H. Grady Spruce High School
| H. Grady Spruce High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 9733 Old Seagoville Road Dallas, TX 75217  United States |
|
| Coordinates | 32°42′31″N 96°39′16″W / 32.708698°N 96.654401°WCoordinates: 32°42′31″N 96°39′16″W / 32.708698°N 96.654401°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, secondary |
| School district | Dallas Independent School District |
| Faculty | 200 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 1534 |
| Color(s) | Scarlet Red and Royal Blue[1] |
| Mascot | Timberwolves |
| Trustee dist. | 4, Nancy Bingham[2] |
| Learning Community | 1, Ivonne Durant[3] |
H. Grady Spruce High School is a public school in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas, Texas. H. Grady Spruce High School, which covers grades 9-12, is a part of the Dallas Independent School District.
Spruce serves several sections of Dallas, including Pleasant Grove, Balch Springs, Seagoville.
Contents |
[edit] History
H. Grady Spruce High School was built in 1963, replacing Rylie High School (which was turned into a junior high school, and later a middle school in 1972).
The school is named for Henry Grady Spruce, a native of Omen, Texas, who earned degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of Chicago. He devoted much of his 35-year YMCA career to youth, including 25 years as director of the Dallas YMCA's Camp Crockett near Granbury.
When it opened, Spruce's student body reflected the community and was predominately Caucasian (White and Hispanic with some Black students and other ethnic groups). Beginning in 1973 Spruce was selected to take part in Busing. Black students became a majority in the 1990s as the demographics of the Pleasant Grove area changed.
From 1963-1998, the mascot of Spruce High School was the "Mighty Fighting Apaches" which was proudly born by the student population and staff. Due hyper-sensitivity centering on the use of names that were originally derogatory toward Native American (ex: "redskin") as nicknames for school mascots, the "Apache" mascot was changed to the Timberwolves. This was done despite the fact that "Apache" was not derogatory or used as such. Also interesting is that the timberwolf is not common to east Texas.
On June 26, 2008 the Dallas ISD board voted to move all 10th and 11th graders from Spruce High School and released all staff from their contracts. As a result, Spruce disbanded all athletic teams during the 2008-2009 school year; thus, seniors who participate in athletics are eligible to transfer to other DISD schools as well.[citation needed]
[edit] Statistics
72% of the students at H. Grady Spruce High School are economically disadvantaged, 12% enroll in special education, 6% enroll in gifted and talented programs, and 20% are considered "limited English proficient."
The ethnic makeup of the school is 53% Hispanic, 43% Black, 3% White, non-Hispanic, less than 1% Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native.
The average class sizes at Spruce are 23 students for English, 23 for foreign language, 25 for math, 25 for science, and 26 for social studies.
Teachers at the school carry, on average, 14 years of teaching experience and 2% of the teachers on staff are first-year teachers.
[edit] Feeder patterns
As of 2007, E. B. Comstock Middle School feeds into H. Grady Spruce High School.[4]
The following elementary schools feed into Comstock and Spruce
- William M. Anderson
- W. A. Blair
- Rufus C. Burleson
- Gilbert Cuellar, Sr.
- Julius Dorsey
- Frederick Douglass
- Henry B. Gonzalez
- Richard Lagow
- B. H. Macon
- Nancy Moseley[4]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Steve Rhodes (football player) (1976) – Former NFL Player for the St. Louis Cardinals[5]
- Gregory K. Riggen (1978) – Former District Superintendent, Kansas District United Pentecostal Church; Pastor, New Life Pentecostal Church of Olathe, Kansas [2] (1986–Present)[5]
- Jitter Fields (1980) – Former Saints, Colts and Chiefs defensive back (1984, 1987); played for UT[5]
- Charles Washington (1984) – Former NFL defensive back for the Colts, Chiefs, and Falcons[5]
- Stevin Smith (1990) – Former Dallas Mavericks (1997) guard[5]
- C.J. Richardson (1991) – Former Arizona Cardinals safety (1995); played collegiately at Miami[5]
- Maceo Baston (1994) – Toronto Raptors forward; played basketball at Michigan[5]
- Cedric Bonner (football player) (1997) – Former NFL Atlanta Falcons (2005) receiver[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Dallas ISD - David W. Carter High School. Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ Dallas ISD - Schools by Trustee. (PDF). Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ Dallas ISD - Schools by Area. (PDF). Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ a b Dallas ISD - 2007 School Feeder Patterns - [1]. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Steve Rhodes (football player)
[edit] External links
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| High schools | … full list Bryan Adams | Adamson | Carter | Conrad | Hillcrest | Jefferson | Kimball | Lincoln | Madison | Molina | North Dallas | Pinkston | Roosevelt | Samuell | Seagoville | Skyline | South Oak Cliff | Spruce | Sunset | Wilmer-Hutchins | W. T. White | Wilson |
| Middle schools | … full list Anderson | Hill | Marsh | Quintanilla |
| Elementary schools | … full list Hooe | Lakewood | Milam | Preston Hollow |
| Magnet schools | Townview magnets: Government, Law, & Law Enforcement | Science and Engineering Magnet | Talented & Gifted | Business and Management | Education and Social Services | Health Professions Other High Schools: Washington HS for Performing and Visual Arts | Gilliam Collegiate Academy | Lincoln Humanities/Communications Magnet | Skyline | Smith New Tech Middle/High: Obama Male | Rangel Young Women's | PreK-8: Dealey Montessori | Stone Montessori | 4-8: Travis Academy/Vanguard |
