Woodside High School

'Woodside High School is one of five high schools in Newport News, Virginia. The school colors are purple and teal, and the school's mascot is a wolverine. Opening in 1996, Woodside's sports teams have already won three state titles: one in softball (2001) and two for boys basketball (2003-04 and 2004-05). The school's boys and girls athletic teams are known as the Wolverines and Lady Wolverines respectively. They are ranked 416 by Newsweek magazine's "America's Best High Schools" in terms of high schools and exam testing. Woodside has been accredited by the Virginia Department of Education since the 2003-04 school year, and has some of the highest passing rates in Newport News.

Woodside High School, located in the northern side of Newport News, opened its doors to students in September, 1996. Woodside offers its students a unique learning environment in that it contains three learning "houses" designed to break down the larger school into several smaller, more personal learning environments.

The Wolverine Walk

The Wolverine Walk Consists of the 5 "R's":

Responsibility - to be accountable for yourself and to respond wisely
Right - to know and to do what is right and ethical
Reason - to act with purpose and good sense
Respect - to have self-regard and to show respect for others
Resilience - to bounce back from adversity

Essential Learnings at Woodside

Students are expected to become:

Self-directed learners
Collaborative workers
Complex thinkers
Quality producers
Community Contributors

Creative Arts Magnet

Woodside is the home of the Center for the Arts and Communication, which encompasses music, performing arts, visual arts, and writing.

Students may specialize in:

music: theory, musicianship, performing, composing, arranging
dance: with emphasis on ballet and modern dance, choreography
drama: acting, directing, producing, stagecraft, scenery, lighting, costumes
creative writing: create original poetry, prose, essays, scriptwriting, historical fiction and critical reviews
communications: journalism, production, engineering and technology and public relations
visual arts: painting, printmaking, drawing, clay sculpture, mixed media, computer art, and photography

Distinctive Features

arts instruction at a depth, level, and rigor not found in other Newport News high schools

opportunities to pursue an intensive study of the arts to enhance the student's overall academic program

chance to work and study with arts professionals
interdisciplinary study linking the arts with other disciplines
earned Adequate Yearly Progress designation for meeting or exceeding federal standards for No Child Left Behind
creative writers experience one-on-one conferences, peer evaluations, group readings, visiting authors and the Writing Center

Demographics

As of October 2005

Total Enrollment: 2010 (100.0%)

Gender:

Male 893 (44.4%)
Female 1117 (55.6)%

Ethnicity:

Native American 14 (0.7%)
Asian/Pacific Islander 66 (3.3%)
Black 1108 (55.1%)
Hispanic 123 (6.1%)
White 681 (33.9%)

Unspecified 18 (0.9%)

Special Education: 161 (8.0%) Talented and Gifted: 0 (0.0%) Economically Disadvantaged: 606 (30.1%)

Criticisms

In early 2006, several fights broke out as well as a large scuffle that several of the students referred to as a "riot." To punish the students, principal Stephanie Hautz reduced the time between classes, allowing students less time in the halls to socialize or "fight." They had ten minutes between classes, the longest time of all the city's high schools. It was cut back to six minutes, with hopes to cut down on problems in the halls. Tardiness was already an issue prevalent in the school, and the fight was related to the amount of time between classes. Several Newport News police officers were also on site at the school for a few days after to dissuade any further attempts of violence. No further incidents have occurred, but students protested the schedule change, saying that six minutes was not enough time to get from class to class. The change remained in place until the end of the year.

External links

Woodside High School

Educational institutions established in the 1990s | High schools in Virginia