Wasilla High School
Encyclopedia
Wasilla High School is a public secondary school in Wasilla
, Alaska
, United States
, serving students in grades 9
–12
. The school became nationally known following then-Governor Sarah Palin
's nomination as the Republican
vice-presidential
running mate
to John McCain in the 2008 United States presidential election
. The school is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes.
In 2000, Wasilla High School received a $5000 environmental education
grant
from the Environmental Protection Agency
. The school worked in partnership with local government agencies
and business
es to raise awareness of groundwater
issues in the school and the community. Then, they worked on many projects to tell their community to save the environment.
On August 29, 2008, the day John McCain
announced Palin as his running mate, Wasilla decided to create T-shirt
s honoring Palin's nomination. Wasilla's principal, Dwight Probasco, declared that the shirts would read "Wasilla High School, home of Sarah Palin and the Warriors."
In 2004, teacher Anthony R. Jensen became a James Madison fellow for being a distinguished history teacher.
The fall sports offered at WHS are cross country running
, football
, cheerleading
(football), powderpuff, swimming
, and volleyball
. The winter sports offered are basketball
, hockey
, Native Youth Olympics, cross country skiing
, cheerleading
(basketball),and wrestling
. The spring sports offered are baseball
, soccer, softball
, and track and field
.
Wasilla's former head football
coach Jim Shetter was chosen to attend the National Football League's Youth Summit in Canton
, Ohio
. In 2007, Shetter lead the school's football team to their first playoff appearance in five seasons. Shetter later stepped down from his head coaching position, and the school chose Glenn Nelson as his replacement.
; Choir
; and Drama, Debate, and Forensics are governed by ASAA. Extracurricular activities include: Battle of the Books, Dance squad, National Honor Society
, Student Government
, and Teens Against Tobacco Use. Several other activities are closely associated with academic departments: Business Professionals of America
, Car Club, Drumline
, International Cultural Club, Japanese National Honors Society, Science Olympiad
, SkillsUSA
, Thespian Society, and Yearbook
. Close-Up
is program that takes students to study in Washington D.C. for one week. The Rose Urban Rural Exchange program is a one week student exchange program between students in urban and rural Alaska.
Other activities include: Battle of the Books, Dance Team, National Honor Society
, Student Government
, and Teens Against Tobacco Use.
study named Wasilla High School as a "dropout factory". Wasilla's dropout
rate was 6.5 percent in 2006, a number that was much higher than most of the schools in the Mat-Su district. The study was conducted by finding the difference between a class with 400 freshman
students which ended up with 260 seniors
four years later. However, the Johns Hopkins study did not follow specific students. If a student started school at Wasilla High and then graduated from another high school, the study would consider him or her a dropout. Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
has an open enrollment policy and it is fairly common for students to transfer from one school to another when their parents found new jobs in other areas. The School Board President Sarah Welton said that the study was flawed and that the false impression made on others in the country would be very unfortunate. Only 58% of incoming freshman graduate as seniors.
In spring of 2009, the students of Wasilla High School took a qualifying exam for graduation
. The subjects tested were math, writing
, and reading
. In math, 87 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.
Statewide, 80.2 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.
In writing, 78.1 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score. Statewide, 78.8 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.
In reading, 94.1 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.
Statewide, 90.0 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.
As of the 2008-2009 school year, Wasilla's graduation rate is 77.8 percent, higher than the statewide graduation rate of 67.6 percent.
In September 2008, Wasilla High had 1300 students.
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, serving students in grades 9
Ninth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
–12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
. The school became nationally known following then-Governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
's nomination as the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
vice-presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
to John McCain in the 2008 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. The school is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is a school district based in the city of Palmer, Alaska. It serves 40 schools, which have a range of 15 to 1300 students who are enrolled in each school. The estimated sum of the total number of students attending schools in this district is 15,969...
, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes.
In 2000, Wasilla High School received a $5000 environmental education
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
from the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. The school worked in partnership with local government agencies
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
and business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es to raise awareness of groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
issues in the school and the community. Then, they worked on many projects to tell their community to save the environment.
On August 29, 2008, the day John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
announced Palin as his running mate, Wasilla decided to create T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s honoring Palin's nomination. Wasilla's principal, Dwight Probasco, declared that the shirts would read "Wasilla High School, home of Sarah Palin and the Warriors."
