Staples High School
Staples High School is a public high school located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, United States. Staples High School is named after Horace Staples, who founded the school on April 26, 1884.[3][4] Westport is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (along with Darien, Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, and Wilton).[5]
Staples High School | |
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Main building, December 2011 | |
Location | |
70 North Avenue , 06880 United States | |
Coordinates | 41.154°N 73.328°W |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | April 26, 1884 |
School district | Westport Public Schools |
Principal | Stafford Thomas Jr.[1] |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,853 (2016-17)[2] |
Color(s) | Navy blue and white |
Mascot | Construction worker named "the Wrecker" |
Publication | Soundings |
Newspaper | Inklings |
Yearbook | Stapleite |
Website | http://shs.westportps.org |
Campus
The school was first located at Riverside Avenue in a three-level red brick building.[6] In 1958 Staples High School moved to its current location on a 9-acre campus at 70 North Avenue.[7]
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.[6] 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.[8] On April 24, 1884, businesses closed early in Westport to celebrate the dedication of Staples High School.[6] Connecticut Governor Thomas M. Waller attended the opening.[6]
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.[8]
On June 24, 1887, Staples High School conferred its first high school diplomas to six female students who comprised its first graduating class.[6]
In 1909 the Town of Westport accepted control of Staples High School from the Horace Staples estate.[6] From 1966 to 1969, Staples attracted some of the biggest names in music to perform in concert. The Animals, Cream, The Yardbirds, The Young Rascals, Sly and the Family Stone and Louis Armstrong to name a few. A short documentary was produced in 2017.
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).[9] 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.[10]
Inklings has been regularly publishing issues since 1931. Paper issues come out monthly and their website is updated daily. The current staff is composed of over 90 members.[11]
Notable alumni
- Lynsey Addario, photojournalist
- Marilyn Briggs, professionally known as Marilyn Chambers, model and adult film actress.[12]
- John DiBartolomeo (born 1991), American-Israeli basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League[13]
- Cynthia Gibb, actress
- Luke Greenfield, director
- Will Haskell, Connecticut State Senator [14]
- Win Headley, American football player
- Paul Lieberstein, screenwriter, actor and producer
- Mariangela Lisanti, theoretical physicist.[15]
- Christopher Lloyd, Emmy Award winning actor, class of 1957.[16]
- Mike Noonan, soccer coach.[17]
- Justin Paul, of the team Pasek and Paul, is a Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist.
- Harry Rodrigues, actor [18]
- Jane Yolen, children's book author.[19]
References
- "Main Office - Staples High School". shs.westportps.org. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- "Staples High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- 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.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-03-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- "Staples High School Course Catalog 2018-2019" (PDF). Westport Public Schools. January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "Inklings News". Inklings News. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Connor, Tim. "The Story of M". Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- "John DiBartolomeo Basketball Player Profile, Maccabi Fox Tel-Aviv, Rochester, News, Winner League stats, Career, Games Logs, Best, Awards - eurobasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-news-wilton-will-haskell-20181018-story.html
- 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.
- "Clemson's Mike Noonan To Be Inducted into Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame".
- 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.