| Washington Community High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 115 Bondurant Street Washington, Illinois, (Tazewell County), 61571 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | public |
| Superintendent | James Dunnan |
| Mascot | panther |
| Website | http://www.wacohi.net/wacohi/site/default.asp |
Washington Community High School (WCHS) is a public high school located in Washington, Illinois. The district, Washington Community High School District 308, was first chartered in 1920, but the current high school on Bondurant Street was opened in 1942 with an enrollment of 230. As of 2007[update] there are about 1100 students enrolled at WCHS.
The 1950s to 1970s saw rapid expansion in the student body and in campus development. The additions made in 1956, 1961, and 1962 tripled the size of the original building. During 1974 and 1975 the James Ashbrook building and new library were added. In 1977 the size of the student body reached 1720 students.
The school's mascot is the panther and the school colors are orange and black. The school has many sports teams, including baseball, football, basketball, girls' volleyball, softball, golf, soccer, tennis, cross country, wrestling, cheerleader, boys' and girls' swimming, and boys' and girls' track, boy's and girls water polo, men's fly fishing, women's long jump, trap shooting, and etc.
In 1977 the girls' basketball team finished second to Sterling High School in the first ever girls' state basketball tournament in Illinois. In 2007 the boys' baseball team won the Mid-Illni conference championship for the first time in school history while place 3rd in the state in Class AA. It was the first state appearance for baseball. In 1985 the football team won the class 4A state championship with a final record of 13 wins and 1 loss. This followed a second place finish in 4A in 1983. The boys basketball team finished fourth in the state class 3A tournament in 2008.
Prior to the 2009-2010 school year, the school newspaper, the Advocate, was advised by Michael Kenneth Blair. He died in December 2008. His family started a scholarship fund, the Michael Kenneth Blair Memorial Journalism Scholarship. Each year, this scholarship is given to a graduating senior who is planning to major in journalism, English or education.
For the 2009-2010 school year, WCHS implemented its first ever journalism class, Journalism 1. Students learn about journalism and also produce the school newspaper, the Advocate, which had previously been produced by an extracurricular club. A Journalism 2 class will start in the fall of 2010.