Fairmont Senior High School
Encyclopedia
Fairmont Senior High School (FSHS) is a historic secondary school located in Fairmont, West Virginia
, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The school serves grades nine through twelve and is part of the Marion County
School District. The athletic teams are referred to as the Polar Bear
s, giving rise to the term "Polar Bear Pride".
s of Fairmont despite the public school and normal department's separation in 1875. Fairmont High School was founded in the Second Ward Building in 1876, and the first graduating class consisted of four students in 1877. Increased enrollment and the need for additional facilities eventually lead to the construction of a new school.
In 1905 a new building was constructed at "The Point", consisting of 12 classrooms, labs, offices and a library with the top floor used as a gymnasium. The first class attended the new Fairmont High School in 1906. A gymnasium was constructed at the rear of the building in 1922, and although the high school no longer stands, the Fifth Street Gym is still in operation for interscholastic purposes. In 1927 the school system decided to adopt a 6-3-3 organization for schools in the area. This meant that grades 7-9 would make up a junior high school, while grades 10-12 would create a senior high school. To achieve this, a new senior high school was needed.
The building that was constructed at Loop Park in 1928 established Fairmont Senior High School where it still resides. The old building remained in operation as Fairmont Junior High School until 1963 when the foundation of the building slipped, forcing its closure. A building was constructed at Fairmont Senior High School to hold the displaced ninth grade students, while the seventh and eighth grades were relocated to a new school on High Street.
Much of the new building was constructed of concrete, which helped to mitigate the destruction caused by a fire that damaged a large section of the school's roof on February 16, 1979. The historic foundation of the building was preserved.
The campus has since become a conglomeration of facilities displaying the differences in architectural influences for over a century. At 15 acres (60,702.9 m²), the campus on Oakwood Road ranks among the most beautiful in the state and country. The outdoor living classroom of trees with historical significance also cultivates flowering dogwood
s, maple
s, and oak
s, which enhance the landscape and make every season a beautiful environment for learning.
The campus currently consists of the original school and several separate structures including a science and mathematics building called the Freshman building, a full-sized gymnasium, and a cafeteria. The decentralized campus provides for a college atmosphere due to the outdoor nature of travel between classes. The campus also features many walkways, a small waterfall, flowering bushes, and rolling hills.
. Architect William B. Ittner
, who is responsible for over three dozen entries in the National Register, designed the school in the late 1920s. He was prominent in St. Louis, Missouri
where his firm Ittner Architects still operates.
The school's architectural classification is Colonial Revival, with a stone foundation, brick walls, and asphalt shingle
roofing. Materials were provided by the local Smallwood Low Stone Company. Excavation began on January 26, 1928, by the builders D. J. Phipps of Roanoke, Virginia
, and the building was finished just over a year later on April 1, 1929, with a total cost of approximately $574,000. The main building originally possessed 33 classrooms, and could comfortably accommodate 900 students. Plans were included to expand the building should the student population increase.
Fairmont Senior possesses many unique features that fortify its historic nature. The open light court or "senior court" is bound on all sides by interior walls of the school, but is not constrained by a ceiling. The opening provides sunlight to the surrounding halls and classrooms, as well as the small glass greenhouse
located just inside the court. In 1929, the first class to graduate from the building presented the school with a statue of Abraham Lincoln
that still stands outside of senior court.
The school also possessed a central ventilation system that provided fresh air to the classrooms and featured two chimneys that can still be seen from the exterior of the building. This system was later closed off due to fire codes. Another notable contribution are the eight tiled water fountain backsplashes. Each displays a different scene and contains the original tiles used in its creation.
The auditorium
originally housed 1107 opera style chairs and a 16 by 50 feet (15.2 m) wooden stage. Later, when the stage was expanded, the first four rows of seating were removed leaving 976 seats. By the turn of the century, many of the seats were in poor condition and needed to be replaced. To preserve the historic nature of one of the school's greatest attributes, the 1000 Voices fund was established to restore the auditorium to its original state. In 2001 the seats were dismantled and sent away to be completely refurbished and reinstalled into the auditorium. Intricate details such as the gold leaf ribbons on the house lighting globes was also preserved, as well as detailed paintings on the proscenium arch.
