Washington Park High School

Washington Park High School
Washington Park High School
Address
	1901 12th Street; Racine, Wisconsin; United States
Coordinates	42°43′5.64″N 87°48′16.6″W / 42.7182333°N 87.804611°W
Information
Type	Public secondary
Established	1928
School district	Racine Unified School District
Teaching staff	95.52 (FTE)
Grades	9 - 12
Enrollment	1,038 (2022-2023)
Student to teacher ratio	10.87
Color(s)	Orange , blue and white
Mascot	Panthers
Yearbook	Kipikawi
Website	http://www.racinepark.org

Washington Park High School (also known as Park or Racine Park High School) is a public, four-year high school in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, with an enrollment of 1,500 students. Its school colors are blue and orange. The school's mascot, the panther, was adopted by the Class of 1949, reportedly because of a nearby Native American effigy mound in the shape of a panther.^{[citation needed]} It is a part of the Racine Unified School District.

History

The school traces its roots to 1852 when Racine High School,^[2] one of the first public schools in Wisconsin, opened. In 1926, the Racine School Board decided to replace Racine High School with a new school that eventually became Park. The new Washington Park High School opened in 1928. The north side of Racine also received its own high school the same year when land donated by the malted milk magnate William Horlick was used by the Racine School board for another high school named in Horlick's honor.

The school building was designed by the Racine architect J. Mandor Matson.^[3] The school mascot is the panther.

Much of the history and memorabilia (including art, awards and traditions) from Racine High School were moved to Park. The statue of Joan of Arc that was donated by the Racine High School Class of 1904 is displayed in Park's foyer. The school's newspaper, The Beacon (a reference to Racine's Wind Point Lighthouse), and the school yearbook Kipikawi (a Native American name for the Root River), were also both carried over from Racine High School.

Athletics

Park's sports teams compete in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Southeast Conference with schools from Racine, Kenosha and southern Milwaukee, including Park's long-time crosstown rivals Horlick High School and Case High School, the other major high schools in Racine.

Rivalry with William Horlick

Park has a long-standing rivalry with William Horlick athletic teams, known locally as "The Great Rivalry" or more informally as "Park/Horlick". The rivalry began in 1928, when the two schools opened. The rivalry is most notable between the schools' football teams who have played at least once every year since 1928.^[4]

State championships

Sport	Years
Boys' baseball	1993
Boys' basketball	1943
Girls' basketball	1997
Boys' cross country^[5]	1948, 1949
Boys' golf	1931, 1947, 1948, 1958, 1968, 1970, 1973
Gymnastics (combined Racine team)	1997, 1998, 2004
Football	1988, 2005
Boys' tennis	1931
Boys' track	1974, 1997, 1998, 2000
Girls' track	1978
Wrestling	1967, 1969

School song

Hail to thee, Park High.
Hail thy orange and blue.
Thy light shall guide us,
Thy beacon bright and true.
We'll serve thee always.
This our pledge shall be:
Park High, forever,
Hail, hail, hail to thee

Notable alumni

Kevin Barry – NFL offensive lineman with the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans
Annastasia Batikis – AAGPBL outfielder with the Racine Belles
Manny S. Brown – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Caron Butler – NBA professional basketball player
John Clay – NFL running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Scott C. Fergus – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Kenneth L. Greenquist – member of the Wisconsin Senate
Welton John "Jack" Harris – Fullback Green Bay Packers
Ben Hecht – screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist
Solomon Hutcherson – MMA and UFC fighter.
Abdul Jeelani (né Gary Cole) – NBA small forward with the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers
Maj. John L. Jerstad (1918–1943) – World War II Major, U.S. Army Air Force Pilot and Medal of Honor recipient
Maj. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser ('83) – Major General, U.S. Army (retired)
Fredric March (1897–1975) – two-time Academy Award and Tony Award-winning stage and film actor
Barbara McNair – singer and actress
Eric Morones, saxophonist and composer, lead alto saxophonist for Brian Setzer Orchestra
Brent Moss – NFL running back with the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams
Norm Nelson – American stock car racer
Edward Peil Sr., actor^[6]
LaTonya Sims – professional basketball player and UW-Madison basketball player, Gatorade Player of the Year
William H. Upham (1841–1924) – 18th Governor of Wisconsin
Fred Venturelli – NFL kicker with the Chicago Bears
Jerry Woods – NFL defensive back with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers
Al Zupek – NFL fullback
Travis King – U.S. Army Private Second Class, defected to North Korea on 18 July, 2023.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Park High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
^ "Racine High School". vindustries.com.
^ Mark Hertzberg, Two men, two visions, Journal Times, May 12, 2002
^ Sweeney, Nicole (May 8, 2004). "Park High School turns 75". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
^ 2019 State Cross Country Meet Souvenir Program. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. November 2, 2019. p. 25.
^ "Edward Peil Of Movies Plans Visit". Racine Journal-Times. June 16, 1947. p. 9. Retrieved July 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.