Wilton High School


Wilton High School is a public high school in Wilton, Connecticut, USA, considered "one of Connecticut’s top performers" in various measures of school success in 2007, including scores on standardized mathematics and reading tests. In 2016, U.S. News and World Report ranked Wilton as the 7th best public high school in Connecticut and 386th in the United States.
The school's present, permanent location did not open until 1971. Since then, the school has experienced rapid population growth. From the height of the 1970s to 2006, the student body grew by 7.5 times. In fall 2001, a major multimillion-dollar construction project was completed, significantly expanding the square footage of the school. Enrollment increased by 29 percent from 2001 to 2006.
The school's current principal is Robert O'Donnell, who in 2011 replaced long-time-principal Timothy H. Canty, himself a Wilton graduate. Canty was involved in several high-profile free speech disputes with students before transferring to the Board of Education for two years and then announcing his departure from the school district in 2013.

Demographics

The demographics of the school are unusual for Connecticut. Historically, compared to other high schools in the state, the student body of Wilton High School has been more affluent and substantially Caucasian:
Ethnicity/economic status indicator.YearWiltonSimilar
schools		State
Eligible for free/reduced price meals2005-060.9%1.0%22.4%
Eligible for free/reduced price meals2002-030.6%n/a17.6%
Juniors, Seniors working 16+ hrs./week2005-06n/a6.5%21.7
Juniors, Seniors working 16+ hrs./week2000-0115.8%n/a31.7
K-12 students, non-English home language2005-064.7%2.7%11.4
White2004-0592.7%67%
Hispanic2004-051.9%15%
African American2004-051.3%14%
Asian American2004-054.0%3%
American Indian2004-050.1%>1%

The most recent statistics published by the state for the student population of the district as a whole for the academic year 2015–16, shows that the population characteristics have not substantially changed:
Population groupCountDistrict %-age
of Total		State %-age
of Total
Eligible for free/
reduced price meals		531.3%38%
English learners170.4%6.4%
White3,49183.7%55.9%
Hispanic or Latino1383.3%23.0%
Black or African American431.0%12.8%
Asian3809.1%4.9%
American Indian
or Alaskan Native		**0.2%

History of secondary education in town

Before 1959

Even though Wilton became an independent town in 1802, separating from Norwalk, its education system was highly unorganized until the late 1950s.
In the early and mid-20th century, Wilton students went to high schools in Westport, New Canaan, Norwalk, Danbury and Ridgefield. Since the schools in these communities were becoming overcrowded with population growth, a regional high school for Wilton was proposed in 1935 but was vetoed by the state governor. In the following year, Wilton, Weston and Redding began a joint study, which rejected the idea again. Instead, the committee recommended that Wilton wait for population to increase enough to support a high school and, in the meantime, buy enough land for the school. In 1940, a town meeting approved the purchase of the Harbs Farm property, a tract near the intersection of School and Danbury Roads. In 1944, a regional high school was proposed again and again the idea was rejected, this time by the town of Redding, which killed the proposal. A consultant hired by Wilton town officials recommended in 1948 that town population growth could support a high school in less than a decade. The regional high school idea was then permanently dropped.
Before the 1959 academic year, all students seeking public secondary school education had to attend Staples High School in Westport. In 1951, Westport officials, facing their own town's population growth, notified Wilton that it should prepare to remove its high school students from that town's school by 1957. In 1956, 10th-grade students began attending classes in the Wilton Junior High School building and 11th-grade students joined them there in fall 1957, so that only Wilton's seniors were at the Westport high school. In that final school year for Wilton students in Westport, the top two graduating seniors at Staples High School were from Wilton. A $1.2 million wing was completed for the junior high school building in fall 1958.

High School shuffle (1959-1971)

In 1962, the public secondary education building moved again. This time, the destination was a brand new structure currently known as Middlebrook School. The first graduating class of this new high school, the class of 1963, numbered 170. Overall enrollment that year was 615. Although this was a new facility, it was quickly deemed inappropriate due to its small size, in the wake of the "baby boomer" education era.
In 1966, a building committee was created to expand the new high school building, but the group recommended that the town instead buy land to the northwest of the high school building and in 1967, the town approved the idea. The land was condemned but the property owners appealed to the courts, delaying the project. Temporary classrooms were set up outside the old high school building. The town approved $12.6 million for the building and the new structure was built to hold 1,500 students, with the possibility of expansion to hold 2,000.
The present day Wilton High School opened in September 1971, reaching a maximum student population of 1,646 during the 1976-77 academic year. WHS has graduated nearly 12,500 students up to the 2006-07 academic year.

Recent history

A Better Chance

Starting in 1996, Wilton High School participated in the A Better Chance program, which brought minority students from inner-city schools to live in town and attend the school. From 2004, A Better Chance leased the former Goslee House at 6 Godfrey Place from the town library for student housing.

Later construction

In 2001, two extensive additions to the school were completed, as well as other renovations. The project included new classrooms, more modern science laboratories, new music rooms, a larger cafeteria and a new theater building with an 800-seat auditorium.

