Barrington High School (Rhode Island)

Barrington High School
Barrington High School
Address
220 Lincoln Avenue Barrington, Rhode Island 02806 United States
Coordinates	41°44′50″N 71°19′13″W / 41.7473236°N 71.3203290°WCoordinates: 41°44′50″N 71°19′13″W / 41.7473236°N 71.3203290°W
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1951
School district	Barrington School District
Superintendent	Michael Messore
CEEB Code	400000
Principal	Joseph Hurley
Faculty	96
Grades	9–12
Gender	coed
Enrollment	1027 (2014)
Campus size	28 acres (11 ha)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)
Mascot	Eagle
Newspaper	The Talon
Yearbook	The Arrow
Feeder schools	Barrington Middle School
Website	School website
[1][2][3]

Barrington High School (formerly known as West Barrington Senior High School^[4]) is a public high school located in Barrington, a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island. Barrington High School is the singular high school of the Barrington School District, enrolling 1027 students in grades 9-12. Barrington High School's school colors are blue and gold, and its mascot is the Eagle.

During the early 1950s, Barrington's population began to grow as a result of the increasing availability of the automobile and the baby boom. Barrington High School was the first of many public schools constructed during this period to accommodate the now larger populace.

Barrington High School has been noted for academic success; U.S. News and World Report ranked Barrington as the best high school in Rhode Island.^[5] In its 2014 list of "America's Top High Schools", Newsweek ranked Barrington High School as No. 200 out of an analysis of 500 schools across the United States.^[6]

History

Leander R. Peck Memorial School

In 1870, a Brown University alumnus named Isaac F. Cady established the Prince Hill Family and Day School. After the school closed in 1880, the now unused building was put to use as the first public school of Barrington in 1884; the school later moved to the recently constructed town hall in 1888.^[7] In 1916, the grounds for a new high school were donated by Sarah Gould Peck in memory of her late husband, Leander R. Peck, a wealthy wool salesman and longtime Barrington resident.^[8] After a year of construction, Leander R. Peck Memorial School was opened on September 14, 1917.^[9] The Leander R. Peck Memorial School was used as Barrington's high school from 1917 until 1951, expanded in 1925 and again in 1935.^[10]

Barrington High School

During the 1950s, Barrington's population grew as a result of the post-World War II baby boom and the increasing availability of the automobile. To facilitate the education of this increased population, new public schools were constructed throughout the 1950s. Barrington High School was constructed in 1951, the first of the modern Barrington public schools.^{[11][12][13][lower-alpha 1]} In 1964, a construction project doubled the size of the original building; twenty years later, the library was expanded in addition to renovation of the art and science rooms. In 1999, the school completed a $14.25 million (equivalent to $20 million in 2015) expansion/renovation project, which included new classrooms, administration and guidance offices, a completely renovated auditorium, and several other expansions/renovations throughout the building.^[13]

Academics

Awards

Barrington High School has been deemed a National Blue Ribbon School,^[14] and has received a gold rating from U.S News & World Report.^[5] In 2014, Newsweek ranked Barrington High School as No. 200 in an analysis of 14,454 U.S schools based on graduation rates, SAT scores, and AP participation rates.^[6]

Enrollment

Barrington High School currently enrolls 1027 students and 96 faculty members: a student-teacher ratio of 11:1.^[2] The student body of Barrington High School is mostly White, with a 6% Asian minority. Latino, Native American, African-American, and multiracial students together comprise about 4% of the student body.^[15]

Ethnicity	Percentage of student body
White	90%
Asian	6%
African-American	1%
Hispanic	1%
Multiracial	1%
Native American	1%

Athletics

As of 2014, Barrington High School offered 14 varsity sports for boys and 15 varsity sports for girls. Run under the Barrington Boosters, these sports include cross country, soccer, football, field hockey, cheerleading, tennis, volleyball, swimming, track and field, basketball, wrestling, ice hockey, baseball, lacrosse, and softball.^[16] Barrington High School participates in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and has won several championships since 2008.^[17]

Notable alumni

• Brad Faxon,^[18] PGA graduated from the school in 1979.
• Spalding Gray,^[19] famous monologuist and actor. Attended Barrington High School.
• Brian Howe,^[20] a film and television actor, graduated from Barrington High School in 1975.
• Shanna Moakler,^[21] Former Miss USA and Playboy Magazine model, graduated from Barrington High School in 1993.
• Brett Quigley,^[22][23] PGA professional golfer, graduated from Barrington High School in 1987.

Notes

1. Sources vary as to the exact year of Barrington High School's construction. Both Historical and Architectural Resources of Barrington, Rhode Island and the Town of Barrington website claim 1951, whereas a report by the NEASC claims it was constructed in 1952. This article uses the date given by the Town of Barrington, which maintains a chronological history on its website.

References

1. "Pages - Contacts". Barrington Public Schools.
2. "Barrington High School - School and District data - RIDE InfoWorks". Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE Infoworks. Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
3. "Contacts". Barrington Public Schools.
4. Adams, Virginia. Historic and Architectural Resources of Barrington, Rhode Island. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission. p. 38.
5. "Barrington High School in BARRINGTON, RI - Best High Schools - US News". U.S News & World Report. U.S News & World Report L.P.
6. "America's Top Schools 2014". Newsweek. 13 September 2014.
7. Adams, Virginia. Historic and Architectural Resources of Barrington, Rhode Island. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission. p. 25.
8. "Leander Remington Peck (1843 - 1909) - Find A Grave Memorial". Find A Grave. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
9. "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM" (PDF). Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2015. A new high school directly south of Town Hall, was donated to the Town of Barrington in 1917 by Sarah Gould Peck in memory of her husband, Leander Remington Peck. To oversee this project, a committee was established consisting of Isaac Foster; Charles A. Hoar, Chairman of the School Committee; and Frederick S. Peck, son of the donor. Construction was begun in the spring of 1916, and the building was opened on September 14, 1917. Martin & Hall, architects of Providence, designed an Elizabethan-Revival building which was erected by Wilmarth and Mackillop of Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
10. Adams, Virginia. Historic and Architectural Resources of Barrington, Rhode Island. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission. p. 39.
11. Adams, Virginia. Historic and Architectural Resources of Barrington, Rhode Island. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission. p. 45.
12. "History of Barrington". Town of Barrington.
13. "Report of the Visiting Committee, Barrington High School, Barrington, Rhode Island" (PDF). Barrington High School. New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Public Secondary Schools. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
14. "NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS PROGRAM Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2013" (PDF). U.S Department of Education. p. 155. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
15. "Students from Various Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds". Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE Infoworks. Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
16. "Activities Handbook" (PDF). Barrington Public Schools. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
17. "Pages - Championship History". Barrington Public Schools. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
18. "Pages - Hall of Fame". Barrington Public Schools. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
19. Gray, Spalding (2011). Casey, Nell, ed. The journals of Spalding Gray. New York: Vintage Books. p. 5. ISBN 9780307474919. He had never been a good student, failing most of his classes at the public school in Barrington while wandering about with a group of wayward local boys who drank too much.
20. "Brian Howe | LinkedIn". LinkedIn. LinkedIn. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
21. Providence Journal (2006). "Paris Hilton says Former Miss Teen Rhode Island punched her". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
22. Donaldson, Jim (2009). "As he nears 40, Brett Quigley's still searching for that first big win". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
23. "Barrington High School Hall of Fame Inductees" (PDF). Barrington Boosters. Barrington Public Schools. Retrieved 28 October 2015.