Warwick High School (Pennsylvania)

Warwick High School is a public secondary school in the Warwick School District located in Lititz, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Warwick High School
Address
301 W. Orange Street

Lititz
,
Lancaster County
,
Pennsylvania
17543

United States
Coordinates40.1548°N 76.3145°W / 40.1548; -76.3145
Information
School typePublic, secondary
School districtWarwick School District
SuperintendentApril Hershey[1]
PrincipalKristina Szobocsan[2]
Teaching staff108.86 (FTE)[3]
Grades9th–12th[4]
Enrollment1,367 (2018–19)[3]
Student to teacher ratio12.56[3]
MascotWarrior
Feeder schoolsWarwick Middle School
Websitewww.warwicksd.org

School history

Warwick High School was opened in 1956[5] and included students in grades six through twelve. Warwick Middle School was opened in 1971,[5] which removed students in grades seven through eight, leaving the current ninth- through twelfth-grade configuration.[4] The school district now has four elementary schools for grades K-12: Lititz Elementary, John Beck Elementary, Kissel Hill Elementary, and Bonfield Elementary. The school district has recently renovated the middle school and high school campus, which has provided several new athletic fields for various sporting events. The district is known for its field hockey program, which has produced several Division 1 athletes.

Fine arts

The school is known for the strength of its music program, notably its marching band, which won three consecutive championships in the Cavalcade of Bands competition circuit from 2006 to 2008.[6]

In addition to success of the high school's curricular music program, many students also participate in a student-run organization called Club for the Integration of the Arts (CIA). Its main event, the coffeehouse, attracts upwards of 200 students (roughly 180 in 2010). The proceeds of this fundraiser are used to fuel art projects and curricula both within the school itself and elsewhere. In 2010 proceeds were donated to Blackfeet Indians in Browning, Montana to help fund their initiative called "Sacred Grounds", an event similar to the CIA's coffeehouse.[7]

Controversies

School mascot

The high school's current mascot depicts the profile of a Native American warrior. Since 1999, Lititz residents, teachers, and students have criticized the mascot both for being a racist stereotype[8] and for misrepresenting a Native American religious symbol.[9] The campaign to eliminate the mascot resurfaced during the 2009-2010 school year, as the district renovated the high school's football field; plans called for a spear design in the center of the field. In 2010, the district removed the warrior logo from the school's sign, replacing it with a black-and-red seal featuring the letter "W".[10] The warrior image has been used less frequently since 1999.[9] Since then, residents have suggested to the school board that the mascot be changed to something representative of Lititz, such as "Wilbur Buds,"[9] a well-known product of the local Wilbur Chocolate Company.

2007 racism incident

Warwick High School received press coverage on October 11, 2007, after three white students allegedly yelled racial slurs at minority students outside of the school building.[11] As a result, the students were suspended, and Confederate flags were banned on school property.[12] Several other incidents also occurred in the following days.[13] In response, the community of Lititz commemorated the 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday with "a clear statement against racism."[13]

Alumni

References
  1. "Dr. April Hershey". Warwick School District. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  2. "Dr. Kristy Szobocsan". Warwick High School. Warwick School District. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  3. "Search for Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  4. "About Our School". Warwick High School. Warwick School District. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. Blankenbiller, Kathy (2009). Lititz. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-7385-6218-6.
  6. Meadows, Robyn (November 10, 2008). "Warwick Marching Band a Division Champ Again". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  7. "WHS Holds Recent Coffeehouse". Warwick School District. n.d. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018.
  8. Meadows, Robyn (August 8, 2008). "Is Warwick's Indian Logo Racist?". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 2, 2020. A group of Warwick students have won a partial victory in their quest to banish from the district the logo of an American Indian, which they say is racist.
  9. Knowles, Laura (April 27, 2010). "Warwick Controversy over Mascot Renewed". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  10. Martin, Diana (June 4, 2010). "Long-debated Warwick Logo Slowly Disappearing". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 2, 2020. The mascot has been a source of dispute for years. District sports teams still use the image.
  11. Gamber, Frankie (Winter 2008). "Regional Update". The Crisis. Vol. 115 no. 1. p. 59. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  12. Wallace, Brian (October 11, 2007). "Six at Warwick Charged in Wake of Racial Unrest in District". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  13. Lindt, Susan E. (January 16, 2009). "MLK Day Service Aims to Help Lititz Heal". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  14. Bacior, Mike (March 30, 2015). "One Foot In Front Of The Other: The Patrick Cummins Story". Onward State. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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