Fairmont Senior High School

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 Bears, giving rise to the term "Polar Bear Pride".

Fairmont Senior High School
Address
1 Loop Park Drive

Fairmont
,
West Virginia
26554

United States
Coordinates39°28′42″N 80°9′27″W
Information
School typePublic secondary
Established1876
School boardMarion County
SuperintendentRandall Farley[1]
PrincipalKaren Finamore
Teaching staff45 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment842 (2017–18)[2]
Student to teacher ratio18.71[2]
Campus size15.0 acres (61,000 m2)[3]
Color(s)Royal blue, white & red (secondary)             
Athletics conferenceBig Ten
NicknamePolar bears
RivalEast Fairmont High School
NewspaperHi Life
YearbookMaple Leaves
Websitewww.marionboe.com/FairmontSenior/page/home
Fairmont Senior High School
Main Building
Coordinates39°28′42″N 80°9′27″W
BuiltApril 1, 1929
ArchitectWilliam B. Ittner
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No.02000254[4]
Added to NRHPMarch 22, 2002

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 schools 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.

Originally housing Fairmont's public and normal schools, the Second Ward Building became home to FHS in 1876.

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 Dunbar 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.[5]

The campus has since become a conglomeration of facilities displaying the differences in architectural influences for over a century. The outdoor living classroom of trees with historical significance cultivates flowering dogwoods, maples, and oaks.

The second building to house FHS, "The Point" was located on the corner of 5th and Benoni.

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.

National Register

On March 22, 2002 Fairmont Senior High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] 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.[6]

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.[7] 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 has possessed many unique features that fortify its historic nature. An example of this is senior court, which stood by the school's main entrance for many years. This light court was bound on all sides by interior walls of the school, but was not constrained by a ceiling. The opening provided 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. Senior court later was turned in to a library which houses much of Fairmont Senior's history.

A statue of Abraham Lincoln in front of Senior Court, a unique feature that provides an open area enclosed within the school's structure that exhibited the school for many years.

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-foot (15 m) wooden stage. Later, when the stage was expanded, the first four rows of seating were removed leaving 976 seats. By the start of the 20th 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 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 Webster who spoke at the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument in 1825.

Main entrance Auditorium wing Gymnasium wing
FAIRMONT
HIGH SCHOOL
KNOWLEDGE IS THE GREAT SUN IN
THE FIRMAMENT – LIFE AND POWER ARE
SCATTERED WITH ALL ITS BEAMS
"AND GOD SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT
AND THERE WAS LIGHT"
LET THE PEOPLE KNOW THE TRUTH
AND THE WORLD WILL BE SAFE
First rear entrance Second rear entrance
ACHIEVEMENT
LIVE IN DEEDS - NOT WORDS
OPPORTUNITY
ACT IN THE LIVING PRESENT

Fine arts

The marching band has performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City,[8] Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios.[9] The school holds a Band Spectacular annually at East-West Stadium where college and high school bands play their respective field shows.[10][11] The curriculum has previously included symphonic band, concert band, jazz ensemble, and steel band.[12]

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). The school has 21 sports teams and is one of the few in the state to have a lacrosse team.

Fairmont Senior West Virginia State Championship History[13][14]
Boys' sports State titles Girls' sports State titles
BaseballSoftball
Basketball1927, 1939, 1942, 1949, 1996, 2016, 2017Basketball1997, 2017
Cross country1977, 1988, 1997, 1999, 2012, 2018, 2019Cross country1989, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2019
Golf2019[15] Cheerleading1991, 1992, 1999
Football1903, 1907, 1924, 1929, 1946, 2018[16]Volleyball
Soccer2015, 2019[17]Soccer
Swimming1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008Swimming2006
TennisTennis
Track & fieldTrack & field1999
Lacrosse†2009Lacrosse†2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016
Wrestling1960
Boys' total29Girls' total17
†Lacrosse is yet to be a sanctioned sport
Two polar bears stand at the entrance of Fairmont Senior, a donation by Fairmont Senior's class of 1972.

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.

Rivalry

Fairmont Senior is one of three AA high schools in Marion County, along with East Fairmont High School and North Marion High School.[18] East Fairmont High School and Fairmont Senior have met for 93 consecutive years beginning on October 25, 1921, making the series one of the oldest in the state.

Fairmont Senior leads the series 59-28-7. Three scoreless ties and 27 shutouts have been recorded throughout the rivalry's history.[19]

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.[20]

Swimming

Until the 2009 season, the boy's Polar Bear swim team had never lost the West Virginia state championship title, winning every state swim meet since the formation of the sport in 1999.[21]

Notable alumni
gollark: I have a problem with the main mechanics too, actually.
gollark: Yes, I do.
gollark: No, input port or whatever.
gollark: DE? You monster.
gollark: No, the weird purple/orange one.

See also
  • List of National Register of Historic Places entries

References
  1. "Central Office Directory". Marion County Schools. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  2. "Fairmont Senior High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. 1930 Maple Leaves
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  5. "Invalid Entertainer". Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  6. "Ittner Architects". Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  7. "Original Dedication" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  8. Burnside, Mary Wade. "'A great career'". Times West Virginian. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  9. Virginian, Michelle Dillon Times West. "FSHS band members see 'different careers in music' during trip to Disney World". Times West Virginian. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  10. Virginian, Eddie Trizzino | Times West. "Band Spectacular set Saturday". Times West Virginian. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  11. Reports, From Staff. "Fairmont Pride - East-West Stadium rocked for the 51st annual Fairmont Senior High School Band Spectacular". WV News. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  12. "About the Polar Bear Band". polarbearband.tripod.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  13. WVSSAC Archived 2010-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Dreisbach, Jeff. "Lacrosse in West Virginia". Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  15. Editor, Michael Minnich Sports. "Fairmont Senior wins 1st state golf title". WV News. Retrieved 2019-11-27.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  16. Editor, Michael Minnich Sports. "The wait is over: Fairmont Senior ends 72-year title drought". WV News. Retrieved 2019-01-07.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  17. Virginian, Bradley Heltzel | Times West. "Towns' goal in OT lifts Fairmont Senior to Class AA state soccer championship". Times West Virginian. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  18. "WV School Directory". wvde.state.wv.us. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  19. "East-West History". Times West Virginian. Fairmont, WV. 6 November 2009. p. 4B.
  20. "East-West Stadium". Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  21. WVSSAC
  22. King, Joselyn (May 17, 2008). "Garrison: I Need To Stay at WVU". The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register. Retrieved February 6, 2015. Garrison, a Marion County native, also is a long-time friend of the Manchin family who attended Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont, W.Va., with Bresch (Subscription required.)
  23. "McDonald's Media Documents" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  24. "Michael James Delligatti, Creator of the Big Mac, Dies at 98". The New York Times. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
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