Conard High School

Conard High School
Motto	Diversity is Strength[1]
Established	1957
Type	Public high school
Principal	Peter Cummings
Students	1461[2]
Grades	9-12
Location	110 Beechwood Road, West Hartford, Connecticut, United States
District	West Hartford Public Schools
Colors	Red and gray
Mascot	Chieftain
Newspaper	'The PowWow'
Athletic rival	Hall High School (Connecticut)
Website	whps.org/school/conard/index.asp
Conard High School's front entrance.

Conard High School is a public high school in West Hartford, Connecticut. It opened in 1957, and was named after Frederick Underwood Conard, president of Niles-Bement-Pond Company and chairman of the local Board of Education when plans for the school were approved.^[3] Conard is one of two West Hartford public high schools, the other being Hall High School.

History

Conard's first classes were held on September 4, 1957.^[4] Conard was originally designed to accommodate 1100 students.^[5] However, today there are more than 1500 students in attendance.

In 1999, Alphonse Chuck Landroche became Conard's principal. Landroche retired at the end of the 2007 school year.^[6][7] Tom Moore became Conard's principal in 2007.^[8] In 2010, Moore became assistant superintendent, which left Conard without a principal. In the fall of 2010, Dr. Peter Cummings became principal of Conard High School.

Facts and statistics

As of 2007, Conard had a population of 1,461 students, with 60.9% white, 19.1% Hispanic, 10.7% Black, 9.1% Asian American and 0.2% American Indian.^[2]

Conard's mascot is an American Indian chieftain. This is denoted on the schools athletic jerseys by the letter "C" crossed with an Indian feather, which replaced the side profile of a chieftain in Fall of 2007.

As of 2007, Conard offers 26 AP courses.^[2]

There is a prominent rivalry between Conard High School and its cross-town counterpart, Hall High School.

Accomplishments

• Recognized by Newsweek magazine as the 329th best public high school in the nation in 2010.^[9]
• Recognized by Newsweek as Connecticut's top public high school in 2006, based on "the number of Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school in 2005 divided by the number of graduating seniors."^[10]
• Blue Ribbon School in 1984-85.^[11]

Student activities

Conard High School offers a variety of different clubs and boards.^[12]

Clubs Aerospace Club Anime Club Art Club Business Club Be The Media (with West Hartford Community Television http://www.whctv.org) Chess Club Drama Drill Team Environmental Club French Club (Le Club Francais) Freshman Class Board Gay-Straight Alliance Improv Club Interact Club Junior Class Board Math Team Mock Trial Team Model UN Club Musical[13] Outside the Box Lunch Club Ping Pong Club Pow Wow (School Newspaper) Senior Class Board Sophomore Class Board Step Team Student Council Unified Theater Video Club

Athletics Baseball Basketball M Basketball W Cheerleading Cross-Country Field Hockey Football Golf M Golf W Gymnastics Ice Hockey M Ice Hockey W Indoor Track Lacrosse M Lacrosse W Soccer M Soccer W Softball Swimming & Diving M Swimming & Diving W Tennis M Tennis W Track & Field Volleyball M Volleyball W Winter Cheerleading Wrestling

Honor Societies Athletic Leadership Council National Honor Society French Honor Society Latin Honor Society Spanish Honor Society

Notable alumni

• David Naughton, class of 1969, actor (An American Werewolf in London)
• James Naughton, actor, winner of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (1990, 1997)
• Robert Romanus, actor Fast Times at Ridgemont High, class of 1974
• Jimmy Shea, class of 1987, 2002 Olympic gold medal winner^[14]
• Matt Sinatro, class of 1978, Major League Baseball player and coach
• Kevin Galvin, business/health care advocate
• Marcus Camby, professional basketball player (transferred before graduating)[1]
• Jack Sonni, class of 1971, rhythm guitarist for Dire Straits
• Peter Dante, actor ("Grandma's Boy," "Big Daddy," "Mr. Deeds," "Little Nicky")

References

1. ^ Conard's mission statement
2. ^ ^{a b c} Strategic School Profile 2007-08
3. ^ Names of the West Hartford Public Schools
4. ^ "First Conard High Pupils Assigned To Home Rooms". The Hartford Courant. 1957-08-31. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/900796052.html?dids=900796052:900796052&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI. Retrieved 2007-04-05. 
5. ^ Karpman, Marilyn (1956-12-16). "Double Sessions Are Planned At Hall High School". The Hartford Courant. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/915698572.html?dids=915698572:915698572&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI. Retrieved 2007-04-05. 
6. ^ Cativo, Fulvio (2007-06-20). "Grads Urged To Accept Challenges, Adhere To Principles". Hartford Courant. http://www.courant.com/news/local/fv/hc-whdconard0620.artjun20,0,6060587.story. 
7. ^ Cativo, Fulvio (2007-01-11). "Conard Principal Plans To Retire". The Hartford Courant. http://www.courant.com/news/local/fv/hc-whdlandroche0111.artjan11,0,645288.story. Retrieved 2007-04-05. 
8. ^ Cativo, Fulvio (2007-04-13). "Moore Named Conard Principal". Hartford Courant. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/1254261681.html?dids=1254261681:1254261681&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current. 
9. ^ http://www.ctnow.com/news/connecticut/hartford/hc-schools-honored-0615-20100614,0,478172.story
10. ^ Newsweek's The Top of the Class: The 1,200 Top U.S. Schools
11. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools: 1982-2002
12. ^ Conard student activities page
13. ^ Official website of the school musical
14. ^ ESPNMAG.com - ESPN The Magazine: Skeleton Crew

External links

• Conard High School
• School Report 2003-04 for No Child Left Behind

Coordinates: 41°44′07″N 72°44′53″W / 41.73529900°N 72.74793700°W / 41.73529900; -72.74793700