Academics
Classes are run on a semester schedule. Students take seven classes at at time. Classes are offered in: fine arts, language arts, mathematics, physical education, social studies, world language, technology, and science. As of the 2010-2011 school year, there are ten AP classes offered. WHS also participates in the University of Alaska Anchorage's Tech Prep program, allowing students to receive college credit for automotive technology classes.In 2004, teacher Anthony R. Jensen became a James Madison fellow for being a distinguished history teacher.
Athletics
WHS is a 4A member school of the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), the governing body for high school athletics in Alaska.The fall sports offered at WHS are cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
(football), powderpuff, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The winter sports offered are basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, Native Youth Olympics, cross country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
(basketball),and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
. The spring sports offered are baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
Wasilla's former head football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach Jim Shetter was chosen to attend the National Football League's Youth Summit in Canton
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. In 2007, Shetter lead the school's football team to their first playoff appearance in five seasons. Shetter later stepped down from his head coaching position, and the school chose Glenn Nelson as his replacement.
Extracurricular activities
WHS offers a wide assortment of extracurricular activities. Several, including BandMusical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
; Choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
; and Drama, Debate, and Forensics are governed by ASAA. Extracurricular activities include: Battle of the Books, Dance squad, National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, Student Government
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, and Teens Against Tobacco Use. Several other activities are closely associated with academic departments: Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America is a career and technical student organization that is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. BPA aims to develop leadership, academic, and technological skills in the workplace among students and leaders within the community...
, Car Club, Drumline
Drumline
A drumline is a section of percussion instruments usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. High school and college marching bands, drill and drum corps, drum and bugle corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands usually incorporate drumlines; however, drumlines can exist...
, International Cultural Club, Japanese National Honors Society, Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
, SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 320,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations. Since 2010, SkillsUSA has had Thomas...
, Thespian Society, and Yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
. Close-Up
Close Up Foundation
The Close Up Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization in the United States. Founded in 1971 Close Up offers high school students an in-depth view of the democratic process, by interactive participation.-Participation:...
is program that takes students to study in Washington D.C. for one week. The Rose Urban Rural Exchange program is a one week student exchange program between students in urban and rural Alaska.
Other activities include: Battle of the Books, Dance Team, National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, Student Government
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, and Teens Against Tobacco Use.
Graduation rate
A Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
study named Wasilla High School as a "dropout factory". Wasilla's dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
rate was 6.5 percent in 2006, a number that was much higher than most of the schools in the Mat-Su district. The study was conducted by finding the difference between a class with 400 freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
students which ended up with 260 seniors
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
four years later. However, the Johns Hopkins study did not follow specific students. If a student started school at Wasilla High and then graduated from another high school, the study would consider him or her a dropout. Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is a school district based in the city of Palmer, Alaska. It serves 40 schools, which have a range of 15 to 1300 students who are enrolled in each school. The estimated sum of the total number of students attending schools in this district is 15,969...
has an open enrollment policy and it is fairly common for students to transfer from one school to another when their parents found new jobs in other areas. The School Board President Sarah Welton said that the study was flawed and that the false impression made on others in the country would be very unfortunate. Only 58% of incoming freshman graduate as seniors.
In spring of 2009, the students of Wasilla High School took a qualifying exam for graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
. The subjects tested were math, writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
, and reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
. In math, 87 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.
Statewide, 80.2 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.
In writing, 78.1 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score. Statewide, 78.8 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.
In reading, 94.1 percent of Wasilla's students received a proficient score.
Statewide, 90.0 percent of tenth graders received a proficient score.
As of the 2008-2009 school year, Wasilla's graduation rate is 77.8 percent, higher than the statewide graduation rate of 67.6 percent.
In September 2008, Wasilla High had 1300 students.
Notable alumni
- Sarah PalinSarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, former Governor of AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and former RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
vice presidentialVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
nominee. - Todd PalinTodd PalinTodd Mitchell Palin is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He is an American oil field production operator, commercial fisherman and champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times.-Early life:Palin...
, husband of Sarah Palin and a former champion snowmobileSnowmobileA snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
racer - Bristol PalinBristol PalinBristol Sheeran Marie Palin is the second child and oldest daughter of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd....
, daughter of Sarah Palin - Levi JohnstonLevi JohnstonLevi Keith Johnston is the former fiancé of Bristol Palin. He first received media attention in August 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant with Johnston's baby and that the two were engaged...
, former fiancéEngagementAn engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
of Bristol Palin—attended through and left after his junior year, but never graduated from Wasilla High