Other structures also contribute to the school's historic nature. A small single arch concrete bridge crosses a stream that divides the campus; a stone wall approximately 100 feet (30.5 m) in length runs along the back of the school; and two brick gate posts stand at the entrance of the campus.
who spoke at the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument
in 1825.
in New York City
, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios
. The curriculum includes Percussion Ensemble
, Jazz Ensemble
, Marching
and Concert Band
s. Fairmont Senior is also one of the few schools in the state to have a full Steel Drum Band perform at various state venues. The band also won the TOB group 4 division in 2007.
, a renaissance
style a cappella
choir, has won numerous all-around Festivals of Music choral competitions in places such as Montreal, New York City
, and Williamsburg
. The choral department includes the Choraliers, Madrigals, Freshman, Men's and Women's Chorus, and piano instruction. The elite Madrigals, an Elizabethan style choral group, entertain in authentic costumes. The group has won competitive prestigious prizes and performed at the inauguration of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
.
originated in Fairmont, West Virginia
and was founded by Dr. Paul Opp and Mr. Harry Leeper. Two of the three original chapters were Fairmont Senior High School Troupe #2 and East Fairmont High School Troupe #3.
Averaging 50 trophies for the past 25 years, the speech team's total trophy accumulation numbers over 1200. FSHS has placed more students in the top 48 at the Octo Finals than any high school in the state of WV.
team. The school has also won a total of 36 state titles and has many honorable mentions as the runners up in state championship events.
, along with East Fairmont High School and North Marion High School
. While both schools have presented competition for FSHS, the intense rivalry that exists between Fairmont Senior and East Fairmont has been considered one of the greatest in the state, known simply as the East-West Rivalry.
The two schools have met for 89 consecutive years beginning on October 25, 1921
, making the series one of the oldest in the state. Considered to be at the peak of its intensity during the 1940s and 1950s, the event was then recognized as a state-wide festivity and drew large crowds annually.
Adding to the tension between the two schools is the fact that they share a home football field at the historic East-West Stadium. For the East-West football game the home team is alternated each year and decorates the stadium in their school's colors.
Fairmont Senior leads the series 54-28-7. Three scoreless ties and 26 shutouts have been recorded throughout the rivalry's history.
state championship title, winning every state swim meet since the formation of the sport in 1999. This accomplishment puts Fairmont Senior in the company of Parkersburg High School
as the only two AAA high schools in the state of West Virginia to achieve a streak of ten or more state championship victories in a single sport.
†Attended freshman year before training for the Olympics.
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The school serves grades nine through twelve and is part of the Marion County
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
School District. The athletic teams are referred to as the Polar Bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s, giving rise to the term "Polar Bear Pride".
History
Established in 1876, the school was relocated once in 1905 and again in 1928 to accommodate the growing student population. The first building to house Fairmont High School was the Second Ward Building on the corner of Adams and Quincy. Between 1872, when the building was constructed, and 1892 the building jointly held the public and normal schoolNormal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
s of Fairmont despite the public school and normal department's separation in 1875. Fairmont High School was founded in the Second Ward Building in 1876, and the first graduating class consisted of four students in 1877. Increased enrollment and the need for additional facilities eventually lead to the construction of a new school.
The building that was constructed at Loop Park in 1928 established Fairmont Senior High School where it still resides. The old building remained in operation as Fairmont Junior High School until 1963 when the foundation of the building slipped, forcing its closure. A building was constructed at Fairmont Senior High School to hold the displaced ninth grade students, while the seventh and eighth grades were relocated to a new school on High Street.
Much of the new building was constructed of concrete, which helped to mitigate the destruction caused by a fire that damaged a large section of the school's roof on February 16, 1979. The historic foundation of the building was preserved.
The campus has since become a conglomeration of facilities displaying the differences in architectural influences for over a century. At 15 acres (60,702.9 m²), the campus on Oakwood Road ranks among the most beautiful in the state and country. The outdoor living classroom of trees with historical significance also cultivates flowering dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
s, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s, and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s, which enhance the landscape and make every season a beautiful environment for learning.
National Register
On March 22, 2002 Fairmont Senior High School was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Architect William B. Ittner
William B. Ittner
William Butts Ittner was an architect in St. Louis, Missouri. He designed many school buildings in Missouri and other areas, was president of the St...
