Wilton High School
Encyclopedia
| Wilton High School | |
| Magnet School | No |
| School District | Wilton Public Schools |
| School Colors | Blue and White |
| Coeducation Coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education... al |
Yes |
| Year Opened | September 1971 |
| Charter School Charter school Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter... |
No |
| Grade Levels | 9-12 |
| School type | Public |
| Principal | Robert O'Donnell |
| Location | 395 Danbury Road Wilton Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along... , Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... , 06897, USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Year-round schedule | No |
| Phone Number | 203-762-0381 |
| Enrollment | 1216 |
| Sports Teams | The Warriors |
| Mascot | Warrior |
| Homepage | www.edline.net/pages/Wilton_High_School |
Wilton High School is a public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
, and considered "one of Connecticut’s top performers" in various measures of school success. The current principal is Robert O'Donnell. Previously the long-time-principal was Timothy H. Canty, who also attended the school in the 1970s. He transferred to the Board of Ed. at the end of the school year of 2011, leading O'Donnell to become principal.
School enrollment increased 29 percent from 2001 to 2006. In Fall 2001, a major multi-million dollar construction project was completed, significantly expanding the square footage of the school. Wilton High School ranks high in the state in terms of scores on standardized math and reading tests.
| Ethnicity/economic status indicator. | Year | Wilton | Similar schools |
State | |
| Eligible for free/reduced price meals | 2005-06 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 22.4% | |
| Eligible for free/reduced price meals | 2002-03 | 0.6% | n/a | 17.6% | |
| Juniors, Seniors working 16+ hrs./week | 2005-06 | n/a | 6.5% | 21.7 | |
| Juniors, Seniors working 16+ hrs./week | 2000-01 | 15.8% | n/a | 31.7 | |
| K-12 students, non-English home language | 2005-06 | 4.7% | 2.7% | 11.4 | |
| White | 2004-05 | 92.7% | 67% | ||
| Hispanic | 2004-05 | 1.9% | 15% | ||
| African American | 2004-05 | 1.3% | 14% | ||
| Asian American | 2004-05 | 4.0% | 3% | ||
| American Indian | 2004-05 | 0.1% | >1% |
Before 1959
Even though Wilton became an independent town in 1802, separating from NorwalkNorwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, its education system was highly unorganized until the late 1950s.
In the early and mid-20th century, Wilton students went to high schools in Westport, New Canaan, Norwalk (until 1930), Danbury and Ridgefield. Since the schools in these communities were becoming overcrowded with population growth, a regional high school for Wilton was proposed in 1935 but vetoed by the state governor. The next year, Wilton, Weston and Redding began a joint study, which rejected the idea again. Instead, the committee recommended that Wilton wait for population to continue increasing enough to support a high school, and in the meantime buy enough land for the school. In 1940, a town meeting approved purchase of the Harbs Farm property, a 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) tract near the intersection of School and Danbury roads. In 1944, a regional high school was proposed again, and again the idea was rejected—this time by the town of Redding, which killed the proposal. A consultant hired by Wilton town officials recommended in 1948 that town population growth could support a high school in less than a decade. The regional high school idea was then permanently dropped.
Prior to the 1959 academic year, all students seeking public secondary school education had to attend Staples High School
Staples High School
Staples High School is a public secondary school, that opened on April 26, 1884 located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, USA. Staples High School is named after its founder Horace Staples who founded the school in 1884. The school was first located at Riverside Ave. and moved to its current...
in Westport
Westport, Connecticut
-Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices....
. In 1951, Westport officials, facing their own town's population growth, notified Wilton that it should prepare to remove its high school students from that town's school by 1957. In 1956, 10th-grade students began attending classes in the Wilton Junior High School building, and 11th-grade students joined them there in the fall of 1957, so that only Wilton's seniors were at the Westport high school. In that final school year for Wilton students in Westport, the top two graduating seniors at Staples High School
Staples High School
Staples High School is a public secondary school, that opened on April 26, 1884 located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, USA. Staples High School is named after its founder Horace Staples who founded the school in 1884. The school was first located at Riverside Ave. and moved to its current...
were from Wilton. A $1.2 million wing was completed for the junior high school building in the fall of 1958.
