Wilbur Cross High School

Last updated
Wilbur Cross High School
Address
Wilbur Cross High School
181 Mitchell Drive

New Haven
,
Connecticut
06511

United States
Coordinates 41°19′27″N72°54′31″W / 41.3243°N 72.9085°W / 41.3243; -72.9085
Information
Founded1920(104 years ago) (1920)
School district New Haven Public Schools
CEEB code 070520
PrincipalMatthew Brown
Grades 9-12
Number of students1,721 (2023-2024) [1]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Red and white
  
Team nameThe Governors
Website ct50000447.schoolwires.net/cross

Wilbur Cross High School is a four-year public high school in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, United States, serving ninth through twelfth grades. The school is named after Connecticut Governor Wilbur Lucius Cross and is the largest school in the New Haven Public Schools in the number of students as well as teachers. The school operates with two semesters and four marking periods.

Contents

History

The school was founded in 1920 as Commercial High School, taking over the vocational education components that had been included in Hillhouse High School. Commercial became a comprehensive school in 1949 and was renamed in memory of Governor Cross in 1950. [2]

In 1960 (1961?) Wilbur Cross and Hillhouse High School were both constructed using identical layouts, save one elevation change between wings. Cross had red external panels, while Hillhouse was blue. There were 3 different offerings: College Prep, Business, and General.[ citation needed ] There were only 3 grades. In 1963, the first graduating class that started there had 444 members, out of roughly 700 that had started as sophomores. There were roughly 2,000 students.

Wilbur Cross High School, built in 1926, is not only one of New Haven’s oldest educational buildings but also a facility facing significant challenges due to years of deferred maintenance. Recent reports highlight that mold has forced the closure of critical spaces, including the library, music room, and swimming pool. Teachers arriving on the first day of school encountered dead rodents and cockroaches while flooding in classrooms has become routine. These dire conditions were voiced during a New Haven Board of Education meeting, where parents, teachers, and students described the school as "rotting from the inside." Jake Halpern, president of the Wilbur Cross Parent Teacher Association, labeled the situation a crisis, urging immediate action. [All According to Students and Yale Daily News]

Academics

Wilbur Cross has four career-themed "academies": Business & Fine Arts, Health & Culinary Sciences, Law & Public Service, and the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.

Wilbur Cross High School offers 15 Advanced Placement (AP) Classes. Students are required to take the exams. The exam fee is covered by the school district.

Wilbur Cross High School has a reputation for diversity, with a student body predominantly composed of Hispanic/Latino students. Approximately 25% of the students are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, where academic rigor is more emphasized compared to standard classes, which make up the remaining 75% and often lack encouragement for students to challenge themselves. However, discussions have emerged within the community about the school's capacity, as it currently exceeds its maximum enrollment by 500 students, raising concerns about potential closure or restructuring.

Athletics

Wilbur Cross's mascot is the Governor, in recognition of the school's namesake. They compete in the Oronoque Division of the Southern Connecticut Conference. These sports are offered:

Fall

Winter

Spring

Basketball

The school has a long history on the basketball court. At one time[ when? ], Cross teams were regular participants in the New England Tournament, an event of up to 15,000 spectators at the Boston Garden. However, Connecticut withdrew from the tournament after a riot in 1958 during the tournament final between Wilbur Cross and a Somerville, Massachusetts team[ which? ]. New Haven high schools were successful in the Connecticut high school basketball leagues through the 1960s. Cross High School and nearby rival Hillhouse High School won the state championship in nine of ten years of the decade. [3]

One of the stars of the late 1960s teams, John "Super John" Williamson, averaged nearly 40 points per game for the Governors in 1970 and went to play college ball at New Mexico State University and star as a pro in the American Basketball Association. [4] [5]

In the 1973–1974 season The Washington Post ranked Cross the No. 1 high school team in the nation and a headline in the New York Post proclaimed Cross "The Best High School Team in the World" after the Governors defeated New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School team. [3] [6] The 1999-2000 team was considered the state's best, with a 24–0 record, until being upset by Bridgeport Central High School in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. [3] The 2007-2008 team had an undefeated regular season, going 20–0. The Governors won the division, the SCC tournament, and the BABC Holiday Classic, but lost to Lyman Hall by three points in the quarter-finals of the state tournament. [7]

Other sports

The boys' soccer team won its division and advanced to the final 16 of the state championship in 2007. The boys' indoor track team finished second in Connecticut, also in the 2007-2008 year.[ citation needed ]

