Columbus Alternative High School
Encyclopedia
Columbus Alternative High School is a public high school located on the north side of Columbus, Ohio
. It is a part of the Columbus City Schools district. The school is a magnet school for college-bound students in Columbus, with both AP
and IB programs. While most Columbus City schools are assigned a neighborhood to whose residents they guarantee admission, places at CAHS are available exclusively through the district's school lottery.
Historically, CAHS has not fielded sports teams, and students have had the option to play sports at the schools in their home neighborhoods. As of 2009-2010, CAHS has an Ultimate Frisbee team that plays in the Central Ohio Ultimate League. CAHS also fields a nationally-rated chess
team, as well as In The Know and Robotics
teams.
The school is often referred to by its abbreviation, CAHS . The school's mascot is Pegasus
of Greek mythology
.
As part of its plan to comply with a 1977 court order to desegregate Columbus high schools, the Columbus Board of Education had announced that many students would be bussed to other neighborhoods beginning in the fall of 1978, and that certain schools, including North High School, would be closed.
A group of teachers, led by would-be principal Timothy Ilg, proposed a new magnet school to occupy the North High School building, featuring independent study and a rigorous curriculum. Nearly 700 students (mostly freshmen and sophomores) from around metropolitan Columbus applied for entry. Then, in the summer of 1978, a temporary stay was placed on the court order. The desegregation plan was postponed, North High School was saved, and the CAHS plan was shelved.
That summer, a call went out to all applicants interested in saving the alternative school idea. Since the majority of applicants and teachers had been from the North High School neighborhood, fewer than 75 applicants and families expressed interest. However, Ilg sought and obtained assurances from the Columbus Board of Education that if he could recruit 100 students and funding via outside grants, space would be provided for the school.
In the fall of 1978, with enough money to operate for only one semester, and a reported enrollment of exactly 100 students, the Columbus Alternative High School opened as a half-day program on the third floor of Mohawk Elementary School in downtown Columbus. CAHS students spent their mornings at Mohawk Elementary, and were bussed to their neighborhood schools in the afternoons for science and physical education programs. As a half-day program, CAHS was not able to grant degrees to its eight seniors.
The following year, enrollment surpassed 100 students, and CAHS was moved to the top floor of McGuffey Elementary School (its current location), where the half-day program again shared space with a grade school. In 1980, bolstered by a number of high-profile academic awards and a growing reputation for excellence, requests for enrollment surged, and the school received a $300,000 federal grant, permitting it to expand and become a full-time program. The first CAHS degrees were granted to the class of 1981.
Columbus Alternative High School has earned the Central Region Triple Crown Award from the Ohio School Boards Association, the only high school of 300 in the l4-county central region to be honored by Newsweek and US News and World Report and to be designated by the Ohio Department of Education as a School of Promise. This is the third consecutive time CAHS has won this award. Over ninety percent of CAHS graduates attend college afterward, and each graduating class has earned millions of dollars in scholarships.
The College Board recognized Columbus Alternative High School as one of seven schools in the country for the advancement of higher level math and science for minority students.
. The same players had won the 10th Grade National Chess Championship two years earlier, making this the second National Chess Championship for the same team.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. It is a part of the Columbus City Schools district. The school is a magnet school for college-bound students in Columbus, with both AP
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
and IB programs. While most Columbus City schools are assigned a neighborhood to whose residents they guarantee admission, places at CAHS are available exclusively through the district's school lottery.
Historically, CAHS has not fielded sports teams, and students have had the option to play sports at the schools in their home neighborhoods. As of 2009-2010, CAHS has an Ultimate Frisbee team that plays in the Central Ohio Ultimate League. CAHS also fields a nationally-rated chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
team, as well as In The Know and Robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
teams.
The school is often referred to by its abbreviation, CAHS . The school's mascot is Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.
Academics
CAHS students participate in an internship program beginning their sophomore year. The program, which fulfills the community-service requirements of the district, is designed to provide real-world experience. Students choose their own sponsors, who range from local artisans to politicians to teachers. Students report to their site on Wednesdays in place of attending classes. Also, CAHS has offered an International Baccalaureate diploma program for 11th and 12th graders since the 2005-2006 school year. Students are also encouraged to take AP and Post Secondary courses.History
The Columbus Alternative High School was conceived in 1977, initially as part of a plan to save the original Columbus North High School from closure.As part of its plan to comply with a 1977 court order to desegregate Columbus high schools, the Columbus Board of Education had announced that many students would be bussed to other neighborhoods beginning in the fall of 1978, and that certain schools, including North High School, would be closed.
A group of teachers, led by would-be principal Timothy Ilg, proposed a new magnet school to occupy the North High School building, featuring independent study and a rigorous curriculum. Nearly 700 students (mostly freshmen and sophomores) from around metropolitan Columbus applied for entry. Then, in the summer of 1978, a temporary stay was placed on the court order. The desegregation plan was postponed, North High School was saved, and the CAHS plan was shelved.
That summer, a call went out to all applicants interested in saving the alternative school idea. Since the majority of applicants and teachers had been from the North High School neighborhood, fewer than 75 applicants and families expressed interest. However, Ilg sought and obtained assurances from the Columbus Board of Education that if he could recruit 100 students and funding via outside grants, space would be provided for the school.
In the fall of 1978, with enough money to operate for only one semester, and a reported enrollment of exactly 100 students, the Columbus Alternative High School opened as a half-day program on the third floor of Mohawk Elementary School in downtown Columbus. CAHS students spent their mornings at Mohawk Elementary, and were bussed to their neighborhood schools in the afternoons for science and physical education programs. As a half-day program, CAHS was not able to grant degrees to its eight seniors.
The following year, enrollment surpassed 100 students, and CAHS was moved to the top floor of McGuffey Elementary School (its current location), where the half-day program again shared space with a grade school. In 1980, bolstered by a number of high-profile academic awards and a growing reputation for excellence, requests for enrollment surged, and the school received a $300,000 federal grant, permitting it to expand and become a full-time program. The first CAHS degrees were granted to the class of 1981.
Accomplishments
Columbus Alternative High School has received a silver medal from U.S. News and World Report magazine as one of the nation's top high schools.Columbus Alternative High School has earned the Central Region Triple Crown Award from the Ohio School Boards Association, the only high school of 300 in the l4-county central region to be honored by Newsweek and US News and World Report and to be designated by the Ohio Department of Education as a School of Promise. This is the third consecutive time CAHS has won this award. Over ninety percent of CAHS graduates attend college afterward, and each graduating class has earned millions of dollars in scholarships.
The College Board recognized Columbus Alternative High School as one of seven schools in the country for the advancement of higher level math and science for minority students.
CAHS Clubs
- Black Cultural Awareness Club
- Chess Club
- Columbus Future Educators
- Feminist Literature Club
- Film Club
- Fine Arts League
- Frisbee Club
- Future Educator Club
- Gay-Straight Alliance
- In The Know
- International Thespian Troupe #270
- Latin Club - functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL) and National Junior Classical LeagueNational Junior Classical LeagueThe National Junior Classical League is a youth organization of secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League...
(NJCL). - National Honor Society
- Ohio Mock Trial
- Shades Literary Magazine
- Spanish Club
- Thespian Society
- Youth to Youth
National Chess champions
CAHS chess teams have won eleven consecutive city and state championships [1998-2010]. In December 2008, CAHS's four member senior chess team won the 12th Grade National Chess Championship title at the National Grade Level Chess Championship in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The same players had won the 10th Grade National Chess Championship two years earlier, making this the second National Chess Championship for the same team.