Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas, Texas)

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Coordinates: 32°48′20″N 96°45′02″W / 32.805637°N 96.750589°W / 32.805637; -96.750589 Woodrow Wilson High School is a public secondary school located at 100 South Glasgow Drive in the Lakewood neighborhood of east Dallas, Texas (USA) in the ZIP code 75214. It was named in honor of former U.S. president Woodrow Wilson, who died three years before it was built. The school enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. Woodrow recently announced plans to become authorized as an IBO World School offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Designed by noted Dallas architect Mark Lemmon, the school opened in 1928 and was constructed in the Elizabethan style.[2] At the cornerstone-laying ceremony in April 1927, a piece of the wedding cake of Woodrow Wilson's second daughter, Jessie, was included in the cornerstone "in memory of Mr. Wilson."[3] At US$700,000, the school's cost exceeded that of the district's previous four high schools by at least $100,000.[4] Special features of the building included a gymnasium boasting "one entire wall of glass windows" and an auditorium that was to be the "best equipped and best lighted" in the district, with footlights and a separately ventilated orchestra pit.[5] A theater organ was later placed in the pit and pipes put in special lofts on the third level. Also on the third floor was 'the largest eating place in Dallas', the school cafeteria; in previous Dallas high schools the cafeteria was at grade level, so at the new high school a special elevator was installed to service the eating facility.[citation needed] The September, 1928, Dallas Herald said the school "presents a rare spectacle from afar."[citation needed] Photos and the original blueprints of the school building were featured in an exhibition celebrating the works of Mark Lemmon at The Meadows Museum.[6]

The school has been colloquially called "Woodrow" by students and community members from its beginning, fostered by first principal G.L. "Pop" Ashburn, who led the school until 1956. The mascot of the school is the Wildcat. A Parent Teacher Association chapter was formed for the school even before its 1928 opening.[7]

Until 1957 (when Bryan Adams High School opened), Woodrow was the only "East Dallas" high school. Woodrow still serves most of the upper east side of East Dallas, including Swiss Avenue, Mount Auburn, Junius Heights, Lakewood, Munger Place, Peaks Addition and Hollywood Heights.

In 1981, interiors for Crisis at Central High starring Joanne Woodward, were filmed at the school.[8] Many students, including the late Lance Bircher '83 (cited for his scene by imdb.com), were used in the filming. The students had trouble understanding the concept of separate schools for blacks and whites and the resulting struggles as the school was cited by the Supreme Court as a model for natural integration during the Dallas desegregation case. They were thrilled to receive a visit from Miss Woodward's husband, Paul Newman.

In 2004, thousands attended Woodrow's 75th Anniversary celebration, which included a parade (from Lakewood to the school, with Congressman Sam Johnson as Grand Marshal, chauffered in a new Ford Mustang by fellow alumnus Carroll Shelby, the legendary auto designer and builder), followed by an auditorium-packed program. Scores of "mini-reunions" also were held during that day in assigned rooms throughout the school.

In 2005, Woodrow had more National Merit Semi-finalists than Frisco High School and the same number as nearby Lake Highlands High School (RISD), all of which are much larger, suburban public schools. In 2006 Woodrow had two National Merit Scholars while Lake Highlands had none.

In 2006, Newsweek named Woodrow one of the top high schools in the nation based on the numbers of AP and IB tests taken - this result placed the school in the top 3% of all high schools in the United States. Local publication D Magazine ranked it the top comprehensive high school in Dallas.

In 2008 the school once again made the Newsweek list - in the top half.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

From the school's beginning a Junior ROTC program has been part of its offerings.[9] In the 1930s, '40s and early '50s the school had the largest JROTC program in the nation, with 16 different companies and an ROTC band; a May 1941 article declared the program "largest of its kind in the world."[10] During World War II, students at the school raised enough money to buy the Navy a Wildcat fighter plane.[citation needed]

In the 1950s, it became the first school to stage a full-scale Broadway-style musical, Oklahoma!;[citation needed] The shows are annual productions, with the 50th show, Fiddler on the Roof, being presented in April 2007. From 1980 to 1992, the choreographer for the musicals flew in annually from California for the production, eventually moving to Dallas to teach at the school with longtime choir director and musicals producer Marca Lee Bircher, who began teaching at the school in 1975.[11] Musicals at the school tend to be on a larger scale than is typical for a high-school production, as when 1994's Singin' in the Rain featured an actual water-shower falling on the 127-member cast and stage, a stunt inspired by a national touring production that included a Woodrow alumna.[12] The 2007 Fiddler swept the North Texas Cappie Awards, the high school equivalent of the Tony Awards, winning Best Musical, Best Actor, and a Creativity award for the fiddler herself, as well as six other Cappies won for the school that year. Woodrow's 2006 musical production, City of Angels, represented the school's first year participating in the Cappies and garnered a Best Lead Actor in a Musical award for student Evan Faram.

The school's 1978 50th Anniversary produced an award-winning show choir, Variations, which continues to win accolades and perform in various venues, directed by Bircher from its inception. In 1998 they were selected to perform with Shania Twain. In November 2006, they were asked to perform for the Texas State Board of Education. The annual one-act play produced for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition also usually makes it to the statewide finals in Austin.[citation needed]

The Mock Trial Team, formed in 1979, regularly advances to state competition. The 2007 team at state competition and advocate Thomas Simpson received "Best Advocate" at the state competition in 2006. The 2008 team finished first in Dallas area competition and second in state competition.

