West Salem High School (Salem, Oregon)

West Salem High School
Address
1776 Titan Drive Northwest Salem , Polk County , Oregon 97304 United States
Coordinates	44.9594035°N 123.0846027°W / 44.9594035; -123.0846027
Information
Type	Public
Motto	It's a great day to be a Titan!
Opened	2002
School district	Salem-Keizer School District
Principal	Carlos Ruiz[1]
Teaching staff	70.25 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades	9-12
Number of students	1,666 (2023-2024)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	23.72[2]
Color(s)	Forest Green, Black, and Silver    [1]
Athletics conference	OSAA 6A-6 Central Valley Conference[1]
Mascot	Titan
Team name	Titans[1]
Rival	South Salem High School, McNary High School
Feeder schools	Straub Middle School, Walker Middle School[3]
Website	West Salem Home Page

West Salem High School (WSHS) is a public high school of the Salem-Keizer School District located in Salem, Oregon, United States.

Academics

In 2008, 82% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 339 students, 279 graduated, 29 dropped out, five received a modified diploma, and 26 were still in high school the following year.[4][5]

In 2017, 1,732 students were enrolled at West Salem High School. At that time, its graduation rate was 89%.[6]

The 2017 class of 414 had 37 dropouts, and 87% of the class were graduating on time.[7]

Athletics

West Salem High School athletic teams compete in the OSAA 6A-6 Central Valley Conference (excluding Football which competes in 6A-SD1). The athletic director is Wendy Stradley and the athletics secretary is Amy Hamilton.[1]

State Championships:[8]

• Band: 2011, 2011 (String Orchestra)†, 2012, 2013 (6A Band), 2013 (Full Orchestra), 2015, 2016 (6A Band), 2016 (Full Orchestra), 2017 (6A Band), 2017 (Full Orchestra), 2018, 2019 (6A), 2019 (Full Orchestra), 2022, 2023 (6A), 2023 (Full Orchestra), 2023 (String Orchestra)
• Boys Track and Field: 2018
• Choir: 2013, 2018

(†=Tied with 1 or more schools)

West Salem Football Stadium

In 2012, West Salem unveiled a new Artificial Turf field. Unlike other schools which have green turf or green grass, West Salem's football field was black and nicked named "The Black Hole." The black turf was one of a kind and West Salem was the first school in the country to play in Black Turf. The turf costed $300,000. However, in 2020 West Salem raised $470,000 to remove the black turf and replace it with green turf.[9][10][11][12]

Notable students

• Ryan Allen - American football player
• Brett Smith - American football player
• Anthony Gould - college football player[13]

See also

• Michael Stephen Lampert (former teacher)
• Micah Masei (alumnus)

References

1. "West Salem".
2. "School Detail for West Salem High School". National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Retrieved December 9, 2024.
3. https://salkeiz.k12.or.us/schools/attendance-areas
4. "State releases high school graduation rates". The Oregonian. June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
5. "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". The Oregonian. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
6. "West Salem High School". U.S. News. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
7. "West Salem High School". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
8. "Records & Archives".
9. "West Salem Goes All-Black Field Turf, with an Unexpected Benefit". Francis, JR. September 7, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
10. "West Salem High Rolls out New Black Turf". Staff, KGW. August 31, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
11. "Oregon High School Unveils Nation's First Black Football Field". Smith, Stephen. September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
12. "Football: West Salem Replaces Iconic 'Black Hole' Turf". Ulmer, Jerry. June 25, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
13. Martini, Pete (March 23, 2018). "West Salem's Anthony Gould commits to Oregon State, saying Beavers 'feel like home'". Statsman Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2023.