Marysville Pilchuck High School

Marysville-Pilchuck High School
Location
Marysville, Washington, USA
Information
Type	Public (magnet) Secondary School
Motto	"give respect, take responsibility, get results."
Established	1961
School district	Marysville School District
Principal	Andrew Frost
Faculty	200+
Grades	9, 10, 11, 12
Enrollment	1000
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Red , White ,and Gold
Mascot	The Tomahawk
Website	http://www.msvl.k12.wa.us/secondary/mpcampus/

Marysville-Pilchuck High School, located in Marysville, Washington, USA, is a public secondary school for grades 9-12 and is part of the Marysville School District. MPHS is a combination of two local schools. The first high school in Marysville was called Marysville High School and it occupied the current Marysville Junior High School building (which is now Totem Middle School). Pilchuck High School was built in 1971 and later the two schools combined to make one large high school called Marysville-Pilchuck High School. The MPHS has the second largest campus and the largest high school student body in the state of Washington.^[1] School days are organized into six periods. MPHS boasts the largest indoor swimming pool in Snohomish County, and is a popular destination for high school indoor water sports fans.

Programs

Since September 2010 the school has had one major program called Pathways of Choice.^[2] Three academies previously at the school, Academy of Construction and Engineering, Bio-Med Academy, International School of Communications, and School for the Entrepreneur, were relocated to the new Marysville Getchell High School in 2010.

MPHS still offers many classes that have been canceled by other schools, such as welding and auto shop classes. However, students must be enrolled in the correct "school" to access these programs. For instance the band program is offered only in pathways and due to misinformation given by the ISC, the instrumental music program has deteriorated. but is regaining public support as the teachers, counselors, parents, and general public want the smaller schools disbanded, seeing as the test scores are lower.

Under the Learning Center approach to education, a student registers at one learning center and remains there for the school year. Each learning center has a set number of teachers and classes, with the Pathways of Choice being the largest, with 40 teachers compared to 12 in the others. The decision to move to learning centers remains controversial, with many students complaining that it restricts their options and the administrators insisting that it will result in a better focus on students' individual interests. Extracurriculars such as band and yearbook are being reconfigured to meet the requirements of the new configuration.

The popular extracurricular activities range from anime club to french and gay-lesbian outreach club. All clubs from before the change to SLC's have complained about loss of funding and interest due to some SLC's discouraging inter-school mingling.

Arts Programs

The drama club won "Best Pit Orchestra" by Fifth Avenue Theatre for "Into The Woods" the 2008 spring musical.^[3]

Marysville Pilchuck High School controversy

On March 21, 2008, the Everett Herald ran a story about the effects of the website on the community of Marysville-Pilchuck High School in the state of Washington. The story indicated that "students have used the site to bully, post compromising photos of their rivals and spread rumors about other kids' supposed sexual experiences, abortions, eating disorders, diseases and drug use." However, in the article, Bloch justified the site on the basis that "[We have] no legal or ethical responsibility to protect kids by censoring gossip." Bloch also stated that if enough users complain about certain gossip it will be taken down, but that site staff would not remove gossip just because it may be a lie or may be hurtful.^[4] The Everett Herald later ran an editorial on the issue on March 23, 2008. This editorial can be found at the following link: "Everett Herald editorial on gossip website". http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080323/OPINION01/858819632#In.the.online.world.kids.are.on.their.own. ^[5]

Notable alumni

• Haley Nemra - 2001 Beijing Olympic runner representing The Marshall Islands
• Jared Rome - Olympic Discus Thrower
• Dave Stachelski - NFL Football Player (New England Patriots - New Orleans Saints)
• Jeff Pahukoa - NFL Football Player (St. Louis Rams - Atlanta Falcons)
• Shane Pahukoa - NFL Football Player (New Orleans Saints)

References

1. ^ Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2010-12 enrollment counts, retrieved online 2011-08-14
2. ^ School website, retrieved online 2011-05-15
3. ^ "2008 Nominees & Recipients| 5th Avenue Theatre". 5thavenue.org. http://www.5thavenue.org/education/highschoolawards-2008.aspx. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
4. ^ "Gossip website jolts Marysville-Pilchuck High School". The Everett Herald. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080321/NEWS01/706213764. Retrieved 2008-03-25. 
5. ^ "In the online world, kids are on their own". The Everett Herald. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080323/OPINION01/858819632#In.the.online.world.kids.are.on.their.own. Retrieved 2008-03-25. 

External links

• MPHS website
• MPHS Pathways of Choise website
• MPHS Band website
• MPHS Class of 2008 website
• Chris Wall wins solo award
• MPHS in solo and ensemble
• Heraldnet 2009-09-12 article

A & B-BB Classifications
1A/2B Conferences Northwest 1A/2B: Concrete Lions-2B · Darrington Loggers-2B · Friday Harbor Wolverines-1A · La Conner Braves-2B · Mount Vernon Christian Hurricanes-2B · Orcas Island Vikings-2B · Shoreline Christian Crusaders-2B · North Shore Christian Navigators-2B  1B Conferences Northwest 1B: Arlington Christian Lions · Grace Academy High School · Lopez Lobos · Lummi Blackhawks · Highland Christian Preparatory · Skykomish Rockets · St. Paul's Academy · Tulalip Heritage · Providence Classical