Prior to 1933, Washingtonville students were offered only three years of high school and had to go to nearby schools if interested in completing a fourth year.[4][5] Washingtonville's schools centralized into the Washingtonville Central School District in 1931 and a central school building, which now serves as Washingtonville Middle School, was completed in 1933 for students of all ages in the district.[6] Washingtonville High School graduated its first senior class in 1934, a total of five students.[5]
"Rural High School" (1951)
In 1951, the United States Information Service released a propaganda short film about the high school entitled "Rural High School." It is an idealized portrayal of a typical "large rural high school" and "school and home life in America" and depicts "scenes of the school; classes; social activities; and students' homes."[7][8]
References to Washingtonville sports teams wearing blue and gold date back to at least 1940.[9] The use of the "Wizard" nickname for Washingtonville sports teams dates back to at least 1962 when the moniker was applied in local newspaper coverage.[10]
The district's population continued to grow and, in 1965, graduated its first senior class with more than 100 students.[5] School District voters approved construction of the current school building in a 1,169–640 vote on December 2, 1964.[11] The building was completed at a cost of $2.7 million (equivalent to $24.4million in 2024) and dedicated in a ceremony on March 31, 1968. In its first year, it held 1,050 students in grades 8–12. After the first year, it was attended by students in grades 9–12.[12]
The school shortly before its opening in 1968
In April 1969, a 17-year-old Washingtonville student was charged with second degree manslaughter after a fight in the parking lot of the school. After the fight, 17-year-old Anthony Scibetta boarded a school bus and collapsed. He was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh.[13] Police said his death was caused by a concussion.[14]
In May 1989, due to "overcrowding that [wa]s starting to face the district as the result of residential home building in the area," residents voted 1,121–797 to approve a $16 million plan (equivalent to $40.6million in 2024) to dramatically expand the school by adding more than 30 classrooms, a swimming pool and an elevator among other features.[16][17] The addition was completed in time for the beginning of the 1992–93 school year and also included a courtyard and covered entryway.[18]
By September 2003, the School District's population had grown to the point that approximately 70 classrooms had more than 30 students per teacher and the school was over-enrolled by more than 300 students.[19] In November 2003, School District voters agreed to a $39.8 million plan which included an addition to the high school, which had last been expanded in 1992. In early 2007, a $9million construction project (equivalent to $13.6million in 2024) was completed. It added a new cafeteria and a 25,000-square-foot wing with 13 classrooms, three computer rooms and an art room.[20]
In April 2005, four alleged gang members from Rockland County entered the school during classes and assaulted a 16-year-old student. All four teenagers were charged with felonies.[21]
On the morning of June 9, 2006, amid final exams, seven people at the school were affected by noxious fumes, two of whom required treatment at a hospital. The gasses were believed to have been created deliberately by students mixing cleaning products in a boys' bathroom. Classes were cancelled and the school was evacuated for the day.[22]
The school's principal was arrested in October 2010 and charged in New Windsor with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated harassment and in Cornwall with third-degree sexual abuse, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. He had been accused by a 16-year-old student of making inappropriate advances. The forcible touching charge was dismissed in July 2011. In January 2012, the principal agreed to plead guilty only to endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced to pay a $1,000 fine and forfeit his teaching license.[23]
In 2014, Washingtonville Wizards placekicker Derek Deoul set a state record with 27 career field goals.[24]
The school was subject to false bomb threats in April 2015 and January 2017. The first was caused by a misunderstanding of the slang use of "bomb" as an adjective but resulted in an evacuation nonetheless.[25] The second was orchestrated as a ploy by a student to get out of class. The student and an accomplice in Brooklyn were ultimately arrested.[26]
↑ "Scribe Staff to Sponsor Movie". Orange County Post. February 28, 1957. p.1. Retrieved September 6, 2025. Shown with it will be the movie made in the high school several years ago, 'Rural High School', starring members of the school.
↑ "Cornwall Wins, 3–1, on Penalty Fouls". The Post. October 4, 1940. p.12. Retrieved September 10, 2025. Last Tuesday afternoon the Cornwall eleven defeated the Washingtonville blue and gold 3-1.
↑ "Tuxedo Stops Washies on Foul Line Shooting". Orange County Post. February 15, 1962. p.24. Retrieved September 5, 2025. So the Wizards suffered their third loss of the season in league play.
↑ Rodriguez, Justin (November 18, 2005). "Wash'ville's Hawkins passed on pro soccer". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Hawkins, a 1980 Washingtonville graduate, was drafted by the Washington Diplomats of the now-defunct North American Soccer League that same year.
↑ McMillan, Ken (November 24, 2015). "Storybook finish for Washingtonville grad Hehir". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved September 4, 2025. 'We all bought into that,' said Hehir, a 2011 Washingtonville graduate. 'That's exactly why we are here, where we are today, because we all believed in the same thing.'
↑ "#ThrowBackThursday". Facebook. Moffat Library. September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016. Naomi would become the first African American to graduate from Washingtonville High School, before attending Howard University in 1910.
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