High School shuffle 1959-1971
In 1962, the public secondary education building moved again. This time the destination was a brand new structure currently known as the Middlebrook School. The first graduating class of this new high school, the class of 1963, numbered 170. Overall enrollment that year was 615. Although this was a new facility, it was quickly deemed as inappropriate due to its diminutive size, in the wake of the "baby boomerBaby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
" education era.
In 1966, a building committee was created to expand the new high school building, but the group recommended that the town instead buy land to the northwest of the high school building, and in 1967 the town approved the idea. The land was condemned, but the property owners appealed to the courts, delaying the project. Temporary classrooms were set up outside the old high school building. The town approved $12.6 million for the building, and the new structure was built to hold 1,500 students, with the possibility of expansion to hold 2,000.
The present day Wilton High School opened its doors in September 1971, reaching a maximum student population of 1646 during the 1976-77 academic year. WHS has graduated nearly 12,500 students as of the 2006-07 academic year.
Recent history
In 1996, Wilton High School participated in the A Better Chance (ABC) program which brought minority students from inner-city schools to live in town and attend the school. As of 2004, ABC leased the former Goslee house at 6 Godfrey Place from the town library for student housing.For the 26 years that Guy Whitten coached the high school lacrosse team, it won 17 state championships and 11 Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference titles. In Whitten's final year, 1995, the team was undefeated. The girls' gymnastics team won 13 FCIAC
FCIAC
FCIAC, the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, was established in 1961 and is made up of high schools throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA...
titles in 15 years, as well as several state championships.
In 2001, two extensive additions to the school were completed as well as other renovations. The project included new classrooms, more modern science labs, new music rooms, a larger cafeteria and a new theater building with an 800-seat auditorium.
In March 2007, a controversy arose which achieved national prominence when Principal Timothy Canty on the objection of a student cancelled an original student play by an advanced theater class concerning the Iraq War, a project he had originally approved. He justified his action by claiming it “might hurt Wilton families ‘who had lost loved ones or who had individuals serving as we speak,’ and that there was not enough classroom and rehearsal time to ensure it would provide ‘a legitimate instructional experience for our students.’” The play, "Voices in Conflict
Voices in Conflict
In 2007, 16 students from Wilton High School, in Wilton, CT developed a show consisting of memoirs drawn from letter of soldiers serving in Iraq. The process started as a short play that would be put on for the student body and the community. The play was banned from the high school because it was...
", had been written and produced by students under the direction of 13-year English teacher Bonnie Dickinson. It was supposed to have been performed in school during the day. School officials, including Superintendent Gary Richards, notwithstanding national attention over the cancellaton and a letter protesting it signed by Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
, Christopher Durang
Christopher Durang
Christopher Ferdinand Durang is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s.- Life :...
, John Guare
John Guare
John Guare is an American playwright. He is best known as the author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body...
and John Patrick Shanley
John Patrick Shanley
John Patrick Shanley is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He also contributed articles on the performing arts to The New York Times among other publications.-Life and career:...
, refused to allow the production to be shown at the school.
Theater groups rallied to the students’ defense, and the play was subsequently performed at the Fairfield Theatre Company, The Vineyard Theatre
Vineyard Theatre
The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981...
, The Culture Project, and The Public Theater. The play was produced for Connecticut Public Television
Connecticut Public Television
Connecticut Public Television is the PBS member network for the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is owned by Connecticut Public Broadcasting, who also owns Connecticut Public Radio. Together, the television and radio stations make up the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network...
, and Bonnie Dickinson became the official “2007 Honoree” of the National Coalition Against Censorship and the winner of the Connecticut Center for First Amendment Rights 2007 “Freedom Award.”
Boys lacrosse
Since the sport gained school-sponsorship, the team has won 21 ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
state championships, and 13 FCIAC
FCIAC
FCIAC, the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, was established in 1961 and is made up of high schools throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA...
titles. Guy Whitten, the varsity 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...
coach, was hired in 1969 to field a competitive group of athletes from the schools club and intramural programs. Whitten, who is regarded as an influential figure to the popularity that the sport enjoys today throughout the state, would end up coaching boys lacrosse at WHS for 26 years before his retirement following the conclusion of the 1995 season. Whitten competed for years against veteran New Canaan coach Howard Benedict
Howard Benedict
Howard Benedict is an American lacrosse coach. He coached at New Canaan High School for 34 years.- Biography :Howard Benedict graduated from Fairfield College Preparatory School and Lafayette College. He was a varsity lacrosse player while at Lafayette...
. Whitten and Benedict are considered the "Founding Fathers of Connecticut Lacrosse." Whitten was chosen to represent his country as the Head Coach of the USA U-19 National Team, who won the World Championship in Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1988. Upon retirement, Whitten had tabulated 410 wins versus only 77 losses for a career winning percentage of %.842. At the time, he was one of only four coaches in the history of the sport to reach the 400 win plateau. In the history of Wilton Lacrosse, the varsity team has never had a losing season, the lowest record ever by the Warriors was in 2007 when they went %.500. Many of the program's athletes have gone on to compete in collegiate teams on the NCAA division I level;
| Season | W | L | Pct. | FCIAC FCIAC FCIAC, the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, was established in 1961 and is made up of high schools throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA... tournament |
CIAC (state) tournament | National Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 16 | 6 | .730 | Lost Semi Final to Darien Darien High School Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.The Latin motto on the school seal means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins... |
Won State Championship (#21) over New Canaan in the CIAC Finals and defeated Darien Darien High School Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.The Latin motto on the school seal means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins... in the CIAC Semi-Finals |
Ranked #29 in the Nation |
| 2009 | 16 | 6 | .753 | Lost Semi Final to Darien Darien High School Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.The Latin motto on the school seal means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins... |
Lost finals to Darien | |
| 2008 | 12 | 8 | .600 | Lost Semi Finals to Darien Darien High School Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.The Latin motto on the school seal means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins... |
Lost Quarter Finals to Darien | |
| 2007 | 10 | 10 | .500 | Lost Semi Finals to Greenwich Greenwich High School Greenwich High School is a four-year public high school in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. The school is part of the Greenwich Public Schools system and serves roughly 2,700 students.... |
Lost Quarter Finals to Branford Branford High School (Connecticut) Branford High School is a public high school in Branford, Connecticut. It currently has about 1,250 students in grades 9-12.Former principal, Dr. Edmund Higgins, retired at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. During his tenure, Higgins was instrumental in the school's adoption of performance... |
|
| 2006 | 12 | 8 | .600 | Lost Semi Finals to Darien | Lost Quarter Finals to Daniel Hand Daniel Hand High School Daniel Hand High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Madison, Connecticut, serving grades 9 - 12, with an enrollment of approximately 1,276 students.- External links:* *... |
|
| 2005 | 16 | 5 | .762 | Lost Semi Finals to New Canaan New Canaan High School New Canaan High School is a public high school in New Canaan, Connecticut.- History :Construction on the school was finalized in 1971. The school is located on grounds donated by the Lapham family, carving off approximiately 46 acres of Waveny Park.... |
| Lost Finals to Darien | Ranked #54 in nation |
| 2004 | 20 | 3 | .870 | Lost Finals to Darien | Won State Championship (#20) over New Canaan | Ranked #21 in nation |
| 2003 | 13 | 8 | .620 | Lost Finals to Darien | Lost Semi Finals to Glastonbury Glastonbury High School Glastonbury High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Glastonbury, Connecticut.Glastonbury High School is the only high school in the town of Glastonbury, Connecticut... |
|
| 2002 | 11 | 7 | .611 | Lost Semi Finals to Darien | Lost Quarter Finals to Cheshire Cheshire High School Cheshire High School is located on Route 10 across from Bartlem Park in Cheshire, Connecticut. It is 15 miles north of New Haven and south of Hartford... |
|
| 2001 | 12 | 9 | .571 | Lost Finals to Darien | Lost Semi Finals to Fairfield Prep | |
| 2000 | 15 | 8 | .652 | Lost Semi Finals to Darien | Lost Finals to Darien | |
| 1999 | 20 | 2 | .910 | Won Championship over Darien | Won State Championship (#19) | Ranked #8 in nation |
| 1998 | 19 | 3 | .863 | Lost semi-finals to New Canaan | Won State Championship (#18) over New Canaan | Ranked #11 in nation |
| 1997 | 14 | 7 | .667 | Lost Finals to Darien | Lost Semifinals to Darien | |
| 1996 | 19 | 3 | .863 | Won Championship | Lost in Finals to New Canaan | |
| 1995 | 23 | 0 | 1.000 | Won Championship | Won State Championship | Ranked #2 in nation |
Girls lacrosse
The girls varsity lacrosse program, established as a school sponsored sport in 1982, was invariably mediocre until a breakthrough 1995 campaign under first year coach Joanie Tripp that culminated with a 10-4 record and three athletes named to the all FCIAC team. After a few seasons of disappointing losses in the state and FCIAC tournaments, the Lady Warriors finished the 1999 season with a 17-3 record and claimed their first FCIAC crown, along with the distinction of taking second place in the state tournament. The Warriors would reclaim themselves as FCIAC champions in the 2004 season, which also saw the team take home its first state title in a come-from-behind win over rival DarienDarien High School
Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.The Latin motto on the school seal means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins...
