King Philip Regional High School - Chieftain Yearbook (Wrentham, MA)

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'JC 'fr -91' ,,, .ng wgigc g0 L.. Twenty-five years ago, the first students marched forth into King Philip High School, to be followed by thousands of others all in search of the same thing-one of the best educations to be offered in this state. About five years before the start of the construction of K.P.R.H.S., committees were set forth to find out what was needed in the three towns in terms of curriculum. As a result, when the evaluations were completed, programs of study compiled, and the building erected, one of the most modern high school structures and curriculums in this part of the country was to be opened to the students of Plainville, Wrentham, and Norfolk. Because of the size of the towns, none could offer wide curriculums or a good vocational program. Norfolk had to send its students to Walpole on a tuition paid, year-to-year basis. This was not a good solution, because Walpole had barely enough room for its own students and Norfolk didn't have a real voice in policy making. ni Ji I ' iv-A 4 is When the original school structure was being planned, it was decided that there could be three schools, one in each town. As a result, there is land across from the Jackson School in Plainville that was held for another school. When the school was first planned, it was estimated that it would cost about 31,800,000 to complete the structure. It finally cost approximately S2,900,000, almost 4 million with the landscaping and the equipment necessary to conduct classes. Thanks to nine men from the three towns, we have our school today. Their plan was to give the students the best education possible, so that the students would be more prepared for higher education in some of the better schools in the country. These men were Roger Woodwin, Arthur Bond, and Hugh Marshall of Wrentham, Edward Hemmingsen, LeRoy Wilson and Clarence Skinner of Plainville, and Alvin Freeman, John Ra vinskl, and Seth Armand from Norfolk. These men 'ill Q.. It Q I 552 formed the original school and building committees. They can be credited with staying up until three and four o'clock in the morning during the month before the school was opened, doing strictly volunteer work in addition to their own regular jobs. They can also be credited with choosing the school name. King Philip was the chief of the Wampanoag Indians, who are said to have lived in this area, possibly on the shores of Lake Pearl. When King Philip became the chief of his tribe, he began preparations for a war against another tribe. Englishmen who had settled in this area were suspicious of King Philip and his warriors, though, and one day they found one of their spies dead. The blame was put on three of King Philip's warriors, which infuriated the chief and his tribe. So they retaliated in what became known as King Philip's War. The eventual outcome of this war was in favor of the Englishmen, leaving the warriors to flee to Canada and the Englishmen to settle on the tribe's soil. Three hundred years later, nine men from Plainville, Wrentham, and Norfolk named ,-1 'ii'

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1953 oT'aenify - oifik' cf niversary I N! Cir -3 Y ,fm 1952

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Q 'Si 1 , 40 ....- ,M 11 , . mi 914 ck.- . fd! 'QL 7 fu. f Y I x f is S - the new school for King Philip. The new high school was ready for occupancy in October of 1957, and by March of 1958 the full program was underway. ln 1967, the King Philip Junior High School was completed for seventh and eighth graders. Before then, the seventh and eighth graders were housed in the high school, but with increasing enrollment, there wasn't enough room for all six of the grades. By 1975, there was an addition to the school which gave us a vocational section twice the size of the original one, a newer and larger gymnasium, and a new media center. Through the years, the vocational school has grown to greater and greater sizes. When the school was opened there were only six shop classes, home economics, carpentry, machine shop, metalworking, woodworking, and mechanical drawing. In 1981, there were fifteen vocational -- 'f 'bd n Q-4 l'.?x'2 programs. These programs were courses such as distributive education for students interested in business management and merchandising and related fields, a health course for students health and medically related fields, office occupations, sheet metal, automotive, electrical, and machine shops, plumbing, technical drawing, drafting, child care, carpentry, culinary arts, home economics, and small engines. Since 1959, the carpentry shops have built one house per year for people living in the three towns, and every shop does its specialty to complete the house. In 1979, a health course was added to the vocational curriculum to prepare students who are interested in a medical or related field. For many years there has been a future nurses club and a medically related careers club, but there was never anything that could prepare students as this program does. In 1957, Warren Pressley was chosen to be the first King Philip High School principal. He left his post after seven years. Charles Manos was then appointed to the principalship, leaving after five years. R.J 0'Donnell came but left after a year to become the Assistant Director of Evaluation for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. E. Switzer became principal in 1972 and held that position for two years. When the school opened in September of 1974, Walter White, Assistant Principal, took the position of Acting Principal. Clyde La Vine was then given the position and held it for the next three years. Donald Murphy then served as principal for three years before leaving to become a school principal in Cairo, Egypt. William Costa, who has served as the superintendent for ten years, will now serve as SuperintendentPrincipal. Year by year, the school has grown not just larger, but richer, and more able to fulfill the goals of the original building committee. It has enabled all who have passed through the halls of King Philip the chance to reach their own goals and to be successful in whatever they strive to attain.