Type Public high school Grades 9-12 Newspaper Inklings Phone +1 203-341-1200 Colors White, Navy blue | Established April 26, 1884 Enrollment 2000 Yearbook Stapleite District Westport School District | |
Address 70 North Ave, Westport, CT 06880, USA Mascot Construction worker named "the Wrecker" Similar Westport Public Schools, Wilton High School, Bedford Middle School, New Canaan High Sch, Darien High School | ||
Staples High School is a public high school located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, USA.
Contents
- Campus
- History
- Inklings
- Staples Players
- AP Assassination
- Notable alumni
- Awards and press coverage
- References
Staples High School is named after Horace Staples, who founded the school on April 26, 1884.
Westport is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (along with Darien, Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, and Wilton).
Campus
The school was first located at Riverside Avenue in a three-level red brick building.
In 1958 Staples High School moved to its current location at 70 North Avenue.
History
Seeing the “town’s lack of progress in education,” Horace Staples, a wealthy businessman with interests in shipping, hardware sales, and banking, founded Staples High School. Initially Staples intended to fund the school via an interest left in his will; however, that interest became known while he was still alive, and led to the school’s foundation being laid in 1884. On April 24, 1884, businesses closed early in Westport to celebrate the dedication of Staples High School. Connecticut Governor Thomas M. Waller attended the opening.
In the first year of operation, commencing in the fall of 1884, Staples High School had 60 of the 807 students attending schools in Westport.
On June 24, 1887, Staples High School conferred its first high school diplomas to six female students who comprised its first graduating class.
In 1909 the Town of Westport accepted control of Staples High School from the Horace Staples estate.
Inklings
The school newspaper, Inklings, has won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association gold medal every year since 2000 (in addition to a silver medal in 1999). The paper has also received the rank of First Place with "Special Honors" from the American Scholastic Press Association since 2001 and has been dubbed "the best school paper in the state" by the Hartford Courant. Staples teaches both introductory and advanced journalism courses during which students work at Inklings.
Staples Players
The Staples Players perform plays tri-annually - one toward the middle of the fall semester, one toward the middle of the spring semester, and one in the summer. Past performances have included "A Chorus Line," "Cabaret," and "West Side Story."
AP Assassination
Traditionally, after taking their final exams, AP seniors play a game called "AP Assassin." This was inspired by the 1982 film Tag: The Assassination Game, and involves students stalking and using Nerf guns to "assassinate" each other. The original entry fee was $7, but has since risen to $20; the collected money is split among the organizer of the event, the most creative assassin, the 1st-place winner, and the runner-up. Since the school administration doesn't approve of this game, an assassination can't take place on school property or school sponsored events. Guns must be pre-approved before usage.
Several incidents have happened during the game:
In 1999, the game was cancelled due to the recent Columbine High School massacre. A barbecue and a game of Capture the Flag took place instead. In 2013, soon after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Fairfield County happened, principal John Dodig said “I think this year, in particular, it’s poor judgment to be pretending to shoot high school students.”