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Jefferson High School (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
History
Due to the baby boom
Baby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
and passing of a $25 million building levy by the school district in 1947, a new high school was slated.
In September 1991, "at least six fires" were set at the school by an arsonist.
On January 7, 2008, Mayor Potter
Tom Potter
Tom Potter is the former Mayor of the city of Portland, Oregon in the United States. He was elected in 2004, and left office in January 2009. He was succeeded by City Commissioner Sam Adams. Prior to Potter's service as mayor, he was Portland's police chief....
relocated City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
to Jefferson for a week, held a City Council meeting, and delivered State of the City address. The aim was stated to be to "give students, parents and educators a first hand lesson in how government really works - and to showcase the opportunities, successes and challenges facing every school in Portland's six public school districts."
School profile
In 2009-2010 the school was the only one in Oregon to have a majority of African American students. Only 30% of students live within the school boundaries. In 2009, 18% of students transferred into the school.In 2008, 67% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
. Of 132 students, 89 graduated, 23 dropped out, 11 received a modified diploma
Oregon modified high school diploma
The Oregon modified high school diploma, also known as the OAR 581-022-1134 Modified Diploma, is a document that is given to students who need special consideration throughout their time in high school...
, and 9 are still in high school.
In September 2011, all freshman students will be required to participate in the Middle College for Advanced Studies.
Jefferson High School – Middle College for Advanced Studies at a glance:
Freshmen and sophomores will focus on their core subjects at Jefferson. They will learn such skills as study habits and organization to prepare them for college coursework and will move through classes in groups — or academies - with the same set of teachers.
As students are ready, they will move to college prep classes at Jefferson and college courses at PCC Cascade Campus
Portland Community College
Portland Community College is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland, United States. It serves over one million residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia...
, mostly in their junior and senior years. PCC pathways will range from preparation for a four-year college to careers such as EMT, medical assistant, firefighter, and heating, ventilation and cooling technician.
College coursework is offered at no cost to Jefferson students. Students who receive special education services may participate in the Middle College as recommended by their individualized education plan teams.
Students who are learning English may participate in the Middle College by taking credit-bearing ESOL courses and other courses consistent with their English language level.
Counselors and advisers at PCC and Jefferson will closely support students as they progress.
Self Enhancement, Inc., a youth-development nonprofit, will provide such core support services as tutoring and mentoring to all Jefferson students.
Students will earn a high school diploma from Jefferson as well as 12 to 45 college credits from PCC that are fully transferrable to other colleges and universities.
Dance program
In the mid-1970s, in an attempt to integrate the student body, Jefferson High School introduced the magnet arts program and the dance program, which allowed for students from other districts to be bused into the school to take part in the arts and dance programs. Rather than integrating the student body to any profound degree, what this led to was many white students from other districts being bused in for the programs and having nothing to do with the rest of the school. In addition, though Jefferson High School was predominantly a black high school, the percentage of black students enrolled in the dance and other arts programs remained relatively low.Jefferson High School became well known in the local community for its magnet arts dance program, which was founded in the late 1970s by Mary Vinton Folberg
Mary Vinton Folberg
Mary Vinton Folberg is a teacher and former dancer. She was Miss Oregon in 1958. She founded the dance program at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, which has become internationally recognized within the dance community...
, sister of Will Vinton
Will Vinton
Will Vinton is an American director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.- Education :...
(creator of Claymation). Folberg modelled the Jefferson Dance Department after the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
.
The Jefferson dance program teaches different levels of a broad range of dance styles, including ballet, tap, African, modern, hip hop and jazz. Twice each school year the students' achievements are publicly showcased in recitals in the school's auditorium; one in the winter and one in the spring. Considered a foundation of many types of dance, ballet is an essential part of many dance students' educations. However, the Jefferson dance program and school-based company, The Jefferson Dancers, lacked advanced ballet training for about a decade. In the 2009 winter recital, The Jefferson Dancers performed the school's first piece en pointe in about ten years.
The Jefferson Dancers
In the late 1970's, Folberg founded the student dance company The Jefferson DancersThe Jefferson Dancers
The Jefferson Dancers is the performance group of advanced students from the magnet arts dance program at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company was founded by Mary Vinton Folberg in the early 1980s...
. Since its founding, The Jefferson Dancers
The Jefferson Dancers
The Jefferson Dancers is the performance group of advanced students from the magnet arts dance program at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company was founded by Mary Vinton Folberg in the early 1980s...
has grown and changed in various ways, exposing its members to a diverse range of dance styles, including ballet, modern, African, tap, jazz and hip hop. Auditions are held for two days each years in the spring.
In April 2009, the company traveled to Germany.
Basketball program
The men's basketball team has been one of the most successful programs in Oregon. In 1999-2000, they went undefeated, were nationally ranked, and won the state championship three years in a row in 2008, 2009 and 2010.State championships
- Boys basketball: 1951, 1972, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Girls basketball: 2008, 2010
Notable alumni
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