Weir High School
Weir High School | |
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Address | |
100 Red Rider Road Weirton , Hancock , WV 26062 United States | |
National Blue Ribbon School | |
Publication | The Looking Glass |
Newspaper | The Red Rider Review |
Yearbook | Weirite |
Website | www |
Weir Senior High School is a secondary public
History
The small village called Holliday's Cove—which is now most of downtown Weirton—was founded in the late 18th century. In 1909, Ernest T. Weir built a steel mill later known as
Faculty and students
Faculty
The administration of Weir High School consists of 1
Student demographics
According to the 2008-2009
Curriculum
The curriculum for Hancock County School System consists of required classes and credits in order to graduate. There are two career paths that students must choose from: skilled or professional. Students in the skilled path will take classes that will help them enter the workforce or attend a vocational or
Graduation requirements
Students at Weir High School must complete five years of reading and language arts, attain 4 credits in mathematics, 3 credits of science, 4 credits of social science, 1 credit of physical education, 1 credit of health, and one credit in the fine arts. Additionally, students enrolled in the professional pathway must attain a 4th science credit, two credits of the same foreign language (offered in Spanish and French, and American Sign Language), and one credit of a course in their concentration. Likewise, these students may take 6 elective credits.[7]
Clusters
There are six career clusters which students are able to choose from for their education. They include Business and Marketing, Fine Arts/Humanities, Human Services, Engineering/Technology, Health, and Science/Natural resources. Students are not locked into these clusters, and they can change career clusters by visiting their guidance counselor.[7]
Advanced Placement Courses
Students are able to choose from a number of Advanced Placement courses, which they can receive dual credit through the West Virginia Northern Community College. Courses currently offered include: English Literature and Composition, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and US History. These courses are offered as a continuation of the founding principles; however, students are not required to take the Advanced Placement exam.[8] This has resulted in the Advance Placement ratio being 1% for the school.
2008-2009 Report Card
As part of the No Child Left Behind Act passed by the United States Congress, Weir High School and other schools nationwide are required to publish data regarding student populations and demographics and test scores.
Graduating class statistics
The average size of a graduating class is 170 students. 97.2% of students graduate from Weir High School. Of these, 55% attend a 4-year college/university, 16% attend a 3-year College/Jr. University, 8% enter the work force, 4% attend business/tech schools, 3% enlist in military service. Additionally, 21% of the student body are special education students, 12% of students are on reduced lunch and 28% of students are on free lunch.
Standardized testing results
ACT
Approximately 63.4% of students at Weir High School take the
SAT
According to the No Child Left Behind Report Card, 18.6% of students take the
AP
For 2008-2009, no students in grades ten or eleven took advanced placement (AP) exams. The same statistic exists for the county; however, statewide 2.3% of sophomores and 17% of juniors take and pass Advanced Placement exams. Weir High School, 1.1% of graduating seniors partook in the exams, which accounts for 0.6% of students in Hancock County who also take the exams. This is compared to West Virginia's average of 20% of students who take the exams.[6]
WESTEST
The West Virginia Department of Education's aptitude and proficiency test, known as the West Virginia Educational Standards Tests Archived 2010-07-26 at the Wayback Machine (WESTEST) is given annually to students in grades 3-11. For the 2008-2009 school year, Weir High School students achieved an overall 59.5% proficiency of mastery or above in Reading/Language Arts and a 73.5% mastery in Math. County-wide, 63.7% of students were proficient in Reading/Language Arts and 67.9% achieved mastery or higher in Math. Statewide, these numbers were 58.8% and 59.5% respectably. Additionally, the state's target for proficiency is 45% in Reading/Language Arts and 48% for Mathematics.[6]
Extra-curricular activities
Weir High School has a number of co-curricular activities and athletic teams, with faculty members and volunteers who sponsor these programs.
Co-curricular
Weir High School is home to a number of clubs and organizations who perform hundreds of hours of community service annually. They include the following:
National Honor Society is a part of a larger national organization. Membership is awarded by invitation once an individual completes five semesters at Weir High School. Members must maintain a 3.3 GPA and perform 45 hours of community service by graduation.
Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y is a part of "High School YMCA". Membership to Hi-Y is extended to males, however, they work closely with members of the Tri-Hi-Y (the sister organization). The Hi-Y participates in different fundraisers throughout the year. One of their biggest events is a Halloween Party for the youth of Weirton.
Academic Games The Weir High School Academic Games teams are a part of the National Academic Games Tournament (NAGT). Members compete in academically stimulating games in English, Social Studies, Math, and Logic. Annually, they participate in the National Tournament. Recent tournaments have been held in Georgia, West Virginia, and Tennessee.[9]
RAZE is an organization which exists solely in West Virginia. Over 150 schools throughout the state participate in preventing the use and abuse of tobacco. They provide teens throughout the state with vital information about the harms of tobacco use.
Environmental Science The environmental science club is for students passionate about the environment. They participate in city clean-ups and work to spread environmental awareness and promote Going-Green efforts around the city.
Sports
Weir High School is a member of the WVSSAC (West Virginia Secondary School Activity Commission). Due to the school's enrollment, it is known as a AA athletic school. Weir High School has 19 varsity athletic teams in 12 different sports. Additionally, there are three freshmen-only teams in volleyball, men's basketball, and football. The chart below shows Weir High School's athletic offerings by gender.[10]
Male sports
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Female sports
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Alumni
Weir High has cultivated a diverse and successful network of alumni. From professional athletes to tenured academics, Weir High has consistently provided people with the means to achieve their dreams. Even as a public school in an area facing increasing socio-economical issues, Weir High has continued to provide people with opportunity. Weir has alumni actively studying at some of the world's finest institutions such as Harvard and MIT.[11][12]
Some notable alumni to mention:
- Hausman specification test
- Bob Gain – an American football player, Cleveland Browns ('52–'64); 1950 Outland Trophy winner (U. Kentucky)
- Kevin Miller – former National Football League wide receiver
- Ron Williams - NBA basketball player, West Virginia University
- Quincy Wilson - an American football player who played for: West Virginia University, and the Cincinnati Bengals (2004–2007)
Notes
- ^ a b c "WEIR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Weirton History". Retrieved November 20, 2010.
- ^ Callahan, James Morton (1923). "History of West Virginia, Old and New". History of West Virginia. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ "Life Magazine". Weirton Steelworkers Hear the Case of C.I.O. vs. Their Big Boss. 6 September 1937. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ "Weir High School Profile" (PDF). Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "2008-2009 NCLB Report Card". Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c "High School Programs of Study" (PDF). Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ "WHS Classes".
- ^ "NAGT". National Academic Games Tournament.
- ^ "WEIR". Weir WVSSAC.
- ^ "Weir High's Stonebraker accepted at Harvard - WeirtonDailyTimes.com | news, sports, jobs - Weirton, Hancock County — Weirton Daily Times". weirtondailytimes.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "MOUNTAINEER CASINO ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS - Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort". Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort. 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2016-05-25.