Appleton West High School
| Appleton West High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1938 |
| Oversight | Appleton Area School District |
| Principal | Greg Hartjes |
| Faculty | 100+ |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 1,517 |
| Color(s) | Orange and Blue |
| Mascot | Terrors |
| Newspaper | Talisman |
| Yearbook | Clarion |
| Website | Appleton West High School |
Appleton West High School is a high school located at 610 North Badger Avenue in Appleton, Wisconsin. It is a member of the Appleton Area School District.
Built in 1938, the building housing Appleton West High School was originally home to Appleton Senior High School. In fact, "Appleton Senior High School" is still etched into the front of the building. After Appleton East High School was built, the school was renamed to Appleton West.
Appleton West has an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students.[1]
The mascot of Appleton West is the Terror, a cross between a wolf and a fox, as the school is situated in between the Wolf River and the Fox River.
Renaissance School for the Arts is also housed inside of West. This afternoon-only school allows aspiring artists in acting, dance, visual arts, music and writing to craft and perfect their arts through a series of courses offered by permanent and temporary staff.
Athletics
The athletic department has a strong history of success. In 1992 the varsity football team won the Division 1 State Championship. The team also reached the championship game in 1991 and 1993.
Following the creation of rival school Appleton North High School in 1995, West athletics experienced a period of decline as several coaches and players decided to leave their school and attend the new institution. Today West's athletics are successful once again, thanks partially due to a brand new, health club quality fitness center which was built in 2002.
Highlights of Terror athletics over the past years have been a baseball state championship in 2004, two consecutive trips to the basketball state tournament in 2002 and 2003, a football playoff run in 2004, along with back to back trips to the state soccer tournament in 2002 and 2003. The 2007-08 season wrestling team did exceptionally well with a 3rd place conference finish, as well as sending 3 wrestlers to the sectional tournament, with two moving on to the state meet.
Expansion Controversy
Controversial planning for expanding the athletic facilities at West has been underway for some time. The proposed plan calls for the addition of a sports complex to the northeast side of the school. This complex would include 8 new tennis courts, a new football/soccer field, a new track, a 3,000 seat grandstand with press box, bathrooms, concessions, and storage, and long jump/ triple jump pits. The demolition of several homes bordering the school to the north-east is required for the addition of these features. Although some residents have agreed to sell their homes, others have yet to agree. Demolition on a nine of the homes is scheduled to begin in September 2008, but the owners of 11 of the 21 homes have yet to come to selling terms with the school district.[2] The Appleton Common Council has refused to support the booster club plan.[3]
Notable Alumni
- Kathi Seifert, Executive Vice President of Kimberly-Clark and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center. Kathi was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 37th most powerful woman in business in 2003.
- Brian Butch, 2003 McDonald's All-American basketball player
- Matt Erickson, major league baseball player
- John Bradley, one of six US Marines to raise the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II
- Brad Smith (Microsoft attorney), Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Microsoft
- William Beverly Murphy, former CEO Campbell Soup Company
- Tim Hanna, 1975, Mayor of Appleton, Wisconsin
- Daniel J. Piette, 1975, Director of Petroleum Geo-Services, President and CEO of OpenSpirit Corporation
- Glen Tellock, President of The Manitowoc Company
- Oscar Boldt,former president of Boldt Construction, an ENR 400 contractor
References
- ^ http://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/About/documents/report_to_comunityforweb.pdf
- ^ Firm named to raze Mason Street homes for Appleton West work
- ^ Appleton Post-Crescent: Your Fox Cities News Source - The article requested can not be found! Please refresh your browser or go back. (U0,20070401,APC06,704010466,AR)