Staples High School (Connecticut)
| Staples High School | |
|---|---|
|
The seal of Staples High School. | |
| Location | |
|
70 North Avenue Westport, Connecticut 06880 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | April 26, 1884 |
| School district | Westport Public Schools |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2000 |
| Color(s) |
Navy Blue White |
| Mascot | Construction worker named "the Wrecker" |
| Newspaper | Inklings |
| Yearbook | Stapleite |
| Website | School web site |
Staples High School is a public high school located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, USA.
Staples High School is named after Horace Staples, who founded the school on April 26, 1884.[1][2]
Westport is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (along with Darien, Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, and Wilton).[3]
Campus
The school was first located at Riverside Avenue in a three-level red brick building.[4]
In 1958 Staples High School moved to its current location at 70 North Avenue.[5]
History
Seeing the “town’s lack of progress in education,” Horace Staples, a wealthy businessman with interests in shipping, hardware sales, and banking, founded Staples High School.[4] Initially Staples intended to fund the school via an interest left in his will; however, that interest became known while he was still alive, and led to the school’s foundation being laid in 1884.[6] On April 24, 1884, businesses closed early in Westport to celebrate the dedication of Staples High School.[4] Connecticut Governor Thomas M. Waller attended the opening.[4]
In the first year of operation, commencing in the fall of 1884, Staples High School had 60 of the 807 students attending schools in Westport.[6]
On June 24, 1887, Staples High School conferred its first high school diplomas to six female students who comprised its first graduating class.[4]
In 1909 the Town of Westport accepted control of Staples High School from the Horace Staples estate.[4]
Activities
Inklings
The school newspaper, Inklings, has won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association gold medal every year since 2000 (in addition to a silver medal in 1999).[7] The paper has also received the rank of First Place with "Special Honors" from the American Scholastic Press Association since 2001 and has been dubbed "the best school paper in the state" by the Hartford Courant. Staples teaches both introductory and advanced journalism courses during which students work at Inklings.
Staples Players
The Staples Players perform plays tri-annually - one toward the middle of the fall semester, one toward the middle of the spring semester, and one in the summer. Past performances have included "A Chorus Line," "Cabaret," and "West Side Story."[8]
AP Assassination
Traditionally, after taking their final exams, AP seniors play a game called "AP Assassin." This was inspired by the 1982 film Tag: The Assassination Game, and involves students stalking and using Nerf guns to "assassinate" each other. The original entry fee was $7, but has since risen to $20; the collected money is split among the organizer of the event, the most creative assassin, the 1st place winner, and the runner-up. Since the school administration doesn't approve of this game, an assassination can't take place on school property or school sponsored events. Guns must be pre-approved before usage.[9][10][11]
Several incidents have happened during the game:[10]
- Four students kidnapped a target by putting him in a van and driving away from campus.
- A student called 9-1-1 when her assassin approached her as she sat in her car in her driveway.
- Police received a report that a student brought a gun to school, which turned out to be a silver Nerf gun in his car.
In 1999, the game was cancelled due to the recent Columbine High School massacre. A barbecue and a game of Capture the Flag took place instead.[9] In 2013, soon after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Fairfield County happened, principal John Dodig said “I think this year, in particular, it’s poor judgment to be pretending to shoot high school students.”[12]
Notable alumni
- Lynsey Addario Photojournalist
- Marilyn Briggs, better known by her professional name Marilyn Chambers, was an early Ivory Soap model and adult film actress appearing in Behind the Green Door and 30 other adult films.[13]
- Win Headley, American football player
- Paul Lieberstein, screenwriter, actor and producer known for The Office grew up in Westport, and attended Staples.
- Mariangela Lisanti, theoretical physicist.[14]
- Christopher Lloyd, Emmy Award winning actor, class of 1957.[15]
- Harry Rodrigues, actor known for his work on the song "Harlem Shake," attended Staples from 2003 to 2006 before completing high school at the American School in London.[16]
- Jane Yolen, children's book author.[17]
- Cynthia Gibb, actress known for her role as Holly Laird in the TV show Fame (1982) and her title role in the film The Karen Carpenter Story.
Awards and press coverage
- In the November 2008 issue of Connecticut Magazine, Staples High School was named "#1 High School in the State."[18]
- In 2004 the Wall Street Journal listed Staples among the best public and private schools in the United States.
