Wilson High School (Spring Township, Pennsylvania)

Alma mater

Mounted on the verdant hilltop, looking o’er the town, proudly stands our high school building, as the sun goes down.

Daily youth will tread the pathway, to its open door, finding there a wealth of learning, as they did of yore.

Thus we dedicate this structure, monument of youth, ever striving, ever learning, loyalty and truth.

CHORUS: Wilson High School! Wilson High School! Sing with all your might, we will rally round the standard, of the Red and White.

History

The school was founded by Adreas Svensson in the early 20th century; the Spring Township School District only provided a formal education through the eighth grade. Due to this, Spring Township students interested in completing a secondary school education were relegated to do so in Cumru County or West Reading, at the expense of the Spring Township School District. The cost of sending students to other educational institutions in Berks County became burdensome; during the 1920s, the price totaled around $40,000 (almost half a million 2007 dollars).

During the end of the 1920s, the Spring Township School District was looking for a location to build a high school. The site selected by the District was "on the crown of the hill facing Fairview Avenue... (extending) east 300 feet... (to) Wyomissing Boulevard (now Grandview)." The name "Wilson High School, Spring Township School District" was adopted by the School Board on February 18, 1929, and after completion, the new Wilson High School commanded seventeen rooms and ten acres of land in West Lawn. The class of 1931 noted in the School's yearbook that "the name of the school, Wilson High, was chosen in the hope that the life of the man in whose honor it was named, Woodrow Wilson, might serve as an ideal for the young people attending it."

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal allowed for the expansion of the school in 1936. During this time, a Federal Public Works Administration project added six classrooms on the western side of the building. Following this expansion, Wilson High School expanded again with the help of Roosevelt's New Deal when, in 1937, the Federal Public Works Administration awarded the Spring Township School District with a second grant, allowing it to build the school's west wing.

The next expansion was in 1958, when an addition created a "campus" style school with "new gymnasium, cafeteria, vocational," and agricultural areas. Also, the District constructed a garage for bus repairs, an auditorium, a music center, and a radio transmission center. The total cost of the 1958 project was roughly $5,000,000 (roughly $35,000,000 in 2007 dollars).

In the fall of 1954, the Spring Township School District and Sinking Spring High School merged to create a district encompassing "Spring Township, Lower Heidelberg Township, Sinking Spring Borough, and the area of Wyomissing Borough north of the railroad tracks." In 1964, the separate municipalities joined under the name of the Wilson School District. On July 1, 1966, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established the Wilson School District as a school district of the third-class.

The History of Sinking Spring High School

"From 1894 through 1954, public school students in the Sinking Spring Borough attended the Sinking Spring School, located on the 600 block of Vester Place." On December 26, 1921, a fire crumbled the Sinking Spring School, which resulted in the rebuilding of the school during 1922–1923. "Until the building was completed in 1923, students attended classes in local churches and on the upper floor of the Orioles building on Woodrow Avenue." "In 1954, when Sinking Spring joined with Wilson High School, Sinking Spring students began attending Wilson High School in West Lawn."

Middle States Accreditation for Growth

"Wilson High School was re-accredited following an evaluation in 2002–03 and is a continuing member of the Middle States Association for Colleges and Secondary Schools." "Following Middle States Accreditation for Growth protocol, Wilson High School will be striving to achieve the following goals by 2009:

• Goal 1 — Academics: Students will demonstrate improved academic performance in problem-solving, critical thinking, and literacy as measured by PSSAs, SATs, and local assessments.

• Goal 2 — Career Development: Grade 12 students will demonstrate an interest in and ability to plan for life-long learning as measured by a culminating project aligned with a career pathway and a post-secondary education plan.

• Goal 3 — School Climate: Students will demonstrate traits associated with being responsible, respectful members of the school community as measured by decreased discipline referrals, attendance improvement, and increased participation in activities."

