West Liberty-Salem High School

West Liberty-Salem High School
View of West Liberty-Salem High School from U.S. Route 68
Location
7208 US Highway N 68 West Liberty , Champaign County , Ohio 43357 United States
Coordinates	40°12′55.35″N83°45′14.73″W / 40.2153750°N 83.7540917°W / 40.2153750; -83.7540917
Information
Type	Public, Coeducational high school
Motto	Dedicated to helping students reach their full potential.
Established	1961;64 years ago (1961)
NCES District ID	3904621 [1]
Educational authority	West Liberty-Salem Board Of Education
Superintendent	Kraig Hissong
NCES School ID	390462102472 [1]
Dean	Andy McGill
Principal	Greg Johnson
Grades	6-12
Enrollment	354 [1]  (2023-2024)
Student to teacher ratio	1:20
Color(s)	Black and Orange [2]
Fight song	On You Tigers (On Wisconsin)
Athletics	West Liberty-Salem is a member of the Ohio Heritage Conference (OHC).
Athletics conference	Ohio Heritage Conference [2]
Sports	Football, Boys and Girls Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Wrestling, Track & Field, Football and Basketball Cheerleading Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Boys Golf, Boys and Girls Soccer, Marching Band, Quick Recall, Science Olympiad, and Boys and Girls Bowling.
Mascot	Tina the Tiger
Nickname	West Lib, WLS
Team name	Tigers [2]
Rival	Mechanicsburg Indians, Triad Cardinals
Newspaper	Jungle News Digital Magazine
Yearbook	WeLiSaHi Yearbook
Communities served	West Liberty and Kingscreek, Ohio
Affiliation	Ohio High Point Career Center, Edison State Community College
Website	www.wlstigers.org

West Liberty-Salem High School is a public high school in Salem Township, Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The only high school in the West Liberty-Salem School District, it is situated along U.S. Route 68 between West Liberty, Urbana.

West Liberty-Salem partners with Edison State Community College In Piqua, Ohio to allow students in grades 7-12 to take college level courses free of charge, ^[3] and with Ohio High Point Career In Bellefontaine, Ohio to allow students in grades 11 and 12 to take vocational courses. ^[4]

West Liberty-Salem is the only school in Champaign County, Ohio that has a Science Olympiad program at the middle school level.

West Liberty-Salem is well known for the success of its track and field and cross country programs having won a total of 23 high school Track and Field OHC championships and a total of 29 high school OHC championships in cross country.

History

Salem Township High School in 1908, the structure still stands in Kingscreek, OH today but now houses apartments.

West Liberty-Salem High School was formed in 1961 when West Liberty High School (West Liberty, OH) and Salem Township High School (Kingscreek, OH) merged. In 1985 the West Liberty-Salem School District began construction on a new comprehensive school complex along U.S. Highway 68 just south of West Liberty, opening in 1989, the complex is still being used today. ^[5]

In 2011, then-high school Track and Field athlete Meghan Vogel made national headlines for carrying a fallen runner to the finish line. ^[6]

West Liberty-Salem has conducted several renovations since 1989 including new high school science classrooms in 2016, ^[7] new kindergarten and first grade classrooms in 2015 ^[8] and the installation of blinds over the windows on all doors in 2017. ^[9]

On January 20, 2017 there was a shooting injuring two students, one critically. ^{[10] [11]} 17-year-old student Ely Serna was charged in the incident and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. ^[12]

The school is currently raising funds for an athletic field house which would include bathrooms, locker rooms, a weight room, a basketball court and a track. ^[13]

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

See also: Ohio High School Athletic Association

• Girls Cross Country - 2020
• Girls Track & Field - 2019, 2021 ^[14]
• Boys Wrestling – 1991 ^[15]
• Boys Cross Country – 1976, ^[16] 1977, ^[17] 1978, ^[18] 1979 ^[16]
• Boys Basketball (Salem High School) - 1960 ^[19]

Ohio Heritage Conference Championships

See also: Ohio Heritage Conference

• Boys Football - 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2023 ^[20]
• Boys Basketball - 2006, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2024 ^[21]
• Boys Bowling - 2014 ^[22]
• Boys Baseball - 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2024 ^[23]
• Boys Track & Field - 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023,2024 ^[24]
• Boys Cross Country - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 ^[25]
• Boys Soccer - 2022 ^[26]
• Boys Golf - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 ^[27]
• Wrestling - 2005 ^[28]
• Girls Volleyball - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 ^[29]
• Girls Basketball - 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 ^[30]
• Girls Softball - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 ^[31]
• Girls Track & Field - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 ^[32]
• Girls Soccer - 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023 ^[33]
• Girls Cross Country - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 ^[34]

The West Liberty-Salem boys set a school record during the 2023-2024 school year winning a total of 5 conference championships (Football, Cross Country, Basketball, Baseball, and Track & Field). The boys and girls 8 conference championships in 2023-2024 tied a school record for total combined (2012-2013, 2010-2011, 2009–2010, 2005-2006).

References

1. "West Liberty-Salem Middle/High School (390462102472)". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
2. OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory" . Retrieved December 24, 2009.
3. "West Liberty-Salem Local School District: College Credit Plus". West Liberty-Salem Local School District. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
4. "West Liberty-Salem Local School District Counseling Office". West Liberty-Salem Local School District. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
5. Virts, Sheryl (November 27, 2016). "Then and Now: Salem Township High School". Urbana Daily Citizen. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
6. Binder, Doug (December 6, 2012). "High school runner Meghan Vogel showed sportsmanship beyond her years in June - ESPN The Magazine Interview Issue". ESPN . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
7. "New building dedicated". Bellefontaine Examiner. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
8. Bondus, Brian (March 29, 2015). "WLS to start $30M renovation Monday". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved March 1, 2024. The first phase of the project will add a new state-of-the-art science wing for high school students and a new elementary wing for preschool, kindergarten and first-grade students, Hissong said.
9. "West Liberty Case Study 2018". Activar Construction Products Group. February 22, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via YouTube.
10. "Student in critical condition after shooting at West Liberty High School". 10tv . February 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
11. "16-year-old victim in West Liberty school shooting returns to class". 10tv . Associated Press. February 13, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
12. "Teen Gets 23 Years For Shooting at West Liberty Salem High School". 10tv . Urbana. Associated Press. June 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
13. "Fieldhouse Project". West Liberty-Salem Local School District. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
14. Kablonski, David (June 1, 2019). "West Liberty-Salem makes history by winning state girls track team title". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
15. "Yappi Sports Wrestling". Yappi Sports. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
16. "Ohio High School Cross Country Record Book". Ohio High School Athletic Association . September 1, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
17. "FIFTIETH ANNUAL BOYS STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET" (PDF). www.ohsaa.org. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
18. "FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL BOYS STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET" (PDF). www.ohsaa.org. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
19. "Boys Sports 2023 Results" (PDF). ohsaa.org.
20. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Football - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
21. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Boys Basketball Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
22. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Boys Bowling - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
23. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Baseball Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
24. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Boys Track - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
25. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Boys Cross Country - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
26. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Boys Soccer - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
27. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Boys Golf - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
28. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Wrestling - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
29. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Girls Volleyball - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
30. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Girls Basketball - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
31. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Softball - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
32. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Girls Track - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
33. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Girls Soccer - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
34. "Ohio Heritage Conference: Girls Cross Country - Champions list". Ohio Heritage Conference . Retrieved March 1, 2024.

External links

• School shooting
• District website