Controversies

Treatment of Special Needs Students

In 2007, the state of Connecticut enacted legislation preventing physical restraint or seclusion of special needs students, except in limited situations, largely as a result of allegations of mistreatment of four special education students in Wilton High School and other Wilton schools in 2005. Jill Ely claimed that, without notifying her, the school forced her intellectually disabled son into a room at the high school that was held shut until he became completely quiet. She said that her son injured his arm trying to get out and once, she later learned, "he was left crying and whimpering for almost the entire day." An investigation by the Wilton Bulletin in 2006 found that the high school "safe room" had never been inspected by the fire marshal and lacked a Building Department certificate of occupancy. Maryanne Lombardi made similar claims that her 9-year old autistic son, who did not speak, was routinely sent to a "padded cell called the timeout room" at another Wilton school. Gloria Bass, the grandmother of two special needs students, also said that one child had been restrained for months in a storage closet without her knowledge. Superintendent Gary Richards defended the schools’ actions, saying, "We do the best we can with kids who sometimes are very challenged."

Free Speech

In March 2007, a controversy arose that achieved national prominence when the principal, Timothy Canty, on the objection of a student, cancelled an original student play by an advanced theater class concerning the Iraq War, a project he had originally approved. He justified his action by claiming it might hurt Wilton families "who had lost loved ones or who had individuals serving as we speak," and that there was not enough classroom and rehearsal time to ensure it would provide "a legitimate instructional experience for our students." The play, Voices in Conflict, had been written and produced by students under the direction of Bonnie Dickinson, an English teacher with 13 years' experience. It was supposed to have been performed in school during the day. School officials, including Superintendent Gary Richards, notwithstanding national attention over the cancellation and a letter protesting signed by Stephen Sondheim, Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, John Guare and John Patrick Shanley, refused to allow the production to be performed at the school.
Theater groups rallied to the students’ defense and the play was subsequently performed at the Fairfield Theatre Company, The Vineyard Theatre, The Culture Project and The Public Theater. The play was produced for Connecticut Public Television and Dickinson became the official 2007 Honoree of the National Coalition Against Censorship and the winner of the Connecticut Center for First Amendment Rights' 2007 "Freedom Award."

Fees for Sports and Extra-Curricular Activities

In 2013, after the Wilton Board of Finance returned its proposed budget with instructions to reduce it by $750,000, the Board of Education voted to impose "pay-to-play" fees on all sports and school clubs, with a fee of up to $100 per sport and $50 per club. This move was seen as controversial because of its potential to exclude low-income students from sports and extra-curricular activities.

2014 Swastika Graffiti

On September 4, 2014, Principal Robert O'Donnell notified parents that a swastika had been carved into a locker at the school. He advised that the investigation had been "prioritized" and that the perpetrator had been identified and the police notified. He noted that a "plan" to address the situation had yet to be formulated. Two weeks later, a second swastika was discovered carved into a bathroom stall. Principal O'Donnell characterized the act as a "poor choice." Superintendent Kevin Smith said the incident was "slightly different" than the first and that "no one in particular is being targeted." Shortly thereafter, students advised O'Donnell of a third swastika, this one carved into a wooden door. O'Donnell, however, dismissed this case as one that was "many years old."

Racially-Tinged Fan Baiting

On the night of Friday, November 11, 2016, the Wilton High School football team played against Danbury High School at Fujitani Field and a group of Wilton students were heard chanting "build the wall" — a phrase commonly heard at Donald Trump’s presidential campaign rallies. While Wilton High School is relatively non-diverse, minorities make up more than half of Danbury High School’s student body and a high number are Hispanic. On November 17, the Mayor of Danbury, Mark Boughton, issued a request asking that Wilton High School publicly apologize.

Sports

Boys' lacrosse

Since the sport gained school-sponsorship, the team has won 21 Connecticut state championships and 13 FCIAC titles. Guy Whitten, the varsity American football coach, was hired in 1969 to field a competitive group of athletes from the school's club and intramural programs. Whitten, who is regarded as an influential figure to the popularity that the sport enjoys today throughout the state, ended up coaching boys' lacrosse at WHS for 26 years before his retirement at the end of the 1995 season. Whitten competed for years against the veteran New Canaan coach Howard Benedict. Whitten and Benedict are considered the "Founding Fathers of Connecticut Lacrosse". Whitten was chosen as the head coach of the USA U-19 National Team, which won the World Championship in Adelaide, Australia, in 1988. Upon retirement, Whitten had achieved 410 wins with only 77 losses for a career winning percentage of 84.2. He led the Wilton team to 17 state championships and 11 Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference titles. In Whitten's final year, 1995, the team was undefeated. At the time, he was one of only four coaches in the history of the sport to reach 400 wins. In the history of Wilton lacrosse, the varsity team has never had a losing season; the lowest record ever by the Warriors was in 2007 when they went %.500. Many of the program's athletes have gone on to compete in college teams on the NCAA division I level.
SeasonWLPct.FCIAC tournamentCIAC tournamentNational ranking
2011166.730Lost semi-final to DarienWon State Championship over New Canaan in the CIAC Finals and defeated Darien in the CIAC semi-finalsRanked #29 in nation
2004203.870Lost Finals to DarienWon State Championship over New CanaanRanked #21 in nation
1999202.910Won Championship over Darien'''Won State Championship Ranked #8 in nation
1998193.863Lost semi-finals to New CanaanWon State Championship over New CanaanRanked #11 in nation
19952301.000Won ChampionshipWon State ChampionshipRanked #2 in nation

Girls' lacrosse

The girls' lacrosse team won 13 FCIAC titles in 15 years, as well as several state championships. In 2001 the Warriors won their first state title, over rival Darien. In 2014, they won the Class M State Championship against New Canaan.

Boys' soccer

The boys' soccer program won State Championship titles in 1988 and 1998.

Baseball

The baseball team won the FCIAC Championship in 2017, 2015, and 1995.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team won their 11th state title in the Class L Championship against Joel Barlow in 2008.

Notable alumni