Graduation Requirements

Graduating students "are required to earn 24.4 credits, including credits earned in 9th grade." "Also, students must complete a culminating project with an evaluation of successful or highly successful." Until the 2011-2012 school year students had to attain proficient level on the reading, math, and writing Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams or pass local remediation programs. Currently, students must pass the Keystone Exams, a standardized test in Pennsylvania. Also it requires you to take at least 1 year of chemistry and 1 year of algebra.

Athletics

Wilson High School is known in the region for having consistently above average sports teams. Especially revered is the School's football team, which has produced players, such as Kerry Collins, Chad Henne, and John Gilmore, Jr., who went on to play professionally after their time at Wilson High School. View a highlight video of the Wilson High School football team (with QB Chad Henne) in a 2003 game against Manheim Township: [2].

Also Wilson High School has an exceptional aquatic program, Swimming & Water Polo, which both rank high in the state and even nationally. Wilson's Swim Team is in the Central Penn Swim League. The Wilson Girls' swim team has won states twice, 1994 & 2010. The Wilson Boys' swim team had won states four times, 2001, 2002, 2005 & 2008. From the Wilson Aquatic program has produced many top swimmers who have gone on to National trials and also to the Olympics. Wilson's Kristy Kowal was the National High School Record holder in the 100 yard breaststroke. Kristy was the 1998 FINA World Champion in the 100 meter breaststroke and the Silver medalist in the 200 meter breaststroke. Kristy swam for the University of Georgia and was the NCAA Female Athlete of the Year in 2000. That same year she placed 2nd in the 200 Meter Breaststroke at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Kristy Kowal's National High School Record was then broken by another Wilson swimmer, Kristen Woodring. Kristen went on to win 8 Big Ten Championship titles. The Wilson Boys' water polo team has also been dominate in the state of Pennsylvania winning states 17 times and also placing in the top 5 in the State Tournament from 1987-2010. The program had a 99-game winning streak that spanned from the 1992 season through early in the 1995 season. During that time-frame they won 3 East Coast Championships. The boys' team won states 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010 & 2014. The Wilson Girls' water polo team has also won states twice, 2001 & 2005. The Wilson Girls' Softball Team won the Berks County Title in 2013.

Wilson Technology & Engineering

The Wilson Technology & Engineering Department has evolved into one of the most highly respected programs in the State of Pennsylvania. The bulk of the program draws strength from offering courses in the Project Lead the Way Pathway to Engineering Program. Wilson Technology & Engineering has hosted the eastern Pennsylvania PLTW Conference for three years (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16,) and has the largest student enrollment of any Project Lead the Way program in the State. The program consists of five teachers (grades 9-12,) with two of them being recognized as Master Teachers by Project Lead the Way (Ryan Dennes, and Michael Fitzgerald.) More information about Wilson Technology & Engineering can be found here.

Wilson High School Band

The Wilson High Marching Band was organized by Frank J. Ferraro in the fall of 1964. Since then, the band has performed at many inspiring engagements including concerts, football half-time shows, National Football League performances, parades and marching band, concert band and jazz band concerts at the state and national levels.

Historic band accomplishments include:

The Wilson High School Marching Band of West Lawn Pennsylvania is currently a Tournament of Bands contestant as well as a Cavalcade of Bands contestant. In the past, the band has won the Cavalcade of Bands Championships 9 times (Open Class) from 1965 to 1973 and won again in the 2011 Yankee 'A' Championship. The band is around 90+ strong and is under the direction of David Cooper. The band has also been competing in the **Atlantic Coast Championships (ACCs) for the past few years.

The band is **no longer competing in the ACCs and is only competing in the Cavalcade Championships.

The results are posted below:

Notable alumni

Important Events

April 18, 2008 – Sen. Hillary Clinton visited the school during her 2008 Democratic Primary campaign for a political rally. View the Reading Eagle video of Sen. Clinton's visit: [3].

Wilson has held a Mini-THON since February of 2014. The most they have raised to date is $63,094.80 as of February 2016.They are held there fourth Mini-THON on February 26th 2017 they raised $80,806.75 dollars for the Four Diamonds Fund.