Paul Robeson High School (Chicago, Illinois)
Encyclopedia
Paul Robeson High School (formerly known as Parker High School) is a public high school in the Englewood
neighborhood of the city of Chicago
, Illinois
. It is a part of Chicago Public Schools
. Prior to being named in honor of actor, singer, and athlete Paul Robeson
, the school was named for Francis Wayland Parker
, a supporter of progressive education in the nineteenth century, who donated the land upon which the school was built. The new school building, named for Robeson, opened in 1977.
(CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA). Teams are stylized as the Raiders for men's teams and the Lady Raiders for women's teams.
The schools boys tennis team won IHSA state championships in 1937-38 and 38-39
Dating to 1974 when the IHSA began sponsoring a state championship tournament in football, Robeson is the only CPL team, as of the 2010–11 season, to play in a state championship football game, finishing second in state in 1982-83.
Englewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
neighborhood of the city of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. 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...
. Prior to being named in honor of actor, singer, and athlete Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, the school was named for Francis Wayland Parker
Francis Wayland Parker
Francis Wayland Parker was a pioneer of the progressive school movement in the United States. He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental, physical, and moral...
, a supporter of progressive education in the nineteenth century, who donated the land upon which the school was built. The new school building, named for Robeson, opened in 1977.
Athletics
Robeson competes in the Chicago Public LeagueChicago Public High School League
The Chicago Public High School Athletic Association, commonly known as the Chicago Public League , is the interscholastic competition arm of the Chicago Public Schools...
(CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA). Teams are stylized as the Raiders for men's teams and the Lady Raiders for women's teams.
The schools boys tennis team won IHSA state championships in 1937-38 and 38-39
Dating to 1974 when the IHSA began sponsoring a state championship tournament in football, Robeson is the only CPL team, as of the 2010–11 season, to play in a state championship football game, finishing second in state in 1982-83.
Notable alumni
- Carol Moseley BraunCarol Moseley BraunCarol Elizabeth Moseley Braun is an American feminist politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. She was the first and to date only African-American woman elected to the United States Senate, the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an...
is a former U.S. SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(1993–99) and United States Ambassador to New ZealandUnited States Ambassador to New ZealandThe United States has maintained a consular presence in New Zealand since 1838. The first consul was James Reddy Clendon. Born in England, Clendon was a ship owner and merchant who bought land and settled in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In 1838 he was appointed by the federal government of the...
(1999–2001). She was the first African–American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. - Bo EllisBo EllisMaurice H. "Bo" Ellis is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward from Parker High School in Chicago, Ellis played college basketball at Marquette University and won an NCAA Championship in 1977. After graduating, he played three seasons of professional basketball for the...
is a former NBA player (1977–80) who spent his entire career with the Denver NuggetsDenver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. He was a member of the 1977 NCAA Division I basketball champion1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 American schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the National Champion of Men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1977, and ended with the championship game on March 28 in Atlanta, Georgia. A...
Marquette WarriorsMarquette Golden Eagles men's basketballThe Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I...
. - Tom HawkinsTom Hawkins (basketball)Thomas Jerome Hawkins is a retired American professional basketball player....
is a former NBA player (1959–69) and first round draft pick1959 NBA DraftThe 1959 NBA Draft was the 13th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 31, 1959 before the 1959–60 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of...
. - Jannero PargoJannero PargoJannero Pargo is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls.-College career:Graduating from Paul Robeson High School at Chicago in 1998, Pargo played collegiately for the University of Arkansas after transferring from Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas in...
is a basketball player (2002–present), playing for the Chicago BullsChicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
. - Jeremy PargoJeremy PargoJeremy Pargo is a professional basketball player.Pargo is from Chicago, Illinois, and attended Robeson High School.Pargo was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine for the 2009 March Madness issue...
is a professional basketball player, playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Super League - Mickey PruittMickey PruittMickey Pruitt Mickey Pruitt Mickey Pruitt (born January 10, 1965 in Bamberg, South Carolina is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for five seasons for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys....
is a former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
(1988–92). He was a member of the Super Bowl XXVIISuper Bowl XXVIISuper Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
champion Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He is currently in charge of football for the Chicago Public League. - Mavis StaplesMavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
is a rhythm and bluesRhythm and bluesRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and gospelGospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer.