Staples High School

Staples High School
source
Name	Staples High School
Established	1884
Type	Public high school
District	Westport Public Schools
Grades	9–12
Principal	John Dodig
Enrollment	1,800
Colors	Blue and White
Mascot	Wrecker
Location	Westport, Connecticut

Staples High School

Staples High School is a public secondary school in Westport, Connecticut, serving grades 9–12 in the Westport Public Schools district. The school traces its origins to the late 19th century and occupies a suburban campus noted for academic programs, arts facilities, athletic fields, and notable alumni across fields including politics, entertainment, literature, science, and sports.

History

Staples High School was founded in 1884 following local initiatives influenced by the educational movements associated with figures like Horace Mann, John Dewey, and the expansion of public schooling in the United States during the Progressive Era. Early iterations of the school reflected trends seen in institutions such as Phillips Exeter Academy and Groton School while adapting to Connecticut statutes and regional demographics influenced by nearby municipalities like Norwalk, Connecticut and Fairfield, Connecticut. During the 20th century Staples underwent expansions paralleling national developments exemplified by the G.I. Bill era, the postwar suburbanization associated with Levittown, New York, and infrastructure growth similar to projects funded by the Works Progress Administration. The campus saw modernization in the late 20th and early 21st centuries influenced by architectural practices from firms active in projects like those at Yale University and Harvard University, and upgraded facilities echoing trends at schools such as Greenwich High School and Westhill High School. The school community has responded to social movements linked to events like the Civil Rights Movement, the influence of the Women’s Liberation Movement, and shifts in policy following federal acts similar to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Staples has been part of regional athletic and arts networks including affiliations comparable to the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

Campus and Facilities

The Staples campus features academic wings, a performing arts center, and athletic complexes, reflecting facility types found at institutions like Yale University's campus theaters and Julliard School-style auditoria. Science labs are equipped to support programs akin to those at Massachusetts Institute of Technology feeder schools, with technology integration comparable to initiatives at Stanford University partner high schools. The library media center contains collections and resources modeled after municipal systems such as the Westport Public Library and regional archives like the Connecticut State Library. Athletic fields and stadiums host events in formats familiar from venues like Madison Square Garden satellite arenas and local college stadia such as Sacred Heart University's facilities. Visual arts studios, gallery spaces, and maker labs parallel offerings at arts institutions like the Museum of Modern Art educational programs and community art centers like the Westport Arts Center.

Academics

Staples offers a college-preparatory curriculum with Advanced Placement courses and specialized electives that mirror curricular options at schools sending graduates to universities such as Columbia University, Princeton University, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Rice University, New York University, Boston University, Tufts University, Brandeis University, Amherst College, Swarthmore College, Williams College, Wellesley College, Barnard College, Smith College, Colgate University, Vanderbilt University, Syracuse University, Georgetown University, Emory University, Wake Forest University, UC San Diego, UCLA, USC, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Virginia, Rutgers University, Michigan State University, Arizona State University, University of Florida, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Texas at Austin, Boston College, Northeastern University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Lehigh University, University of Notre Dame, Bates College, Haverford College, Macalester College, Case Western Reserve University, Tulane University). STEM offerings prepare students for careers linked to institutions like NASA, National Institutes of Health, and industrial partners similar to General Electric research collaborations. Humanities and social science pathways include coursework aligned with study areas connected to archives from the Library of Congress and programs inspired by scholars at the London School of Economics.

Extracurricular Activities

A broad extracurricular program includes performing arts ensembles, debate and speech teams, robotics, academic clubs, and community service organizations paralleling student groups at schools like Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science, Riverdale Country School, Convent of the Sacred Heart (New York) and The Dalton School. Performing groups present works from repertoires that include pieces by William Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and George Gershwin. Competitive teams engage in tournaments and festivals similar to events hosted by Theater Resources Unlimited, National Speech & Debate Association, FIRST Robotics Competition, Science Olympiad, and the Model United Nations circuit. Student government, civic engagement clubs, and service initiatives operate in ways seen in organizations like Rotary International youth programs and Amnesty International student chapters.

Athletics

Staples fields teams across fall, winter, and spring seasons, competing in leagues analogous to the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference and state championships administered by bodies like the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference. Sports programs include football, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, track and field, cross country, swimming, wrestling, tennis, golf, volleyball, field hockey, crew, and ice hockey—sports with traditions tied to collegiate programs at Syracuse University, University of Connecticut, Princeton University Athletics, Cornell Big Red, Harvard Crimson, Yale Bulldogs, Penn Quakers, Brown Bears, Dartmouth Big Green, Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson Tigers, Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Wisconsin Badgers, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Cal Golden Bears, Washington Huskies, Oregon Ducks, Utah Utes, Colorado Buffaloes, Virginia Cavaliers, Maryland Terrapins, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Purdue Boilermakers, Texas A&M Aggies. The athletic program has produced state champions and All-State athletes who progressed to collegiate competition at institutions like Boston College, Colgate University, University of Connecticut Huskies, University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Yale University Bulldogs, Princeton University Tigers and professional leagues such as Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, and international competitions including the Olympic Games.

Notable Alumni

Alumni have distinguished themselves in politics, arts, science, journalism, and sports, with careers connected to entities such as United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, White House, United Nations, Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Academy Awards, Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time (magazine), Newsweek, Variety (magazine), Rolling Stone, Vogue (magazine), The Guardian, BBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC (American TV network), Fox Broadcasting Company, HBO, Showtime (TV network), Netflix, Amazon (company), Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, MGM Studios, DreamWorks Pictures, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, DC Comics, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Princeton University Press, MIT Press. Graduates include published authors associated with presses like Knopf, journalists who reported for outlets such as Reuters, Associated Press, and performers who appeared on stages including Broadway, West End, and festivals like the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.

Category:High schools in Connecticut