[edit] Athletics

Until 2004, Woodrow Wilson H.S. was the only U.S. high school to be the alma mater of two Heisman Trophy winners: Davey O'Brien and Tim Brown. In 2004, private Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana, California gained its second Heisman Trophy winner in Matt Leinart, leaving Woodrow Wilson H.S. still the only public high school in the U.S. with two Heisman winners.

Notwithstanding Tim Brown's efforts, from about the 1980s until fairly recently, Woodrow's football program struggled. However, the Wildcats made the state playoffs in 1991, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, advancing to the second round in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Its previous teams made state semi-finals in 1951 and 1969. Earlier teams of the 1930s and 40s were successful and produced such stars as O'Brien and I.B. Hale '35, Mal Kutner '38, Rooster Andrews '41, Herschel Forester '48 and Bill Forester '49.

The basketball team won state back in 1938, and later produced Alton Lister '76, a pro player on five different teams. Recent graduate Anthony Randolph was one of the nation's top recruits, according to Rivals.com. He was a small forward for the LSU Tigers during his freshman year in college. Currently, he is a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors. He was selected as the 14th overall draft pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

In 2007, Woodrow Wilson's athletics program was ranked No. 6 out of all 4-A high schools in the Dallas Morning News All-Sports competition. The Wildcats' score of 81 was better than 95 other 4-A and 5-A local high schools.

Bill and Herschel Forester were Wildcats who played ball at SMU and in the pros - Dallas' Forester Field was named for their father, Herschel, who taught at Woodrow from the opening of the school until the late 1950s.

[edit] School uniforms

Students are required to wear school uniforms.[13] The Texas Education Agency specifies that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.[14]

[edit] Feeder patterns

As of 2008, J. L. Long Middle School (6-8) feeds into Woodrow Wilson.[15]

Oran M. Roberts (PK-5) north of I-30, Lakewood (PK-5), Robert E. Lee (PK-5), and Stonewall Jackson (K-5) Elementary Schools feed into Woodrow Wilson High School. William Lipscomb (PK-4) and Mount Auburn Elementary School (PK-3) feed into Eduardo Mata Elementary School (4-5), which in turn feeds into Woodrow Wilson High School.[15] Lipscomb is adding fourth and fifth grade and will feed directly into J.L. Long and then to Woodrow in the next two years.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Woodrow's degree program expected to change school's makeup, academics." Dallas Advocate. Retrieved on February 22, 2009.
  2. ^ "Second junior high starts shaping up," The Dallas Morning News, April 24, 1933, section 1, page 3: "The exterior of the [J.L. Long Junior High] building has been designed in Elizabethan style to harmonize with the previously established Woodrow Wilson High School, on the campus of which it is being constructed."
  3. ^ "School corner stone holds wedding cake of Wilson's daughter," The Dallas Morning News, April 21, 1927, section 2, page 15.
  4. ^ "Wilson High being built: Masonry work started on big East Dallas school," The Dallas Morning News, March 24, 1927, section 2, page 13.
  5. ^ "Woodrow Wilson High School ready for equipment," The Dallas Morning News, May 18, 1928, section 2, page 13.
  6. ^ Press information related to the Mark Lemmon exhibit, from the Meadows Museum.
  7. ^ "Wilson High P.-T.A. to be organized," The Dallas Morning News, Society News section, page 4.
  8. ^ Jan Hubbard. "Titles rare at school -- but not winners - Heismans make Woodrow Wilson unique," The Dallas Morning News, December 6, 1987, : "The school was built in 1928 on muddy roads at what now is the corner of Glasgow and Reiger in East Dallas. It is such a throwback to what schools once looked like that producers of Crisis at Central High, a movie made in the early '80s about desegregation in Little Rock, Ark., shot all of the interior scenes of the movie inside Woodrow."
  9. ^ "Bowley to view R.O.T.C. groups," The Dallas Morning News, December 12, 1928, section 1, page 4.
  10. ^ "Woodrow Wilson ROTC holds formal review with new flag flying," The Dallas Morning News, May 15, 1941, section 2, page 1.
  11. ^ Nancy Churnin. "Music from their hearts - Teachers have earned satisfaction by changing children's lives," The Dallas Morning News, November 4, 1999, page 1C.
  12. ^ Larry Powell. "This rainstorm will precipitate only good things," The Dallas Morning News, March 10, 1994, page 28A.
  13. ^ "Uniform Dress Code for Woodrow Wilson High School 2008-2009." Woodrow Wilson High School.
  14. ^ "DOCKET NO. 008-R5-901." Texas Education Agency. Accessed October 13, 2008.
  15. ^ a b Dallas ISD - 2006 School Feeder Patterns - Woodrow Wilson High School. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  16. ^ a b c d e "10 Notable Woodrow Wildcats," The Dallas Morning News, March 7, 2004, Metro section, 15B
  17. ^ Notable alumni of Woodrow Wilson High School, HS Game Time. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
  18. ^ U.S. Congress. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: Sam Johnson
  19. ^ Tom Alesia. "'Gangster of Love' still drawing the college crowd," Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), April 11, 1996, Rhythm section, page 6: "A UW student in 1962-65, Miller also played in Madison blues-rock bands the Ardells (with Boz Scaggs and Ben Sidran) and the Night Trains."
  20. ^ Baker Botts Law Firm website, Tom Phillips bio; Texas Supreme Court
  21. ^ Carroll Shelby Website
  22. ^ Dallas News

[edit] External links

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