Julia R. Masterman School
Julia R. Masterman School | |
---|---|
Address | |
1699 Spring Garden St. | |
Coordinates | 39°57′49″N 75°09′57″W / 39.9635°N 75.1657°W |
Information | |
Type | Special Admission |
Motto | "Dare to be excellent" |
Principal | Jessica Brown |
Staff | 54.81 (FTE)[1] |
Grades | 5-12 |
Enrollment | 1,197 (2017–18)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 21.84[1] |
Campus type | Urban (One building) |
Color(s) | Blue and white |
Newspaper | High School: Voices. |
Website | https://masterman.philasd.org |
Philadelphia High School for Girls (former campus) | |
Built | 1933 |
Architect | Irwin T. Catharine |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
MPS | Philadelphia Public Schools TR |
NRHP reference No. | 86003302[2] |
Added to NRHP | December 4, 1986 |
The Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School is a middle and secondary school located in Philadelphia. It is a magnet school, located in the Spring Garden neighborhood. Prior to 1958, the school building was used by the Philadelphia High School for Girls and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places under that name in 1986.[3]
Rankings and awards
Masterman is ranked first in the School District of Philadelphia and in the state of Pennsylvania.[4] It is considered one of the best college-preparatory public schools in the country. The school has twice been named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.[5][6] U.S. News & World Report ranked it as the top public school in Pennsylvania since 1996, and 51st in the nation in 2017.[4] The acceptance rate for the middle school is approximately 7%. Acceptance for the high school is approximately 3%, making it one of the most difficult schools to get into in the country.[7]
History
The Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School was established in September 1958 as an academic magnet school for elementary school students in grades 4, 5 and 6. A junior high school program was initiated in 1959, and a senior high school was added in 1976. In 1990 Masterman was re-organized as a middle school (grades 5-8) and a high school (grades 9-12). Masterman is located in the former Philadelphia High School for Girls building.
Students are admitted from all areas of Philadelphia based on academic performance, and staff members are selected based on professional expertise. The mission of the school is the pursuit of excellence in both teaching and learning. The high school is a preparatory school for select students of superior ability.
The school was named for Julia Reynolds Masterman, who was instrumental in establishing the Philadelphia Home and School Council and served as its first president. The Masterman family still participates in school events and contributes awards at commencement.
In 2007, Masterman was a filming location for the 2008 M. Night Shyamalan film The Happening starring Mark Wahlberg.[8] The film shows interior shots of a science lab on the fourth floor, the auditorium, and the main corridor of the first floor hallway, along with various other shots of the school.
In 2010, President Barack Obama chose Masterman as the site of his second annual back-to-school speech, which was broadcast nationally. There, he spoke about how the core of America's future is represented by the students of this generation.[9]
In 2014 Jessica Brown, a Masterman alumna who had previously worked as a principal intern there, became the school principal.[10] The current vice principals are Michelle Harrison and Tonya Broussard.
Dress code
The current dress code states that students must wear clothing which is appropriate, acceptable and not offensive in any way. [citation needed] Jeans are allowed, but cannot be ripped in inappropriate places. Flip-flops, crop-tops, and tank tops are not allowed.[11] References to alcohol, illegal drugs, profanities, or slurs of any sort are not permitted on any personal property.
Beginning in 2001 the School District of Philadelphia required all schools to enact school uniforms or strict dress codes. To comply with the district-wide policy, the administration of Masterman banned shirts with logos and emblems.[12]
Notable alumni
- Kevin Bacon, actor and musician — middle and high school
- Ellen Forney, author, graphic artist — middle and high school
- Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck & Co., Inc. — middle school
- Andrea Gardner, former WNBA basketball player
- Stephanie Gatschet, actress — middle and high school
- Leila Josefowicz, concert violinist[13]
- Shana Knizhnik, author and lawyer
- Emtithal Mahmoud, poet
- Angela Nissel, writer — middle school
- Leslie Odom Jr., actor and singer — middle school[14]
- Chynna Rogers, rapper
- Gregory Shahade, chess player and poker professional — middle school and high school
- Jennifer Shahade, chess player — high school
- Eric and Julie Slick, musicians — middle and high school
- Will Smith, musician and actor[15] — seventh grade
- Raymond Teller (a.k.a. Teller, of Penn & Teller), magician and writer — middle school
References
- ^ a b c "Masterman Julia R Sec Sch". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ B. Mintz, Pennsylvania Historic Resources Survey: Richardson L. Wright School. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, July 1986. Accessed 2010-09-30. To access this file type "public" as your ID and "public" as your password.
- ^ a b "Best High Schools in Pennsylvania". U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report.
- ^ "Microsoft Word - list-1982.doc" (PDF). 2.ed.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-30. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
- ^ "No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program -- Schools Recognized 2003 Through 2005 (MSWord)" (PDF). 2.ed.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
- ^ "Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School: Applying to Masterman". Mastermanschool.org. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "The Happening (2008) :Locations". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
- ^ Graham, Kristen A. (September 14, 2010). "President Obama to welcome U.S. students back to school with speech at Masterman in Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ Medina, Regina. "Masterman's new principal feeling right at home" (Archive). Philadelphia Daily News. September 23, 2014. Retrieved on November 29, 2015.
- ^ "Uniform Colors - The School District of Philadelphia". Phila.k12.pa.us. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Giordano, Rita. "Shift to mandatory dress policy fairly seamless in Phila. schools Students are nattily attired. Parents are just tired." (Archive). The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 7, 2001. Retrieved on November 28, 2015.
- ^ "Leila Josefowicz - Official Website". Leilajosefowicz.com. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Whelan, Aubrey (December 28, 2015). "Leslie Odom Jr.: Being Burr in Hamilton like falling in love". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016.
- ^ Iannucci, Lisa (2010). Will Smith: A Biography. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-313-37611-5.
External links
- Educational institutions established in 1958
- High schools in Philadelphia
- Magnet schools in Pennsylvania
- Public middle schools in Pennsylvania
- School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia
- School District of Philadelphia
- Public high schools in Pennsylvania
- 1958 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Spring Garden, Philadelphia