- Natrona County High School
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Natrona County High School
NCHS
Pride in ExcellenceLocation 930 S. Elm Street
Casper, Wyoming, United StatesInformation Type Public secondary Established 1896 School district Natrona County School District #1 Principal Wayne Dean Kelly Faculty 80 Grades 9, 10, 11, 12 Number of students 1,300 (approximately)[1] Color(s) Black, Orange and White
Mascot Mustang Website www.natronahs.us Natrona County High School (NCHS) is a public secondary school (grades 9–12) located in Casper, Wyoming, and serves Natrona County School District #1, which encompasses all of Natrona County, Wyoming. The school remains a rival of Kelly Walsh High School, one of Casper's other two high schools along with Roosevelt High School. A fourth nearby high school is Midwest School in Midwest, Wyoming. The drama department has the distinction of being home to International Thespian Society Troupe 1. NCHS is an International Baccalaureate World School.
Contents
History and facilities
Natrona County High School was originally known as Casper High School in its early days. The current building was constructed between 1924 and 1941 in Collegiate Gothic style. It was partially built under the authority of the Works Progress Administration; the crest of the WPA visible in the sidewalks on the front campus. In exchange for the federal assistance, male student participation in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps was mandatory until a few years after Kelly Walsh High School opened in 1965. The JROTC at NCHS is the second oldest unit in the nation.
The school's swimming pool was the first indoor pool in the state.
The campus of the Natrona County High School was the first campus for Casper College, a community college also located in Natrona County Wyoming, which occupied the upper level of NCHS in the late 1940s, before it had a campus of its own.
Natrona County High School was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 1, 1994.[2]
In 2010-2011 the Natrona County School District began the process of a major re-design to reconfigure the site and renovate the historic building.[3][4]
Academics
In addition to standard core curriculum, NCHS offers courses in several areas of academic and technical specialty, including:
Career and Technical Education (CTE)
- Audio Production
- Agriculture
- Automotive
- Auto Service
- Business
- Cisco
- DECA
- Drafting
- Electronics
- Family and Consumer Science
- FBLA
- FFA
- Metals
- NCTV (video)
- Small Engines
- Welding
- Wood Tech
International Baccalaureate Program (IB)
NCHS has been offering the IB Diploma Program through the IB World School program since 2001.[5] The program is a comprehensive two-year curriculum for students in grades 11 and 12. Graduates of the program are awarded a high school diploma recognized by universities worldwide.[6]
Athletics
NCHS offers the following athletic programs:
- Alpine Skiing
- Basketball - Boys
- Basketball - Girls
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Indoor Track - Boys
- Indoor Track - Girls
- Nordic Skiing
- Soccer - Boys
- Soccer - Girls
- Swimming - Boys
- Swimming - Girls
- Tennis
- Track - Boys
- Track - Girls
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
School symbols and culture
NCHS's fight song is "All Hail To Casper high school",[7] a song that, in its title, recalls the early history of the school.
The school mascot is the Mustang. "Every day is a great day to be a Mustang", a famous slogan in the halls of NCHS. It further exemplifies the motto of Pride in Excellence.
A bronze mustang by Wyoming artist Chris Navarro graces the football field, which was named Cheney Alumni Field in honor of alumnus Richard Cheney in 2003.
Notable alumni
- Dick Cheney, (Class of 1959) 46th Vice President of the United States
- Lynne Cheney, (Class of 1959) wife of Dick Cheney
- Dean Conger, National Geographic photographer.
- James A. "Jim" Corbett, co-founder of the Sanctuary movement.
- Lance Deal, Silver medalist for the Hammer throw in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia
- Kenneth S. Deffeyes, petroleum geologist.
- Peter Junger, computer law professor.
- Mike Lansing, former professional baseball player.
- Jay M. Linford, International businessman. Founder of Kids Care International.
- Geoffrey Lower, television and movie actor.
- Guy Padgett, Wyoming's first openly gay mayor.
- Rev. James Reeb, Civil Rights activist murdered in Selma, Alabama in 1965.
- Matthew Shepard, Murdered near Laramie, Wyoming in 1998
- Floyd Volker, NBA player
- Pete Williams, NBC news correspondent.
- Maj. Gen. Carla G. Hawley-Bowland, commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- Randall Barnes, former senior vice president and treasurer of PepsiCo Inc.
- Sally Pansing, actress
- Georgia Davis Skelton, Red Skelton's second wife
- Marlan O. Scully, physicist known for work in theoretical quantum optics
References
- ^ Natrona School High School Planning webpage. Retrieved 2011-11-02
- ^ Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2011-11-02
- ^ Natrona Schools Scope of Project. Retrieved 2011-11-02
- ^ Natrona Schools High School Planning. Retrieved 2011-11-02
- ^ International Baccalaureate Program. Retrieved 2011-11-02
- ^ School IB Program webpage. Retrieved 2011-11-02
- ^ School Athletics webpage. Retrieved 2011-11-02
External links
- Official site
- www.schooltree.org
- Natrona County High School at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
National Register of Historic Places in Natrona County, Wyoming National Historic Landmarks 
Other historic districts Casper Army Air Base | Fort Caspar | South Wolcott Street Historic District | TA Ranch Historic District
Other properties Archeological Site No. 48NA83 | Big Horn Hotel | Bishop House | Bridger Immigrant Road-Waltman Crossing | Casper Buffalo Trap | Casper Federal Building | Casper Fire Department Station No. 1 | Casper Motor Company-Natrona Motor Company | Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot | Church of Saint Anthony | Consolidated Royalty Building | DUX Bessemer Bend Bridge | Elks Lodge No. 1353 | Grant Street Grocery and Market | Martin's Cove | Masonic Temple | Midwest Oil Company Hotel | Natrona County High School | North Casper Clubhouse | Odd Fellows Building | Ohio Oil Company Building | Pathfinder Dam | Rialto Theater | Roosevelt School | Split Rock, Twin Peaks | Stone Ranch Stage Station | Teapot Rock | Townsend Hotel | Tribune Building
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Natrona County, Wyoming and List of National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other 
Category:National Register of Historic Places • 
Portal:National Register of Historic PlacesCategories:- High schools in Wyoming
- National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming
- Educational institutions established in 1896
- Works Progress Administration in Wyoming
- Schools in Natrona County, Wyoming
- Wyoming Registered Historic Place stubs
- Wyoming stubs
- Wyoming school stubs
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