Theodore Roosevelt High School (Des Moines)

For other uses, see Theodore Roosevelt High School (disambiguation).

Theodore Roosevelt High School
Established	1923
Type	Public Secondary
Principal	Mrs. Kathy Danielson
Dean	Susanna Marcucci
Students	1,654
Grades	9–12
Location	4419 Center Street, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Coordinates	41.592606°N 93.679309°W / 41.592606; -93.679309
District	Des Moines Public Schools
Campus	Urban
Colors	Navy Blue and White
Nickname	Roughriders
Rival	Hoover Huskies, East Scarlets, Lincoln Railsplitters, Dowling Catholic Maroons
Newspaper	Rider Roundup
Website	old.dmps.k12.ia.us/schools/3Roosevelt/

Theodore Roosevelt High School, usually referred to simply as Roosevelt High School or TRHS, is a secondary school located on the west side of Des Moines, Iowa. It is one of five secondary schools under the district of the Des Moines Public Schools, and was named after the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

History

The construction of the building in which TRHS is housed was initiated in 1922 by Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson and opened in 1924 with 1,282 students. The final cost to build was $1,331,600. The building's design has won many awards and is considered one of 50 most significant buildings in Iowa by PBS. The building is on both the State and National Register of Historic Places.

Students

As of the 2008-2009 school year, there are 1,654 students enrolled at Roosevelt High School.

Enrollment Figures

Year	Total	Seniors (12th grade)	Juniors (11th grade)	Sophomores (10th grade)	Freshmen (9th grade)
2008-2009	1,654	421	387	428	418
2007-2008	1,671	427	381	425	438
2006-2007	1,622	358	418	396	450
2005-2006	1,591	324	344	441	468
2004-2005	1,636	350	361	405	520
2003-2004	1,583	331	380	403	470
2002-2003	1,610	372	367	400	471

Curriculum

As of the 2010-2011 year, Roosevelt is set on a block schedule, there are eight blocks total and each day containing four of these blocks. These set of blocks alternate each day, meaning one week may contain three classes in four subjects, and only two classes in the other four. Students are required to have two semesters of Physical Education per year. They are also required to, as before, take core academic courses in order to graduate and receive a diploma. These include Social Studies, English, Mathematics, Science, and Art, therefore leaving the two remaining blocks to be electives and/or release periods. Credits needed to graduate are currently 23, raised from 18 beginning with the graduating class of 2011.

All students are required by Des Moines Public Schools to enroll in four subject courses and a Physical Education course. The school district compels lower-class students to schedule a full day of classes, however, in order to ensure satisfaction with district graduation requirements. Juniors and Seniors have the option of having an "open period" during the first or last period of the school day (Seniors may have open periods during any period). Juniors require parental permission to have an open period.

The district requires four years of Physical Education. Freshmen and sophomores usually take their P.E. courses at the school. Juniors and Seniors have the option of taking alternative P.E. programs.

Athletics/ Extra Curricular Activities

Roosevelt competes as a school in the Iowa High School Athletic Association 4A school. It is a member of the Central Iowa Metro League conference, or CIML, along with all four of the other DMPS high schools and Ottumwa High School. Roosevelt has historically excelled in mens swimming, with coach Clark Munger leading the school to two national championships in the 1920s and 30s. Roosevelt has won the CIML conference swim meet for the past 7 years in a row and girls swimming has won CIML conference meet 11 years in a row. Roosevelt won the 2006 girls basketball 4A state championships. The boys basketball team is a Metro powerhouse, and has a fierce basketball rivalry with the Hoover Huskies. The game between the two schools usually determines the Metro Conference champion. The rivalry has grown even bigger in recent years due to close games, and a drastic increase in school pride amongst the two schools. The well known Roosevelt Sharks Synchronized Swimming Club performs an annual pageant, and is the oldest high school synchronized swimming club in the United States, being founded in 1926. Roosevelt's football team was once a Metro Conference contender, but in recent times the team has struggled to produce a playoff berth. Roosevelt also has a well known wrestling program. In 2009, they had a back to back state champion. In 2010, Roosevelt once again dominated the Metro Conference, and produced 2 state champions.^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

• Chris Eckhardt, one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District.
• Lolo Jones ('00), American Olympian - track and field athlete
• Cloris Leachman, Emmy and Academy Award-winning actress. She is a 1987 Roosevelt Hall of Fame inductee.
• Bill Bryson, best-selling author of humorous books on travel, the English language and scientific subject-matters. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2001.
• Alan Higgins, writer "NewsRadio," "Malcolm in the Middle," co-executive producer "Mike and Molly."
• David Anthony Higgins, actor and comedy writer whose credits include Ellen, Malcolm In The Middle and The Wrong Guy.
• Natasha Kaiser-Brown, Olympic Silver Medalist.
• Steve Higgins, announcer, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, producer of "Saturday Night Live."
• Robert D. Ray, former Governor of the State of Iowa.
• Paul Schell, Notable architect, commissioner, Dean of the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and former mayor of Seattle, Washington (1998–2002).
• John Shors, Award winning author.
• Randy Duncan, Heisman Trophy Runner-up and first overall pick in the 1959 NFL Draft.
• John P. Hayes artist.
• Peter Puglisi, Emmy Award Winning Sound Mixer.
• Olan Soule, 1928 graduate—was a noted character actor with hundreds of credits in films, radio, commercials, television and animation.
• Lawrence "Larry" Zox, American painter and printmaker who is classified as an Abstract expressionist, Color Field painter and a Lyrical Abstractionist. Won 1967 Guggenheim Fellowship.
• Jane Skiles O'Dea, Naval aviator, flight instructor and commander. One of the first women Navy pilots and the first female Navy pilot to reach the rank of Captain. TRHS Hall of Fame inductee.
• George W. Webber (1920–2010), President of New York Theological Seminary.
• Charles Wittmack, first Iowan to reach the peak of Mount Everest in 2003.
• Scott A. Carson, fusion guitarist and writer.
• Patricia Scott Schroeder, first U.S. congresswoman from Colorado beginning in 1973

See also

• Des Moines Public Schools for other schools in the same district.
• Roosevelt High School (disambiguation) for other schools by the same name.

External links

• Des Moines Public Schools Homepage
• Roosevelt High School Homepage
• TRHS Alumni Homepage

 www.dsmroosevelttrack.com