Wilbur Cross High School is a four-year
publichigh school in the
East Rock neighborhood of
New Haven, Connecticut, United States, serving ninth through twelfth grades. The school is named after Connecticut Governor
Wilbur Lucius Cross and is the largest school in the
New Haven Public Schools in the number of students as well as teachers. The school operates with two semesters and four marking periods.
History
The school was founded in 1920 as Commercial High School, taking over the vocational education components that had been included in
Hillhouse High School. Commercial became a
comprehensive school in 1949 and was renamed in memory of Governor Cross in 1950.[2]
In 1960 (1961?) Wilbur Cross and Hillhouse High School were both constructed using identical layouts, save one elevation change between wings. Cross had red external panels, while Hillhouse was blue. There were 3 different offerings: College Prep, Business, and General.[citation needed] There were only 3 grades. In 1963, the first graduating class that started there had 444 members, out of roughly 700 that had started as sophomores. There were roughly 2,000 students.
Academics
Wilbur Cross has four career-themed "academies": Business & Fine Arts, Health & Culinary Sciences, Law & Public Service, and the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.
Wilbur Cross High School offers 15
Advanced Placement (AP) Classes. Students are required to take the exams. The exam fee is covered by the school district.
Athletics
Wilbur Cross's mascot is the Governor, in recognition of the school's namesake. They compete in the Oronoque Division of the
Southern Connecticut Conference. These sports are offered:
Fall
Football
Boys' Soccer
Girls' Soccer
Girls' Volleyball
Boys' Cross Country
Girls' Cross Country
Boys' Swimming
Girls' Swimming (combined with East Haven)
Cheerleading
Winter
Boys' Basketball
Girls' Basketball
Boys' Indoor Track
Girls' Indoor Track
Spring
Baseball
Softball
Lacrosse
Coed Tennis
Golf
Boys' Outdoor Track
Girls' Outdoor Track
Basketball
The school has a long history on the
basketball court. At one time[when?], Cross teams were regular participants in the
New England Tournament, an event of up to 15,000 spectators at the
Boston Garden. However, Connecticut withdrew from the tournament after a riot in 1958 during the tournament final between Wilbur Cross and a
Somerville, Massachusetts team[which?]. New Haven high schools were successful in the Connecticut high school basketball leagues through the 1960s. Cross High School and nearby rival
Hillhouse High School won the state championship in nine of ten years of the decade.[3]
In the 1973–1974 season The Washington Post ranked Cross the No. 1 high school team in the nation and a headline in the New York Post proclaimed Cross "The Best High School Team in the World" after the Governors defeated New York City's
DeWitt Clinton High School team.[3][6] The 1999-2000 team was considered the state's best, with a 24–0 record, until being upset by
Bridgeport Central High School in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.[3] The 2007-2008 team had an undefeated regular season, going 20–0. The Governors won the division, the
SCC tournament, and the BABC Holiday Classic, but lost to
Lyman Hall by three points in the quarter-finals of the state tournament.[7]
Other sports
The boys'
soccer team won its division and advanced to the final 16 of the state championship in 2007. The boys' indoor track team finished second in Connecticut, also in the 2007-2008 year.[citation needed]
The football team plays
Hillhouse High School every year on Thanksgiving in the Elm City Bowl in an annual game that dates back to 1920.[8]
The school has a culinary team and management team that compete in the National ProStart Invitational competition.[9] The restaurant management team took 1st place in the National ProStart Invitational competition in 2023. [10] The current coach of both teams, chef Nathaniel Bradshaw, won National ProStart Educator of the year in 2016. [11]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's
verifiability policy. Please
improve this article by removing names that do not have independent
reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate
citations.(August 2022)
^Gould, Isabelle.
The Hillhouse High School Collection 1859-1970,
New Haven Museum and Historical Society, July 1977. Accessed January 2, 2019. "In 1920, Commercial High-School was built opposite Hillhouse on what was now called Tower Parkway, and commercial courses were removed from the Hillhouse curriculum.... In 1949, the Board of Education reorganized the high schools in New Haven; and Hillhouse and Commercial each became comprehensive high schools with curricula covering all areas. The following year, Hillhouse was rededicated as James Hillhouse High School and Commercial was renamed Wilbur L. Cross High School."
^"Ben Allison Trio kicks off Spring Jazz Series at Firehouse 12 Friday", New Haven Register, March 12, 2014. Accessed January 2, 2019. "An accomplished jazz musician with 11 albums under his belt, Ben Allison is also the “local boy makes good” when he comes back to play in the Elm City, where he was born and attended Neighborhood Music School, ACES Educational Center for the Arts and Wilbur Cross High School."
^"Sports", Colby Alumnus, Vol. 45, No. 3: Spring 1956, p. 18. Accessed January 2, 2018. "Born in East Orange, New Jersey, Clifford lived in New Haven from 1929-1939, graduating from Wilbur Cross High School."
^"Retired Supreme Court justice to 2015 Wilbur Cross grads: Keep moving forward", New Haven Register, June 18, 2015. Accessed January 2, 2019. "Wilbur L. Cross alumnus and retired Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper Jr. urged 2015 graduates of his alma mater to keep moving forward, even during times of uncertainty.... Harper, who graduated from Wilbur Cross in 1961, said it was an honor to serve as keynote speaker for the commencement, calling it a 'memorable' occasion, a moment that brought him 'full-circle.'"
^via
Associated Press.
"Casimir Loxsom breaks own American record in 600", USA Today, March 1, 2015. Accessed January 2, 2019. "On Friday night at the Reggie Lewis Center, Loxsom stopped by to hand out medals at the New England Indoor Championships, the high school meet where he set a meet record in 2009 in winning a title for Wilbur Cross High School of New Haven, Connecticut."