Wellington C. Mepham High School is a public high school located on a campus in North Bellmore, New York. It is the oldest of three high schools in the BellmoreâÂÂMerrick Central High School District. The school is known locally as "Mepham" (pronounced MEP-um), and was named in honor of the first school superintendent in the district.
As of the 2018âÂÂ19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,241 students and 83.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentâÂÂteacher 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.
The school opened in 1937. It was designed by Valley Stream, New York-based Frederic P. Wiedersum Associates.
In 2021, school football player Sofia LaSpina became the first female varsity high school football player on Long Island to score a touchdown.
In May 2003, it was reported that, while at a football training camp, at least three members of the Mepham football team were sexually assaulted by their teammates. Three members admitted to the acts, two of whom appeared in court. The sexual assault included anally penetrating the boys with foreign objects, including broom handles, pine cones, and golf balls. The team's season was canceled early, and two coaches were transferred to administrative positions.
On October 27, 2003, members of the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas staged an anti-gay rally outside the school. Led by the churchâÂÂs lead spokesperson Shirley Phelps-Roper, the protestors blamed the hazing incident on the fact that parents and school administrators had allowed the formation of MephamâÂÂs Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) three years prior.