Watertown High School (South Dakota)

Watertown High School (WHS) is a public high school in Watertown, South Dakota. The school was the first in the state and the second in the United States in which every student and teacher was issued a laptop computer.[2][failed verification]

Watertown Senior High School
Watertown High School from Arrow Ave.
Location
Map
209 9th ST NE
Watertown, SD 57201
Information
TypePublic
MottoEnabling all students to succeed in an ever changing world
School districtWatertown School District 14-4
SuperintendentJeff Danielsen
Staff73.35 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Number of students1,220 (2022-2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.63[1]
Color(s)Purple, Gold, White      
AthleticsAA
Athletics conferenceEastern South Dakota (ESD)
MascotArrows
WebsiteOfficial Website

Academics

edit

Watertown High School has a dual-enrollment program with the neighboring Lake Area Technical Institute campus, allowing students to take college level course during all four years of enrollment. WHS also allows students to take courses directly through South Dakota State University. WHS has nearly a quarter of its students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses.[3] WHS has 102 teachers, of which 70.2% have obtained a master's degree or higher.[4]

Laptop program

edit

Watertown High School first started its laptop program in the 2003–2004 school year, making WHS the first high school in South Dakota and the second high school in the nation to give every student a personal laptop.[citation needed] In 2006, WHS became part of the state-sponsored Classroom Connections project, where it was among 20 selected schools in the state to receive funding for laptops for students and tablet computers for teachers. In the 2017–2018 school year, WHS gave each student an iPad.

Extracurricular activities

edit

Competitive speech activities

edit

The WHS oral interpretation program was among the first 100 chartered squads in the National Forensics League. The department has produced a number of Truman scholars.[5]

The Head coach for Arrow Speech and Debate is Scott Walker, who is an alumnus of Watertown High School himself.[6]

Forensic events offered are: (State championships are listed to the right)

  • Policy Debate: 2006,[7] 2016[8]

State championships

edit
State Championships
Season Sport Number Year(s)
Fall Football 2 1996, 2001
Volleyball 2 1997, 2017
Golf, Boys 10 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1949, 1950, 1957, 1971
Cross Country, Girls 1 2001
Winter Basketball, Boys 4 1959, 1992, 1999, 2008
Basketball, Girls 4 1976, 1993, 2007, 2009
Wrestling 10 1961, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2003
Gymnastics 3 2006, 2009, 2010
Spring Tennis, Boys 4 1992, 1993, 1994, 2013
Track & field, Boys 5 1915, 1916, 1929, 1930, 1998
Track & field, Girls 1 1978
Golf, Girls 2 1978, 1979
Total 48

WHS also offers competitive cheerleading, dance, soccer, softball, and baseball, some of which are sanctioned by the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

Notable alumni

edit

Noted faculty

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Watertown High School - 01". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Watertown High School a leader in laptop learning". Sioux City Journal. 15 January 2006. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  3. ^ "Watertown High School in Watertown, SD". US News. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Watertown High School - Classrooms". www.watertown.k12.sd.us. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08.
  5. ^ Abare, Robert. "Student Awarded Truman Scholarship for Graduate Education". davidson.edu. Davidson College. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Walker, Scott - Home". watertown.k12.sd.us. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  7. ^ "South Dakota High School Activities Association State Championships". sports.sdpb.org. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  8. ^ "Arrow speakers win Class AA state title". Watertown Public Opinion. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  9. ^ "Letters for Watertown's Major Sports Total 42". Argus-Leader. February 4, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
edit

44°54′07″N 97°05′52″W / 44.902054°N 97.097747°W / 44.902054; -97.097747