Johnson Senior High School (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

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Johnson Senior High School
File:Johnson new logo copy.jpg
Location
Map
Saint Paul
,
Minnesota

USA
Information
TypePublic school
MottoPride of the East Side
Established1897
PrincipalKathleen Arndt
Faculty127
Grades9-12
Enrollment1647
CampusUrban
Color(s)Maroon and White
MascotGovernors
Websitehttp://governors.spps.org/

Johnson Senior High School is one of seven high schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district. The school, located on the East Side of the city, enrolls 1647 students making it the third largest high school in the district. It was the last high school that opened in the 19th century for the Saint Paul Public Schools district and is only surpassed in age by Central High School. The school is named for Minnesota governor John A. Johnson.

History

This building was home to Johnson High School from around 1911 to 1963. After serving as a maintenance facility and being used for storage for Saint Paul Public Schools it was reopened as John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary.[1][2]

Johnson opened in 1897 on the East Side of Saint Paul. The school has operated in three different buildings. The school's original name was Cleveland High School, after U.S. President Grover Cleveland, however some sources state the school was named after Horace Cleveland, a local landscape architect.[3]

The school was renamed to John A. Johnson High School during construction of the second building, after the Minnesota governor died in office. The current name was established in 1911.[4][5]

The current building was built in 1963 on the site of a former pond. Hastings Pond was filled in along with several other local ponds following construction of Interstate 94 through Saint Paul.[6][7] Mallards are still attracted to the location and several have raised families in the schools courtyards.[8] The land bought in 1960 for $119,250 and constructed at a cost of $3,663,529.78.

Enrollment

Students are able to enroll from throughout the city, however most students live on the East Side.[9] In the 2006-2007 school year 1647 students attended Johnson. Of those, the plurality were Asian, at 31%, with Black and White students composing 29% and 26% of the student body respectively. Finally 12% of students identified as Hispanic and 2% American Indian. The majority of students, 70%, qualified for Free and Reduced Price Lunch, a measure of poverty. 36% of students have limited English Proficiency and 15% qualify for special education. [10][11]

Education

Johnson High School is one of five high schools participating in smaller learning communities, which began in the 2003-04 school year. Currently, there are seven smaller learning communities within the school. Johnson is a participant of the Advanced Placement program, or AP, for students seeking to be challenged while improving their resumé for getting accepted into college. Johnson also participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.[12]

Beginning with the class of 2006, graduating seniors are required to engage in the Senior Project, a program designed for students to showcase the skills they have developed during their stay at Johnson and as a practice for building a resumé or portfolio when applying for jobs.

Johnson's literary magazine the Gleam was first published in 1912 but stopped publishing in 1926. In 1992 the magazine began again to help students improve scores on writing tests.[13]

Athletics

Outside view of Johnson Senior High School.

Johnson is a member of the Minnesota State High School League.[14] The school was a founding member of the Saint Paul City Conference in 1898 when the school was still Cleveland High School.[15] The school has been well known for producing talented athletic teams, primarily in football and basketball.

Johnson also has a long history of hockey glory including 4 State Championships (1947, 1953, 1955, 1963), second in state 3 times and 3 third places in 22 State Tournament appearances.[16]

The girls volleyball team won the class 2-A state championship in 1980.

In 2004, the boys basketball team placed fourth in the class AAAA state tournament. They made another state tournament appearance in 2007, but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual state AAAA champion Buffalo.

The Governors have won the Saint Paul City Conference title for football 13 times, their last conference title coming in 2006. Its chief rival is Harding Senior High School, and the two football squads play each other annually for the Hatchet trophy. As of 2007, Johnson is 44-26-6 all-time against Harding for football.

Notable Alumni

References

  1. ^ Tosto, Paul (September 6, 2000), "SCHOOL OPENS WITH PROMISE, CONSTRUCTION//NEW ELEMENTARY WARMLY EMBRACED ON THE EAST SIDE" Saint Paul Pioneer Press
  2. ^ Sigvertson, 212.
  3. ^ Karlson, Karl J. (August 1, 2003), "DOES THIS EAST SIDE STORY RING A BELL ? - ONE SAID TO COME FROM OLD JOHNSON HIGH", Saint Paul Pioneer Press
  4. ^ "A History of Johnson Senior High and the Surrounding Community". Johnson High School. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  5. ^ Sigvertson, Jene T. From the Past to the Present: An Inventory of Saint Paul Public School Facilities (PDF). Saint Paul Public Schools. pp. 212, 258, 288.
  6. ^ Don Boxmeyer; Donald Empson. The Street Where You Live: A Guide to the Place Names of St. Paul. University of Minnesota Press. pp. pp.120. ISBN 0-8166-4729-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) ISBN 9780816647293
  7. ^ Mohr, Elizabeth (April 7, 2008), ORGANIZING A 70-YEAR REUNION TAKES A SPECIAL PERSON, AND THE JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1938 HAS ONE IN TENACIOUS DOROTHY LYNCH." Saint Paul Pioneer Press
  8. ^ Boxmeyer, Don (May 30, 1998), "DUCKING OUT OS SCHOOL //EACH YEAR, ST. PAUL'S JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL IS HOME TO A VERY SPECIAL CLASS." Saint Paul Pioneer Press
  9. ^ https://mis.spps.org/REA/rea_custom_reports/230/230-07.pdf
  10. ^ "JOHNSON SENIOR HIGH (230)". Minnesota Department of Education. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  11. ^ "Johnson Senior High School". Saint Paul Public Schools. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  12. ^ "College in the Schools - Participating Schools". College in the Schools. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  13. ^ Walsh, James (May 12, 1992), "Righting how students write - Low test scores prod St. Paul officials to renew effort" Star Tribune
  14. ^ "Saint Paul Johnson High School". Minnesota State High School League. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  15. ^ History Saint Paul City Conference Retrieved on March 5, 2008
  16. ^ RICHARDSON, Ray (December 21, 2006), "HIGH SCHOOL BOYS HOCKEY - BATTLING EXTINCTION - JOHNSON AND COMO PARK, THE SOLE HOCKEY PARTICIPANTS IN THE ST. PAUL CITY CONFERENCE, DON'T WANT TO SEE THEIR PROGRAMS FADE. " Saint Paul Pioneer Press
  17. ^ a b c "Hall of Fame". Johnson Senior High School. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  18. ^ "Thomas Tapeh" (PDF). philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  19. ^ Fox, Margalit (October 31, 2006) "Arnold Sundgaard, Lyricist and Playwright, Is Dead at 96 " The New York Times
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