Seymour High School is a secondary school at 2 Botsford Road in Seymour, Connecticut in the United States.
Seymour began building its first public high school in 1884 on Bank Street. It was built on a 2-acre (8,100 m2) piece of property that the town purchased for $3,000. When the school first opened in the fall of 1886, it had 456 students, who all attended class in nine rooms. Later, the building was used as an elementary school, Center School. That building and its annex are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Seymour purchased land on Pine Street (Broad Street Bridge area) in 1915. By 1916, a high school was built. After the 1955 flood the school needed major renovations. After the renovations were complete, in the 1960s, The Pine Street school was converted into a middle school and a new high school was opened on Botsford Road. In 2006, a 22 million dollar renovation was added to the high school.
Seymour High School is part of the Naugatuck Valley League(NVL) and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) . It consists of Seymour, Derby, Ansonia, Crosby, Watertown, Wilby, and Wolcott in the Brass Division, with Holy Cross, Kennedy, Naugatuck, Sacred Heart, St. Paul, Torrington, and Woodland Regional belonging to the Copper Division.
The Seymour High School Cheerleading team won the state championship in 2010 and the Division IV regional championship in 2012.
Coach Paul Sponheimer spent 29 years as head coach of the football team, and was named New Haven County Coach of the Year twice (in 1989 and 2008). He finished with a record of 210-102 and four state titles before retiring after the 2008 season. The last state title the Wildcats won was in 2007.
Coach Bob Kelo had coached the baseball team for 27 years as of 2012, winning his 400th game on May 2, 2012. His teams have won one state championship (in 2007) and made five other appearances in the championship game.
The Wildcats Softball Team has won multiple state championships (1993, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009). From 2005-2007, they had a 78-game winning streak which is a Connecticut record and ranks 6th nationally all-time. In 2004, Seymour Softball set a Connecticut state record for the most wins in a season (28). In 2006, Seymour's 31 home runs were the 8th best nationally all-time, and their 27 runs allowed was 3rd fewest nationally all-time. From 2005-2006, Danielle Liska's 50 consecutive wins was 8th nationally all-time.
Coach Jamie Burns coached the Seymour High School Weightlifting team to a 2014 NVL Championship win. The NVL Weightlifting competition takes place at Seymour High School every year. The competition is divided into weight classes: Under 160, 161-180, 181-200, 201-220, & Over 220. Three events must be completed by all competitors: Squat, Power Clean, & Bench. At the end the team member's weights are totalled and the winner is decided by the most weight lifted.
Clubs and Activities
Best Buddies
Best Buddies fosters one-to-one friendships between students with and without IDD. Best Buddies High Schools helps break through social barriers at an important time in a young person's life.
Student Council
Student council takes on the responsibility of representing the whole student body. The student council voices the needs, wants and concerns of the student body to the administration (i.e. principals and teachers). They are also responsible for encouraging school spirit through initiating school spirit events.
Spanish Club
The purpose of the Spanish Club (La Alianza Epanola) is the practice of Spanish and the familiarization of the club members with Hispanic-American customs.
Future Business Leader of America (FBLA)
FBLA prepares students for the world of business. State and National competitions are held in such business skill areas as computer operations, accounting, word processing and others.
National Honors Society
Seymour High School is a member of the National Honor Society, which is under the jurisdiction of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. To be considered for membership, a candidate must be a member of the sophomore, junior or senior class as designated in the chapter bylaws.
Tri M
Music National Honors Society
World Language National Honors Society
Alternative Energy Club
This club works with a variety of alternative energies from wind, solar and hydro to electric and geothermal. One of the primary projects is to build
an alternative energy vehicle every year.
Art Club
This club works after school developing stage sets and costumes for drama productions and concerts. When not doing this the students explore personal areas of interests in the arts.
Chess Club
The chess club meets regularly so members could compete with each other.
Link Crew
In 2009, Seymour High School joined other high school programs across the country in implementing a program called "Link Crew" Upperclassmen give tours to incoming freshmen to familiarize them with the school, with the goal of helping incoming freshmen find classes, understand expectations, and get an overview of the rules.
Cooperative International Studies Program (CISP)
CISP is a club that brings together students from area schools to investigate a variety of international subjects through field trips, research projects, and 74 guest speakers. Participation in CISP is a great way to make new friends while learning about the world we live in.
Drama Club
The purpose of the Drama Club is to introduce students to live theater. The
focus will not be solely on putting on a production, but rather on the elements necessary to create theater.
Hope Club
Students work within the communities of Seymour, Oxford, Beacon Falls, or other Valley towns, assisting various public service agencies as they perform services to improve the quality of life for those in need.
Debate Team and Club
This Debate Teams is a competitive team which debates other schools around the state through the Connecticut Debate Association.
Literary Magazine/Newspaper Club
Members of this club edit and publish original fiction and non-fiction submitted by both students and staff. These publications are sold to members of the school and community at a nominal cost.
Performing Arts
The purpose of the Performing Arts Club is to introduce students to live contemporary musical performances. The focus will not be solely on putting on a production, but rather on the elements necessary to create a live rock concert.
Yearbook Club
The yearbook staff sells ads to raise funds, writes copy, designs page layouts, takes pictures, and sells and distributes the school yearbook.
Political Club
The Political Club meets to discuss changes happening in the world of politics, and compares the changes to their own life.
Math Club
Math Club allows students with an interest in math to explore and expand upon their knowledge. They also compete in tournaments and competitions around the state.
