Wayzata High School
Wayzata High School
| Established | 1903 |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 3,084 (05-06) |
| Principal | Dr. Craig Paul |
| School Song | - |
| School type | Public |
| Location | Plymouth, Minnesota, United States of America |
| School Colors | Royal Blue, Gold, & White |
| School Mascot | Trojans |
| Web site | [1] |
Wayzata High School is a high school in Plymouth, Minnesota, a northwestern suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The high school, operated by the Wayzata School District, has about 3,200 students, from grades 9 to 12. The current principal as of 2006 is Dr. Craig Paul.
Wayzata High School is the largest public high school in Minnesota and one of the largest in the country. Its interior measures in at 487,000 square feet and cost $58 million to build. [2] Construction was completed in August 1997.
Wayzata High School is part of the Classic Lake Conference, an athletic conference that also includes Minnetonka High School, Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, Edina High School, and Hopkins High School.
Academics
Classes are run on a block schedule of four periods of approximately 86 minutes each, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 2:20 p.m. The majority of students have the same four classes every day during a semester, though many may have some changes between terms due to one-term courses or three-term courses. Some exceptions to this are students in some band, orchestra, and choir classes, who alternate one class with their respective music class every other day.
Wayzata High School offers a large number of Advanced Placement classes. In 2005, twenty-five AP classes were offered, which is the most out of any school, public or private, in Minnesota. An advantage to using the block schedule is the ability to take essay tests in class that are composed of questions from past Advanced Placement exams, giving a feel for what the actual tests will be like.
Wayzata is highly completive academy. The average grade during the first semester of the 2005-2006 school year was an A-. Due to this highly completive atmosphere and prolific grade inflation, class rank was dropped in the 05-06 school year. Students with B+ averages were in the bottom half of their class.
Extra-curricular Activities
Academic extra-curricular activities of notable mention include Debate (Policy), Math Team, DECA, BPA, Knowledge Masters Open, and Quiz Bowl. All of these teams have high rankings in state leagues. The Wayzata Math Team won championships in the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2006, the Wayzata Math Team placed third in state. It has also won the conference for the past 15 years.
Athletics
In 2005, the Wayzata Trojans won their first ever state football title 28-24 over Cretin-Derham Hall High School. The team had made it to the title game the year before in 2004, but lost in a close game to Minnetonka 23-14. Both games lasted well into the evening.
Wayzata is part of the Classic Lake Conference in the Minnesota State High School League.
State Championships
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | |||
| Football | 1 | 2005 | |
| Soccer, Boys | 2 | 85, 05 | |
| Cross Country, Boys | 5 | 87, 92, 93, 95, 00 | |
| Soccer, Girls | 4 | 91, 96, 00, 02 | |
| Winter | |||
| Basketball, Boys | 1 | 1959 | |
| Wrestling | 3 | 41, 51, 52 | |
| Dance Team J/F | 1 | 2005 | |
| Skiing, Nordic Girls | 1 | 1980 | |
| Spring | |||
| Golf, Boys | 2 | 94, 98 | |
| Tennis, Boys | 1 | 1993 | |
| Track and Field, Boys | 4 | 77, 80, 84, 95 | |
| Track and Field, Girls | 1 | 1979 | |
| Total | 26 |
Notable alumni
- Benjamin Salisbury, former child actor [3]
- Marion Barber III, running back for the Dallas Cowboys [4]
- Ryan Egeland, Rhodes Scholar. [5]
- David Gaither, former Minnesota State Senator, and currently Governor Tim Pawlenty's Chief of Staff
- Ben Hamilton, offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos [6]
- Dick Beardsley, marathon runner, 2nd place in 1982 Boston Marathon
- Tim Herron, professional golfer
- Amy Klobuchar, candidate for 2006 Minnesota US Senate race
- Shawn Daivari, professional wrestler