Heath is a proud, strong community with a unique history. The Heath City School district featured all grades (K-12) for the first time in 1961. Heath City School’s first superintendent, Rod Swank, led the district for twenty-two years, building a small, nurturing school district that quickly became a coveted educational institution in Licking County. Dave Klontz was the first student to enter Heath High School when he came to Heath in 1962, and he was the first person to enter the new Heath High School which opened in August of 2002. Coach Klontz taught Physical Education at Heath High School, and served as the head baseball coach for 47 years, before fully retiring in 2016.
The city of Heath got its name from the Heath refinery, and the Heath Railroad station. The Heath refinery was named after a devoted employee, Fletcher Heath, who died in 1936, however, he was critical to the success of the refinery. Heath began as Newark Township South, and decided to incorporate in 1951-52. Upon incorporation, the township became the Village of Heath. (Heath, Ohio Hometown Memories, Janice M. Wilkin. Copyright, 2001).
Mr. Swank selected the Bulldog as the school mascot because his own high school mascot was a Bulldog. Rod Swank attended Butler High School in Richland County, where their mascot was a bulldog. Our official school colors, brown and white, and orange is an accent color that came about in 1968 when the football helmet color changed to orange. It has become even more prevalent since the construction of our new High School in 2001 when orange was selected as the color for the bleachers in the gymnasium.
Heath Schools have a rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence. The community regularly celebrates the successes of its students, and events in the athletic and fine arts are often where the community gathers to interact. The district is fortunate to constantly maintain and improve impressive facilities.
Buildings opened:
Garfield Elementary: 1961
Stevenson Elementary: 1964
Heath Middle School: 1961 (originally Heath High School)
Heath High School: 2002
Information Credit/Special Thanks: Dave Klontz, Jeff Thompson, Dan Dupps, Shirley Dupps.