.
Notable alumni
- Paul DanoPaul DanoPaul Franklin Dano is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films such as L.I.E. , The Girl Next Door , Little Miss Sunshine , There Will Be Blood , and Where the Wild Things Are .-Early life:Dano was born in New York City, the son of Gladys and Paul Dano...
- Actor best known for his roles in The Girl Next DoorThe Girl Next DoorThe Girl Next Door is a 2004 American teen film starring Elisha Cuthbert, Emile Hirsch, and Timothy Olyphant, directed by Luke Greenfield, about an honor student who falls in love for the first time with the girl next door, but finds the situation becoming complicated after he learns that she is a...
, Little Miss SunshineLittle Miss SunshineLittle Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer...
and There Will Be BloodThere Will Be BloodThere Will Be Blood is a 2007 drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!. It tells the story of a silver miner-turned-oilman on a ruthless quest for wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and...
. - Lydia Hearst-ShawLydia Hearst-ShawLydia Marie Hearst-Shaw is an American actress, fashion model, columnist, socialite and heiress to the publishing fortune established by her maternal great-grandfather William Randolph Hearst. The 2008 Michael Awards recognized her as their Model of the Year...
- supermodel, heiress, and socialite, daughter of Patty HearstPatty HearstPatricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
. - Kristine LillyKristine LillyKristine Marie Lilly Heavey is a retired American soccer player who last played for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 24 years...
- Member of the U.S. women's national teamUnited States women's national soccer teamThe United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
, three time Olympic medalistOlympic medalistAn Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal: gold, silver and bronze. The winner is awarded the gold medal, the runner-up the silver medal, and the third place competitor is awarded the bronze medal...
, has won four NCAA titles, and two FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
Championships, was born and raised in the town. The high school's north field was named after her. - Mike PresslerMike PresslerMike Pressler is an American lacrosse coach. He is currently the head coach of the Bryant University Bulldogs as well as the 2010 United States national lacrosse team. He served as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils for 16 seasons until he was fired during the 2006 Duke University lacrosse...
- Former head coach of Duke Men's Lacrosse team, currently head coach for Bryant Men's Lacrosse team. - Simon RosenbergSimon RosenbergSimon Rosenberg is the founder of the New Democrat Network, an organization formerly allied with the Democratic Leadership Council, and was a candidate for the Democratic National Committee Chair in 2005.-Early life:...
(class of 1981) - Founder and President of New Democrat NetworkNew Democrat NetworkThe New Democrat Network is an American think tank that promotes progressive Democratic candidates, especially those in a more centrist vein, although this focus has waxed and waned...
, a think-tank. - John ScofieldJohn ScofieldJohn Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
- Jazz guitarJazz guitarThe term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of guitar playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed "jazz"...
ist, attended the school in the late 1960s. - Frank SesnoFrank SesnoFrank Sesno is an award-winning American journalist, former CNN correspondent, anchor and Washington bureau chief, and director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University. Sesno is also the creator and host of Planet Forward, a web-to-television show on PBS. Sesno...
- CNN journalist and Professor of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University. - Brit & AlexBrit & AlexBrit & Alex were an American-British girl group, consisting of identical twin sisters Brit and Alex Smith.-Biography:Brit & Alex were originally known as child actors, appearing at the age of three in the soap opera One Life to Live...
Smith - Child actors, appearing at the age of three in the soap opera One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. - Donald Verrilli - United States Solicitor GeneralUnited States Solicitor GeneralThe United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the federal government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. The current Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 2011 and sworn in on June...
.