Westinghouse High School (Pittsburgh)
Westinghouse High School | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Location | |
![]() | |
1101 N. Murtland Street Pittsburgh, PA 15208 United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public |
Established | 1917 |
School district | Pittsburgh Public Schools |
Principal | Mr. Alexander Herring (Acting) |
Grades | 6–12 |
Enrollment | 781 August 2012[1] |
Representative | Randall Taylor |
Website | Official website |
Westinghouse High School | |
![]() Front of school | |
Architect | Ingham & Boyd |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 86002716 [2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 30, 1986 |
Designated CPHS | November 30, 1999[3] |
Designated PHLF | 2001[4] |
Westinghouse High School is a public school in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, or The Academy at Westinghouse named for Pittsburgh resident George Westinghouse.
The school has an enrollment of 707 students, 99% of whom are African American.[1]
Westinghouse is one of ten high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Westinghouse High School is a 6-12 school, one of four created in Pittsburgh Public Schools. Girls in one building, Boys in another part of the building with Faison joining Westinghouse High School on a separate floor if the board approves.[clarification needed] In the 2011-2012 school year, the school absorbed students from the East Liberty neighborhood due to the closure of nearby Peabody High School. [5]
Feeder District
The City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods which are served by Westinghouse High School are as follows: East Hills, East Liberty, Highland Park, Homewood North, Homewood South, Homewood West, Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar and Point Breeze North.[6]
History
Westinghouse High School opened in 1917. The major changes in the fall of 2011 at Westinghouse faced some community conflict because laws dictate that students can not be forced to attend a single-gender school under a 'feeder pattern. Hence, Pittsburgh Public Schools board decided that students living East of Negley will attend Westinghouse but can opt out in 30 days and attend the default Pittsburgh Milliones, University Preparatory School which faced increased enrollment. Projected enrollment for Westinghouse was to be 750 students. But in the early fall of 2011, 450 students have signed up.
By November 2011, the three principals that started the school year at Westinghouse were gone and the district also made an announcement that the single-gender operations would end in early 2012. The ACLU and others made threats of looming legal challenges and rather than go to court, the district decided that changes were the more prudent pathway for the future of the school.
Curriculum and Academies
Westinghouse offers Culinary Arts and Cosmetology as part of its school-within-a-school programs.
The Science and Math Academy (SAM) allows students to develop skills in math and the sciences. A summer program allows students in the Academy to work with several colleges and universities
The Business and Finance Academy teaches students the skills needed in the financial services field, preparing students for further work in college or in the job market. Students are provided with training in the computer skills used most frequently in the business world.
Notable alumni
- Tom Casey, Canadian Football Hall of Fame and former NFL player
- Chuck Cooper, first black player drafted in the NBA
- Frank Cunimondo, jazz pianist.[7]
- Erroll B. Davis Jr. Chancellor, University of Georgia, WHS class of 1961[8]
- Erroll Garner, jazz pianist and composer[9]
- John Greene, former NFL player
- Jon Henderson, former NFL player
- Ahmad Jamal, jazz pianist[9][10]
- Dave Kalina, former NFL player
- Mose Lantz, former NFL player
- Tony Liscio, NFL left tackle Dallas Cowboys[11]
- Bill Nunn, Jr., journalist and American football scout
- Wendell H. Phillips, member Maryland House of Delegates, (1979–1987)
- Arletta Scott Williams - 1978 graduate (Executive Director, Allegheny County Sanitation Authority, ALCOSAN)
- Maurice Stokes, Basketball Hall of Fame who led WHS to the Pittsburgh City Championship in both 1950 and 1951. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1955 and played in the NBA All-Star Game every year of his career, before an in-game injury in 1958 resulted in permanent paralysis and ended his career.[12]
- Billy Strayhorn, jazz composer, known for "Lush Life" and "Take the "A" Train".[13]
- Kenneth Roland Williams Jr (K. Roland Williams) Urban Literature author and book publisher. Attended Westinghouse High School and graduated in 1986. Notable novels include: Cut Throat, Rekindled, Reigning Queen, and critically acclaimed Anthology: Romance For The Streets.
References
- ^ a b "Westinghouse High School Fact Sheet". PPS Web Site. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ "Reform's next round: The city's high school plan is bold and far-reaching", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 25, 2010, retrieved 2010-07-17
- ^ EJ. "Discover PPS". Pittsburgh Public Schools. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ "Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh, PA" Details, accessed December 31, 2006
- ^ "My Homewood", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16 December 2005, retrieved 2010-07-17
- ^ a b "Boston Piano: 10th Anniversary Celebration" (PDF) (Press release). Steinway & Sons. Fall 2002. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
- ^ Karlovits, Bob (2002-06-30). "Nemacolin jazz festival beckons famed pianist". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
- ^ Dyer, Ervin (2007-02-19). "The Westinghouse High School Wall of Fame - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ "Maurice Stokes Biography". Basketball Hall of Fame Web Site. Archived from the original on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
- ^ Billy Strayhorn Timeline, accessed December 31, 2006 Template:Wayback
External links
- School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Educational institutions established in 1917
- High schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- School buildings completed in 1917
- Neoclassical architecture in Pennsylvania
- City of Pittsburgh historic designations
- Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks
- Public high schools in Pennsylvania
- Public middle schools in Pennsylvania
- 1917 establishments in Pennsylvania