Watertown High School (WHS) is a public high school in

Watertown, South Dakota Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center which houses many of the original art works produced by Terry Redlin, one of America's most popular wildlife ar ...

. The school was the first in the state and the second in the United States in which every student and teacher was issued a

laptop A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...

computer.

Academics

Watertown High School has a dual-enrollment program with the neighboring Lake Area Technical Institute campus, allowing students to take college level course during all four years of enrollment. WHS also allows students to take courses directly through

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

. WHS has nearly a quarter of its students enrolled in

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(AP) courses. WHS has 102 teachers, of which 70.2% have obtained a master's degree or higher.

Laptop program

Watertown High School first started its laptop program in the 2003–2004 school year, making WHS the first high school in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

and the second high school in the nation to give every student a personal laptop. In 2006, WHS became part of the state-sponsored Classroom Connections project, where it was among 20 selected schools in the state to receive funding for laptops for students and

tablet Tablet may refer to: Medicine * Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill" Computing * Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...

computers for teachers. In the 2017–2018 school year, WHS gave each student an iPad.

Extracurricular activities

Competitive speech activities

The WHS

oral interpretation Oral Interpretation is a dramatic art, also commonly called "interpretive reading" and "dramatic reading", though these terms are more conservative and restrictive. In certain applications, oral interpretation is also a theater art – as in rea ...

program was among the first 100 chartered squads in the

National Forensics League The National Speech and Debate Association is an American student debating society. It was established in 1925 as the National Forensic League; the name was changed in 2014. It is one of four major national organizations that direct high school ...

. The department has produced a number of

Truman scholar The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic ...

s. The Head coach for Arrow Speech and Debate is Scott Walker, who is an alumnus of Watertown High School himself. Forensic events offered are: (State championships are listed to the right) * Policy Debate: 2006, 2016

State Championships

WHS also offers competitive cheerleading, dance, soccer, softball, and baseball, some of which are sanctioned by the

South Dakota High School Activities Association South Dakota High School Activities Association governs high school sports and other activities in the state of South Dakota. The SDHSAA was founded in 1905 and has been a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations The N ...

Notable alumni

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Stephen Foster Briggs Stephen Foster Briggs (December 4, 1885 – October 16, 1976) was an American engineer, co-founder of the Briggs & Stratton manufacturing company, and founder of Outboard Marine Corporation. Early life and education Stephen Foster Briggs was b ...

,
1903,
inventor of the

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of gasoline engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large facilit ...

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George R. Mather George Robinson Mather (June 2, 1911 – January 1, 1993) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command (USCINCSO) from 1969 to 1971. Early life and education Mather was born in ...

.
1929,
Commander in-chief of

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingen ...

. File:Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre, official portrait.jpg,

John Hamre John Julian Hamre (born July 3, 1950) is a specialist in international studies, a former Washington government official and President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a position he has held with that think tank since ...

,
1968,

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the se ...

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Lee Raymond Lee R. Raymond (born August 13, 1938) is an American businessman and was the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of ExxonMobil from 1999 to 2005. He had previously been the CEO of Exxon since 1993. He joined the company in 1963 and served ...

,
1956,
CEO and President,

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

. File:Neal_Tapio_in_Watertown,_South_Dakota.jpg,

Neal Tapio Neal Tapio (born September 19, 1970) is an American businessman, South Dakota state senator, and a former candidate for U.S. Representative for . Tapio gained attention as an early supporter of Donald Trump and served as the Trump presidential ...

,
1988,
Trump Presidential Campaign Director,
South Dakota state senator. *

(1903), inventor,

engine and co-founder of the

manufacturing company. *

Robert J. Fox Robert Joseph Fox (December 24, 1927 – November 26, 2009) was an American priest of the Roman Catholic church. He was an author of religious books and tapes, and appeared on many Roman Catholic television programs and conferences. Fox also s ...

, Catholic Priest, promoter of Our Lady of Fatima Devotions and the Blue Army *

Cleveland L. Abbott Cleveland Leigh "Cleve" Abbott (some sources say "Cleveland S. Abbott") (December 9, 1894 – April 14, 1955) was an American football player, coach and educator. He was the head coach of the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers football team fr ...

(1912),

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

educator and coach *

(1929), Commander in-chief of

Ross Horning Ross Charles Horning Jr. (October 10, 1920 – April 1, 2005) was an American historian and baseball player. He played professional baseball in the Minor League Baseball, minor leagues while completing his studies. Horning was a professor of Russ ...

(1939), historian *

Sylvia Bacon Sylvia A. Bacon (born July 9, 1931) is a former judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia who was considered by both Richard NixonJohn Dean, "Cast of Characters: Candidates considered for the Supreme Court", ''The Rehnquist Choice: Th ...

(1949), Judge,

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law, as well as family court, landlor ...

and was a

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

shortlist candidate for the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

* Charles B. Kornmann (1955), current Judge,

United States District Court for the District of South Dakota The United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (in case citations, D.S.D.) is the United States District Court or the Federal district court, whose jurisdiction for issues pertaining to federal law or diversity for the state of ...

Bob Scholtz Robert Joseph Scholtz (born December 25, 1937) is a former American football offensive lineman. He was selected in the third round (27th overall) by the Detroit Lions in the 1960 NFL Draft after playing college football for Notre Dame. He pla ...

(1955), NFL offensive lineman for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Jake Krull Jacob J. "Jake" Krull, Jr. (December 23, 1938 – November 25, 2016) was an American military officer and South Dakota politician. He served in the South Dakota Senate from 1973 to 1983 and was a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat. B ...

(1956), U.S. General and South Dakota state senator *

(1956), CEO and President,

Terry Redlin Terry Avon Redlin (July 11, 1937 – April 24, 2016) was an American artist popular for painting outdoor themes and wildlife, often pictured in twilight. During the 1990s he was frequently named "America's most popular artist" in annual gallery s ...

(1956), Wildlife artist and philanthropist of the

Redlin Art Center The Redlin Art Center is an art gallery located in Watertown, South Dakota where over 150 of artist Terry Redlin Terry Avon Redlin (July 11, 1937 – April 24, 2016) was an American artist popular for painting outdoor themes and wildlife, often ...

* Roger Zwieg (1960),

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut and test pilot *

(1968), U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Clinton administration, and international relations specialist *

(1988), current candidate for

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for and Trump presidential campaign director for South Dakota. *

Timmy Williams Timmy Williams (born April 10, 1981) is an American comedian and radio personality. He is a member of the sketch comedy troupe ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'', and starred in its eponymous television show, which ran for five seasons. Career Willi ...

(1999), American comedian, Whitest Kids U' Know Brodee molengraaf (2017), liquor store assistant manager, 3x defending air lord

Noted faculty

* Jim Marking, former Watertown High School basketball coach and former

South Dakota State Jackrabbits men's basketball The South Dakota State Jackrabbits Men's Basketball team is a basketball team that represents South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. The Jackrabbits are an NCAA Division I member and have played in the Summit League since 2007 ...

coach * Brian Norberg, former Watertown High School basketball coach, South Dakota State men's basketball all-time leader in assists * Vic Godfrey, former Watertown High School track coach, and head coach of

Kingdom of Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...

1984 and 1989 Olympic Track teams. * Scott Hardie, current Watertown School Board member and former

engineer on ''

Challenger Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to: Entertainment Comics and manga * Challenger (character), comic book character * ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga Film and TV * ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 1979 ...

'' and '' Columbia''.

References

External links

Official WebsiteSchool District Site
{{authority control Public high schools in South Dakota Schools in Codington County, South Dakota Buildings and structures in Watertown, South Dakota