Cranston High School West (often called West, Cranston West or abbreviated as CHSW) is a public high school located in Cranston, Rhode Island, United States. The school comprises five buildings; one of these buildings is the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center. The school grounds include six tennis courts, a baseball field, and a track and football field. West has 155 staff members who work with the student population of approximately 1850 daily. The program of studies encompasses 203 different courses. The Cranston Area Career and Technical Center offers 17 different courses. All courses are geared toward student academic abilities. Fifty-two percent of graduates go on to pursue a four-year degree while twenty-two percent pursue a 2-year degree.
| Cranston High School West | |
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| Location | |
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80 Metropolitan Ave Cranston, Rhode Island 02920 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Comprehensive Public High School |
| Superintendent | Jeannine Nota-Masse |
| Principal | John Fontaine (as of 2022) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,423 (2016-17)[1] |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | scarlet and gray[2] |
| Mascot | Falcon |
| Rival | Cranston East Thunderbolts |
| Feeder schools | Western Hills Middle School Hope Highlands Middle School |
| Website | https://chsw.cpsed.net/ |
Numerous athletic teams have won championship titles for the school, more recently being the 2004 varsity football team, 2006 varsity wrestling team, 2007 varsity wrestling team, 2008 varsity wrestling team, 2009 varsity wrestling team, 2006 varsity baseball team, 2007 varsity baseball team, 2009 varsity hockey team, 2011 varsity baseball team, and 2012 varsity boys tennis team. Also the varsity boys volleyball team made it to the semifinals of the State titles in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 while winning the State Championship in 2016 and 2019. The 2017 boys swim team were the division three dual meet champions. It is also the high school of former NFL running back and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Oakland Raiders, Mark Van Eeghen.[3]
Ahlquist v. Cranston
editOn April 4, 2011, 10th-grade student Jessica Ahlquist filed a federal lawsuit aimed at ending the school's display of a prayer on a banner. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux issued a decision[4] in favor of Jessica on January 11, 2012. The decision was in part based on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and the Lemon v. Kurtzman, Lynch v. Donnelly, and Lee v. Weisman US Supreme Court cases. Upon learning of the results of the case, some residents of Cranston, and others opposed to the decision and to Jessica's atheism, took their anger out on Jessica on Twitter and Facebook,[5] and local florists refused to deliver to her.[6]
Notable alumni
edit- Stevie Aiello – singer, songwriter, musician, record producer
- Monty Are I – an alternative rock band named after Arthur Montanaro, a teacher at West
- Katelyn Bouyssou – member of the US Judo national team; 3 time US Judo national champion
- Marissa Castelli – figure skater, 2-time national pairs champion; bronze medalist in 2014 Winter Olympics
- Mark van Eeghen – former NFL running back and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Oakland Raiders; only person from Cranston West to have number retired in any sport
- JVKE – American singer-songwriter, producer, and social media personality
References
edit- ^ "Cranston High School West". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "Cranston West High School Basketball Roster". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ Mark Van Eeghen. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ Ahlquist v. Cranston (D.R.I. 01/11/2012) ("...this Court grants Plaintiff’s motion for a mandatory permanent injunction, and orders the immediate removal of the School Prayer mural from Cranston High School West."), Text.
- ^ Schieldrop, Mark (16 January 2012). "Ahlquist: Fight over Mural, Despite Harassment, Threats, "Worth It."". patch.com. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ^ Paul Davis (January 19, 2012). "Florist found in Connecticut to deliver roses to Cranston West prayer banner opponent / Poll". Providence Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
After florists in Cranston and Warwick refused, a Connecticut florist agreed to deliver the flowers.