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Killingly High School
Killingly High School
Address
226 Putnam Pike Killingly, Connecticut 06241 United States
Coordinates	41°51′36″N 71°52′24″W / 41.8600°N 71.8732°W / 41.8600; -71.8732
Information
Type	Public high school
Motto	Great Things Happen Here!
Established	1908 (116 years ago) (1908)
School district	Killingly School District
Superintendent	Susan Nash
CEEB code	070135
NCES School ID	090207000392
Principal	Karen Lagace
Faculty	66.30 (FTE)
Grades	9 to 12
Gender	Co-educational
Enrollment	753 (2021–22)
Student to teacher ratio	12.23
Campus type	Rural
Color(s)	Maroon and white
Athletics conference	Eastern Connecticut Conference
Mascot	None (formerly Redmen)
Newspaper	The Red Line
Website	khs.killinglyschools.org

Killingly High School is a public high school in Killingly, Connecticut. The school reported 792 students and 65 FTE classroom teachers for the 2014–2015 school year. Killingly High is the only public high school in the Killingly School District, which is on the eastern edge of Windham County. It also serves the nearby town of Brooklyn.

For 2015, the community voted to make the school the sole polling place in Killingly. The Secretary of State informed the town registrar's office that this was a misinterpretation of statute, and in 2016, a second polling place was opened at the school's old location.

Sports at the school are done as part of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.

Killingly High was included in a segment of the reality TV series The Principal's Office in 2009.

Old Killingly High School was built in 1908 and used by the school until 1965. The second building was then used until 2010 and continues to act as the site of an alternative learning program and the school district's central office. The first building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 and is now the town's community center.

Mascot controversies

In 2014 school officials began discussing changing the school's mascot name, The Redmen, in response to controversy over Native American mascots.

In 2019, another student group advocated for a name change and brought the issue back into the news. The school board voting to change the name to "Red Hawks", which was selected as the new mascot by 80% of students in an October, 2019 vote. An effort to restore the name Redmen was supported by the Native American Guardians Association (a controversial non-profit funded by the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation) which gave lectures on the origin of the name. On January 9, 2020, the board voted to reinstate the name "Redmen" with an updated logo to reduce negative stereotypes. The reinstatement drew national attention to the school. Connecticut State Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz called the reinstatement a "mockery of the process" and announced plans to ban the use of such mascots at the legislative level, following a precedent first set by Maine and followed by other states.

In November, 2024, the Redmen name and mascot was retired by the school. There were no immediate plans for a replacement.

Athletics

CIAC State Championships

ECC Championships

Notable alumni

• Bruce Boisclair, New York Mets outfielder
• Shane Gibson, professional basketball player
• Eric Laakso, Miami Dolphins professional football player (NFL)

See also

• List of secondary school sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples

References

1. ^ "Search for Public Schools - Killingly High School (090207000392)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
2. ^ "Killingly High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
3. ^ "Leagues". Conn. Interscholastic Athletic Conf. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
4. Penney, John (August 12, 2015). "Killingly High School now town's single polling place". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
5. Penney, John (March 28, 2016). "Killingly adding back a polling location". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
6. Penney, John (January 9, 2009). "Killingly High principal resigns". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
7. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
8. Rayner, Kate (September 16, 2014). "Killingly to Reconsider Mascot in Light of National Controversy". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
9. ^ Beale, Stephen. "Killingly High back to being Redmen". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
10. Stephen Beale (October 8, 2019). "Mascot pick sent to BOE". The Bulletin.
11. adellacosta@norwichbulletin.com, Anna Maria Della Costa. "Redmen mascot racist? Community weighs in". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
12. Fawcett, Eliza. "In heated debate over mascot, Killingly board of education rescinds "Red Hawks," but fails in bid to restore "Redmen" name". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
13. Austin, Matt (9 January 2020). "Killingly School Board Votes to Reinstate Redmen Mascot". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
14. Putterman, Alex (17 January 2020). "Connecticut lawmakers will consider banning Native American mascots as 19 public schools continue to use them". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
15. Linskey, Connor (November 27, 2024). "Killingly High School retires controversial Redmen mascot: What is the new mascot?". Norwich Bulletin. USA TODAY. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
16. "CIAC Sports Champions Database Search". CIAC. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
17. Harrison, Don (2008). Connecticut Baseball: The Best of the Nutmeg State. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625843944.
18. Bogart, Bob (December 28, 2007). "H.S. Basketball: Killingly take Clipper Classic crown". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
19. "Shane Gibson - 2012-13 - Men's Basketball". Sacred Heart University. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
20. Allard, Marc (December 27, 2010). "Local Sports: Killingly graduate, ex-NFL player dies at 54". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved October 6, 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Cavanaugh, John (February 23, 1986). "Girl, 15, in Basketball Spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2022.

• Public high schools in Connecticut
• Killingly, Connecticut
• Schools in Windham County, Connecticut
• Educational institutions established in 1908
• 1908 establishments in Connecticut