Washington School (Mississippi)

Infobox Secondary school

established = 1969
name = Washington School
motto = Exitus Acta Probat
type = Private School
affiliation = Mississippi Private School Association
headmaster = Rodney Brown
students = 1,000 (approximately)
grades = pre-kindergarten - 12
address = 1605 East Reed Road
city = Greenville
state = Mississippi
country = United States
colors = Blue and Gold
mascot = The General
website = http://www.generals.ws

Washington School is a small, non-denominational, private school in Greenville, Mississippi. Washington School offers pre-school, elementary, middle, and college preparatory education to Greenville and the surrounding areas.

History

Washington School was established in the spring of 1969, possibly as a response to government imposed integration in public schools. In its first year, Washington School had a total of 23 staff members and 323 students. Classes were originally held in the current elementary building. The current total enrollment is over 750 students with the average size of a graduating class being around 60 students. Washington School has faced some criticism because the city of Greenville is around 70 percent black while Washington School currently has few black students. However, this is probably because a large percentage of blacks in the Greenville area statistically cannot afford the tuition at Washington School, rather than being due to racist attitudes. In fact, there have been a few black graduates from Washington School.

Academics and Arts

Washington School is considered to be a challenging school in the Mississippi Delta. Although the school does provide a few Advanced Placement courses along with some rigorous honors courses, Washington School’s curriculum is a basic college preparatory curriculum. Washington School students average around a 23 on the ACT, and most choose not to take the SAT, although the PSAT is uniformly taken. After graduating, most students choose to attend public Mississippi Universities or Southeastern schools with a small minority choosing to attend such prestigious schools as Harvard, MIT, Vanderbilt, and Brown University. Washington School also boasts a fine arts program consisting of concert, jazz, and pep bands, a vocal ensemble, 3-D and 2-D high schoolvisual art programs, mandatory visual arts classes for K-6, optional visual arts classes for grades 7 and 8, as well as a drama department. The elementary school is a grantee of the Mississippi Arts Commission's Whole Schools Initiative, which is a program designed to assist schools in integrating the arts into the school's existing curriculum.

Clubs and Organizations

There is a growing arts and athletic program that develops more and more each year. There is also a number of clubs that bring together students with similar interests and goals. The National Beta Club is an honorary society that recognizes academic excellence. Mu Alpha Theta is another club that honors achievement in mathematics. There is also The Fellowship of Christian Students and Younglife for those interested in religion. Students also have the option of participating in competitive academic teams, such as Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, Envirothon, Mathletes, Poetry Out Loud, and Mock Trial. The school makes community service a priority for its students in all grades.

Athletics

A point of pride at Washington School has been their diverse athletic program. Washington School is a member of the Mississippi Private School Association and is classified as a Division III-A school. The most popular sport for the Washington "Generals" is football, as is typical of most southern high schools. The football program usually fares well with games against Jackson Academy and Jackson Preparatory School being the highlight of the football season. The students are often multi-sport athletes and are spread thin across many sports. Washington School athletics still manage to perform well in cross country, soccer, golf, and track and field. Most athletes choose to continue playing their respective sports at local junior colleges or Division II schools, with a few being competitive enough to play on the Division I level.

Administration

*Headmaster: Rodney Brown
*Secondary Principal: Alto Ray
*Elementary School Principal: Margaret Hester
*Head Football Coach: Todd Lott

External links

* [http://generals.ws School Web Site]