West Warwick High School: Difference between revisions

West Warwick High School is a public high school located in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The current enrollment (February 2011) is approximately 1,050 students. The mission of West Warwick High School is to create a caring learning community with rigorous academic and professional standards. These standards will provide students and staff with a safe and healthful, positive and personalized environment. The educational community will encourage mutual, lifelong learning so that all students and staff may achieve their full potential as productive, ethical and responsible members of the community. To that end, in recent years, the school has seen resurgence in academic prowess and rigor. Primarily, due to recent initiatives and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, the student body has seen significant gains on state testing, specifically the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) scores for the 2010 school year. Student test scores have improved significantly, most notably 83% of WWHS students who took the NECAP test are either proficient or proficient with distinction in Reading. The Arts, particularly the music department, have helped to bring national status to the academic program in recent years. Specifically, the West Warwick High School Jazz Ensemble "A" Band which has won numerous awards for musical accomplishments including placing in "the Finals" of the “Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festival” from 2002–2007 and 2009, winning the prestigious festival in 2007. In addition, the Concert Band and Concert Chorale have competed and won national and international awards and titles the past fifteen years. Currently, the West Warwick High School Music Department is the largest in the state, with more than 550 students participating. In addition, the drama department has produced high quality musical productions in West Warwick, most notably Grease in 1999. The school has a long tradition of excellence in Rhode Island Interscholastic Sports. The school mascot is the Wizard and the school colors are black and orange.

Notable alumni

• Frank Maznicki - Running back on Boston College 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic team and 1941 Sugar Bowl squad. Maznicki played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots from 1942 to 1947; ran for 463 yards and was 65 for 69 on extra points. He was ranked as one of Rhode Island's Top 50 athletes of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated. The West Warwick High School football field is named in his honor.
• Tom Garrick - Former professional basketball player and former coach of the University of Rhode Island women's basketball team.
• Chuck Palumbo - Professional wrestler and builder of custom motorcycles.
• Tony Maserati - Record producer and studio engineer who has worked with many mainstream artist of the 1990s and 2000s including James Brown, Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, R. Kelly, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Puff Daddy and Tupac Shakur.
• Dr. Richard Moniz - Director of Library Services @ JWU from 1997 to present, Author of several internationally recognized books and publications on library services.

{Frank Coletta } = long-time newsman on NBC Affiliate WJAR - TV in Providence, R.I.

External links

• West Warwick High School website
• West Warwick Public Schools website
• West Warwick High School Players (drama department)
• West Warwick High School Bands