Type Public high school Principal Mary S. Dean Enrollment 750 Color Blue | Established 1912 Grades 9–12 Phone +1 215-471-2902 Number of students 750 | |
Mascot Speedboys and Speedgirls Address 4901 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19139, USA District School District of Philadelphia | ||
The transformation of west philadelphia high school a story of hope
West Philadelphia High School is a secondary school located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the intersection of 49th Street and Chestnut Street.
Contents
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Administration and staff
Principal: Mrs. Mary S. Dean
Assistant Principals: Ms.Taylor
West Philadelphia High School has over 150 full-time faculty and staff members, including teachers, teaching assistants, non-teaching assistants (NTA's) and maintenance and housekeeping staff. Because of the grand scale of facility, many of the staff and faculty are dived into "communities" that support subdivisions of the student body in various areas of the building.
History
The original West Philadelphia High School (WPHS) building opened in 1912 as Philadelphia's first secondary school west of the Schuylkill, occupying an entire city block bounded by 47th Street, 48th Street, Walnut Street and Locust Street. The student population at that time was in excess of 5,500. Such was the press on the new high school, which originally stood as two separate buildings for boys and girls, that the City was compelled to open Overbrook High School in 1926. A third high school, John Bartram, followed in 1935.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
WPHS's athletic field, which is located at 48th and Spruce Street, was formerly known as Passon Field and home to Negro League baseball in the 1930s. It was the home field of the Eastern Colored League's Philadelphia Bacharach Giants starting in 1931, and the Negro National League's Philadelphia Stars in 1934 and 1935. In 1936 the Stars moved to Penmar Park at 44th and Parkside, where they played the majority of their home games through their final season in 1952. The field is still in use by West Philadelphia High School's football and baseball teams.
In September 2011 the school moved to a new building at its current building at 49th & Chestnut Streets. The new building is much smaller due to reduced enrollment at the high school. As of 2016 there were plans to convert the old building into apartments.
In June 2013 the school district allowed the Sustainability Workshop to take all of the space in the auto mechanic building, prompting community opposition.
Small learning communities
Sports programs & extra curricular activities
Recent developments
West Philadelphia High School has been in the news recently for a number of inspiring activities. Most recently the West Philadelphia High School Electric Vehicle Team (WPEVP) has been receiving nationwide press over its hybrid race car. The team, developed as a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, has been profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Popular Mechanics, and the local ABC affiliate Channel Six's Action News, and countless websites and newsletters.