Wheeler High School (Indiana)

Wheeler High School
Address
587 West 300 North Valparaiso, Indiana, 46385 United States
Coordinates	41°28′45″N 87°10′46″W / 41.47917°N 87.17944°W / 41.47917; -87.17944Coordinates: 41°28′45″N 87°10′46″W / 41.47917°N 87.17944°W / 41.47917; -87.17944
Information
Type	Public secondary
School district	Union Township School Corporation
Superintendent	John Hunter
Principal	Don Gandy
Faculty	34
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	585[1] (2009-2010)
Student to teacher ratio	16:1
Color(s)	Green, White, Orange
Nickname	Bearcats
Website	www.union.k12.in.us/whs/

Wheeler High School is a secondary school located in Union Township, west of Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. The school is attached to Union Township Middle School and was previously located in Wheeler, Indiana. It is a part of the Union Township School Corporation.

Academics

Test Scores

Test scores for Wheeler High School have been above average for many years. When comparing the 2005 ISTEP+ scores for grade 10 math, Wheeler ranks in the top five among twenty-two local schools. When comparing the 2005 ISTEP+ scores for grade 10 English/language arts, Wheeler is ranked fifth among twenty-two local schools.^[2]

Vocational Education Department

Wheeler High School features a Law Enforcement Career Academy. This program is held at Wheeler High School and is available to all juniors and seniors. The program is intended for students wishing to pursue careers in Police, Courts, or Corrections. Students at all area schools are allowed to enroll. The students can also receive three college credits from Vincennes University.^[3][4]

Junior and senior students may also take vocational classes at other area schools via the Porter County Vocational Education program. ^[5]

Fine arts

Wheeler High School has a choir, band, art department, and drama department.

Choir

The choir performs at many local and statewide competitions every year. There is also a Show Choir. They also travel to Orlando, Florida every four years to perform at Disney World. The choir also puts on an annual performance called the "Madrigal Dinner." This dinner includes the high school and middle school choirs and features a round table of medieval characters.

Band

The school band performs at half time of all school football games and during timeouts and between quarters at basketball games. The band also competes at competitions. The band performs at several concerts throughout the year as well.

Art

The Wheeler High School art department features classes such as drawing, ceramics, art, sculpture, and jewelry making.

Bearcat Theatre Company

Bearcat Theatre Company puts on 4 shows a year, A Fall Musical for High School, a Winter Show for Middle School, A Spring Play for the High School, and a Community production during the summer.^[6]

Student activities

Students at Wheeler High School can participate in a variety of activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, Student Council, National Honor Society, Key Club, choir, drama, academic teams, Robotic Team,^[7] and foreign language clubs.

Athletics

Wheeler High School has a large array of athletics. The school also features an indoor swimming pool, a fieldhouse, and a standard gym.

Over the years Wheeler High School has won State Championships in Basketball (Men's 2010) and Softball (Women's 2010).^[8]

Demographics

In the 2009-2010 school year, Wheeler High was 49.4% female and 50.6% male. The racial breakdown was:^[9]

• White 89.9%
• Black 1.7%
• Hispanic 2.9%
• Asian 0.5%
• Native American 0.5%
• Multiracial 4.4%

References

External links

• School website
• Union Township School Corporation website