Obama High School is a public school in the Shadyside

Shadyside

Shadyside may refer to:in the United States:* Shadyside, Indiana, site of head-on collision on railroad at passing loop* Shadyside, Ohio in Belmont County, Ohio* Shadyside , listed on the NRHP in Mississippi...

 neighborhood of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, USA.

Obama High School is one of three new 6-12 schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and adjacent Mount Oliver.The combined land area of these municipalities is with a population of 342,503 according to the 2000 census. In August 2005, the superintendent became Mark Roosevelt. His tenure ends...

. It is housed in the former Reizenstein Facility. The school is an international baccalaureate school with a middle years and diploma program.

In 2009, the school was named after US President Barack Hussein Obama II.

Phase out of Schenley and Frick Origins

Obama 6-12 was born out of the phase out of Schenley High School and Frick Middle School. In 2008 Pittsburgh Public Schools' school board voted to close down the Schenley High School

Schenley High School

Schenley High School is both a public school building and a school program that closed with the graduating class of 2011. Schenley High School is located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2008 the school's staff and...

 building in Oakland due to severe internal Asbestos problems. With a 76 million dollar price tag on renovations, the school board voted to move the staff and student body to the Reizenstein Middle School facility and begin a phase out of the school. Each year the school will lose one grade so that by 2010-2011 school year the last grade of Schenley will graduate. The school will be replaced with Obama Academy which was spawned from Frick middle School. Under the plan Schenley would lose a grade each year, while Frick 6-8 would gain a grade every year so that by the 2011-2012 school year it would have grades 6-12.

Student body

Group	Number of students	Percent
All	603	100%
White	146	24.21%
African American	403	66.83%
Asian	12	1.99%
Hispanic	9	1.49%
Mulitracial	33	5.47%
American Indian	1	0.11%
Male	265	43.95%
Female	338	56.05%

Academics

Obama 6-12 features both a Middle Years Programme

IB Middle Years Programme

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is an educational programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 . Thus, in the United States the programme is often taught throughout the middle school years and the first two years of high school...

 and a Diploma Programme

IB Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...

. The Diploma Programme teachers at Obama were inherited from Schenley High School.

Middle school

The middle school has standard Pittsburgh Public schools curriculum with IBMYP as a supplement curriculum. Many middle schoolers come from international studies feeder schools from around the district. Middle schoolers have access to many academic activities such as the African American History Bowls.

High school

The High School portion of Obama 6-12 has its own Vice Principal and teachers. It follows standard Pittsburgh Public Schools regulations such as graduation credits and separate classes for gifted students.

9th and 10th Grade

9th and 10th graders are enrolled in either Pittsburgh Scholars Program (PSP) classes or Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) classes with IBMYP as a supplement to both sections. CAS classes are for higher achieving students with a minimum IQ. Students in these classes receive a weighted GPA and may take AP courses such as AP U.S. History. They are also required to complete a Long Term Project (LTP), and will receive a special seal on their diplomas. 9th and 10th grade students have access to many IBMYP electives such as visual arts, concert band, technology, Choir, and Ceramics. 9th and 10th Grade students attend the majority of their academic classes on the south side of the 1st floor of the Reizenstein complex. 10th Grade students are required to complete a personal project so that they may earn their IB MYP certificate.

11th and 12th Grade

Obama 6-12 will begin enrolling 11th graders for the 2010-2011 school year and 12th grade students for the 2011-2012 school year. Starting in the 11th grade students are no longer separated by CAS and PSP. Students are placed together in IB DP classes. Students are required to fulfill requirements for Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), complete an extended essay, complete a theory of knowledge course (TOK), and pass the IB exams to receive college credit for their work. During 10th grade Obama students choose an elective that they will have for the rest of their 2 years. These choices include Psychology, Theater, Film, Arts, and Band.

Sports

Obama currently shares its sports teams with Schenley High School which it shares a building with. Together Schenley and Obama have Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys Baseball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Volleyball, Boys and Girls Swim, Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Soccer Wrestling.

l

Reizenstein

Obama 6-12 is housed in the Florence Reizenstein Facility located on the edge of Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood and adjacent to Ellis School. The building also houses the remainder of Schenley High School as well as an early childhood center. The building was originally a middle school built in the 1970s but was closed due to population concerns in the early 21st century. The school was renovated in the summer of 2008 and for the 2008-2009 school year housed Schenley high school grades 10-12. In the 2009-2010 school year Schenley's population was scaled back by a grade and the school for the first time shared the facility with Obama 6-12.

Features of Reizenstein

Reizenstein features:

• open cafeteria

• counselors suite

• athletic fields and verdant front courtyard
  

External links

• Pittsburgh Public Schools