List of principals
| No. | Principal | Years | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | James Tuft | 1884-1885 | 1 |
| 2. | Wilbur Lucius Cross[19] | 1885-1886 | 1 |
| 3. | Thomas Stearns | 1886-1890 | 4 |
| 4. | Howard Pratt | 1890-1891 | 1 |
| 5. | Bessie Taylor | 1891-1892 | 1 |
| 6. | Howard Pratt | 1893-1903 | 10 |
| Unknown | 1903-1908 | 5 | |
| 7. | Bessie Taylor | 1908-1913 | 5 |
| 8. | Jay Bates | 1913-1914 | 1 |
| 9. | Grover Bowman | 1914-1920 | 6 |
| 10. | John Young | 1920-1921 | 1 |
| 11. | Elizabeth Chatfield | 1921-1922 | 1 |
| 12. | Alan Henderson | 1922-1923 | 1 |
| 13. | Horace Beach | 1923-1931 | 8 |
| 14. | Douglas Young | 1931-1953 | 22 |
| - | Gerhardt Rast | 1953-1954 | 1 |
| 15. | Stanley Lorenzen | 1954-1966 | 12 |
| - | Raymond Walch | 1966 | 1 |
| 16. | James Calkins | 1967-1974 | 7 |
| - | Robert Genualdi | 1974-1975 | 1 |
| 17. | George Cohan | 1975-1981 | 6 |
| 18. | Marvyn Jaffe | 1981-1992 | 11 |
| 19. | Gloria Rakovic | 1992-2002 | 10 |
| 20. | John Brady | 2002-2004 | 2 |
| 21. | John Dodig[20] | 2004 - 2015 | 10 |
References
- ↑ Woody Klein; Westport Historical Society (Conn.) (May 2000). Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence. Greenwood Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-313-31126-0. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ↑ Charles Melbourne Selleck (1896). Norwalk: v. 1 and supplement. The author. p. 74. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ↑ Web page titled "Find a Community: By Educational Reference Group (DRG)" at the "Discovery 2007 / An initiative of the William Caspar Graustein Fund" Web site. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Woody Klein; Westport Historical Society (Conn.) (May 2000). Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence. Greenwood Press. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-313-31126-0. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ↑ Woody Klein; Westport Historical Society (Conn.) (May 2000). Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence. Greenwood Press. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-313-31126-0. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- 1 2 Woody Klein; Westport Historical Society (Conn.) (May 2000). Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence. Greenwood Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-313-31126-0. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ↑ Inzitari, Vanessa (21 March 2011). "Staples Student Newspaper Wins Big". The Daily Westport. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ↑ "'West Side Story' last curtain call for Staples choreographer". Westport News. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- 1 2 Mike Allen (May 15, 1999). "A 'Killing' Game at Schools Turns Worrisome". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- 1 2 Alexandra O'Kane (April 15, 2011). "Catch me if you can: The controversial story behind AP Assasination [sic]". Inklings. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ Jesse Heussner (June 4, 2009). "AP Assassination Gets a Shot of Popularity". Inklings. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ Ben Reiser (June 3, 2013). "Two Views on AP Assassination: Gun Violence is a Reality, Not a Game". Inklings. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ Connor, Tim. "The Story of M". Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Bailer, Darice (December 24, 2000). "The View From / Westport; It's a Quantum Leap For High School Senior". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ↑ Marley Brant (1 October 2006). Happier days: Paramount Television's classic sitcoms, 1974-1984. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-8230-8933-8. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ↑ Dan Woog (15 February 2013). Harlem Shake and Westport Too!. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ↑ Yolen, Jane. "A Short Biography". janeyolen.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ↑ Steele, Charles (November 2008). "Top High Schools". Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ↑ Joan Shelley Rubin (2007). Songs of ourselves: the uses of poetry in America. Harvard University Press. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-0-674-02436-6. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ↑ Dydzuhn, Karen Kovacs (20 January 2010). "Staples Principal John Dodig discusses high school in the 21st century". Westport News. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
External links
- Staples High School official website
- Staples Alumni registry website
- Staples High School "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006", Connecticut Department of Education
- Staples High School Web page at Great Schools Web site
Coordinates: 41°09′14″N 73°19′41″W / 41.154°N 73.328°W