Oshkosh West High School
| Oshkosh West High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
375 North Eagle Street Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 54902 United States | |
| Coordinates | 44°1′22″N 88°34′22″W / 44.02278°N 88.57278°WCoordinates: 44°1′22″N 88°34′22″W / 44.02278°N 88.57278°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| School district | Oshkosh Area School District |
| Principal | Erin Kohl |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,843 (2013) |
| Color(s) | Royal blue and white |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Newspaper | Index |
| Website | School website |
Oshkosh West High School is a public high school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and part of the Oshkosh Area School District. As of 2009, the school had 1,934 students in grades 9 through 12, in a building consisting of 51 rooms. Originally known as Oshkosh High School when it began in 1869, its name was changed when Oshkosh North High School opened in 1972.[1][2]
Restructuring
In 2003, Oshkosh West High School restructured its classes to create "Smaller Learning Communities" (SLC), where students learn within a smaller set of the school population. In achieving SLC, West phased in "freshman core teams", where freshman students are assigned to classes within groups so that all the students in a core team have the same teachers for their core subjects. The core system has cut the freshman failure rate (the percentage of students who fail at least one class) from 28% to 14%. How core teams will be implemented in the upper classes is not known.
Extracurricular activities
In the 2008–2009 school year, Oshkosh West had 38 student clubs and 22 sports,[3] 11 for males and 11 for females, all participating in the Fox Valley Association.
Miscellaneous
- The school mascot is the Wildcat, as depicted in the school logo, in which a feline paw slashes through the capital letter "W". The school song is "On Wisconsin".
- Prior to 2003, the school mascot was the Indian. However, because of controversy about Native American mascots, OWHS changed its mascot to the Wildcat, which was selected in a student vote.
- Oshkosh West Boys Basketball Team was the 2006 and 2007 undefeated state basketball champions.
- Former West basketball coach Stephen Randall was featured in a Sports Illustrated article honoring his son for filling his empty shoes.
- The Oshkosh West Band program is among the largest in the state of Wisconsin with over three hundred members.