Shelton High School (Connecticut) Explained

Shelton High School
Address:120 Meadow St
State:Connecticut
Zipcode:06484
Country:United States
Coordinates:41.3214°N -73.117°W
Ceeb:070665
District:Shelton Public Schools
Headmaster:Kathleen Riddle
Faculty:155
Grades:9-12
Mascot:Gael
Newspaper:The Gael
Students:1,356 (2019-20)[1]
Colors:Orange and black

Shelton High School (SHS) is a public high school in Shelton, Connecticut, in eastern Fairfield County. It has an enrollment of approximately 1400 in grades 9 through 12.

History

The first four SHS graduates received their diplomas on June 26, 1889. In 1894, the First School Society became the Town School Committee, with Walter D. Hood as the first school superintendent.[2]

Extracurricular activities

The Gael Magazine

The school magazine is called the Gael Magazine. This magazine publishes in the fall, winter and spring.[3]

Athletics

Shelton High is part of the Housatonic Division of the Southern Connecticut Conference.[4] The school offers a variety of freshman, JV, and Varsity teams. The following sports run in the respective seasons:

SHS Sports!FALL!WINTER!SPRING
FootballBoys BasketballBaseball
Boys SoccerGirls BasketballSoftball
Girls SoccerIndoor TrackGirls Lacrosse
Cross CountryWrestlingBoys Volleyball
Girls SwimmingBoys SwimmingTennis
Girls VolleyballGolf
Field HockeyOutdoor Track & Field
Cheerleading
The Shelton Gaels high school football team won the state championship in 1988, 1995, 2000, and 2003.

The Shelton Gaels high school boys' volleyball team won the state championship in 2004 and 2005, with a 46-0 record. The team won the Southern Connecticut Conference title in 2015, 2017, and 2022.

The Shelton Gaels Varsity Cheerleading squad won the state championship in the 2000-2001 season.

The Shelton boys' cross country team won its first division championship, and the SCC championship in 2007, making its first trip to the New England championships. In 2008, it placed second in the CIAC State Open Championships, and fourth in the New England Championships.

2011 Prom

The Shelton High School headmaster banned a senior and two friends from attending the senior prom because[5] the students had taped a message of 12-inch high cardboard letters above the school's entrance inviting Tate's classmate, Sonali Rodrigues, to go to the dance with him.[5] In addition to giving the students in-school suspensions for what she described as a safety issue, the headmaster described the act as trespassing and banned them from the dance.[5]

The ban became the subject of protests on Facebook and was reported on national and international media.[6] [7] [8]

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti[5] and Shelton High School alumnus NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky[9] questioned the appropriateness of the punishment. Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy sided with the student, saying, "While it seems that there are rules that were broken, in this case, it doesn’t seem as though the punishment fits the crime."[8] The punishment prompted state lawmakers Jason Perillo (R-Shelton) and Sean Williams (R-Waterbury) to introduce an amendment to a pending bill that, with an exception for vandalism and violence, would require schools to offer parents an alternative to banning students from school-related activities as means of punishment.[10]

On May 12, the headmaster announced that she stood behind her decision, citing long-standing policy.[11] Protests at the school continued the next day, with students being sent home saying they'd been told they were "inciting a riot and breach of peace".[12] On May 14, the headmaster held a press conference[13] reversing the decision, saying that "the level of distraction created by this incident" had "affected the culture of Shelton High School" and that "international notoriety" had forced her to reverse herself.[14]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shelton High School. National Center for Education Statistics. February 19, 2019.
  2. Web site: SHS History .
  3. Web site: Shelton High School | PowerIT . 2011-01-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728172220/http://www.sheltonpublicschools.org/subsite/shs/page/gael-winds-2122 . 2011-07-28 .
  4. Web site: Southern Connecticut Conference . Housatonic Division.
  5. News: Mayor: Punishment Doesn't Fit Crime in Case of Connecticut Teen Barred From Prom. Joshua Rhett. Miller. May 11, 2011. Fox News.
  6. "Creative Prom Invite Gets Student Suspended", NPR https://www.npr.org/2011/05/11/136198925/creative-prom-invite-gets-student-suspended
  7. A story about this incident, featuring reporter Ben Sosenko, was aired nationially on NBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20130129090138/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/
  8. Web site: James Tate Take Prom Plea to Today Show. LeAnne. Gendreau . nbcconnecticut.com . 2011 . 12 May 2011.
  9. NFL QB Joins Huddle of Support for No-Prom TeenMay 12, 2011 8:28 PM EDT http://www.foxnews.mobi/sr=1/dd=1/ms=1/jsrv=72/aamsz=banner_top/site=FOXNEWS/area=FN.WEATHER.FORECASTS/quickPage.html?page=22995&content=51794924&pageNum=-1
  10. News: NFL Quarterback Backs Teen Barred From Prom, but School Stands Firm on Decision . Fox News . May 12, 2011.
  11. Web site: Shelton school officials stand ground on Tate's prom ban as support for teen grows (Videos)- the New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut . 2011-05-14 . 2012-09-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120916161200/http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/05/13/news/valley/doc4dcc84b67ee8f797867318.txt . dead .
  12. Tate serves suspension as fellow students attempt sit-inAnne M. Amato, Staff Writer Updated 11:16 p.m., Friday, May 13, 2011http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Tate-serves-suspension-as-fellow-students-attempt-1377675.php
  13. http://shelton.patch.com/articles/video-james-tate-can-go-to-prom#video-6066132 press video of press conference
  14. News: James Tate allowed to go to prom. Connecticut Post . 16 May 2011.