Monroe High School (Washington)

For schools with a similar name, see Monroe High School.

Monroe High School is a public high school in Monroe, Washington. Since 1999, the school has been located on Tester Road. Formerly, it was located on Main Street in downtown Monroe.

Mascot

Monroe High School's mascot is "Benny the Bearcat". The term "Bearcat" was originally the nickname of the amateur turned semiprofessional boxer Dode "Bearcat" Bercot. In the 1920s and 30s this boxer from Monroe fought over 100 main event fights and won 42 by knockout. However, before turning pro, Bercot's career was cut short after an opponent put a thumb in Bercot's eye, leaving him partially blinded for life. He was given the nickname "Bearcat" because he was said to be strong as a bear and fast as a cat.^[1] The school colors are orange and black.

Activities

The school boasts a wide variety of extracurricular activities. Students participate in everything from academic quiz competitions to leadership and community service organizations. Examples of these are the academic quiz competition Hi-Q and the community service based Key Club. In 2013, Monroe student Eric Grewal served as the Pacific Northwest District Treasurer of Key Club International. Monroe High Schools' Hi-Q team is a perennial powerhouse and in recent years has consistently made the semifinal round or the final round of the state competition. In 2011, Monroe's Hi-Q won the Washington State Championship and participated in the National Championship.

The most well known and largest club at Monroe is DECA. The Monroe High School DECA Chapter has been the third largest DECA chapter in the United States since the 1990s. DECA is a national marketing club and Monroe sends multiple students to the Washington State (SCDC) and national (ICDC) competitions every year. Monroe DECA has also proven to be a large part of the High School's community service efforts, having helped fund and maintain the Monroe Miracle League Field. Every year Monroe DECA students serve as base-buddies for the players in the Miracle League games.

The Band program at the school has flourished under the direction of Ms. Lisa Ray. Ms. Ray conducts the Jazz Band, the Percussion Ensemble, the Concert Band, the Symphonic Band, and the Wind Ensemble. The Pep Band is directed by two (during basketball) or three (during football) Drum Majors and the band is known as a vital part of all the home football games and both girl and boys basketball games. Recently the Pep Band received a 'Best in Category' for their participation in a parade in Leavenworth. The other bands are highly decorated, having received golds and silvers in the recent Heritage festivals as well as the 'Spirit of Anaheim' and 'Spirit of Seattle' awards for exemplary behavior and attitude at the festivals.

Student athletics have always been a large part of the Monroe High School culture with many of the schools championships coming in the 1980s and '90s. The school entered a lull in the late 1990s and most of the 2000s. During those years, Track & Field (under Coach Dave Brekke) and Wrestling were the school's most consistent programs, sending between 2-5 competitors to state each year. However, various sports have begun to strengthen their respective programs and Monroe is slowly returning to winning form, of particular note are the Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Girls Volleyball, Girls Softball, and Boys Football teams. Both the Boys and Girls Basketball teams advanced to the state playoffs in the Winter 2010-2011 season. The Boys Football team advanced to their first playoff game in over 19 years by winning a three way tiebreaker on October 22, 2011. The Girls Softball team took first place at districts and 5th place in the state tournament in May 2012.

References

External links

• Official school website

Coordinates: 47°50′36″N 122°00′36″W / 47.84333°N 122.01000°W / 47.84333; -122.01000