Amundsen High School
Encyclopedia
Roald Amundsen High School, is a public high school located at the corner of Damen and Foster Avenue in Chicago, Illinois in the United States
. It is a part of Chicago Public Schools
and has approximately 1,600 students, though its building was designed to house 1,300. It is a neighborhood high school without selective enrollment. It is notable for being a CPS school with a non-selective International Baccalaureate program.
The school is located at the north-east corner of Winnemac Park in the Lincoln Square
neighborhood. It shares the park with Eliza Chappell Elementary School and Amundsen's sports stadium, Jorndt Field.
It was named after Roald Amundsen
, the Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole. His expedition reached the pole on December 14, 1911.
Designed by architect Paul Gerhardt, Roald Amundsen School opened November 10, 1930, two years after the famous explorer died in a rescue mission to the North Pole. Amundsen was not a high school when it opened, but a junior high. The Amundsen building also played host to branches of other schools, including a Branch of McPherson Elementary that opened in Amundsen in 1932.
On July 26, 1933, Amundsen Junior High became Amundsen Senior High. In addition to serving high school pupils it also accommodated an elementary school unit. In June 1935 the Amundsen Elementary unit closed except for a small number of first and second-graders kept on as a Branch of Goudy Elementary. This Branch of Goudy in Amundsen became a Branch of Hamilton on January 8, 1936 and remained until 1937 when it was rendered obsolete by the newly-erected Chappell School.
In 1956, the school was the first site of a two-year college program that later grew to become present-day Harry S Truman College
.
Above the main entrance is inscribed the quote:
"A brave man may fall but cannot yield."
Football scenes for the movie "The Express" (2008), about the life of Ernie Davis
, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, were filmed in Jorndt Field in April and May 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a part of Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
and has approximately 1,600 students, though its building was designed to house 1,300. It is a neighborhood high school without selective enrollment. It is notable for being a CPS school with a non-selective International Baccalaureate program.
The school is located at the north-east corner of Winnemac Park in the Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square, Chicago
Lincoln Square, located on the North Side of the city of Chicago, Illinois, is one of 77 well-defined Chicago community areas. Greater Lincoln Square encompasses the smaller neighborhoods of Ravenswood Manor, Ravenswood Gardens, Ravenswood, Bowmanville, Budlong Woods and Lincoln Square...
neighborhood. It shares the park with Eliza Chappell Elementary School and Amundsen's sports stadium, Jorndt Field.
It was named after Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
, the Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole. His expedition reached the pole on December 14, 1911.
Designed by architect Paul Gerhardt, Roald Amundsen School opened November 10, 1930, two years after the famous explorer died in a rescue mission to the North Pole. Amundsen was not a high school when it opened, but a junior high. The Amundsen building also played host to branches of other schools, including a Branch of McPherson Elementary that opened in Amundsen in 1932.
On July 26, 1933, Amundsen Junior High became Amundsen Senior High. In addition to serving high school pupils it also accommodated an elementary school unit. In June 1935 the Amundsen Elementary unit closed except for a small number of first and second-graders kept on as a Branch of Goudy Elementary. This Branch of Goudy in Amundsen became a Branch of Hamilton on January 8, 1936 and remained until 1937 when it was rendered obsolete by the newly-erected Chappell School.
In 1956, the school was the first site of a two-year college program that later grew to become present-day Harry S Truman College
Harry S Truman College
Harry S Truman College, popularly called Truman College and formerly called Mayfair College, is a city college of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. Located at 1145 West Wilson Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood, the school was named in honor of U.S...
.
Above the main entrance is inscribed the quote:
"A brave man may fall but cannot yield."
Jorndt Field
The sports stadium was renovated in 2004 and renamed Jorndt Field after Louis C. Jorndt. Lou Jorndt taught and coached at Amundsen from 1930 until 1953. His son Dan Jorndt, and his wife Pat Jorndt donated $1 million for the renovation.Football scenes for the movie "The Express" (2008), about the life of Ernie Davis
Ernie Davis
Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland...
, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, were filmed in Jorndt Field in April and May 2007.
Notable graduates
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. - Michael Mann is a film writer, directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and producerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
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