Booker T. Washington High School (Oklahoma) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Booker T. Washington High School |
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Booker T. Washington Pep Rally
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| Location | |
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1514 East Zion Street
, Oklahoma
74106
United States
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| Coordinates | 36°11′18″N 95°58′16″W / 36.188205°N 95.971009°W |
| Information | |
| Type | |
| Established | 1913 |
| Principal | Melissa Woolridge |
| Faculty | 63.50 (FTE) |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 1,327 (2020-21) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 20.90 |
| Color(s) | Orange and Black |
| Mascot | Hornets |
Booker T. Washington High School is a high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was named after Booker T. Washington, a famous African-American leader in education. The school is part of the Tulsa Public Schools system.
Contents
About Booker T. Washington High School
Booker T. Washington is a public high school. Students are accepted based on their schoolwork, not just where they live. To get in, students need good grades and attendance from middle school. They also take a special test called the Iowa Tests of Educational Development.
To make sure students come from different backgrounds, the school gives a special look to students from areas with many minority groups or lower incomes. This helps create a diverse and interesting student body.
School History
When Oklahoma became a state, separate schools were created for African-American children. The first such school in Tulsa was a small, two-room wooden building. It opened in 1908 and taught grades 1 through 8.
In 1913, Dunbar Grade School opened. It was a larger brick building. A smaller four-room building nearby served as the high school.
Founding the High School
Booker T. Washington High School officially started in 1913. It had only fourteen students and two teachers. The first principal was E.W. Woods. He had just moved to Tulsa from Memphis, Tennessee. The first school building was in the Greenwood district of Tulsa.
By 1920, the small high school building was replaced. A new, three-story brick building was built. This building was used for almost 30 years.
Tulsa Race Massacre and the School
The high school was lucky and was not destroyed during the terrible Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. After the massacre, the American Red Cross used the school building. It became their main place for helping people.
About 2,000 people found temporary shelter there. A hospital, a dental clinic, and a medical center were set up. The Red Cross also gave shots to about 1,800 people to protect them from diseases.
Bringing Students Together
The Tulsa Public Schools district was slow to follow new laws. These laws said that separating students by race was wrong. This was based on the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In the 1970-71 school year, some white students chose to transfer to Booker T. Washington. This was part of a special program called "Metro." It showed that students could choose to go to school together.
In 1973, Booker T. Washington was chosen to lead Tulsa's school integration program. Tulsa was, and still is, divided by race. The school was in a historically African-American area. This made it the first time a historically African-American school led an integration program.
The school board started busing students to different schools. Booker T. Washington became a magnet school. This meant it no longer had a specific neighborhood for students. Instead, students from all over the district could apply to attend.
For many years, the school tried to have a mix of students. They aimed for 45% white students, 45% black students, and 10% from other groups. However, in 2003, the Supreme Court said that such systems were unfair. So, Booker T. Washington changed its system. Now, they use a system based on where students live. This still helps keep a diverse student body.
Today's School
The current Booker T. Washington High School building opened in 2003. It is a new, modern building that cost $25 million. It was designed to honor the school's long history. Part of the original building was even saved.
Booker T. Washington was one of the first high schools in Tulsa to offer special college-level courses. These are called Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The school also started offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 1983.
Academics and Learning
Booker T. Washington High School is approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). This means students can earn an IB Diploma after completing a two-year program. The school also offers many Advanced Placement (AP) courses. These courses are like college classes. They are taught in English, math, social studies, science, computer health, foreign language, and the arts.
In 2005, a study called On Course for Success looked at Booker T. Washington. The study found that the school was doing a great job. It helped students get ready for college with good courses, skilled teachers, and extra help. The study said Booker T. Washington was "doing things right."
The school offers eight different world languages. These include Spanish, French, German, Latin, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Russian. Many students take language classes. The school also has exchange programs with students from many countries around the world.
In 2010, Newsweek magazine ranked Booker T. Washington as one of the top 100 public high schools in the US. This ranking was based on how many students took AP or IB tests.
School Championships
Booker T. Washington students have won many state and national championships in academics.
- Academic Bowl: The school has won the state Academic Bowl championship 20 times! They also won national championships in 1992 and 2008.
- Speech and Debate: Students have won 10 state championships in Speech and Debate. They have also won national titles in debate and speaking.
Sports and Athletics
Booker T. Washington has a strong sports program. The school has won 53 state championships across different sports. Many former athletes from Booker T. have gone on to play in the NFL (football) and NBA (basketball).
The school's home football games are played at S.E. Williams Stadium. In 2011, the school's basketball team was ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation!
State Sports Championships
Here are some of the state championships won by Booker T. Washington:
- Boys' Basketball: 16 championships
- Girls' Basketball: 4 championships
- Football: 9 championships
- Boys' Soccer: 7 championships
- Girls' Soccer: 2 championships
- Boys' Swimming: 3 championships
- Boys' Track: 4 championships
- Girls' Track: 9 championships
- Wrestling: 4 championships
- Volleyball: 2 championships
Famous People from Booker T. Washington
Many successful people have graduated from Booker T. Washington High School.
Athletes
- Wayman Tisdale – A famous NBA basketball player and jazz musician.
- Etan Thomas – Another NBA basketball player.
- Mark Anderson – Played defensive end in the NFL.
- Justice Hill – Current NFL running back for the Baltimore Ravens.
- Daxton Hill – Current NFL defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Felix Jones – Played running back in the NFL.
- Tyler Lockett – Current NFL wide receiver and returner for the Seattle Seahawks. His father and uncle also played in the NFL and went to Booker T. Washington.
- Kenny Monday – An Olympic wrestler who won gold and silver medals.
- Robert Meachem – NFL wide receiver who won a Super Bowl.
Other Notable Alumni
- John Hope Franklin – A very important historian who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Allan Heinberg – A film writer who wrote for Grey's Anatomy and the movie Wonder Woman.
- Brennan Brown – An actor known for shows like Chicago Med.
- Josh Fadem – A comedian and actor.
- Dan Piraro – The cartoonist who draws the comic strip Bizarro.
- Amber Valletta – A famous model and actress.
- Charlie Wilson – A well-known R&B singer and former lead singer of The Gap Band.
Notable Teachers and Staff
- Tom Adelson – A State Senator who teaches Political Philosophy at the school.
- Shea Seals – The head basketball coach, who used to be an NBA player.
- John Waldron – A social studies teacher who was elected as a State Representative.
See also
- List of things named after Booker T. Washington