, who is responsible for over three dozen entries in the National Register, designed the school in the late 1920s. He was prominent in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
where his firm Ittner Architects still operates.
The school's architectural classification is Colonial Revival, with a stone foundation, brick walls, and asphalt shingle
Asphalt shingle
An asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle. They are one of the most widely used roofing covers because they are relatively inexpensive and fairly simple to install.-Types:...
roofing. Materials were provided by the local Smallwood Low Stone Company. Excavation began on January 26, 1928, by the builders D. J. Phipps of Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, and the building was finished just over a year later on April 1, 1929, with a total cost of approximately $574,000. The main building originally possessed 33 classrooms, and could comfortably accommodate 900 students. Plans were included to expand the building should the student population increase.
Fairmont Senior possesses many unique features that fortify its historic nature. The open light court or "senior court" is bound on all sides by interior walls of the school, but is not constrained by a ceiling. The opening provides sunlight to the surrounding halls and classrooms, as well as the small glass greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
located just inside the court. In 1929, the first class to graduate from the building presented the school with a statue of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
that still stands outside of senior court.
The auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
originally housed 1107 opera style chairs and a 16 by 50 feet (15.2 m) wooden stage. Later, when the stage was expanded, the first four rows of seating were removed leaving 976 seats. By the turn of the century, many of the seats were in poor condition and needed to be replaced. To preserve the historic nature of one of the school's greatest attributes, the 1000 Voices fund was established to restore the auditorium to its original state. In 2001 the seats were dismantled and sent away to be completely refurbished and reinstalled into the auditorium. Intricate details such as the gold leaf ribbons on the house lighting globes was also preserved, as well as detailed paintings on the proscenium arch.
Other structures also contribute to the school's historic nature. A small single arch concrete bridge crosses a stream that divides the campus; a stone wall approximately 100 feet (30.5 m) in length runs along the back of the school; and two brick gate posts stand at the entrance of the campus.
Inscriptions
Adding to the historical significance of the building are several inscriptions that can be found etched into the stone at various locations on the exterior of the main building. The inscription at the main entrance was taken from a quote by Daniel WebsterDaniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
who spoke at the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument
Bunker Hill Monument
-External links:****: cultural context**...
in 1825.
| Main entrance | Auditorium wing | Gymnasium wing |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| First rear entrance | Second rear entrance | |
 |
 |
|
Fine arts
| Fight Song |
Fight for ol’ Fairmont Fairmont must win. Fight to the finish Never give in. Rah Rah Rah You do your best, boys We’ll do the rest, boys Fight for ol’ FSH! |
Band
The Polar Bear Marching band is under the direction of A. Shawn Dunn and regularly travels to participate in competitive events. The band has performed in Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. The curriculum includes Percussion Ensemble
Percussion ensemble
A percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically-trained percussionists performing primarily classical music. Percussion ensembles are most commonly found at...
, Jazz Ensemble
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
, Marching
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
and Concert Band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
s. Fairmont Senior is also one of the few schools in the state to have a full Steel Drum Band perform at various state venues. The band also won the TOB group 4 division in 2007.
| Alma Mater |
O’er the green campus of Fairmont High, Rings out the strong spirit of do or die. Our sons give their pledges, loyal and true. Dear Alma Mater, we sing to you! |
Choral Music
Fairmont Senior High School has a rich tradition of providing some of the highest quality choral music at the high school level. The Fairmont Senior Madrigal Chamber ChoirMadrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
, a renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
style a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
choir, has won numerous all-around Festivals of Music choral competitions in places such as Montreal, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. The choral department includes the Choraliers, Madrigals, Freshman, Men's and Women's Chorus, and piano instruction. The elite Madrigals, an Elizabethan style choral group, entertain in authentic costumes. The group has won competitive prestigious prizes and performed at the inauguration of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
Joe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
.
Drama and Speech
The International Thespian SocietyInternational Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students located at more than 3,600 affiliated secondary schools across the United States, Canada, and abroad. The International Thespian Society was founded in Fairmont, West Virginia...
originated in Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
and was founded by Dr. Paul Opp and Mr. Harry Leeper. Two of the three original chapters were Fairmont Senior High School Troupe #2 and East Fairmont High School Troupe #3.
