Fond du Lac High School


Fond du Lac High School is a comprehensive public high school in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin administered by the Fond du Lac School District. Opened in 2001, the school replaced the former Goodrich High School, which was the city's high school from 1922 to 2001. Fond du Lac High School has an enrollment of approximately 2000 students. It is the largest high school in Wisconsin by area. Fond du Lac High School's athletic teams are known as the Cardinals.

Building layout

The educational wing of the school is shaped like an "H". The bar in the letter "H" is the location of the library; the other parts of the "H" are known as pods. Each pod is color-coded violet, yellow, blue, and green respectively for English, Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies. The school also offers foreign language, located among the other pods. The technology education and art wings are located at the eastern end of the school. Business classes and home economics classes are located between English & Social Studies and Math & Science, respectively. The cafeteria is in a large space called the Commons. Music classes are in a wing located to the west of the Commons, also housing the Performing Arts Center. Physical education classes are located north of the Commons, with the centerpiece of the wing being Fond du Lac High School's Acuity Fieldhouse.
The school is surrounded by retaining ponds, which are fitted with geothermal heat pumps that regulate the temperature of the school during the year. This is saving the school thousands each year in heating and cooling costs.

Academics

Advanced placement classes offered at Fond du Lac High School include calculus, chemistry, physics, psychology, U.S. politics and government, biology, U.S History, statistics, computer science, music theory, language and composition, and literature and composition. A few CAPP and other concurrent enrollment options are offered by the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh.

Athletics

The school competes in the Fox Valley Association conference in all sports except football, which is in the Valley Football Association. 24 sports are currently offered:
FallWinterSpring
Girls' Swimming and DivingBoys' BasketballBaseball
Girls' Cross CountryGirls' BasketballSoftball
Boys' Cross CountryGirls' HockeyGirls' Track
Boys' VolleyballBoys' HockeyBoys' Track
Girls' VolleyballWrestlingGirls' Soccer
Girls' TennisBoys' Swimming and DivingBoys' Golf
Boys' Soccer
Girls' Golf
Football
Dance
Cheer

The football team is notable for having ended two of the longest winning streaks in Wisconsin high school history. On October 31, 1987, the Cardinals ended the then-record 48-game winning streak of Manitowoc Lincoln Ships with a 27-15 victory at Fruth Field in Fond du Lac in the sectional final of the WIAA playoffs. On August 17, 2018, the Cardinals again snapped a record winning streak, this one the 70-game winning streak of the Kimberly Papermakers, with a 31-28 victory in Kimberly.

Controversy

In 2014, following publication of an article in the school newspaper about the rape culture in the school, the principal announced that all articles written for the school paper would require his approval before publication. The change in the school's policy led to a petition to reverse the policy change, a student sit-in, and national media attention. The principal resigned at the end of the 2014 school year.

Notable alumni