Bellingham High School

Story

Bellingham High School is a public high school in the Bellingham School District located in Bellingham, Washington. The school serves students primarily from the Whatcom Middle School and Kulshan Middle School attendance areas.HistoryBellingham High School was dedicated on February 25, 1938. It cost $912,028.63 and took 417,026 man hours to build.The school was closed for two years starting in June 1998 for a massive renovation which involved gutting the entire building and even demolishing some portions. Special care was taken to preserve the art deco facade on the west side of the building.From its inception the school mascot was the "Red Raider", a Native American chief with a massive war bonnet. In the years leading up to the school's renovation there were several occasions where questions were raised about the cultural appropriateness of such a mascot. When the school re-opened In 2000 after a two year closure the mascot was changed to a bird of prey, but the mascot and team name "Red Raider" remained.AcademicsBellingham High School offers a curriculum including Advanced Placement courses and other classes to prepare students for college, as well as offering the Running Start program which allows students to complete their high school diploma and earn college credit by attending Bellingham Technical College and/or Whatcom Community College.