Thomas McKean High School
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Thomas McKean High School is a comprehensive public high school located on 301 McKennan's Church Road in Wilmington, Delaware. The school opened in December, 1966, and graduated its first class in June of 1967.
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[edit] Traditions
Having selected Thomas McKean, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as its namesake, the school followed several traditions associated with the Scottish heritage of Thomas McKean. The mascot is a fierce Highlander, wearing a kilt made of the tartan of the Clan MacDonald. Among the dominant colors of the plaid are blue and green, the school's colors. In addition, the names of the school newspaper—Minstrel—and the yearbook—Talisman—reflect the culture of the Scottish Highlands. The Minstrel is headed by Senior Alissa Werzen who is also the Editor of the Minstrel.
[edit] Physical Plant
Originally designed as a model school for flexible scheduling, the building has several unique features and has proven adaptable to many situations. The school expanded in 1972, adding ninth grade to the student body and a new wing to the building. Thus, the class of 1976 was the first to spend four years at McKean.[1] The school is currently going under construction for updating labs as well with safety equipment and slowly upgrading the schools internal computer network. Also a new band room and several other new rooms are being constructed currently as well.
[edit] Sports
McKean has been known to be one of the top public powerhouse men's swimming teams. They are constantly finishing in the top three for States. Here is a chart of some of the team's accomplishments.[2]
| Year | Men's Swimming Season Accomplishment |
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| 1980 |
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| 1996 |
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| 1997 |
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| 1998 |
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| 1999 |
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[edit] Administration
The current head administrator is Sherry Gross. Mrs. Gross previously worked for more than a decade in the Christina (Delaware) school district, then accepting a position in April of 2006 in Jacksonville, Florida. Instead of moving to Florida, she chose to remain in Delaware and accepted the position at Thomas McKean.
The assistant principals at the school are Steven Schmidt, Michael Simmonds, and Lisa Ueltzhoffer.
[edit] Points of Pride
- McKean's current Marching Band is lead by the two time number one Drum Major in the state, Greg Troxell. The Director is Vincent Adkins.
- McKean has its' own radio station, WMHS 88.1 FM[1]. The instructor is Fran Kulas, who started the program. Currently WMHS 88.1 FM "The Boss" has several shows that run on a regular basis. On Tuesdays after school, Senior Carlos Serrano (aka Los) has the only on-air student show playing latin lounge music. Also, Los has a morning show where he co-hosts it with Shalia Askew and Matavia Porter (aka Tizzie Ta). Following that show is "Classical Reactions" hosted by Doc Stemniski, a former chemistry teacher at McKean now teaching at the University of Delaware. He plays selections from the classical genre. On Thursdays, "Forgotten Favorites" takes the floor hosted by Gus Highfield with the help of Los. Gus Highfield plays songs for a theme of the week on the air.
- The school's most famous alumnus is former Dallas Cowboys great Randy White, who has the football field named in his honor.
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