, then headed to Broadway Park for an afternoon of pure joy: inflatables, volleyball, frisbee golf, corn hole, can jam, bracelet making, chess, musical chairs, and of course, an ice cream truck.

Congratulations to our newest Crusaders on completing your very first day at John Bapst! We loved watching you laugh, compete, and start building friendships that will carry you through your time here.

A huge thank you as well to our upperclassmen, who gave up their last day of summer to help things run smoothly and welcome their new classmates with true Crusader pride. This is one of the things that makes our community so special.

To all of our new students, welcome to the family! We can't wait to see all of the amazing things you do here. πŸ’œ

Address

100 Broadway
Bangor, ME
04401

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