West Seattle High School (known to students as "Westside") is a comprehensive public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

West Seattle West Seattle is a conglomeration of neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington, United States. It comprises two of the thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest, and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an i ...

neighborhood that serves grades nine through twelve as part of the

Seattle Public Schools Seattle Public Schools is the largest Public school (government funded), public school district in the state of Washington (state), Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park, ...

History and facilities

The school opened in 1902 and it was first called "West Seattle School." In 1917, the current building was opened and the school was renamed "West Seattle High School." The mascot was an Indian Chief, and the athletic teams were known as the Indians. A change in the nickname was considered several times beginning in 1974. The mascot was changed to a Wildcat in 2002. The current neo-Renaissance building was designed by architect Edgar Blair on 3.5 acres. Various expansions of the site increased the property to its current 8.6 acres. Additions and renovation included the 1924 expansion by School District architect

Floyd Naramore Floyd Archibald Naramore (July 21, 1879 in Warren, Illinois – October 29, 1970 in Seattle) was a Seattle architect. He was Seattle Schools Architect from 1919 to 1932, and he was a founding partner, in 1943, of the firm that today is known ...

, a 1930 annex, a 1954 addition by architects Naramore Bains Brady Johansen, by Theo Damn in 1958, and major interior renovations in 1972. At various times portable classrooms had been installed on the site. The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board designated the building a Landmark in 1981. There was a major remodel in 2000-2002 by

Bassetti Architects Bassetti Architects is an architectural firm based in Seattle, Washington with a second office in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1947, the firm has newly designed or substantially renovated several well-known Seattle landmarks and many schools in th ...

. This involved featuring the historic building while doubling the size of the facility. The addition was arranged to provide a new entrance to the school surrounded by a new gymnasium, theater, and Commons spaces. The main entrance was restored, the central auditorium was converted to the Commons, and the gym was converted into the library. Awards for this renovation included: 2001 Excellence in Masonry, Honorable Mention; 2004 AIA Washington Civic Design Awards, Merit Award; and 2004 Masonry Institute of Washington Merit Award - Rehab/Restoration. The school has several pineapple trees donated by the British Columbian government in a gift of friendship. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent his granddaughter to the school, saying he wanted to give her a "traditional Canadian pineapple experience."

Athletics

West Seattle is a member of the 3A Metro league. The 2006 Senior Varsity Baseball Team was Metro League ChampionsMost recently the Wildcats had their 2022 Varsity Baseball team was crowned Metro League Champion and they lost out in the semi-finals to

Mercer Island Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located on an island of the same name in the southern portion of Lake Washington. Mercer Island is in the Seattle metropolitan area, with Seattle to its west and Bellevue to it ...

. The 2004 and 2005 Varsity volleyball team were Metro League Champions. The 2004 Wrestling Team was the Metro League Champions. The 2007-08 Men's basketball team made it to the State championship playoffs for the first time in 38 years, losing the 1st round to Sqalicum.Again the Wildcats were the champions of the 2008-09 metro sound football season with a record of 9-2, the team made it to the second round of the state playoffs beating Enumclaw and then losing to Ferndale. The team graduated three Division 1 players.

Notable alumni

Ed Bahr Edson Garfield Bahr (October 16, 1919 – April 6, 2007) was a Canadian-born professional baseball pitcher who appeared in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates in and . Bahr was born in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, but graduated from West ...

, Former

MLB 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 (AL), ...

player (

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

) * Byron "By" Bailey, former NFL and

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player;

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

member *

Fred Beckey Friedrich Wolfgang Beckey (14 January 1923 – 30 October 2017), known as Fred Beckey, was an American rock climber, mountaineer and book author, who in seven decades of climbing achieved hundreds of first ascents of the tallest peaks and best ro ...

(1941), Mountaineer, Naturalist and author *

Dyan Cannon Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations, and a star on the Ho ...

(1954), actress *

Dow Constantine James Dow Constantine (born November 15, 1961) is an American politician, lawyer, and urban planner in the state of Washington who is serving his third term as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was in the stat ...

(1980),

King County Executive The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers o ...

Frances Farmer Frances Elena Farmer (September 19, 1913August 1, 1970) was an American actress and television hostess. She appeared in over a dozen feature films over the course of her career, though she garnered notoriety for sensationalized accounts of her l ...

(1931), actress *

Aaron Grymes Aaron Grymes (born March 1, 1991) is a Canadian football defensive back for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Idaho. Grymes made his professional debut for the Edmonton Eskimos in 2013 and h ...

(2009) former

player for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

and current football player for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

* T. J. Lee (2009)

player for the

Ivar Haglund Ivar Johan Haglund (March 21, 1905 – January 30, 1985) was a Seattle, Washington, Seattle folk music, folk singing, singer, restaurateur and the founder of Ivar's. Background Ivar Johan Haglund was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of pion ...

, founder of

Ivar's Ivar's is a seafood restaurant chain based in Seattle, Washington, United States, with operations in the Puget Sound region and in Spokane, Washington. Ivar's also owns the Seattle-based burger restaurant chain Kidd Valley. History Ivar's ...

Steven Hill Stephen or Steven is a common English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Ac ...

(1940), actor *

Gregory C. Johnson Gregory Carl "Ray J" Johnson (born July 30, 1954), (Captain (naval), CAPT, United States Naval Reserve, USNR, Ret.), is a retired American United States Navy, naval officer and United States naval aviator, naval aviator, test pilot, aerospace e ...

(1972) NASA Astronaut, STS-125 Atlantis (May 11–24, 2009), the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission *

Rosanna Pansino Rosanna Pansino is an American YouTuber, actress, author and singer. Pansino is one of the highest-paid content-creators on YouTube, and was listed first on ''Forbes'' ''Top Influencers: Food'' list in 2017. Pansino has hosted the internet ser ...

(2003), actress and YouTube personality * Mark Small, Former

player (

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

) * Maurice Smith, World Champion kickboxer and former

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

fighter *

Jim Whittaker James W. Whittaker (born February 10, 1929), also known as Jim Whittaker, is an American mountaineer and mountain guide. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, on May 1, 1963 he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest as a ...

(1947), first American to climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

Lou Whittaker Lou Whittaker (born February 10, 1929) is a mountaineer, mountain guide, and entrepreneur. He and his twin brother, Jim Whittaker, an equally renowned mountaineer and guide, were born and raised in Seattle. Besides his worldwide mountain climbi ...

(1947), mountaineer, founded

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

guide service

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1917 High schools in King County, Washington Seattle Public Schools Public high schools in Washington (state) West Seattle, Seattle 1917 establishments in Washington (state)