Wauwatosa West High School
| Wauwatosa West High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
|
12121 West North Avenue Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 53226 USA | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1960 |
| School district | Wauwatosa School District |
| Principal | Frank Calarco |
| Faculty | 67.3 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,033 (as of 2005-06)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 15.3[1] |
| Color(s) | Green & White |
| Athletics conference | Woodland |
| Nickname | Trojan |
| Newspaper | West Side Stories |
| Yearbook | Olympian |
| Website | School website |
Wauwatosa West High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in the city of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA. West opened in 1960 with the first graduating class in 1961 as a sister-school to Wauwatosa East High School; together they are part of the Wauwatosa School District.
Organization
Tosa West's long-time principal Thomas Steiner died on November 18, 2005 from West Nile Virus. A Technology Center was subsequently named in his honor. Pat Luebke took over as principal until the 2010-2011 school year when former Tosa West student Frank Calarco became principal.
As of the 2011-12 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,033 students and 69 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 15.3.[1]
School shooting
Associate principal Dale Breitlow was shot and killed in the school on December 1, 1993. Leonard D. McDowell, a 21 year-old former student,[2] shot the principal three times with a .44-caliber Taurus revolver in a second-floor hallway by the math department. McDowell was found guilty of the murder and sane at the time of the shooting.[3][4][5] His life sentence was upheld by the state Court of Appeals in April 1997.[6]
Athletics
The school won the Wisconsin State Boys Volleyball Championship in 1964, defeating Antigo High School in a pool of 70 participating schools.[7]
The boys swimming team won the 1971 State Championship, defeating runner-up Waukesha High School in a field of 77 participating schools. The school has had 20 individual state swimming champions, tied for 10th of all high schools statewide.[8] The team won Sectionals in 2002 and enjoyed numerous conference championships from 1999 until 2004 when the Wauwatosa teams were combined.
The Wauwatosa West Boys Basketball team were sectional runners-up in 1990 and 1994, and regional champs in 2011.
The Wauwatosa West football team went 17-112 under previous head coach Ben Viet in 16 seasons, including 0-1 in the playoffs. In 1982, led by current principal Frank Calarco, West was runner-up in D1 losing to Grafton.
The city on June 4, 2002 gave Wauwatosa West the go-ahead to begin construction on a $1.5 million upgrade of its athletic facilities.[9]
The Wauwatosa West softball team won the regional championship for the first time in West history defeating Whitefish Bay
The school is one of five on the Wauwatosa Wild Co-Op hockey team, which includes players from Wauwatosa West, Wauwatosa East, New Berlin West, New Berlin Eisenhower, and Whitnall. Their home rink is the Pettit National Ice Center. In 2006, the team upset #9 Homestead High School to win its first regional championship.[10]
Notable alumni
- John La Fave, Wisconsin politician[11]
- Scott Bergold, played one season for the NFL St. Louis Cardinals
- Karen McQuestion, Author
- Michael G. Kirby, Wisconsin politician
- John Moore, NHL Hockey Player
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 West High, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 30, 2007.
- ↑ Police Arrest Former Student In High School Shooting - Chicago Tribune
- ↑ Hull, Jon D. "'Have We Gone Mad?'", Time (magazine), December 20, 1993. Accessed December 30, 2007.
- ↑ "Breitlow called `gentle giant'", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 2, 1993
- ↑ "One in many shootings", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 29, 2006
- ↑ "Tosa West killer fails in his appeal", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 30, 1997
- ↑ State Boys Volleyball Champions (through 2006), Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 6, 2007.
- ↑ Boys Swimming & Diving Team Champions, Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 6, 2007.
- ↑ "Tosa gives thumbs up to school upgrade", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 5, 2002, Accessed December 30, 2007.
- ↑ "WIAA 2006 Hockey Bracket". WIAA, February 25, 2006, Accessed August 27, 2012.
- ↑ "La Fave, John 1949". Wisconsinhistory.org. 1949-07-13. Retrieved 2012-08-15.