Wheeler High School is a four-star secondary school located in Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...

. The school is attached to Union Township Middle School and was formerly located in Wheeler, Indiana

Wheeler, Indiana

Wheeler is an unincorporated community in northern Union Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. It lies along State Road 130 northwest of the city of Valparaiso, the county seat of Porter County. Its elevation is 666 feet , and it is located at . Although Wheeler is...

.

Test Scores

Test scores for Wheeler High School have been above average for many years. When comparing the 2005 ISTEP+

ISTEP

ISTEP+ stands for Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus and is an annual testing regimen designed by the Indiana Department of Education to encourage students to master basic language and science skills, particularly reading, writing and mathematics...

 scores for grade 10 math, Wheeler ranks in the top five among twenty-two local schools. When comparing the 2005 ISTEP+

ISTEP

ISTEP+ stands for Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus and is an annual testing regimen designed by the Indiana Department of Education to encourage students to master basic language and science skills, particularly reading, writing and mathematics...

 scores for grade 10 English/language arts, Wheeler is ranked fifth among twenty-two local schools.

Foreign Languages

Wheeler High School offers education in three different foreign languages. These languages are Spanish, German, and French. More languages were offered in previous years, but because of the small size of the school, the lack of interest among the students caused the discontinuation of the subjects.

Vocational Education Department

Wheeler High School features a Law Enforcement Career Academy and a Cisco Regional Networking Academy.

• Law Enforcement Career Academy This program is held at Wheeler High School and is available to all juniors and seniors. The program is intended for students wishing to pursue careers in Police, Courts, or Corrections. Students at all area schools are allowed to enroll. The students can also receive three college credits from Vincennes University
  Vincennes University
  Vincennes University is a public university in Vincennes, Indiana, in the United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are...
  
  .
• Cisco Regional Networking Academy This program was offered at Wheeler High School and is available to junior and senior students from all area schools. The students learn how to design, build, and maintain computer networks. After completion of the two-hundred and eighty hour program, the students are prepared to take a standardized test to become a Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA). This certification increases their employment opportunities. This program has since moved to Hobart High School in Hobart, Indiana.
• Porter County Vocational Education Junior and senior students may also take vocational classes at other area schools.
• Internships Senior students may also do internships.

Fine arts

Wheeler High School has a 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...

, band

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

, art

Art

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

 department, and drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 department, all of these extremely lackluster.

• Choir The choir performs at many local and statewide competitions every year. There is also a Show Choir
  Show choir
  A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
  
  . They also travel to Orlando, Florida
  Orlando, Florida
  Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
  
   every four years to perform at Disney World. The choir also puts on an annual performance called the "Madrigal Dinner." This dinner includes the high school and middle school choirs and features a round table of medieval characters.
• Band The school band performs at half time of all school football games and during timeouts and between quarters at basketball games. The band also competes at competitions. They earned a "superior" ranking at the 2008 Music in the Parks competition. The band performs at several concerts throughout the year as well.
• Art Department The Wheeler High School art department features classes such as drawing, ceramics, art, sculpture, and jewelry making. Unfortunately, none of these programs are interesting.
• Drama Department The drama department puts on two musicals per year, as well as a straight show in the fall. Notable productions include the first high school performance of Cats
  Cats (musical)
  Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
  
  , as well as surprisingly adept productions of many Moss Hart/George Kaufman plays, including The Man Who Came to Dinner
  The Man Who Came to Dinner
  The Man Who Came to Dinner is a comedy in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939 at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. It then enjoyed a number of New York and London revivals. The first London production was staged at The Savoy Theatre starring Robert...
  
  and You Can't Take it With You
  You Can't Take It with You
  You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
  
  . The drama department also recently put on a rendition of Disney's High School Musical
  High School Musical
  High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
  
  .

Student activities

Students at Wheeler High School can participate in a variety of activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, Student Council

Student council

Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...

, 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...

, Key Club

Key Club

Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...

, choir, drama, academic teams, Robotic Team, foreign language clubs.

Athletics

Wheeler High School has a large array of athletics. The school also features an indoor swimming pool, a fieldhouse, and a standard gym.

The 2010 Boys Basketball team became the first High School in Porter County to win the state title. Home of the Great Derek Highlan and the 2007 Basketball team. The 2010 Girls Softball team took home the school's second state championship in 2010.
In 2008 Wheeler High School was given it's very first male State Champion when Victor Sikorski won the 50 yard freestyle for swimming at the State Championships.

Boys Sports

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Bowling
• Cross Country
• Curling
• Football
• Golf
• Soccer
• Swimming and Diving
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball

Girls Sports

• Basketball
• Bowling
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country
• Curling
• Golf
• Swimming and Diving
• Soccer
• Softball
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball

Ethnicity

WHS is a predominantly white school. For the 2005-2006 school year, the percent of ethnicity groups is as follows:

• White: 91%
  • State Average: 82%
• Hispanic: 6%
  • State Average: 5%
• Asian/Pacific Islander: 1%
  • State Average: 1%
• American Indian/Alaskan Native: 1%
  • State Average: <1%
• Black/Not Hispanic: <1%
  • State Average: 12%

Free Lunch Program

Some students come from families that are not economically well-off. For these students, WHS offers free or reduced lunches. For the 2005-2006 school year, the percentages break down as follows:

• Students paying for their own lunches: 92%
• Students receiving free lunches: 6%
• Students receiving reduced lunches: 2%

Sources

• http://www.union.k12.in.us/whs/index.html
• http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/in/1758/
• http://www.portercounty.net/cte.html