Averaging 50 trophies for the past 25 years, the speech team's total trophy accumulation numbers over 1200. FSHS has placed more students in the top 48 at the Octo Finals than any high school in the state of WV.
Athletics
The boys' sports teams are referred to as the Polar Bears and the girls' teams, the Lady Polar Bears. Fairmont Senior competes in the North Central Athletic Conference (NCAC) and regularly contends for state titles in various sports. The school has a total of 21 sports teams and is one of the few in the state to have a lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team. The school has also won a total of 36 state titles and has many honorable mentions as the runners up in state championship events.
| Fairmont Senior West Virginia State Championship History | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys' Sports | State Titles | Girls' Sports | State Titles |
| Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... |
||
| Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
1927, 1939, 1942, 1949, 1996 | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
1997 |
| Cross Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
1977, 1988, 1997, 1999 | Cross Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
1989, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003 |
| Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
Cheerleading Cheerleading Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate... |
1991, 1992, 1999 | |
| Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
1946 | Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
|
| Soccer | Soccer | ||
| Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 | Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
2007 |
| Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
||
| Track & Field | Track & Field | 1999 | |
| Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... † |
2009 | Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... † |
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Wrestling Wrestling Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position... |
1960 | ||
| Boys' Total | 22 | Girls' Total | 15 |
| †Lacrosse is yet to be a sanctioned sport | |||
Mascot
Originally the athletics teams were known as "Ice's Men" in reference to Coach Frank Ice who coached the school's athletic teams from 1914 to 1920. In 1926 the Polar Bear mascot was officially established in honor of the coach. The class of 1970 donated twin polar bear statues that line the entrance of the school.Rivalry
Fairmont Senior is one of three AAA high schools in Marion CountyMarion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
, along with East Fairmont High School and North Marion High School
North Marion High School (West Virginia)
North Marion High School is a public Triple A high school in West Virginia, with a current enrollment of 905 students.North Marion High School is located approximately 4 miles from Farmington, West Virginia on US Route 250 north...
. While both schools have presented competition for FSHS, the intense rivalry that exists between Fairmont Senior and East Fairmont has been considered one of the greatest in the state, known simply as the East-West Rivalry.
The two schools have met for 89 consecutive years beginning on October 25, 1921
1921 in sports
-American football:NFL championship* Chicago Staleys win the 1921 American Professional Football Association title, albeit not without dispute...
, making the series one of the oldest in the state. Considered to be at the peak of its intensity during the 1940s and 1950s, the event was then recognized as a state-wide festivity and drew large crowds annually.
Adding to the tension between the two schools is the fact that they share a home football field at the historic East-West Stadium. For the East-West football game the home team is alternated each year and decorates the stadium in their school's colors.
Fairmont Senior leads the series 54-28-7. Three scoreless ties and 26 shutouts have been recorded throughout the rivalry's history.
East-West Stadium
The Polar Bear football, soccer, lacrosse, and track teams all practice and perform off-campus at the historic East-West Stadium. The stadium was built in the 1920s and is home to both Fairmont Senior High School and East Fairmont High School. The facility includes a football/soccer/lacrosse field, track, and a swimming pool. The stadium, which covers one full city block, has an approximate capacity of six-thousand spectators.Swimming
Until the 2009 season, the Boy's Polar Bear Swim team had never lost the West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
state championship title, winning every state swim meet since the formation of the sport in 1999. This accomplishment puts Fairmont Senior in the company of Parkersburg High School
Parkersburg High School
Parkersburg High School is a secondary school located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, that serves grades nine through twelve and is part of the Wood County School District...
as the only two AAA high schools in the state of West Virginia to achieve a streak of ten or more state championship victories in a single sport.
Notable alumni
- Mary Lou RettonMary Lou RettonMary Lou Retton is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title, after 14 Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-Personal life:Retton was born in Fairmont, West...
, American all-around gold-winning Olympic gymnast.† - Michael Garrison, former president of West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. - Frank Kendall Everest, Jr., "the fastest man alive."
- Jim Delligatti, Inventor of the Big MacBig MacThe Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
- Brady Dunn, also known by his online alias: MilkshakemanCP, a well-known and notable YTPMV artist.
- Harry Waters, also known by his online alias: CadmiumRED, a well-known and notable artist.
†Attended freshman year before training for the Olympics.