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Woodrow Wilson High School (Portsmouth, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Woodrow Wilson High School is a public high school
located in Portsmouth, Virginia
. It is administered by Portsmouth City Public Schools. The school colors are royal blue, orange, and white, and the nickname is the Presidents.
In 1888, Portsmouth High School was formally established but continued to be housed in the Green Street building. Portsmouth High School moved to a brand new building on Washington Street in 1909. The new facility was the first one planned for the exclusive use of the high school.
In September, 1919, Portsmouth High School was renamed Woodrow Wilson High School and moved to a new building on High Street. The vacated building became an elementary school called Washington Street School, and later F.T. Briggs School. In September, 1955, Woodrow Wilson High School moved again to a new facility on Willett Drive, and the vacated building on High Street became Harry Hunt Junior High School. In September 1993, Woodrow Wilson was merged with Cradock High School and Manor High School. To appease alumni, the Woodrow Wilson name was kept, though the three schools were merged into the Manor building, which opened in 1972.
The school, along with others in the area, has recently become noted for its high dropout
rates.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
. It is administered by Portsmouth City Public Schools. The school colors are royal blue, orange, and white, and the nickname is the Presidents.
History
Wilson can be traced back to 1885, when a high school was organized at The Academy on Glasgow Street, which had housed only grammar and elementary students from 1850 through 1884. The first high school class graduated that same year. In 1886 the Glasgow Street building was no longer suitable, so the city erected a new building on Green Street, known as the Green Street School. High school, grammar, and elementary students moved there from the Glasgow Street location in September 1886.In September, 1919, Portsmouth High School was renamed Woodrow Wilson High School and moved to a new building on High Street. The vacated building became an elementary school called Washington Street School, and later F.T. Briggs School. In September, 1955, Woodrow Wilson High School moved again to a new facility on Willett Drive, and the vacated building on High Street became Harry Hunt Junior High School. In September 1993, Woodrow Wilson was merged with Cradock High School and Manor High School. To appease alumni, the Woodrow Wilson name was kept, though the three schools were merged into the Manor building, which opened in 1972.
The school, along with others in the area, has recently become noted for its high dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
rates.
Notable alumni
- V. C. Andrews – author
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– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
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– track and field sprint star, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist (4x400m) - Bill Deal – beach musicBeach musicBeach music, also known as Carolina beach music, is a regional genre which developed from various musical styles of the forties, fifties and sixties. These styles ranged from big band swing instrumentals to the more raucous sounds of blues/jump blues, jazz, doo-wop, boogie, rhythm and blues,...
musician with group Bill Deal and the Rhondels - Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
– rapper - Perry EllisPerry EllisPerry Ellis was an American fashion designer who founded a sportswear house in the mid-1970s.-The rise of Perry Ellis:...
– fashion designer - Chandler HarperChandler HarperJohn Chandler Harper was an American professional golfer best known for winning the 1950 PGA Championship. He won seven times on the PGA Tour and played on the 1955 Ryder Cup team....
, golfer - Ben JonesBen Jones (US)Ben Lewis Jones is an American actor, politician, playwright and essayist, probably best known for his role as Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard. Jones was elected to be a member of the United States House of Representatives in 1988 and re-elected in 1990. He served for four years, until Jan...
– actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making... - T. J. JordanT. J. JordanTaurean Yves Jordan is a women's basketball player who played collegiately for Old Dominion University. She holds several ODU scoring records, and was regarded as one of the best players in the Colonial Athletic Association.Jordan attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, where...
– basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player - LaShawn MerrittLaShawn MerrittLaShawn Merritt is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 meters. He is the reigning Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.75 seconds makes him the fifth fastest of all time...
– sprinter, 2008 Olympic Gold medalist (400 meters and 4x400m relay) - Bill Moran – baseball player
- Clarence ParkerClarence ParkerClarence "Ace" Parker, is a former quarterback who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Boston Yanks , and the New York Yankees. He was an All-American tailback at Duke University in 1936...
– Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
quarterback - Bill SchneiderBill Schneider (journalist)William Schneider is an American journalist. Currently he serves as CNN's senior political analyst and Distinguished Senior Fellow & Resident Scholar at Third Way, a Washington think tank. Schneider is also serving as the Omer L...
– journalist with CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States... - Khadijah WhittingtonKhadijah WhittingtonKhadijah Ameenah Whittington is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School , Whittington attended North Carolina State University where she became the fourth player in school history to score 1,000 points and grab...
– basketball player