Olympia High School (Olympia, Washington)

Olympia High School (OHS), commonly referred to as Oly, is a public high school in the southeast part of Olympia, Washington along the city's border with Tumwater. It is the oldest of two comprehensive high schools in the Olympia School District, and also one of the oldest public secondary schools in the state of Washington.[3]

Olympia High School
Address
Map
1302 North St.

,
98501

United States
Coordinates47°01′07″N 122°53′05″W / 47.01861°N 122.88472°W / 47.01861; -122.88472
Information
TypePublic secondary
MottoWe, the Olympia High School Community, are dedicated to personal excellence and responsible citizenship.
Established1849, 1907 became William Winlock Miller
School districtOlympia School District 111
NCES School ID530618000937[1]
PrincipalMatt Grant[2]
Teaching staff81.22 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,838 (2022-2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio22.63[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Blue & White
   
MascotBears
NicknameOly
YearbookThe Olympiad
Websiteolympia.osd.wednet.edu

History

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Olympia High School in 1889.

Olympia High School opened in 1849 as additional public schooling beyond 1-8 curriculum and graduated its first class in 1849.[citation needed] OHS shared a few locations with elementary schools before having its own building in 1907, when OHS became officially named William Winlock Miller School, a high school. The 1907 building was built on a square block donated by the widow of pioneer leader William Winlock Miller on ground immediately east of the today's sunken gardens, part of the Washington State Capitol Campus. That building burned in 1918, its Tenino sandstone was salvaged in 1920 to construct the face of the Power House on Capitol Lake, used to heat Washington's permanent capitol campus that proceeded in construction.[citation needed]

The next structure for W.W. Miller High School was built in 1919 between 12th and 13th Streets on Capitol Way because the state had purchased the land near the sunken garden to increase the Capitol grounds. An auditorium, gymnasium, and more classrooms were added to that building in 1926; however, any further expansion on this site was impossible. As the school's capacity needed increasing, 40 acres (160,000 m2) between Carlyon Avenue and North Street were purchased.

Until 1955, Oly drew students from all of Thurston County, Washington, except its most southern reaches. But Oly's catchment area split in 1955 with the creation North Thurston High School, then split again in 1961 as Tumwater High School opened, then once again with the spawning of Capital High School in 1975. Today's location of OHS opened in 1961, and underwent a full renovation, completed in the summer of 2000 that enclosed the 9 separate buildings of the 1961 design.

Sports

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Olympia High School is a 4A-division member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.[4] Olympia High School is known for their athletics teams consistently placing in the top 10 for the 4A classification.

State Championships
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Cross Country, Girls' 1 1978
Football 2 1953, 1984
Golf, Boys' 1 1996
Swimming, Girls' 1 1987
Volleyball, Girls' 2 1998, 2011
Winter Basketball, Boys' 2 1929, 1986
Swimming, Boys' 3 1956, 1957, 1985
Spring Baseball, Boys' 1 2022
Golf, Girls' 1 1998
Tennis, Boys' 4 1983, 1984, 1998, 2012
Tennis, Girls' 1 2006
Track and Field, Boys' 2 1932, 1998
Track and Field, Girls' 1 2006
Total 22

State Championships, second place:

Boys' Basketball - 1987, 1998, 2023; Girls' Golf - 1997; Girls' Gymnastics - 1998; Girls' Soccer - 1988, 1995; Boys' Swimming - 1958, 1970, 1972; Girls' Swimming - 1989, 1995; Boys' Tennis - 1979, 1982, 1990, 2007; Girls' Tennis - 1982, 1999; Girls' Volleyball - 1981; Baseball - 2019; Girls' Bowling - 2022

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - Olympia High School (530618000937)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "OHS: Matt Grant - Principal". Archived from the original on 2015-05-15. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-04-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "WIAA Sports Leagues". Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  5. ^ Booming. "1979 Grammy Best New Artist". The New York Times.
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