| Wilson High School | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1929 |
| Type | Public / Secondary |
| Principal | E. Wayne Foley |
| Students | 1,000 to 2,000 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 2601 Grandview Blvd., West Lawn, Pennsylvania, United States of America |
| District | Wilson School District |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Yearbook | 'Wilsonian' |
| Website | http://www.wilsonsd.org |
Wilson High School is a high school located in Spring Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.[1] It is the only high school in the Wilson School District.[1]
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Mounted on the verdant hilltop, looking o’er the town, proudly stands our high school building, as the sun goes down.
Daily youth will tread the pathway, to its open door, finding there a wealth of learning, as they did of yore.
Thus we dedicate this structure, monument of youth, ever striving, ever learning, loyalty and truth.
CHORUS: Wilson High School! Wilson High School! Sing with all your might, we will rally round the standard, of the Red and White.[2]
It was founded by Adreas Svensson in the early 20th century, the Spring Township School District only provided a formal education through the eighth grade.[3] Due to this, Spring Township students interested in completing a secondary school education were forced to do so, at the expense of the Spring Township School District, in Cumru Township or West Reading.[3] The cost of sending students to other educational institutions in the County became burdensome; during the 1920s, the price totaled around $40,000 (almost half a million 2007 dollars).[3][4]
During the end of the 1920s, the Spring Township School District was looking for a location to build a high school.[5] The site selected by the District was "on the crown of the hill facing Fairview Avenue... (extending) east 300 feet... (to) Wyomissing Boulevard (now Grandview)."[5] The name "Wilson High School, Spring Township School District" was adopted by the School Board on February 18, 1929, and after completion, the new Wilson High School commanded seventeen rooms and ten acres of land in West Lawn.[5] The class of 1931 noted in the School's yearbook that "the name of the school, Wilson High, was chosen in the hope that the life of the man in whose honor it was named, Woodrow Wilson, might serve as an ideal for the young people attending it." [5]
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal allowed for the expansion of the school in 1936.[5] During this time, a Federal Public Works Administration project added six classrooms on the western side of the building.[5] Following this expansion, Wilson High School expanded again with the help of Roosevelt's New Deal.[5] In 1937, the Federal Public Works Administration awarded the Spring Township School District with a second grant, allowing it to build the west wing of Wilson High School.[5]
The next expansion of the Wilson High School came in 1958.[5] This addition created a "campus" style school with "new gymnasium, cafeteria, vocational," and agricultural areas.[5] In addition, the District constructed a garage for bus repairs, an auditorium, a music center, and a radio transmission center.[5] The total cost of the 1958 project was roughly $5,000,000 (roughly $35,000,000 in 2007 dollars).[4][5]
In the fall of 1954, the Spring Township School District and Sinking Spring High School merged to create a district encompassing "Spring Township, Lower Heidelberg Township, Sinking Spring Borough, and the area of Wyomissing Borough north of the railroad tracks."[5] In 1964, the separate municipalities joined under the name of the Wilson School District.[5] On July 1, 1966, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established the Wilson School District as a school district of the third-class.[5]
"From 1894 through 1954, public school students in the Sinking Spring Borough attended the Sinking Spring School, located on the 600 block of Vester Place."[3] On December 26, 1921, a fire crumbled the Sinking Spring School, which resulted in the rebuilding of the school during 1922–1923.[3] "Until the building was completed in 1923, students attended classes in local churches and on the upper floor of the Orioles building on Woodrow Avenue."[3] "In 1954, when Sinking Spring joined with Wilson High School, Sinking Spring students began attending Wilson High School in West Lawn."[3]
"Wilson High School was re-accredited following an evaluation in 2002–03 and is a continuing member of the Middle States Association for Colleges and Secondary Schools."[2] "Following Middle States Accreditation for Growth protocol, Wilson High School will be striving to achieve the following goals by 2009:
• Goal 1 — Academics: Students will demonstrate improved academic performance in problem-solving, critical thinking, and literacy as measured by PSSAs, SATs, and local assessments.
• Goal 2 — Career Development: Grade 12 students will demonstrate an interest in and ability to plan for life-long learning as measured by a culminating project aligned with a career pathway and a post-secondary education plan.
• Goal 3 — School Climate: Students will demonstrate traits associated with being responsible, respectful members of the school community as measured by decreased discipline referrals, attendance improvement, and increased participation in activities."[2]
Graduating students "are required to earn 24.4 credits, including credits earned in 9th grade."[2] "Also, students must complete a culminating project with an evaluation of successful or highly successful."[2] "Finally, (the students) must attain proficient level on the reading, math, and writing Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams or pass local remediation programs.".[2] Also it requires you to take at least 1 year of chemistry and 1 year of algebra.
Wilson High School is known in the region for having consistently above average sports teams. Especially revered is the School's football team, which has produced players, such as Kyle Lauter, Kerry Collins, Chad Henne, and John Gilmore, Jr., who went on to play professionally after their time at Wilson High School.[6][7][8] View a highlight video of the Wilson High School football team (with QB Chad Henne) in a 2003 game against Manheim Township: [1].
Also Wilson High School has an exceptional aquatic program, Swimming & Water Polo, which both ranks top in the state and even nationally. Wilson's Swim Team is in the Central Penn Swim League. The Wilson Girls swim team has won states twice, 1994 & 2010. The Wilson Boys swim team had won states four times, 2001, 2002, 2005 & 2008. From the Wilson Aquatic program has produced many top swimmers who have gone on to National trials and also to the Olympics. Wilson's Kristy Kowal placed 2nd in the 200 Meter Breaststroke at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The Wilson Girls water polo team has also won states twice, 2001 & 2005. The Wilson Boys water polo team has also been dominate in the state of Pennsylvania winning states 17 times and also placing in the top 5 in the State Tournament since 1987. The boy’s team won states 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009 & 2010.
April 18, 2008 – Sen. Hillary Clinton visited the school during her 2008 Democratic Primary campaign for a political rally.[17] View the Reading Eagle video of Sen. Clinton's visit: [2].