STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL PAST AND PRESENT

Staples High School was originally built in 1884 by a savvy Yankee trader, Horace Staples. Believing in the value of education, Horace determined Westport should be a progressive town and have its own high school.

As a young boy, Horace attended the local district school until he was 10 years old. At that age, farm boys were expected to forego schooling and go to work full time on the farm, though a determined boy might continue his studies during the four or five months of winter. Despite these limitations, Horace Staples completed his education and embarked upon a successful business and banking career.

Having unsuccessfully offered land for a school to the town of Westport in 1866, Staples decided to build the school himself. Some of the businessmen feared that education would make the boys lazy, but Mr. Staples did not believe this.

Opening on October 31, 1884, Staples High School was a three-story red brick building on Riverside Avenue located on the land now occupied by Bedford Middle School. Beginning with 60 students who paid an annual tuition of $16 to $20, the school had one high school classroom, one grammar school classroom, a library and a laboratory. School lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as students studied a variety of subjects including English, German, Latin, Greek and algebra.

On June 24, 1887, the first graduating class of six young women was handed the first Staples’ diplomas. Made of genuine sheepskin, these diplomas bore a picture of the school’s donor, Horace Staples. On July 1, 1903, control of Staples High School was transferred from Staples’ estate to the Town of Westport. Fifty years after the first graduating class of six, 88 young men and women graduated.

In 1958, Staples High School was moved to its current location on North Avenue in order to respond to the expanding needs of the community. Today’s Staples includes an Olympic-size indoor pool and a radio station, WWPT-FM (90.3 FM).

Staples is a front-runner in the state and nation for its broad range of extracurricular activities, its rich curriculum and its outstanding program of professional development for teachers and administrators. During 2003-04, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges identified Staples as one of the top high schools in New England. The "Wall Street Journal" identified Staples as one of the "best high schools in the nation."

We have now entered a new phase in the history of Staples High School. A massive building and renovation project is complete, and we are enjoying a magnificent environment designed to enhance teaching and learning. With a wireless environment and appropriate technology, students and teachers can find information from whatever source is appropriate for the task.