William E. Tolman High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = William E. Tolman High School
established = 1926
type = Public
principal = Mr. Fredick Silva
city = Pawtucket
state = Rhode Island
country = USA
students = 1,110 (approx)
grades = 9–12
mascot = Tigers
colors = White and Red color box|White color box|red
website = [http://www.psdri.net/WEBS/tolman/index.htm|Tolman High Website]

William E. Tolman Senior High School, commonly referred to as Tolman High, is one of two public high schools located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It was built in 1926 along the east bank of the Blackstone River and contains five floors including the basement. With only 54% of freshman making it to their senior year, a study released by Johns Hopkins University for the Associated Press in 2007 called Tolman High School was one of the nation's 'dropout factories' among high schools. [1]
Tolman High School shared a 73 year old Thanksgiving Day football rivalry with nearby private school, Saint Raphael Academy. Throughout the 90's, however, due to the trend in lopsided games resulting from a more powerful private school, it was decided in 2001 that Tolman's new rival would be Shea High School, the city's second public high school across the Blackstone River. Saint Raphael's had been leading the series 38-34-4 before it was dissolved [2] . In the days of the old rivalry on Thanksgiving Eve, Tolman student's would participate in the annual Burning of the Casket ceremony on the Blackstone River. This ceremony would take place after the Homecoming dance and involved the release of a burning casket down the Blackstone River.
Security at Tolman High School was greatly scrutinized in the fall of 1996 when a Providence teenager blindly fired a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol in the school cafeteria following a fistfight at a school dance [3] . A ban on outsiders at school dances and an increase is police officer presence at the school was enforced by the superintendent following the shooting. A proposal for a requirement for all students to wear photo ids during regular school hours was another major policy brought forth shortly after the event. Weeks after the shooting, the suspect was arrested at a Dunkin' Donuts in Johnston, Rhode Island, after a detective learned he was in the doughnut shop and preparing to flee the state [4] .
In the spring of 2007, a suspicious looking object resembling a pipe bomb caused the evacuation of Tolman high School. The state's fire masrshal's bomb squad was called in after a teacher spotted the object in a second floor locker [5] . The bomb squad applied a small explosive charge to destroy the object. When a second larger explosion did not occur, the fragments were sent away for testing to learn more about the object. It was concluded that it was in fact part of the school's circa 1927 pipe organ that was decommissioned during renovation of the school's auditorium. Two students later confessed they stuck the piece of organ into a locker for safekeeping.

Demographics

Testing

2005 test scoring

External links

* [http://www.psdri.net/WEBS/tolman/index.htm Tolman High Home Page]

1 [http://www.projo.com/news/content/hs_dropouts_11-02-07_Q27MK6V_v51.34bbd0d.html] 2 [http://www.rihssports.com/Thanksgiving%20Football/Results/ST.R%20VS%20TOLM.htm] 3 http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31856453.html?dids=31856453:31856453&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+30%2C+1996&author=JOHN+CASTELLUCCI+Journal-Bulletin+Staff+Writer&pub=Providence+Journal+-+Bulletin&edition=&startpage=C.01&desc=Security+policies+under+review+after+gun+is+fired+at+Tolman+dance+*Police+continue+to+look+for+a+Providence+youth+who+allegedly+fired+a+.45-caliber+pistol+Friday.4http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31887104.html?dids=31887104:31887104&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+4%2C+1996&author=&pub=Providence+Journal+-+Bulletin&edition=&startpage=C.04&desc=Police+arrest+last+suspect+in+school+dance+shooting5 http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31887104.html?dids=31887104:31887104&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+4%2C+1996&author=&pub=Providence+Journal+-+Bulletin&edition=&startpage=C.04&desc=Police+arrest+last+suspect+in+school+dance+shooting