| Bridgeport High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 515 Johnson Ave Bridgeport, West Virginia, 26330 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public, high school |
| Founded | 1963 (present location) |
| School district | Harrison County Schools |
| Superintendent | Mrs. Susan Lee Collins |
| Principal | Mr. Mark DeFazio |
| Assistant Principal | Mrs. Mary Frances Smith Mr. Matt DeMotto |
| Staff | 65 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 850 (2008-09) |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Athletics conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Mascot | Indians |
| Rival | Robert C. Byrd High School |
| Feeder schools | Bridgeport Middle School |
| Website | Official website |
Bridgeport High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, in Harrison County that operates as part of the Harrison County School District.
The current BHS building opened in 1963 and sits on a 22-acre (8.9 ha) campus. Since then, several major additions have been added to accommodate the increasing enrollment. The first addition was completed in 1992. The second addition, completes in 1997 and which included two state of the art computer labs. That brought the building to a total area of approximately 98,000 square feet (9,100 m2).
Contents |
During the 2005–06 school year, Bridgeport High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,[1] the highest award an American school can receive.[2][3]
In academic competitions for the 2006–2007 school year, BHS took 1st (in some form) in State for Science Bowl, Quiz-Bowl and Scholastic Chess.
In 2007 the Science Bowl team won first place in the National Science Bowl Hydrogen Fuel Cell Model Car Challenge King of the Hill administered by the United States Department of Energy.[4]
During the 2007–2008 school year the school was ranked as the number one high school in the state of West Virginia by WV Report and had a total of 8 National Merit Scholars.[5]
Bridgeport High School students come from a three-feeder school area. Johnson Elementary School and Bridgeport Middle School are located adjacent to B.H.S. on a campus, and the third feeder is Simpson Elementary. Students enrolled in these four schools live in Bridgeport, Anmoore, and surrounding unincorporated areas, such as Quiet Dell, Johnstown, Maple Lake, Corbin Branch, Oral Lake, Brushy Fork, and Romines Mills.
Football (6):
1955 (A) - 39-13, Webster Springs
1972 (AAA) - 16-14, Dupont
1979 (AAA) - 20-7, St. Albans
1986 (AA) - 10-7, Tucker County
1988 (AA) - 29-28, Winfield (4OT)
2000 (AA) - 14-6, Wayne
Girls' Swimming (3):
1999
2000
2008
Boys' Basketball (2):
1994
2001
Baseball (2):
1992
2000
Boys' Golf (2):
1995
2004
Boys' Swimming:
2010
Girls' Tennis:
1995
Science Bowl:
2007
Cheerleading:
2001
The school was the subject of controversy over a print of artist Warner Sallman's portrait, Head of Christ, that has hung outside the principal's office since the 1970s. Two parents filed a lawsuit against the school in federal district court in Clarksburg, and were represented by the West Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The school board accepted an offer from the Alliance Defense Fund to represent the school board, superintendent and the principal of the high school.[6]
The portrait was stolen from the school on August 17, 2006, after someone broke a window and snatched the picture. The portrait had not been located and the perpetrators were not identified as of November 2006, despite fact that video surveillance footage, fingerprints and DNA evidence were identified at the scene.[7]
On October 6, 2006, the Harrison County School District Board of Education agreed to drop their defense of the case and settle with the case with the ACLU. The settlement ensures that school officials will not restore the portrait or post any other unconstitutional pictures, paintings, posters or other items with religious content.[8][9][10]
The school also gained national attention in February 2009 when a theater production of the High School version of the musical "Rent" was canceled due to homosexual content and other themes that families would not find appealing.[11]