Wasilla High School

Wasilla High School
Address
701 East Bogard Road
Wasilla, Alaska 99654
United States
Information
School type Public secondary school
Motto To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not To Yield!
School district Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Principal Carol Boatman
Faculty 68.20 (FTE) (2012)[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1242[1] (September 2008)
Student to teacher ratio 18.21 (2012)[1]
Campus type Suburban
Color(s) Red and white[2]          
Mascot Warrior
Information (907) 352-8200
Website School website

Wasilla High School (WHS) is a public secondary school in Wasilla, Alaska, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes.

The school received widespread coverage in 2008 following former pupil Governor Sarah Palin's nomination as the Republican vice-presidential running mate to John McCain in the 2008 United States presidential election.[3]

Academics

As of the 2010-2011 school year, there are ten AP classes offered.[4] WHS also participates in the University of Alaska Anchorage's Tech Prep program, which allows students to receive college credit for automotive technology classes.[5]

Athletics

WHS is a 4A member school of the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), the governing body for high school athletics in Alaska.[6] The fall sports offered at WHS are cross country running, football, cheerleading (football), powderpuff, swimming, and volleyball. The winter sports offered are basketball, hockey, Native Youth Olympics, cross country skiing, cheerleading (basketball), and wrestling. The spring sports offered are baseball, soccer, softball, and track and field.[7]

Environmental projects

In 2000, Wasilla High School received a $5000 environmental education grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.[8] The school worked in partnership with local government agencies and businesses to raise awareness of groundwater issues in the school and the community. Then they worked on many projects to tell their community to save the environment.[8]

Extracurricular activities

Close-Up is program that takes students to study in Washington D.C. for one week. The Rose Urban Rural Exchange program is a one-week student exchange program between students in urban and rural Alaska.[9]

Graduation rate

A Johns Hopkins University study named Wasilla High School as a "dropout factory". Wasilla's dropout rate was 6.5 percent in 2006, a number that was much higher than most of the schools in the Mat-Su district.[10] The study was conducted by finding the difference between a class with 400 freshman students which ended up with 260 seniors four years later. However, the Johns Hopkins study did not follow specific students. If a student started school at Wasilla High and then graduated from another high school, the study would consider him or her a dropout.[11] Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has an open enrollment policy and it is fairly common for students to transfer from one school to another if their parents find new jobs in other areas.[11] School Board President Sarah Welton said that the study was flawed and that the false impression made on others in the country would be unfortunate.[11] Only 58 percent of incoming freshmen graduate as seniors.[12]

In the spring of 2009, the students of Wasilla High School took a qualifying exam for graduation. The subjects tested were math, writing, and reading. In math, 87 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.[13] Statewide, 80.2 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.[14] In writing, 78.1 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.[13] Statewide, 78.8 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.[14] In reading, 94.1 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.[13] Statewide, 90.0 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.[14] As of the 2008-2009 school year, Wasilla's graduation rate is 77.8 percent,[13] higher than the statewide graduation rate of 67.6 percent.[14]

In September 2008, Wasilla High had 1300 students.[15]

Notable students and faculty

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Alaska Public Schools Database". National Center for Education Statistics. Archived from the original on 2013-12-21.
  2. ↑ "Wasilla High School". Alaska School Activities Association. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  3. ↑ Rovito, Michael (2008-08-29). "McCain taps Alaska gov. Palin for VP". Today's News Herald. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  4. ↑ "Wasilla High School: Courses Offered". Retrieved 2011-04-22.
  5. ↑ "Tech Prep". University of Alaska Community & Technical College. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
  6. ↑ "ASAA 2010-2011 Handbook" (PDF). Alaska School Activities Association. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
  7. ↑ "Wasilla High School: Athletics Directory". Retrieved 2011-04-22.
  8. 1 2 "EE Grants Awarded in Alaska". Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  9. ↑ Rose Urban Rural Exchange (2011). "Sister School Exchange: About". Alaska Humanities Forum. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  10. ↑ Tipton, Lori (2007-10-30). "Study gives Wasilla High School failing grade". KTUU. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  11. 1 2 3 Moses, John R. (2007-10-03). "WHS not 'dropout factory'". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  12. ↑ "Dropout Factories: Take a Closer Look at failing Schools Across the Country". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2008-01-31. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Wasilla High School: School Report Card for 2008-2009 School Year" (PDF). Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "2008-2009 Report Cart to the Public" (PDF). State of Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  15. ↑ Van Sack, Jessica (2008-09-02). "Alaska principal: Bristol Palin's situation will be a learning opportunity for teens". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 2009-10-21. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  16. ↑ "Portugal. The Man singer tends his Alaska roots", Anchorage Daily News, January 21, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Bristol Palin gives birth to a boy", Seattle Times, 30 December 2008.
  18. ↑ "Levi Johnston's Mom On Bristol Palin Pregnancy: "This Is Just A Bonus"" Huffington Post. September 2, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  19. ↑ "100 Years of Alaska's Legislature: 'From Territorial Days to Today'". The Alaska State Legislature. Archived from the original on 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  20. ↑ Tankersley, Jim (2008-09-02). "Surprise pregnancy has Republicans off balance". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  21. ↑ "National Governors Association: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  22. ↑ Kizzia, Tom (2008-08-30). "'Maverick' McCain pulls off surprise". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-08-31. She (Sarah Palin) eloped in 1988 with her high school sweetheart, Todd Palin.

Coordinates: 61°35′19″N 149°25′43″W / 61.58861°N 149.42861°W / 61.58861; -149.42861

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