Wellington C. Mepham High School
Wellington C. Mepham High School is a public high school located on a 21-acre (85,000 m2) campus in Bellmore, New York, United States. It is the oldest of three high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. The school is known locally as "Mepham" (pronounced MEP-um[3]), and was named in honor of the first school superintendent in the district.[4]
Wellington C. Mepham High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
2401 Camp Avenue , 11710 | |
Coordinates | 40°40′29″N 73°32′32″W |
Information | |
Type | Public school |
Motto | Opportunity, Industry, Achievement |
Established | 1935 |
Principal | Eric Gomez |
Faculty | 83.29 FTEs[1] |
Enrollment | 1,241 (2018-19)[2] |
Student to teacher ratio | 14.90[1] |
Campus | Suburban |
Color(s) | Maroon and gray |
Mascot | Pirate |
Website | Website |
The first building at Mepham was built in 1935, and the current campus was formed in 1937.
The school's mascot is the Pirate. Its jazz band was formerly known as the Jolly Rogers, but is more commonly referred to as simply the Mepham Jazz Band. Its kickline is known as the Pirettes. The school's student newspaper is The Buccaneer, its yearbook is The Treasure Chest, its alumni publication is The Scuttlebutt, and the former literary magazine was The Pieces of Eight, whose name was later changed to Fragments.
As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,282 students and 80.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.9:1. There were 112 students (8.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 36 (2.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
2003 sexual assault incident
In August 2003, it was reported that, while at a football training camp, at least three members of the football team were sexually assaulted by their teammates.[5] Three members admitted to the acts, two of whom appeared in court.[6] The sexual assault included anally penetrating the young men with foreign objects, including broom handles, pine cones, and golf balls.[7] The team's season was canceled early, and two coaches were transferred to administrative positions.
Notable alumni
- Roone Arledge (1931-2002), television executive[8]
- Mark Belger (class of 1974), middle distance runner[9]
- Donny Brady (born 1973), defensive back who played in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens[10]
- Lenny Bruce (1925-1966), comedian[11]
- Storm Field (born 1948), television meteorologist[3]
- Jonathan Florencio (born 1976), composer
- Marc Spilker (born 1964), financier
- Amos Zereoué (born 1976), former NFL football player[12]
- Eric Chester American author, socialist political activist, and former economics professor.
References
- School data for Wellington C Mepham High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 12, 2016.
- "WELLINGTON C MEPHAM HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Ketcham, Diane. "Long Island Journal", The New York Times, November 10, 1996. Accessed January 29, 2017. "The alumni association of W. C. Mepham High School in Bellmore is sponsoring a reunion concert for all chorus members on Nov. 30.... But he didn't, said Seth Poppel, a member of the Mepham (pronounced MEP-um) Class of '61."
- "Mr. W. C. Mepham". mepham.org. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- Kolker, Robert (2003-10-20). "Out of Bounds". New York Magazine.
- Schuster, Karla; Morris, Keiko (2004-05-07). "Pa. hearing tomorrow in Mepham case". Newsday.
- "High School History of Hazing 1905-2007". Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- Roone Arledge papers, 1953-2002., Columbia University Libraries. Accessed January 29, 2017. "The family moved to Merrick, Long Island where Arledge attended Mepham High School."
- Staff. "Mepham's Belger Snaps 2 Meet Marks in Track", The New York Times, February 10, 1974. Accessed January 29, 2017. "Mark Belger, a track star for Mepham High School, has alternated his distance this winter between 1,000 yard and one mile."
- Schwartz, Peter. "Schwartz: Former Giant Canty, Ex-Raven Brady Lend Helping Hand At Long Island Youth Football Camp", WCBS-TV, June 29, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2017. "Donny Brady grew up in Bellmore, Long Island, and was a star defensive back at Mepham High School."
- "c. 1940: Comedian Lenny Bruce Attends Mepham High". Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/meet-li-s-rachel-jordan-from-vh1-s-tool-academy-1.1753216