William H. Hall High School, also known as Hall High, is a four-year public high school located in West Hartford, in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Opened in 1924, it was named after William Henry Hall, who was a teacher, principal and superintendent of schools in West Hartford. The school colors are blue and white, and the mascot is the "Warrior." It is one of two public high schools in the West Hartford Public Schools, the other being Conard High School. Enrollment in grades 9â€"12 for the 2006â€"2007 school year was 2,604 students.
Demographics
The 2016/2017 demographic profile are as follows: White 66%, Asian American 12% Hispanic 12% Black 10%
Athletics and clubs
In soccer, Hall won the 1980 state championship 3-2 over E. O. Smith High School. The school also reached the semifinals of the state tournament four times under head coach Zeke Seguro, who won his 150th game as coach on October 10, 2008 with a 1-0 victory at South Windsor. Hall's boys' cross country team has won the Central Connecticut Conference four of the last five years dating back to 2012. As of 2013, the girls' swimming and diving team had recorded 29 consecutive wins.
Hall has a renowned jazz program, which stage an annual production called Pops 'n' Jazz, regularly selling over 3,000 tickets every year. They have also won the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival twice, in 1998 and 2000. The band has performed for the president at the White House, appeared in Ken Burns's documentary film ''Jazz'' and shared the stage with countless jazz luminaries, including Count Basie Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Ted Nash, Arturo O'Farrell, Elliot Mason, John Daversa, Phil Woods and Joe Lovano.
Academic accomplishments
- Recognized by Newsweek as one of the nation's top (No. 855) high schools.
- Blue Ribbon School in 1984-85.
- Recognized in the November 2008 Issue of Connecticut Magazine as the 13th best school in the state of Connecticut.
- Awarded a Gold Medal by U.S. News as one of the top high schools in the country (#322) and 6th Best in Connecticut in 2012.
Notable alumni
- Natalie Anderson, Survivor: San Juan Del Sur winner
- David Alan Basche, actor (United 93, War of the Worlds)
- Jeff Bleich, United States Ambassador to Australia (2009-2013), class of 1979
- Chris Carrabba, musician and lead singer of the band Dashboard Confessional attended freshman year
- Dave Chameides, Emmy-Award winning cinematographer, TV director and environmentalist.
- Matthew Eisenfeld, was killed in the Jerusalem bus 18 massacres
- Andy Fleischmann, politician, Connecticut State General Assembly
- Jacob Fox, mathematician
- Joel Frahm, jazz tenor saxophonist
- Wavy Gravy, activist and comic
- Michael Grynbaum, journalist, The New York Times
- Jonathan Harris (politician), former Connecticut State Senator
- Grayson Hugh, singer/songwriter
- Charlie Kaufman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation., Being John Malkovich)
- Steven A. Kandarian, businessperson
- Marc Lasry, co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks
- Frank Luntz, The New York Times best-selling author, Fox News correspondent, Communication Consultant Company President, and political pollster
- Jimmy Macbride, jazz drummer
- Brad Mehldau, jazz pianist
- Pete McGuinness, jazz trombonist
- Ken Ober, actor, game show host, comedian
- Noah Preminger, jazz saxophonist
- Jonathan Reisman, musician, Grammy Award winning Jazz Pianist
- Brian Rosenworcel, musician and member of the band Guster
- Jessica Rosenworcel, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
- Sara Roy, Middle East scholar
- Michael Schur, writer and producer (The Office, Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation
- Scott Slifka, West Hartford mayor
- Roger Sperry, neuropsychologist and Nobel Prize laureate
- David H. Steinberg, screenwriter (Slackers, American Pie 2, Puss In Boots, American Pie: Book of Love)
- Erica von Kleist, a renowned flautist, saxophonist, composer and educator
- Patrick Zimmerli, composer
References
External links
- Hall High School site
- West Hartford Public School System site
- Athletic schedules and results
