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| Richland High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
930 Long Avenue , , 99352 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Principal | Nicole Anderson |
| Staff | 96.76 (FTE)[1] |
| Enrollment | 2,137[1] (2022-23) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 22.09[1] |
| Color(s) | Green and gold [2] |
| Nickname | Bombers[2] |
| Website | [1] |
Richland High School is a public secondary school in the northwest United States, located in Richland, Washington. The school was founded as Columbia High School in 1910 to serve the educational needs of the small town of Richland. The building was replaced with a much larger structure by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1946 as the development of the neighboring Hanford Engineering Works brought an influx of employees to the region to support the war effort.
The small farming community continued to develop as weapons production climbed during the Cold War and the town was designated as a first class city in 1958. The facilities of Columbia High School were extensively renovated in 1964, and remodeled again in stages between 1995 and 2006. Columbia High was renamed Richland High School in 1982. The school is now part of the Richland School District. Until the founding of Hanford Falcons in 1972, Richland High was the only high school in the city.[3]
Richland's mascot is the "Bomber", officially named for the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress built in Seattle, but also in recognition of the city's contributions as an "Atomic City" in World War Two. Hanford was home to the Manhattan Project's B Reactor, the first full-scale plutonium production reactor in the world. Plutonium manufactured at the site was used in the nuclear bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. Mushroom cloud logos are proudly displayed throughout the school and the student body used to shout "nuke 'em" at sporting events.[4]
In 2019, "Archie" a B-17 Ball Turret Gunner was named the first-ever character mascot at Richland High School. The mascot is named after Archie Purcell, a WWII veteran who was a ball turret gunner on the famous B-17 "A Days Pay".
As the region has diversified since its past as a federally owned Atomic City where 90% of the population was either employed by or a dependent of Hanford, the school has since received criticism for its depiction of a mushroom cloud as an unofficial logo for the school, believing that the logo and the mascot to be a reminder of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[5]
- ^ a b c "Richland High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ a b "Richland High School". Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ Kershner, Jim. "Richland – Thumbnail History". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Probert, Cameron (April 27, 2017). "Richland High School's bomber mascot and mushroom cloud logo in the news again". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Cary, Annette (June 6, 2019). "Richland High's mushroom cloud logo surprised a Japanese student. She finally spoke up". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved June 12, 2019.