St. Louis Park High School
| St. Louis Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1898 |
| Principal | Robert Metz |
| Number of students | approx. 1,400 (9-12) |
| Mascot | Orioles |
| Colors | Orange, White, and Black |
| Website | www.slpschools.org/sh |
St. Louis Park High School, is a four-year public high school located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. St. Louis Park High School is ranked by Newsweek as #390 in their "List of the 1200 Top High Schools in America,"[1] fourth among Minnesota schools on the list (with Edina High School first and Southwest High School in Minneapolis second). In 2003, the high school began participation in the International Baccalaureate program and has since been decreasing the number of Advanced Placement classes offered in the curriculum.
The school paper is The Echo. While attending SLPHS, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote for -- but never edited -- The Echo, including one article in which he interviewed then Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. The Echo recently won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown Award in 2006 as one of the 25 best high school newspapers in the nation.[2]
Athletics
St. Louis Park High School is in the North Suburban Conference, which is part of the Minnesota State High School League. In 2005, they left the Classic Lake Conference due to its smaller student body than the other west suburban schools in the Classic Lake Conference. The school has created a website for information on current athletic events gopark.org.
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Cross Country, Boys | 3 | 1955, 1961, 2007 |
| Winter | Alpine Skiing, Boys | 1 | 1955 |
| Nordic Skiing, Boys | 1 | 2003 | |
| Basketball, Girls | 2 | 1986, 1990 | |
| Basketball, Boys | 1 | 1962 | |
| Synchronized swimming, Girls | 6 | 1965,1966, 1967,2004, 2005, 2006 | |
| Spring | Golf, Boys | 1 | 2003 |
| Track and Field, Boys | 5 | 1958, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 | |
| Track and Field, Girls | 1 | 1998 | |
| Total | 20 | ||
Notable alumni
- Joel and Ethan Coen, movie directors, music artists
- Philip Dray, author, At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of BlTThack America, etc.
- Mike Feinstein, City Councilmember (1996-2004) and Mayor (2000-2002), Santa Monica, CA [1]
- Al Franken, political satirist; attended through 10th grade
- Thomas Friedman, New York Times[3] columnist
- Pete Hautman, author[4]
- Peter Himmelman, musician and songwriter, formerly of Sussman Lawrence
- Sharon Isbin, classical guitarist[5]
- Dan Israel, musician and songwriter
- Peggy Orenstein, author and contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine
- Matt Parrington, head baseball coach at Macalester College
- Jim Petersen, pro basketball player in the NBA from 1985 to 1992[6]
- Erik Rasmussen, professional hockey player[7]
- Andy Sackrison, NHL Fifth Round Pick 2006 Draft
- Bob Stein, former NFL player[8]
- Marc Trestman, former NFL football coach, now football coach at North Carolina State University
- J. Elvis Weinstein, played Dr. Laurence Erhardt and the original puppeteer/voice for Tom Servo on Mystery Science Theater 3000
- Dan Wilson (musician), lead singer of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic
- T.J. Bohn, professional baseball player for the Seattle Mariners.
- Mark Rosen, Sports anchor for WCCO Channel 4
- Jeff Passolt, News anchor for Fox 9 News
- Sam Richter, Author of "Take the Cold," international speaker [9]
- Barry Siewert TV/Radio Personality/Musician
- Chris Tatarek, Ambrose Burke and Nick Nelson, members of the popular hip-hop group C.I.
References
- ^ "The Top of the Class". The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools. MSNBC. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ Scholastic Press Award
- ^ Thomas Friedman Bio
- ^ Pete Hautman Bio
- ^ St. Louis Park High School Distinguished Alumni
- ^ Jim Petersen Bio
- ^ Erik Rasmussen Bio
- ^ Bob Stein NFL Stats
- ^ Star Tribune Article U of M Alumni Article Business Week Article http://tinyurl.com/6kbxvm