Washington Park High School (also known as Park or Racine Park High School) is a public, four-year

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 ...

in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, with an enrollment of over 2,400 students. Its school colors are blue and orange. The school's mascot, the panther, was adopted by the Class of 1949, reportedly because of a nearby Native American effigy mound in the shape of a panther. It is a part of the

Racine Unified School District Racine Unified School District (RUSD) is a school district serving the eastern portion of Racine County, Wisconsin. It encompasses a area, and serves the city of Racine and six other towns and villages, which had a combined population of 139,193 ...

History

The school traces its roots to 1852 when Racine High School, one of the first public schools in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, opened. In 1926, the Racine School Board decided to replace Racine High School with a new school that eventually became Park. The new Washington Park High School opened in 1928. The north side of Racine also received its own high school the same year when land donated by the

malted milk Malted milk or malt powder is a powdered gruel made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk powder. The powder is used to add its distinctive flavor to beverages and other foods, but it is also used in bakin ...

magnate

William Horlick William Horlick, Sr. (23 February 1846 – 25 September 1936) was an English-born food manufacturer and the original patent holder of malted milk. He emigrated to the United States in 1869, settling in Racine, Wisconsin. There he started a ...

was used by the Racine School board for another high school named in Horlick's honor. The school building was designed by the Racine architect J. Mandor Matson.Mark Hertzberg
Two men, two visions
''Journal Times'', May 12, 2002 The school

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

is the panther. Much of the history and memorabilia (including art, awards and traditions) from Racine High School were moved to Park. The statue of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

that was donated by the Racine High School Class of 1904 is displayed in Park's foyer. The school's newspaper, ''The Beacon'' (a reference to Racine's Wind Point Lighthouse), and the school

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

''Kipikawi'' (a Native American name for the Root River), were also both carried over from Racine High School.

Athletics

Park's sports teams compete in the

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the earliest continually existing high school athletic organization in the country. ...

(WIAA) Southeast Conference with schools from Racine,

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...

and southern

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

, including Park's long-time crosstown rivals Horlick High School and Case High School, the other major high schools in Racine.

Rivalry with William Horlick

Park has a long-standing rivalry with William Horlick athletic teams, known locally as "The Great Rivalry" or more informally as "Park/Horlick". The rivalry began in 1928, when the two schools opened. The rivalry is most notable between the schools' football teams who have played at least once every year since 1928.

State championships

School song

Hail to thee, Park High.
Hail thy orange and blue.
Thy light shall guide us,
Thy beacon bright and true.
We'll serve thee always.
This our pledge shall be:
Park High, forever,
Hail, hail, hail to thee

Notable alumni

Kevin Barry Kevin Gerard Barry (20 January 1902 – 1 November 1920) was an Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier who was executed by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence. He was sentenced to death for his part in an attack upon a Brit ...

– NFL offensive lineman with the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans * Annastasia Batikis – AAGPBL outfielder with the Racine Belles *

Caron Butler James Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During a 14-year career he played for the Miami ...

– NBA professional basketball player * John Clay – NFL running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. * Scott C. Fergus – member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Kenneth L. Greenquist Kenneth L. Greenquist (April 3, 1910 – April 5, 1968) was a machinist, lawyer, and politician. He represented Racine County in the Wisconsin State Senate for four years as a Wisconsin Progressive, and was President of the University of Wiscon ...

– member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

* Ben Hecht – screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist * Solomon Hutcherson – MMA and UFC fighter. * Abdul Jeelani (né Gary Cole) – NBA small forward with the Dallas Mavericks and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

*Maj. John L. Jerstad (1918–1943) –

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Major, U.S. Army Air Force Pilot and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient *Maj. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser ('83) - Major General, U.S. Army (retired) *

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

(1897–1975) – two-time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning stage and film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

* Barbara McNair – singer and actress *Eric Morones, saxophonist and composer, lead alto saxophonist for

Brian Setzer Orchestra The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sometimes known by its initials BSO) is a swing and jump blues band formed in 1990 by Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer. In 1998, for their breakout album '' The Dirty Boogie'', the group covered Louis Prima's " Jump, ...

Brent Moss Brent A. Moss (January 30, 1972 – November 13, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers from 1991–1994. Moss played ...

– NFL running back with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

and

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

* Norm Nelson - American stock car racer * Edward Peil Sr., actor * LaTonya Sims – professional basketball player and UW-Madison basketball player, Gatorade Player of the Year * William H. Upham (1841–1924) – 18th Governor of Wisconsin * Fred Venturelli – NFL kicker with the Chicago Bears *

Jerry Woods Jerry Woods is a former defensive back in the National Football League. Biography Woods was born Jerry Lee Woods on February 13, 1966 in Dyersburg, Tennessee. He grew up in Racine, Wi. Attended Park High School where he was a 3 sport athlete. A ...

– NFL defensive back with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers * Al Zupek – NFL fullback

References

External links

Official Park High web sitePark High School athletics web siteRacine history: Racine High School"Park High School Turns 75"
'' Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', May 8, 2004. {{authority control High schools in Racine, Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 1928 Public high schools in Wisconsin 1928 establishments in Wisconsin