Fife High School

Fife High School
Address
5616 20th Street East
Fife, Washington, Pierce
USA
Information
Type Public secondary
Established 1899
Dean Shane Nixon
Principal Ronald D. Ness, Jr.
Grades 10–12
Color(s) Blue and Gold
         
Mascot Trojans
Website

Fife High School is located in the town of Fife, Washington. FHS is the only high school in the Fife Public Schools system.[1]

History

Fife High School initially consisted of the upper grades of the general Fife School, founded on December 23, 1899. In 1904, a two story building was built in the same location, on Dyslin road. The high school was officially separated from the lower grades in 1930, when the new high school building was completed. A new two room school was built in the site of the present high school. One room was housed, the other was the classroom.[2] At that time, the official school colors of Royal Blue and Gold were chosen.

Traditions

Cabbage Patch

From the roots of Fife's agricultural economy, the Cabbage Patch Olympics[3] were born in 1980.[4] These field games were named in honor of the many cabbage fields, which until the 2000s, were still very prominent in the landscape. The Olympics occur every September as an inter-class competition, as the finale of the fall Associated Student Body (A.S.B) Week. Held on the football field, the competition consists of numerous events, most notably: The cabbage throw, Hula Hoop pass, tug of war, and pyramid building. Each class (sophomore, junior and senior) is awarded points for each event, tallied on large decorated posters. Points are also awarded for color unity (every class member wearing the class color), spirit, and mascot creativity. Traditionally, the class colors are Sophomore: White, Junior: Gold/Yellow, Senior: Blue. Each year a theme for the Olympics is chosen, Cartoon Characters for example, but the cabbage remains the overall emphasis each year. The only prizes for winning the Olympics are the substantial bragging rights, until the next year. In 2011 the Junior Class won. In 2012, the senior class successfully defended their title.

Daffodil Festival

Each year, Fife participates in the Pierce County Daffodil Festival, a regional tradition since 1933. As one of the first cities to participate, the high school holds particular standing as one of the longest represented schools in the annual parade. Each year a competition is held in the fall within the school, for the title of Fife Daffodil princess. Once selected, the Fife Princess joins other area school representatives in competition for the title of Daffodil Festival Queen. A prestigious regional award, Fife princesses often return to the parade as area celebrity alumni. At Fife High, every princess is professionally photographed, and her portrait is displayed alongside every other Fife princess in the school library, since the 1940s.

Every year, the Fife community builds a parade float, following the particular theme of the parade that year. All of the Fife princesses and the Fife Queen ride, accompanied by the high school band and dance team marching.

Academics

Due to its small size, and the breadth of community it must serve, Fife has somewhat limited academic depth. However, the school is compensated through strong selected classes, such as calculus, physics, Spanish, and its AP classes. Within the recent decade, Fife has seen a surge of graduates attend college and university, including (but not limited to) the University of Washington, Washington State University, Pacific Lutheran University, USC, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Pepperdine, The Naval Academy, West Point, UPenn, and others.

Athletics

Fife competes as a 2A school in the South Puget Sound League (SPSL). However, Fife previously competed In the 2A Nisqually League, as well as a 3A classified school in the Seamount League-Pierce County, Washington. Fife's rival in athletics is White River High School, in Buckley, Washington.

The Volleyball powerhouse

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Fife was the regional girls' volleyball powerhouse of the South Puget Sound region. This was due to the leadership of head coach Jan Kirk, still heading the program. During this time the team took 1st in 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999, in state volleyball and placed in the top 4 from 1992-2001. One of Fife's players, Jessica Miller, was responsible for breaking every kill record in 2009.[5]

Cheerleading

Fife High School's small cheerleading squad is responsible for creating the "How Do You Feel" chant in which fans, parents, or members of the band shout "Hey cheerleaders, how do you feel?" The cheerleaders then reply "We feel awesome, oh, we feel so awesome! UH!" This chant was originally intended to be between the band and the cheerleaders but was soon caught on by the fans. "We Feel Awesome" can also be used towards an individual cheerleader by instead asking "Hey (cheerleader's name), how do you feel?" The response is then changed to "I feel awesome, oh, I feel so awesome! UH!"

Fall

Winter

Spring

The arts

Fife High Schools administration has historically had a strained relationship with its art teachers, serious artistic students and community members. Although many schools are traditionally sports-oriented, the FHS arts programs are very well supported by the school district. The offerings of the school include:

The Jazz programs have exceptionally flourished, due to artistic director, Karl Sorenson. Both the jazz choir and band consistently place in the Top 3 of Clark College Jazz Festival, as well as the Envision Jazz Festival in Surrey, B.C, and the B.C. Interior Jazz Festival in Kelowna B.C, and the Clackamas Community College Jazz Festival. The Jazz groups are frequently assisted by Jack Halsey, alumni of the internationally known Kent-Meridian High School Jazz Band, UW graduate, and co-founder of the internationally famous Seattle group DoctorfunK. The concert groups are also well known and have received superior rating at the league concert band festivals.

Since orchestra is not offered, students at Fife are encouraged to participate in the Tacoma Youth Symphony, Seattle Youth Symphony, or Capital Area Youth Symphony (Olympia, Washington).

The Drama program is slowly burgeoning. There are two main concentrations of the program: classes and performances. At the high school, the drama program offers three classes: Beginning Acting, Advanced Drama, and Actor's Workshop. These classes allow many students to grow in their confidence and learn different aspects of acting, from improvisation to the Stanislavski System. The performances take place twice a year, with a dramatic performance in the fall and a musical in the spring. The musical is done in collaboration with the Columbia Junior High. The Drama program has received high praise for their performances, especially for their 2005-2006 fall drama, The Diary of Anne Frank, their 2006-2007 fall drama, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, and their 2008-2009 spring musical, The Wizard of Oz.

A local magazine set up by the students, Mirror features a compilation of student poetry, art, and short stories that is sold around the school. 2010 had record sales, selling out the entire stock of books in less than one hour and had to re-order to meet student demand.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

References

  1. ↑ Fife High School (2007). Fife High School Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  2. ↑ Fife High School: A Historical Perspective (2007). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  3. ↑ Cabbage Patch (2007). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  4. ↑ Olympics Founding (2007). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  5. ↑ WIAA Volleyball "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
  6. ↑ Obituary, Tacoma News Tribune (September 1, 2002). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  7. ↑ Emmert Article (June 2004). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  8. ↑ WSU Hall of Fame (2007). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  9. ↑ Aiden Biography, MTV (2006). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  10. ↑ General Election (2004). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  11. ↑ Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association, Hall of Fame (1995). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  12. ↑ Seahawks Cheerleaders (2000). Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  13. ↑ Seahawks Cheerleaders (2001). Retrieved February 7, 2007.

External links

Coordinates: 47°14′17″N 122°21′11″W / 47.23806°N 122.35306°W / 47.23806; -122.35306

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