The football team plays Hillhouse High School every year on Thanksgiving in the Elm City Bowl in an annual game that dates back to 1920. [8]

The school has a culinary team and management team that compete in the National ProStart Invitational competition. [9] The restaurant management team took 1st place in the National ProStart Invitational competition in 2023. [10] The current coach of both teams, chef Nathaniel Bradshaw, won National ProStart Educator of the year in 2016. [11]

Notable alumni

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References

  1. ↑ "Wilbur Cross High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  2. ↑ Gould, Isabelle. The Hillhouse High School Collection 1859-1970, New Haven Museum and Historical Society, July 1977. Accessed January 2, 2019. "In 1920, Commercial High-School was built opposite Hillhouse on what was now called Tower Parkway, and commercial courses were removed from the Hillhouse curriculum.... In 1949, the Board of Education reorganized the high schools in New Haven; and Hillhouse and Commercial each became comprehensive high schools with curricula covering all areas. The following year, Hillhouse was rededicated as James Hillhouse High School and Commercial was renamed Wilbur L. Cross High School."
  3. 1 2 3 Wilbur Cross hoops brings back the magic by Kate Moran, Yale Herald, March 24, 2000
  4. ↑ New Haven's superstar: Williamson never left past too far behind, by Ken Davis, The Hartford Courant , 1999
  5. 1 2 "Connecticut's Best Of The Century", Hartford Courant , January 2, 2000. Accessed January 2, 2019. "No. 22: John Williamson CT history: Attended Wilbur Cross High-New Haven."
  6. ↑ Levy, Paul. THE BEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAM IN AMERICA, published in Connecticut Magazine, 1974; retrieved from ct-hs-hoops.com, April 14, 2008
  7. ↑ Boys Basketball, Southern Connecticut Conference website
  8. ↑ Pucci, Mike. "Thanksgiving Football: Hillhouse vs. Wilbur Cross", New Haven Register , November 21, 2012. Accessed January 2, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Cross Culinary Champs Bring Home The Gold". New Haven Independent. 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  10. ↑ "Perseverance is on the Menu as Connecticut and Michigan Teams Capture National Culinary and Restaurant Management Titles in Washington, D.C. | National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation" . Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  11. ↑ Zahn, Brian (April 1, 2018). "Wilbur Cross culinary and restaurant management programs ready to compete". New Haven Register.
  12. ↑ "Ben Allison Trio kicks off Spring Jazz Series at Firehouse 12 Friday", New Haven Register , March 12, 2014. Accessed January 2, 2019. "An accomplished jazz musician with 11 albums under his belt, Ben Allison is also the “local boy makes good” when he comes back to play in the Elm City, where he was born and attended Neighborhood Music School, ACES Educational Center for the Arts and Wilbur Cross High School."
  13. ↑ Solomon, Dave. "The complete story of Bobby Moore has yet to be written", New Haven Register , February 6, 2010. Accessed January 2, 2019. "'Bobby was the first person I called,' said Troy Bradford, the coach of the Stallions and a former standout at Wilbur Cross."
  14. ↑ "Sports", Colby Alumnus, Vol. 45, No. 3: Spring 1956, p. 18. Accessed January 2, 2018. "Born in East Orange, New Jersey, Clifford lived in New Haven from 1929-1939, graduating from Wilbur Cross High School."
  15. ↑ See http://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/appjudge14.html and http://www.jud.ct.gov/external/news/press212.htm
  16. ↑ "Retired Supreme Court justice to 2015 Wilbur Cross grads: Keep moving forward", New Haven Register , June 18, 2015. Accessed January 2, 2019. "Wilbur L. Cross alumnus and retired Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper Jr. urged 2015 graduates of his alma mater to keep moving forward, even during times of uncertainty.... Harper, who graduated from Wilbur Cross in 1961, said it was an honor to serve as keynote speaker for the commencement, calling it a 'memorable' occasion, a moment that brought him 'full-circle.'"
  17. ↑ via Associated Press. "Casimir Loxsom breaks own American record in 600", USA Today , March 1, 2015. Accessed January 2, 2019. "On Friday night at the Reggie Lewis Center, Loxsom stopped by to hand out medals at the New England Indoor Championships, the high school meet where he set a meet record in 2009 in winning a title for Wilbur Cross High School of New Haven, Connecticut."
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