H. Grady Spruce High School
| H. Grady Spruce High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, secondary |
| Motto | Everybody is Somebody I care |
| School district | Dallas Independent School District |
| Faculty | 200[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 1534[2] |
| Color(s) | Scarlet Red and Royal Blue[1] |
| Mascot | Timberwolves[1] |
| Information | +1 (972) 892-5500[5] Fax: +1 (972) 892-5501[6] |
| Trustee dist. | 4, Nancy Bingham[3] |
| Learning Community | 1, Ivonne Durant [4] |
H. Grady Spruce High School is a public school located in Pleasant Grove, Dallas, Texas (USA). 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, Rylie, and the Hacienda del Sol subdivision [2].
History
H. Grady Spruce High School was built in 1963, replacing Rylie High School which was turned into a middle school. The school is named after H. Grady Spruce, a man who directed the Dallas YMCA's Camp Crockett for 25 years.
When it opened, Spruce's student body was almost entirely white. African-American students became a majority in the 1980s as the demographics of the Pleasant Grove area changed.
From 1963-1992, the mascot of Spruce High School was the Apache. Due to concerns about the use of Native American nicknames for schools, the mascot was changed to the Timberwolves.
On January 26, 2007, Spruce principal Ardis McCann was put on paid administrative leave for missing several receipts from district credit-card purchases, and on January 30, he was recommended for termination. After accounting for most of the lost receipts, he was reassigned to an administrative job in the Area 3 office.[7]
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]
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."[8]
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.[8]
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.[8]
Teachers at the school carry, on average, 14 years of teaching experience and 2% of the teachers on staff are first-year teachers.[8]
Feeder patterns
As of 2007, E. B. Comstock Middle School feeds into H. Grady Spruce High School. [9]
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
Notable alumni
- Maceo Baston (1994) - Toronto Raptors forward; played basketball at Michigan[10]
- Cedric Bonner (football player) (1997) - Former NFL Atlanta Falcons (2005) receiver[10]
- Jitter Fields (1980) - Former Saints, Colts and Chiefs defensive back (1984, 1987); played for UT[10]
- C.J. Richardson (1991) - Former Arizona Cardinals safety (1995); played collegiately at Miami[10]
- Stevin Smith (1990) - Former Dallas Mavericks (1997) guard[10]
- Charles Washington (1984) - Former NFL defensive back[10]
- Steve Rhodes (football player) (1976) - Former NFL Player for the St. Louis Cardinals[10]
References
- ^ a b c Dallas ISD - David W. Carter High School. Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ Texas Education Agency - School Directory - type in school number "057905017" and select "view report." 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.
- ^ Dallas ISD - School telephone numbers. (PDF). Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ Dallas ISD - School fax numbers. (PDF). Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ DallasNews - DISD shifts on firing principal. The Dallas Morning News, 19 April 2007. Retrieved on 12 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d Great Schools - H. Grady Spruce - Dallas, Texas. Information originally from the Texas Education Agency. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- ^ a b Dallas ISD - 2007 School Feeder Patterns - [1]. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g "My High School: H. Grady Spruce HS famous alumni," The Dallas Morning News sports section online. Cite error: The named reference "dmn-hgs" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
