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Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon)

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Coordinates: 45°29′55″N 122°38′19″W / 45.4985°N 122.6385°W / 45.4985; -122.6385
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cleveland High School
Address
Map
3400 SE 26th Avenue

Portland, Oregon
97202

United States
Coordinates45°29′55″N 122°38′19″W / 45.4985°N 122.6385°W / 45.4985; -122.6385
Information
TypePublic
Opened
  • 1916 (as Commercial High School)
  • 1948 (as Cleveland High School)
School districtPortland Public Schools
PrincipalJo Ann Wadkins [1]
Teaching staff76.32 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades9–12[2]
Number of students1,472 (2023–2024)[2]
Student to teacher ratio19.29[2]
Color(s)Kelly green and yellow   [4]
Athletics conferenceOSAA Portland Interscholastic League 6A-1[4]
Team nameWarriors
RivalFranklin High School[3]
NewspaperThe Clarion
Feeder schoolsHosford Middle School
Lane Middle School
Sellwood Middle School
Websitewww.pps.net/cleveland

Cleveland High School (CHS, formally Grover Cleveland High School) is a public high school in inner southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Portland Public Schools district. Its attendance boundary covers much of the western part of Southeast Portland.

History

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Cleveland High School was established in 1916 as Commercial High School, changing its name to the High School of Commerce in 1917.[5] The school was originally located on what is now the Portland State University campus, but moved to its current location in 1929 and expanded its name to Clinton Kelly High School of Commerce.[5] The 1929 building was designed by the architect George Howell Jones.[6] Cleveland's focus during this period was on students pursuing a business education, so it offered courses in bookkeeping, stenography, and other related business subjects.[7] Charlotte Plummer Owen worked at the school prior to World War II.[8]

The High School of Commerce gradually increased its course offerings, and eventually became a comprehensive high school in the fall of 1948. The school's name was changed to Grover Cleveland High School the same year, and a new athletic field house and science laboratories were added to the school.[9] This expansion was funded by a $25 million building levy passed by the Portland school board in 1947 that was aimed at renovating and expanding schools across Portland in response to the post-war baby boom.[10]

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the school district faced declining enrollment, and targeted Cleveland for closure. The CHS property was made up of two parcels: the school building site and the athletic field, originally the site of the Clinton Kelly home. Clinton Kelly, an early Portland settler and minister, specified that the property was to be used solely for a public school. If the property was used for any other purpose, or put up for sale, the property would revert to the Kelly estate, and to the living heirs of Clinton Kelly.[citation needed] The school district ultimately decided to close Washington-Monroe High School instead, and keep Cleveland open.

During 1990 and 1991 the school auditorium was equipped with a large theater pipe organ. The instrument was removed from Benson High School near the Lloyd Center, enlarged, and installed in the Cleveland Auditorium by the Oregon Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (now called the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society), which maintains it and presents events open to the public.

Cleveland joined the International Baccalaureate program in 2000, and is one of two high schools that offer the program in Portland.[11]

In 2005, Cleveland was the setting for the music video for "16 Military Wives" by local indie rock band The Decemberists.[12]

Due to the age and layout of the school, Portland Public Schools has examined proposals to replace or update it as recently as 2023, when the district's real estate team held talks with Kroger regarding a potential purchase of the Fred Meyer corporate offices abutting Powell Park despite the latter party's lack of interest in a sale.[13]

Incidents

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In April 2019, Cleveland was the site of a controversy involving culinary arts students making a cake resembling blackface. This was four days after a small noose was found hanging in one of Cleveland's entry points and six months after swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti was found on Cleveland's walls and even on a flier advertising Cleveland's Jewish Student Union.[14]

On December 12, 2022, a 16-year-old student was shot and injured partially on school grounds.[15]

Student profile

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In the 2018–2019 school year, Cleveland's student population was 68% European American, 10% Hispanic/Latino, 9% Asian, 3% African American, 1% Native American, 1% Pacific Islander, and 8% mixed race.[16] In 2009–2010, the school was locally known for having "an incredibly vocal, motivated and organized parent community".[17]

In 2008, 85% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 310 students, 262 graduated, 26 dropped out, nine received a modified diploma, and 13 were still in high school the following year.[18][19] In 2009, 28% of Cleveland students were transfers into the school.[20]

Athletics

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Cleveland competes in the Portland Interscholastic League under 6A classification.

State championships

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  • Girls swimming: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957
  • Dance/drill: 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997

Notable alumni

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See also: Category:Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ Campuzano, Eder (June 30, 2020). "Cleveland High has a new principal, its third since last May". OregonLive.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cleveland High School". Search for Private Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Franklin qualifies for playoffs with flawed win over rival Cleveland". OregonLive. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Cleveland". Oregon School Activities Association.
  5. ^ a b "Cleveland's History". Portland Public Schools. Archived from the original on 2018-01-12.
  6. ^ "Cleveland School (Portland, Oregon)". Oregon Digital.
  7. ^ Polich 1950, p. 82.
  8. ^ The Grove Dictionary of American Music. OUP USA. January 2013. ISBN 978-0-19-531428-1.
  9. ^ Polich 1950, p. 160.
  10. ^ Polich 1950, pp. 158–160.
  11. ^ "Cleveland High School Profile 2017-2018". Portland Public Schools. from the original on 2018-01-12.
  12. ^ "365 Days, 52 Weeks, 12 Months, 1 Scene". Willamette Week. August 2, 2005. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  13. ^ Silverman, Julia (October 17, 2023). "Portland Public Schools eyes a new site for hemmed-in Cleveland High School". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Eder Campuzano | The (2019-04-28). "A blackface cake surfaced at a SE Portland high school days after a teacher found a noose in an entryway". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  15. ^ "Teenager shot, injured outside Cleveland High School on Monday afternoon". KATU. December 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Cleveland High School Profile 2018-2019" (PDF). Portland Public Schools. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  17. ^ Kimberly Melton (January 21, 2010). "What will be the fate of my high school?". OregonLive. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  18. ^ "State releases high school graduation rates". OregonLive. June 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  19. ^ "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". OregonLive. June 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  20. ^ Kimberly Melton (February 4, 2010). "How many transfer, and where do they go?". OregonLive. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  21. ^ Burmeister, Heather (17 March 2018). "Hazel Ying Lee (1912-1944)". Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  22. ^ Charles Pope (May 31, 2011). "John Bryson brings Portland roots as nominee to lead Commerce Department". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
  23. ^ Manning, Jeff; James Long (April 23, 2002). "Losing All That Mattered to Him". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  24. ^ "Knight in Shining Armor?". OregonLive. 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
  25. ^ David Walker (June 11, 2003). "Heavy Metal Half-Life". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  26. ^ Bernstein, Maxine (June 6, 2022). "Federal prosecutor Natalie K. Wight nominated by President Biden to serve as Oregon's next U.S. attorney". oregonlive. Retrieved June 6, 2022.

References

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