| Fort Vancouver High School | |
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 5700 E 18th Street Vancouver, Washington, Clark County, 98661  United States |
|
| Coordinates | 45°38′10″N 122°36′44″W / 45.636111°N 122.612317°WCoordinates: 45°38′10″N 122°36′44″W / 45.636111°N 122.612317°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Vancouver Public Schools |
| Principal | Jeff Snell |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 1504[1] |
| Color(s) | Red and white |
| Athletics conference | WIAA Greater St. Helens 3A |
| Mascot | Trappers Trapper John and Trapper Jane |
| Website | FVHS website |
Fort Vancouver High School, known as FVHS, is a public high school located in Vancouver, Washington. It is named after Fort Vancouver, an early trading outpost in the Pacific Northwest. FVHS is home of the Mighty Trappers, in reference to the fur trade in the early 1800s by such groups as Hudson's Bay Company voyageurs.
Contents |
History
Originally named Vancouver High School, FVHS opened in 1888. Classes were first held in the basement of Central School. During 1905-1913, classes were held in the old Franklin School building, then from 1913-1955 in it’s own building at 26th and Main Street (what is now the corner of Main Street and Fourth Plain Boulevard). The first graduating class was in June 1891, when 12 students (9 girls and 3 boys) received their diplomas. By 1912, 276 students had received diplomas from the high school, before the permanent Vancouver High School was even opened for the 1912-1913 school year. The Vancouver School District decided to change the name of the school in 1956 when a second high school, Hudson's Bay was built just east of the main downtown area, near Clark College. In the fall of 1970, the campus of Fort Vancouver High School was relocated to its current location in central Vancouver at 5700 E. 18th Street.
Tornado
On the early afternoon of April 5, 1972, a class 3 Fujita scale tornado hit the Portland/Vancouver metro area. The tornado's path changed and did not damage Fort Vancouver High School, however, it destroyed almost all of neighboring elementary school, Peter S. Ogden. Students from Fort Vancouver rushed to the aid of the students and teachers of the elementary school when it collapsed.[2]
Current
Fort Vancouver High School has 86 teachers serving a little more than 1500 students. Students at Fort Vancouver have diverse backgrounds and economic status. 16.8% of the students are in Fort Vancouver's ELL (English Language Learning) program and 11.9% are in Special Education.[3] Approximately one-third of Fort Vancouver's students speak a language other than English when at home.[4] Fort Vancouver High School is the only high school in Vancouver School District with an ELL (English Language Learning) program. Also, at 33 years of age, Jeff Snell is the youngest high school principal in Washington State.
Magnets
Fort Vancouver High School is home to several of the Vancouver School District's "magnet" programs. The Legal, Medical, Culinary Arts, Industrial Arts, and ELL magnets draw students to FVHS for specialized education programs.
The Legal Magnet founded was founded in 1992. Dr. Christine Gourley championed foundation of the program, and was its director until her 2007 retirement. The Legal Magnet hosts many programs that further students' knowledge of judicial, and governmental proceedings. Their Mock Trial program has, for the past 18 years, been the district champion, moving on to the state, and on several occasions, the national level. The FVHS Legal Magnet is also one of two public high schools in the nation to have a functioning courtroom facility on their campus. The court room is used for actual judicial proceedings from the Washington State Court of Appeals and the Clark County Student Traffic Court.
The Medical Magnet, founded also in 1992, strives to give students an in-depth knowledge of the medical field. Many students who enroll in the program go on to college to pursue degrees in the medical field. The medical magnet leads the students of the FVHS Red Cross Club in organizing blood drives and humanitarian aid projects.
The Culinary Arts Program at FVHS, founded in 1972, is the oldest magnet at FVHS. Students in this program gain a comprehensive knowledge of the hospitality industry as well as the experience of cooking during their class time. Many will intern at the cafes in the VSD headquarters.
The Industrial Arts Magnet provides students with an introduction to the skills necessary for a successful career in the labour trades. Students also gain knowledge of the artistic and practical side of welding, and machine technologies.
The ELL program at FVHS is the only one of its kind in the district. Students from diverse backgrounds come together here to learn a common language and culture, to become better acclimated with America. Fort Vancouver has students from all over the world speaking practically every language and it is here in the ELL Magnet that a melting pot of world cultures comes together so that students can learn from one another.[citation needed]
Other Programs
Students at Fort Vancouver High School can also be involved in Running Start, which allows students to get college credit and high school credit while attending Clark College. Students may also take advantage of vocational programs offered through Clark. Additionally few classes at Fort offer credit through WSU-Vancouver
Notable alumni
- Travis Claridge - NFL, Atlanta Falcons
- Steve Dils - 1974, NFL quarterback
- Brian Hunter (outfielder) - MLB, Houston Astros
- Jim Moeller - 1973, Washington State House of Representatives
- Brian Palmer - Science Teacher and Nationally Recognized Science Bowl Coach
- Anna Svidersky - Notable murder victim
References
- ^ http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/sch_info_popup.asp?Type=Public&ID=530927001560
- ^ ""Tornado of April 5, 1972, Vancouver, Washington" Waymark". http://www.waymarking.com/wm/details.aspx?f=1&guid=5361b209-8bc3-430b-bd7f-eb1df084d896. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ "Washington State Report Card for Fort Vancouver High School". http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?schoolId=502&reportLevel. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ "Fort Vancouver High School Demographics". http://www.oar.vansd.org/vsd/schpro.phtml?ISchool=51&ISYR=2006. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
