Wellington C. Mepham High School

Public school in Bellmore, Nassau County, New York, United States

NicknamePirates

Wellington C. Mepham High School is a public high school located on a 21-acre (85,000 m²) campus in North Bellmore, New York. It is the oldest of three high schools in the Bellmore–Merrick Central High School District. The school is known locally as "Mepham" (pronounced MEP-um^[2]), and was named in honor of the first school superintendent in the district.^[3]

As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,241 students and 83.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.9:1. There were 146 students (11.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 26 (2.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.^[1]

History

The school opened in 1937. It was designed by Valley Stream, New York-based Frederic P. Wiedersum Associates.^[4]

2003 hazing sexual assault incident

In May 2003, it was reported that, while at a football training camp, at least three members of the football team were sexually assaulted by their teammates.^[5] Three members admitted to the acts, two of whom appeared in court.^[6] The sexual assault included anally penetrating the boys with foreign objects, including broom handles, pine cones, and golf balls.^[7] The team's season was canceled early, and two coaches were transferred to administrative positions.^[8]

Notable alumni

Roone Arledge – American sports and news broadcasting executive^[9]
Mark Belger – American middle-distance runner^[10]
Dean Blandino - sportscaster ^[11]
Donny Brady – American gridiron football player (born 1973)^[12]
Lenny Bruce – American comedian and social critic (1925–1966)^[13]
Tyler Davis – American football player (born 1997)^[14]
Storm Field – American television meteorologist^[2]
Jon Gabrus – American actor and comedian
Thomas J. Kelly – American aerospace engineer (1929–2002)^[15]
Amos Zereoué – Ivorian gridiron football player (born 1976)^[16]
Eric Chester – Author, socialist political activist, and former economics professor
Jason Foley – Professional baseball player
Lester Prosper - Professional basketball player
Carl Strommen - Music Composer

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e School data for Wellington C Mepham High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Ketcham, Diane. "Long Island Journal", The New York Times, November 10, 1996. Accessed January 29, 2017. "The alumni association of W. C. Mepham High School in Bellmore is sponsoring a reunion concert for all chorus members on Nov. 30.... But he didn't, said Seth Poppel, a member of the Mepham (pronounced MEP-um) Class of '61."
^ "Mr. W. C. Mepham". mepham.org. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^ "Mepham High stands the test of time". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
^ Kolker, Robert (2003-10-20). "Out of Bounds". New York Magazine.
^ Schuster, Karla; Morris, Keiko (2004-05-07). "Pa. hearing tomorrow in Mepham case". Newsday.
^ "High School History of Hazing 1905-2007". Retrieved 2007-12-05.
^ Kimmel, Michael (2018). Guyland. The perilous world where boys become men. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 72–77. ISBN 9780062885739.
^ Roone Arledge papers, 1953-2002., Columbia University Libraries. Accessed January 29, 2017. "The family moved to Merrick, Long Island where Arledge attended Mepham High School."
^ Staff. "Mepham's Belger Snaps 2 Meet Marks in Track", The New York Times, February 10, 1974. Accessed January 29, 2017. "Mark Belger, a track star for Mepham High School, has alternated his distance this winter between 1,000 yard and one mile."
^ Merrill, Elizabeth (January 28, 2015). "Dean Blandino keeps refs in check". ESPN. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
^ Schwartz, Peter. "Schwartz: Former Giant Canty, Ex-Raven Brady Lend Helping Hand At Long Island Youth Football Camp", WCBS-TV, June 29, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2017. "Donny Brady grew up in Bellmore, Long Island, and was a star defensive back at Mepham High School."
^ "c. 1940: Comedian Lenny Bruce Attends Mepham High". Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
^ Bellissimo, Tony (April 25, 2020). "Mepham grad Davis drafted by Jacksonville Jaguars". LI Herald. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
^ [1] Accessed April 19, 2022. "Thomas J. Kelly (Class of 1946): Father of the Lunar Module"
^ "Meet LI's couple from VH1's 'Tool Academy'". Newsday.