page_title: Manchester High School (Connecticut)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Manchester High School (Connecticut) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Manchester High School (Connecticut) Deutsch: Manchester High School (Connecticut)
context_page_description: Manchester High School is a public high school located in Manchester, Connecticut, United States. It serves 1,700 students in the Manchester Public School system.
context_section_description: Manchester High School was founded in 1893 with Fred A. Verplanck serving as the school's first principal. The first graduating class of 1894 had a total of six students. The school was held in the Ninth District School, where Bennet Academy is located today. In 1902, the wealthy Cheney family offered to construct a new high school building to accommodate the students' needs. In 1904, the new South Manchester High School opened on Main Street. The four-story building is in the Colonial Revival architecture style, with columns, cornices, and an arched entrance; these elaborate architectural details were designed by architects Hartwell, Richardson & Driver of Boston. The building included all of the modern amenities of the time. It was dedicated in December 1904. The Town of Manchester purchased the property, and the school, from the Cheney family in 1928, when the school became Manchester High School.
  The yearbook, SOMANHIS (South Manchester High School), was founded in 1915. Volume 100 was released in 2015. Volume 104 is set to be released at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
  In 1956, a new campus on East Middle Turnpike opened. The graduating class of 1956 was the last class to graduate from the "old" school. The new Manchester High School is much larger than the original building, and was a state-of-the-art facility when it first opened. At the time of the opening of the new high school, Manchester High School was the largest secondary school in New England. In 2015, it is the current campus of Manchester High School. Most of the classrooms, as well as the library and main office, are located in the "quadrangle," a set of four hallways connected to make a square. The cafeteria is next to the Brookfield Street parking lot and has its own entrance and lobby. The gymnasium is next to the cafeteria, and the pool and an additional gym are nearby. Also on the campus are baseball and softball fields, a soccer/football field, and a track.
  The school's first renovation took place in the 1980s, with a new wing being added as well as maintenance to keep up with safety regulations. This wing now houses the Bentley Alternative Education School.
  In 2007, a major expansion and renovation took place with the purpose of relieving the school's congestion. The main component of the expansion, the Freshman Center (commonly referred to as the freshman wing), extends off one of the quadrangle's hallways and contains classrooms, science labs, computer labs, and a presentation room. The freshman wing is air-conditioned, unlike the rest of the school. Additional parts of the school were renovated, namely  the 1100-seat Bailey Auditorium. The renovation brought a new stage, re-upholstered seats, air conditioning, and a new state-of-the-art sound system to Bailey Auditorium. The cafeteria was also expanded during the renovation, as well as the School Store and Student Activities office. The freshman wing and new auditorium and cafeteria opened for the 2007-2008 school year, with a celebratory concert held in the just-renovated Bailey Auditorium. A ribbon-cutting ceremony accompanied the opening of the freshman wing on September 4, 2007.
caption: Manchester High School's Bailey Auditorium in 1988, from East Middle Turnpike.
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