Frederick U. Conard High School is a

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools ( Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in ...

West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. It opened in 1957, and was named after Frederick Underwood Conard, president of Niles-Bement-Pond Company and chairman of the local Board of Education when plans for the school were approved. Conard is one of two West Hartford public high schools, the other being Hall High School.

History

Conard's first classes were held on September 4, 1957. While Conard was originally designed to accommodate 1,100 students, it now accommodates 2,870. On February 23, 2015, fans of Conard and Hall High School basketball were involved in a physical conflict at their annual end-of-season rivalry game. At the end of the 2021-2022 School Season, the students, staff, and Board of Education of West Hartford Public Schools were prompted to vote for mascots which Conard and Hall High Schools would change theirs to, respectively. For Conard, "Red Wolves" won with a substantially higher vote.

Academics

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

in 1984-85.

Athletics

Conard High School is part of the

Central Connecticut Conference The Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) is an interscholastic athletic conference in the Greater Hartford region of Connecticut, United States. History In July 1999 founding member Enfield High school would leave the CCC Conference to join the ...

(CCC), competing in the West Division. The Board of Education added varsity sports for girls in January 1972. Conard's Gavin Sherry was three time Gatorade POY (Player of the year) recipient. The boys cross country team won the CIAC Class LL title and runner up at the CIAC state open championship in the fall of 2019. The boys ice hockey team won the CIAC Division II ice hockey championships in 1985 and 1996.

Notable alumni

David Naughton David Walsh Naughton (born February 13, 1951) is an American actor and singer known for his starring roles in the horror film '' An American Werewolf in London'' (1981) and the Disney comedy '' Midnight Madness'' (1980), as well as for a long-run ...

, class of 1969, actor ('' An American Werewolf in London'') *

James Naughton James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season telev ...

, actor, winner of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (1990, 1997) * Robert Romanus, actor

Fast Times at Ridgemont High ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story ...

, class of 1974 * Jimmy Shea, class of 1987, 2002 Olympic

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

winner * Matt Sinatro, class of 1978,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

player and coach *

Kevin Galvin Kevin Galvin (born August 22, 1953) is a Connecticut-based business activist. He is the founding chair of the Small Business for Health Care Reform advisory committee and is best known for his efforts as an advocate for the interests of small ...

, business/health care advocate ( CVS) *

Marcus Camby Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

, professional basketball player (transferred before graduating) *

Jack Sonni Jack Sonni (born December 9, 1954) is a writer, musician and former marketing executive best known as "the other guitarist" in Dire Straits during the band's '' Brothers in Arms'' era. Early life and education Drawn to music at an early age, So ...

, class of 1972,

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

ist for

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and per ...

Peter Dante Peter Francis Dante (born December 16, 1968) is an American character actor and comedian. He frequently appears in films from Happy Madison Productions alongside his friend Adam Sandler. Career Dante's roles are usually alongside Jonathan Lough ...

, actor (" Grandma's Boy," " Big Daddy," "

Mr. Deeds ''Mr. Deeds'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder with Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro in supporting roles. I ...

," " Little Nicky") * Justin R. Clark, class of 1993, Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs * Brett H. McGurk, class of 1991;

United States National Security Council The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Ex ...

, Director for Iraq * Mike Joy, auto racing announcer *

Seth Waxman Seth Paul Waxman (born November 28, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 41st Solicitor General of the United States from 1997 to 2001. He then returned to private legal practice, and serves as the co-chairman of the appellate and Supr ...

, class of 1969, Solicitor General of the United States *

Paul Lieberstein Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967) is an American actor, screenwriter, television director and television producer. A Primetime Emmy Award winner, he is best known as writer, as executive producer, and as supporting cast member Toby ...

, class of 1985, actor (''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

'') *

Nancy Dow Nancy Maryanne Dow (July 22, 1936 – May 25, 2016) was an American actress who appeared in a small number of films and television shows. She was married to actor John Aniston with whom she had a daughter, Jennifer Aniston. Early life Dow was ...

, class of 1958, actress, mother of

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Buildings and structures in West Hartford, Connecticut Schools in Hartford County, Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1957 Public high schools in Connecticut 1957 establishments in Connecticut