Waunakee Community High School
Waunakee Community High School is a public high school located in Waunakee, Wisconsin. It is part of the Waunakee Community School District and part of the Badger Conference in athletics. The attendance area includes the village of Waunakee, most of the town of Westport, portions of the cities of Middleton and Madison, and portions of the towns of Dane, Springfield, and Vienna.
| Waunakee Community High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
301 Community Drive , United States | |
| Coordinates | 43.18327°N 89.45704°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Established | 1904 |
| School district | Waunakee Community |
| Principal | Brian Borowski (2019–) |
| Assistant Principal | Eric Huttenburg, Steve Hernandez, Deanne Lensert |
| Teaching staff | 92.69 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,322 (2018–19)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.26[1] |
| Color(s) | White and Purple |
| Nickname | Warriors |
| Rival | DeForest Norskies |
| Newspaper | The Purple Sage |
| Yearbook | Whipurwauna |
| Website | https://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/high/ |
Campus
The oldest part of the building opened in 1972, including the old gym, library, and small auditorium. A 1993 addition added more classrooms and a greenhouse on the west side of the building, and a second gym (fieldhouse) was added on the east side of the building. A new commons area, pool, 679-seat performing arts center, fieldhouse expansion, and two wings of classrooms were added to the south side of the building in 2005, in addition to renovations in other areas and new athletic fields.[2] There is a rock art mural displaying Wisconsin's natural and cultural history in the commons.[3] In 2012, a second floor over a portion of the 2005 addition and a new main office area were added.
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
Athletic teams include:
- Boys' and girls' cross country
- Boys' and girls' soccer
- Boys' and girls' golf
- Boys' and girls' swimming
- Boys' and girls' tennis
- Boys' and girls' track
- Boys' and girls' lacrosse
- Boys' and girls' basketball
- Boys' and girls' ski and snowboard team
- Football
- Baseball
- Football cheerleading
- Dance team
- Gymnastics
- Baseball
- Softball
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Boys' and girls' hockey
- Equestrian team
Waunakee has had a long time rivalry with fellow Badger North Conference member the DeForest Norskies.
Football
The Waunakee Warriors have made the playoffs in 24 consecutive seasons, won seven state championships (1999, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021), finished runner-up four times (2001, 2005, 2012, 2019), and won 16 conference championships (1998–2001, 2003–2012, 2015–2018). The team shared the state-record for consecutive wins with 48 straight victories from 2009 to 2012, when the record was broken by Kimberly High School in 2016.
Golf (girls)
- 2010 State champion[4]
Aquatic center
Waunakee High School is equipped with an eight-lane, twenty-five yard pool that is home to the Waunakee Warriors boys' and girls' swim teams. The aquatic center is also open for the community and non-community members for open family swims, fitness swims, swimming lessons and more.[5]
Student newspaper
Waunakee High School’s monthly newspaper is called the Purple Sage. The Purple Sage is printed along with Waunakee’s community newspaper, the Waunakee Tribune.[6] The paper was reestablished in 2002 after a several year hiatus and has been published ever since.
Kokopelli Kafe
Located in Waunakee High School’s school store is Kokopelli Kafe, a coffee shop that sells beverages and treats. Kokopelli Kafe is run by Waunakee High School's students with special needs. It teaches the students transitional work skills and provides interaction between students. Kokopelli Kafe philosophy is reflected in the goal: “Kokopelli Kafe is a school based business that enables students to learn functional, transitional, vocational, and social skill in a “real life” environment.”[7]
Clubs
Waunakee Community High School offers clubs relating to construction, arts, chemicals, agriculture, sports, culture, business, and more. Students in Pay it Forward participate in volunteer work and support local and distant communities. Clubs are set up and run by students and staff. Clubs include Science Olympiad, Gaming Club, Science Club, Model United Nations, Young Progressives, Young Conservatives, Aviation Club, Above the Influence (ATI) Club, Spanish Club, Drama Club, French Club, FBLA, DECA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, GSA, FCCLA, Mock Trial, Pay it Forward, National Honor Society (regular, art, and Spanish), and Fishing Club.[8]
Fine arts
Waunakee's Fine Arts Department includes programs in band, orchestra, choir, and drama. Offerings include concert band, symphonic band, wind ensemble, Warrior band, jazz ensemble, jazz combo, chorale, concert choir, Grazioso, a capella choir, Kee Notes vocal jazz, philharmonic orchestra, chamber orchestra, symphony orchestra, folk band, consort, music theory and composition, jazz improvisation, and music history.
The WHS drama department participates in the WHSFA One Act Festival each fall. On the first weekend in May, it produces a musical in even-numbered years and a full length non-musical play in odd-numbered years.
Controversies
Furry Protocol
On March 17, 2022, multiple articles were released accusing Waunakee schools of allowing students to identify and even dress up as furries. These allegations extended to claims that students where engaging in behaviors such as barking and growling. Waunakee Community School District Superintendent Randy Guttenberg spoke out against the allegations, saying that "the Waunakee Community School District do have protocols for Furries, we do allow disruptions in our school and classrooms." Five staff have reported that 12 students engaged in any of the alleged behavior.[9]
References
- "Waunakee High". National Center for Education Statistics. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- "Waunakee High School Profile (2018–19) | Waunakee, WI". Public School Review. Archived from the original on 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- "Miron | Building Excellence :: Waunakee High School". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Waunakee Community School District – Aquatic Center". www.waunakee.k12.wi.us. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- "About". The Purple Sage. 2016-10-08. Archived from the original on 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- "Waunakee Community School District – WHS Kokopelli". www.waunakee.k12.wi.us. Archived from the original on 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- "Student Organizations". Waunakee Community High School. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- Swenson, Ali (2022-04-05). "Wisconsin school district does not have 'furry protocol'". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-06.