North High School (Phoenix, Arizona)
Encyclopedia
North High School is part of the Phoenix Union High School District
. The campus is located at 1101 East Thomas Road north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona
, USA. North’s enrollment is 2600 students. The school predominantly serves students from partner elementary districts Madison, Osborn, Creighton and Phoenix Elementary.
North is home of the International Baccalaureate Magnet Program. The International Baccalaureate offers the college-bound student an opportunity to earn a special high school diploma. The program demands a high level of proficiency in all academic areas and requires a minimum of four years of one foreign language. Challenging classes that meet IB standards assure students the opportunity to achieve at levels set by and tested by, the International Baccalaureate organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Declining enrollment and budget shortfalls in the late 1970s forced the district governing board in 1981 to close North High. Shortly after that, lawsuits were filed by inner city parents, and the U.S. District Court ruled that the Phoenix Union High School District must restore educational opportunities to inner city high school students. The district chose to reopen North High in order to satisfy the court's concerns. In the fall of 1983, after a $1.2 million renovation, North was opened once again, with a freshman class of 595 students drawn from a mix of Hispanic (50%), black (10%), and white (30%) neighborhoods. In addition, a small number of sophomores, juniors, and seniors (some of which had attended North in 1980) chose to transfer to North, to complete their education there. North also received further improvements to ensure that inner-city students have access to a quality education.
In the early 1990s, North High was faced with the removal of asbestos from their buildings. Building by building, over a three year time period, the school was torn apart, rebuilt, and remodeled. At that time, a new Administration building was constructed, and a new Art wing was added to the Science building. The large student eating area and covered ramada in the center of campus were also added at that time. The original brick exterior of the school was replaced with stucco and a Southwestern trim.
In December 1998, construction was completed on an addition to the Language Arts Building. This addition was part of continued efforts to ease crowded conditions. The high-point, student population of the 1998-99 school year was over 2700.
Phoenix Union High School District
The Phoenix Union High School District is a school district based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is one of the state's oldest school districts and its largest high school-only district, serving 26,000 students in 17 schools and employing more than 2,800 people...
. The campus is located at 1101 East Thomas Road north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, USA. North’s enrollment is 2600 students. The school predominantly serves students from partner elementary districts Madison, Osborn, Creighton and Phoenix Elementary.
North is home of the International Baccalaureate Magnet Program. The International Baccalaureate offers the college-bound student an opportunity to earn a special high school diploma. The program demands a high level of proficiency in all academic areas and requires a minimum of four years of one foreign language. Challenging classes that meet IB standards assure students the opportunity to achieve at levels set by and tested by, the International Baccalaureate organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.
History
North High School opened its doors to 1,517 students in 1939.Declining enrollment and budget shortfalls in the late 1970s forced the district governing board in 1981 to close North High. Shortly after that, lawsuits were filed by inner city parents, and the U.S. District Court ruled that the Phoenix Union High School District must restore educational opportunities to inner city high school students. The district chose to reopen North High in order to satisfy the court's concerns. In the fall of 1983, after a $1.2 million renovation, North was opened once again, with a freshman class of 595 students drawn from a mix of Hispanic (50%), black (10%), and white (30%) neighborhoods. In addition, a small number of sophomores, juniors, and seniors (some of which had attended North in 1980) chose to transfer to North, to complete their education there. North also received further improvements to ensure that inner-city students have access to a quality education.
In the early 1990s, North High was faced with the removal of asbestos from their buildings. Building by building, over a three year time period, the school was torn apart, rebuilt, and remodeled. At that time, a new Administration building was constructed, and a new Art wing was added to the Science building. The large student eating area and covered ramada in the center of campus were also added at that time. The original brick exterior of the school was replaced with stucco and a Southwestern trim.
In December 1998, construction was completed on an addition to the Language Arts Building. This addition was part of continued efforts to ease crowded conditions. The high-point, student population of the 1998-99 school year was over 2700.
Sports
North High School offers a wide variety of sports including:- Boys/Girls SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- Girls VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- Boys FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- Boys WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
- Girls Wrestlerettes
- Boys/Girls Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Boys/Girls Soccer
- Boys/Girls BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- Boys BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- Girls SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- Boys/Girls TrackTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
Notable alumni
- Michael Bruce - Alice Cooper band member, inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in 2010
- Robert Bulla - former CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Richard SnellRichard SnellRichard Peter Snell is a former cricketer who played five Tests and 42 One Day Internationals for South Africa. He played for Transvaal in the early 90's forming a formidable opening pair with Steven Jack...
- businessman - Joan Ganz CooneyJoan Ganz CooneyJoan Ganz Cooney is an American television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children's Television Workshop , the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street. Cooney received her B.A...
- creator/producer, Sesame Street - Gary Tooker - former CEO, Motorola
- Herb Drinkwater - former Mayor of Scottsdale
- Ed Mell - painter, sculptor
- Jim Brewer - first U.S. high schooler to pole vault 15 feet (1957)
- Dallas LongDallas LongDallas Crutcher Long is an American track and field athlete, who was four time world record holder in the shot put. He was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.Long attended the University of Southern California...
, Jr. - Olympic Shot Putter - Wayne NewtonWayne NewtonWayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
- entertainer - Michael Carbajal - Professional Boxer and Olympic Silver medalist
- Eldridge Wayne Coleman -Professional Wrestling Champion "Superstar" Billy Graham
- Patrick O. FordPatrick O. FordPatrick Osborne Ford was a United States Navy sailor serving on a PBR patrol boat who was killed in Vietnam after he saved the lives of two of his shipmates. The US Navy posthumously awarded him the Navy Cross and later named a frigate, USS Ford , after him.Ford was born in San Francisco,...
- military war hero - Meg SneedMeg SneedMeg Sneed is a LGBT activist from Phoenix who founded the Right to Marry: Arizona campaign and cofounded the H.E.R.O. organization.Meg Sneed graduated from North High School...
- Civil Rights Activist