Westhill High School (Connecticut)
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| Westhill High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Stamford, CT, USA | |
| Information | |
| Principal | Camille Figliuzzi |
| Students | 2300-2800 |
| Type | Public |
| Mascot | Vikings |
| Established | 1972 |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Homepage | www.westhillweb.com |
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Westhill High School is a high school located in Stamford, Connecticut, United States.
Contents |
[edit] Mission Statement
Westhill High School values learning because it promotes academic excellence, personal growth, and civic responsibility. Our community provides all students with opportunities to acquire, analyze, and apply knowledge.
[edit] History
The school opened in 1972, to accommodate the growing baby boom population which had filled Rippowam High School and Stamford High School to capacity. Westhill is located on Roxbury Road, in the northern section of Stamford. Its current principal is Camille Figluizzi and its mascot is the Viking with the colors purple and gold (borrowed from the Minnesota Vikings).The Westhill Quiz Bowl is State Champions for the 2007 The Challenge. In a recent speech, Karun Ahuja, the school's superintendent, vowed to make Westhill the pride of Connecticut, which has slowly been coming into fruition as Westhill is now rated the #3 high school in the state.
The school is also known for their drama (the Northstar Playmakers) and tech programs. In 2005 along with Stamford High School, Westhill won the Connecticut Drama Festival with Metamorphosis. Under the leadership of Wes Hobby the troupe was runner-up in 1976, 1980, 1981, 1985 and 1990.
One of the cultural strengths of Westhill is its diverse student body, comprised of students from over 40 countries all over the world.
Famous and accomplished alumni from WHS include Michael Fedele, the current Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, actor John Henson, writer Rob Tannenbaum (1979), former Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht (1978), Pharos CEO Peter Halloran, Fidelity Contrafund manager Will Danoff (1978), Writers Guild of America Winner and two-time Emmy Nominee Sharon Epstein (1978), Andrew Scherer, and Bob Jones.
[edit] Campus
Westhill's campus is a unique campus and has history behind it. The original plan for the Westhill high school campus was for the campus to be made up of two buildings, the Raynor and the Finch buildings. The Raynor building was to serve Freshmen and Sophomores and the Finch building was to serve Juniors and Seniors, but at the opening of the first fall school year the campus opened as a grade-wide campus. The Finch building and the Raynor building are connected by the media center creating a bridge for easy access during bad weather. There are two cafeterias at Westhill. Each building has some sort of accommodation that the other building doesn't have. For example, the Finch building is home to the Gym, the small and large auditorium, the Finch cafeteria, and the art department. The Raynor building is home to the media center, the special education program, and access to the new 9th grade building. There is also an unconnected, fairly new building for the school's agricultural science program, including some biology classrooms as well. Construction of a new 9th grade building and a new auxiliary gym was completed prior to the 2007-2008 school year. The campus now is a spacious campus consisting of 6 buildings, all home to the Westhill Vikings.
[edit] Athletics
The Vikings excel in interscholastic sports. The Girl's Basketball team is the school's best athletic team, making it to the FCIAC Championship in 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008 four straight seasons, led by Julie Becker (1605 career points, the all time leading scorer for both boys and girls in Westhill history, and the second leading 3-point shooter in Connecticut girls basketball history), and Jessica Williams (1403 career points). Westhill's Boys Indoor Track has also done well, finishing 3rd in the FCIAC Championship meet. In 2006, Westhill's football team (coached by Dick Cerone), reached the 5-5 mark for the first time since 1986, including a massive win over crosstown rival Stamford High on Stamford's own field, 45-23. They have since gone on to repeat that feat, going 5-5 in 2007 and capturing the city championship.
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FALL Cheerleading |
WINTER Basketball — boys and girls |
SPRING Baseball |
- The JROTC Raider Team has won First Place in the Raider Challenge three years in a row.
- The Swim team consists of both Stamford High School and Westhill High School.
- The Boy's Volleyball team is a Stamford-wide team consisting of Westhill High School, Stamford High School, and Trinity Catholic High School.
- The Senior Hacky Sack Team is currently undefeated in the Courtyard Lunch Competition.
[edit] Agri-Science Program
The Stamford Regional Agriscience and Technology Center is housed in a spectacular state-of-the-art facility on the rolling campus of Westhill High School. The building has an adjoining greenhouse and has specific Rooms: an Aquaculture Lab, Animal Room, Woodshop, Ag-Mechanics Shop, Floraculture Lab, Forestry Lab and Plant Science Lab in adittion to regular classrooms. It serves students from Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Redding, Wilton, Weston, and Westport. Tuition and bus transportation are provided by the applicant's sending school district.
As freshmen and sophomores, students will get an overview of Plant Science, Animal Science, Environmental Science, Aquaculture, and Agricultural Mechanics. Then, as sophomores, juniors, and seniors, they will take "double periods" (approximately 90 minutes) daily in their field of choice. Students also become members of the FFA the largest youth organization in the world.
[edit] Extracurricular Activities
Academic Clubs
Academy of Finance
FBLA - The Future Business Leaders of America
JROTC (not obligated to go into military after )
Junior Statesman
NAHS - National Arts Honors Society
NHS - National Honor Society
Performing Arts
Concert Choir
Drill Team
Film Club
Gospel Choir
Northstar Playmakers
WHS Dance Troupe
Westhill Improv Troupe
Heritage Clubs
Asian Culture Club
Aspira
French Club
Haitian American Club
Italian Club
Jewish Heritage Club
Latin Club
Multi-Cultural Student Alliance
Spanish Club
Special Interest Clubs
Alliance for Cancer Education
Becoming an Emo 101
Best Buddies
Building with Books
Chess
Debate Team
Interact Club
Mayor's Youth Leadership Council
Mock Trial
Model U.N. Club
Multicultural Book Club
Outdoor Adventure Club
Philosophy Club
Raices
Red Cross Youth Care
Spanish Cinemas Club
Teaching Our Talents
Today's Students, Tomorrow's Teachers
Student Publications
The Westword/School Newspaper
The Westhill Saga/Yearbook
Parent Organizations
WPTSO
[edit] The Westword
The school's newspaper, The Westword (a portmanteau of "westward" and "word"), has won several national and state-wide awards. Started in the early 1970's, the paper went on to become a nationally-acclaimed student publication.
Currently, The Westword has a staff of over 70 students. Its issues, generally 40-56 pages, are produced monthly and mailed to a circulation of over 3000 students, parents, and faculty. The Westword's website has over two thousand community members on its distribution list and typically receives over 150,000 hits per month.{fact}
The current Editor-in-Chief is senior Stephen Meno.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- School website
- Westhill High School Web page at Great Schools website
- [1] Westhill High School "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006", Connecticut Department of Education
- [2] AgriScience homepage
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