| West Philadelphia High School | |
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| Established | 1912 |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Saliyah Cruz |
| Students | 900 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Colors | Orange and Blue |
| Mascot | Speedboys and Speedgirls |
| Yearbook | The Flame |
| Newspaper | The West Side Story |
| Website | |
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West Philadelphia High School
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The West facing facade of WPHS. Formerly the Boys entrance.
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| Location: | 4700 Walnut St. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Built: | 1911 |
| Architect: | Henry deCoursey Richards; Grays & Co. |
| Architectural style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Governing body: | Local |
| MPS: | Philadelphia Public Schools TR |
| NRHP Reference#: | 86003345[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 4, 1986 |
West Philadelphia High School is a secondary school located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The school was completed on November 1, 1912. and occupies an entire city block between 47th and 48th streets, between Walnut Street and Locust Street. It was originally divided into a boys and girls school, but both were combined in the 30's to ease administration and streamline education.
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Principal: Mrs. Mary S. Dean
Assistant Principals: Mr. Salmon, Ms. Jackson, and Ms. Burch
West Philadelphia High School has over 162 full time faculty and staff members, including teachers, teaching assistants, non-teaching assistants (NTA's) and maintenance and housekeeping staff. Because of the grand scale of facility, many of the staff and faculty are dived into "communities" that support subdivisions of the student body in various areas of the building.
The mission of West Philadelphia High School is to provide the students with a quality education to ensure that they graduate with the requisite knowledge, skills and personal philosophy to be effective citizens—well-prepared for their futures in the world of work, college or any other post-secondary education. The entire staff is committed to creating and maintaining a positive school climate, which engenders students' academic success and personal development.
West Philadelphia High School (WPHS), Philadelphia's first secondary school West of the Schuylkill,opened in 1912 with a student population in excess of 5,500. Such was the press on the new high school, which originally stood as two separate buildings for boys and girls, that the City was compelled to open Overbrook High School in 1926; a third high school, John Bartram, followed in 1935.
WPHS's athletic field, which is located at 48th and Spruce Street (one block south of the school building), was formally known as Passon Field and home to Negro League baseball in the 1930s. The park was the home field of the Eastern Colored League's Philadelphia Bacharach Giants starting in 1931, and the Negro National League's Philadelphia Stars in 1934 and 1935. In 1936, the Stars moved to Penmar Park at 44th and Parkside where they played the majority of their home games through their final season in 1952. The field is still in use by West Philadelphia High School's football and baseball teams.[2]
West Philadelphia High School has been in the news recently for a number of inspiring activities. Most recently the West Philadelphia High School Electric Vehicle Team (WPEVP)has been receiving nationwide press over its hybrid race car. The team, developed as a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, has been profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Popular Mechanics, and the local ABC affiliate Channel Six's Action News, and countless websites and newsletters.
In addition, the school is slated to receive a new building to replace the 90 year old structure, one of the oldest school buildings under continuous use in the state, as part of a district-wide capitol improvement plan. Despite the enthusiasm for a new home, the new construction is not without controversy. The school is currently in one of the most densely populated areas of Philadelphia. Finding a suitable location for the new building has proven to be a challenge. The district changed their minds several times prior to settling on a plot of land at the corner of 49th and Chestnut Streets. In 2009, they demolished the existing district-owned buildings at that location and in early 2010 they began the foundation of the new West Philadelphia High School.
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