Wheeling Park High School
Wheeling Park High School is a rural public high school in Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It is the only public high school in the Ohio County School District. Athletic teams compete as the Wheeling Park Patriots in the WVSSAC Class AAA, as well as the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
| Wheeling Park High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
1976 Park View Road , 26003 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, Coeducational high school |
| Motto | Experience the Park |
| Established | 1976 |
| Opened | 1976 |
| Status | open |
| School district | Ohio County School District |
| Superintendent | Kimberly S. Miller |
| Principal | Amy Minch |
| Faculty | 118.50 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,481 (2017-18)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 12.50[1] |
| Campus type | Rural / Fringe-Rural |
| Color(s) | Red, White, and Blue |
| Athletics | Football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, tennis, volleyball, track, cross country, golf, basketball, cheering, dance, wrestling, swimming, baseball, and softball. |
| Athletics conference | Ohio Valley Athletic Conference |
| Nickname | Palace on the Hill |
| Team name | Patriots |
| Rival | John Marshall Monarchs, Brooke Bruins |
| Publication | WPHP 91.9 FM WPHP-TV, The Patriot Connection |
| Newspaper | Park Press |
| Athletic Director | Dwaine Rodgers |
| Website | wphs |
The school opened for the 1976-1977 academic year following the consolidation of Wheeling, Triadelphia, Warwood and West Liberty high schools.
Education
Academic Performance
In Wheeling Park's 2017-2018 Balanced Scorecard report conducted by the West Virginia Department of Education, the school received positive marks for its graduation rate but received negative marks for its academic performance due to its failure to meet the State's standards for academic performance. For this period, Wheeling Park received the lowest possible grade for its academic performance in mathematics, Does Not Meet Standard, and a Partially Meets Standard grade for its academic performance in English language arts.[2]
Advanced Placement
Wheeling Park offers 19 Advanced Placement courses: Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Environmental Science, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Physics B, Physics C, Political Science, U.S. History, World History, Statistics, Chemistry, Psychology, Music Theory, Spanish, Seminar, and Research.
There are also courses that can be taken for college credit through West Liberty University and West Virginia Northern Community College.
Career and Technical
The Career and Technical Department consists of multiple computer electronics, graphic design, and engineering laboratories; including a 3D Printer. This department also has the auto-mechanics shop, collision repair, welding, machine tool technology, building construction, and power equipment systems classes.
Fine and Performing Arts
There are two theaters at Wheeling Park High school: the Phyllis A. Beneke Theatre and the JB Chambers Performing Arts Center. The music department has private recording studios, a piano lab, and two large practice halls.
Wheeling Park is home to bands, choral ensembles, orchestral groups, and bluegrass bands. Its concert band has achieved 27 consecutive "superior" ratings at Region 1 Band Festival.[3] Wheeling Park's music department and many other Ohio County Schools' music departments perform at the JB Performing Arts Center, commonly referred to as the "PAC".
Wheeling Park is also the home of the award-winning Wheeling Park High School Speech and Debate Team, which in 2019 won their 40th consecutive state championship in Huntington, WV at Marshall University.
Athletics
Sports
Boys: soccer, football, basketball, baseball, softball, golf, lacrosse, hockey, wrestling, cross country, track, and swimming.
Girls: soccer, football, basketball, softball, golf, lacrosse, hockey, wrestling, cross country, track, swimming, volleyball, cheering, and competitive dancing
Facilities
The Wheeling Island Stadium, located on Wheeling Island, is the Patriots home field, while also serving as a location for various Wheeling sports teams to play. Wheeling Park hosts the WVSSAC Super 6 Football Championship annually.[4]
Three gymnasiums, a fitness center, a wrestling room, and indoor Olympic-sized pool make up the Physical Education department.
Campus
The high school building houses physical education, special education, technical education, and regular education. The building is 860 feet long and 550 feet wide for a total of 473,000 square feet. There are three floors of masonry block insulation with brick veneer. Additional education wings added in 1984 on both ends of the building comprise 7750 square feet. There are four lighted tennis courts, an eight-lane track and adjoining baseball, softball, football and soccer fields which complete the entire 52-acre complex. The Media Center comprises the library, two computer labs, and the Maker Space, which has a 3D Printer. The school also houses a Mac computer lab.
Notable alumni
- Rob Garrison, actor
- Amy Shuler Goodwin, mayor of Charleston, West Virginia[5]
References
- "WHEELING PARK HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "Ohio County Schools Balanced Scorecard Report". West Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- "Academic Achievement Awards - WVSSAC". WVSSAC. WVSSAC. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- Birch, Tim. "Super Six Football Championships". Wheeling Events. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- "Wheeling native Amy Shuler-Goodwin ready to take the reins in Charleston". Weirton Daily Times. Retrieved February 17, 2019.