Wendell Phillips Academy High School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wendell Phillips Academy High School |
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| Address | |
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244 East Pershing Road
, 60653
United States
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| Coordinates | 41°49′28″N 87°37′11″W / 41.82444°N 87.61972°W |
| Information | |
| School type | |
| Motto | "The Premiere South Side School of Choice." |
| Opened | September 4, 1904 |
| School district | Chicago Public Schools |
| CEEB code | 141375 |
| NCES School ID | 170993001061 |
| Principal | Rashad J. Talley |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coed |
| Enrollment | 401 (2023–2024) |
| Area | Urban |
| Color(s) | Blue White |
| Athletics conference | Chicago Public League |
| Team name | Wildcats |
| Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Yearbook | Phillipsite |
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Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public high school for students in grades 9-12. It is located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school opened in September 1904 and is part of the Chicago Public Schools district. It is managed by the Academy for Urban School Leadership. Phillips High School is named after Wendell Phillips, an American abolitionist who worked to end slavery. It is known for being the first high school in Chicago where most students were African-American. The school's building was recognized as a Chicago Landmark on May 7, 2003.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Phillips High School
The story of Phillips High School began in 1875 with the opening of South Division High School. This was the first public high school on Chicago's south side. In 1900, the Chicago Board of Education decided to build a new school to replace South Division. Community members asked for a new school because the old one was not in a good location and they wanted a more modern building.
Building a New School: From Idea to Opening Day
By 1903, the new school was almost finished and planned to open that September. However, construction stopped for a few months due to problems with workers. Work started again in January 1904 and was completed by May 1904. The school was designed by architect William B. Mundie in a style called Classical Revival, which uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. Phillips High School officially opened for students on September 4, 1904. It was named after Wendell Phillips (1811–1884), who was a strong supporter of ending slavery and helping Native Americans. He was a key member of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
A Changing Student Body: The Great Migration's Impact
When Phillips High School first opened in 1904, many students came from wealthy families on Chicago's south side. But this soon changed. Millions of African Americans moved from the rural South to cities like Chicago during the Great Migration. By 1907, 90 black students were enrolled at Phillips. Early school yearbooks show a mix of races. However, by 1920, Phillips became Chicago's first high school where most students were African American.
In 1924, the Chicago Board of Education added a junior high school section to Phillips for seventh and eighth graders. By 1928, so many students attended Phillips that the school building was too small. They had to use portable classrooms and have two half-day shifts for students.
New Buildings and Overcrowding Challenges
In 1929, the Board of Education decided to build another new school in the Bronzeville neighborhood. They planned to call it The New Wendell Phillips High School. This was because Phillips was so crowded. The Great Depression caused delays in building the new school, but it was finally finished on February 4, 1935.
Just before the new building was ready, Phillips High School had a fire on January 28, 1935. This meant students had to move to the new school in February 1935. The new school was later named Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High School in April 1936. At first, only sophomores, juniors, and seniors moved to the new building. Freshmen stayed at the undamaged part of Phillips. A new section was built at the Phillips site in late 1936. This new wing was used as an elementary school after junior high schools were stopped in Chicago in 1933.
The new wing included an assembly hall, gymnasium, swimming pool, and music rooms. In November 1937, some classrooms in the new wing caught fire before it was fully completed, but repairs were made. In the 1940s, Phillips offered classes for adults, known as Evening School. The elementary part of the school also became very crowded. This led to a 20-classroom addition being built in 1944. By the early 1960s, Phillips students attended classes in three shifts because of overcrowding. About 2,200 students were enrolled by 1964. In 1979, the school's alumni group and principal Ernestine D. Curry started the Wendell Phillips High School Hall of Fame.
School Leaders: Phillips Principals Over the Years
Here is a list of the principals who have led Wendell Phillips Academy High School since it opened in 1904:
- Spencer R. Smith (1904–1917)
- Charles H. Perrine (1917–1921)
- Albert W. Evans (1921–1926)
- Chauncey C. Willard (1926–1935)
- William H. Page (1935–1937)
- William Abrams (1937–1939)
- Maudelle B. Bousfield (1939–1950)
- Virginia F. Lewis (1950–1961)
- Robert E. Lewis (1961–1965)
- Alonzo A. Crim (1965–1968)
- William Finch (1968–1971)
- Daniel W. Caldwell (1971–1975)
- Ernestine D. Curry (1975–1990)
- Juanita T. Tucker (1990–1997)
- Beverly LaCoste (1997–2001)
- Bertha Buchanan (2002–2004)
- Euel Bunton (2004–2010)
- Terrence A. Little (2010)
- Devon Q. Horton (2010–2014)
- Matthew G. Sullivan (2014–2021)
- Virag C. Nanavati (2021–2022)
- Rashad J. Talley (2022–present)
More About Phillips High School
Phillips High School was used as a filming location for the movie Save the Last Dance, which came out in 2001.
The Savoy Big Five: How a Basketball Team Became Famous
In the late 1920s, members of the school's winning basketball team were chosen by Abe Saperstein. He was a Chicago Park District employee. These players formed the start of a group that later became the famous Harlem Globetrotters. They were first called "The Savoy Big Five," named after the Savoy Ballroom in Bronzeville. Some of these players included Tommy Brookings, Hillery Brown, George Easter, William "Razor" Frazier, Roosevelt Hudson, Inman "Big Jack" Jackson, Lester Johnson, Byron "Fat" Long, William "Kid" Oliver, Al "Runt" Pullins, Randolph Ramsey, Ted Strong and Walter "Toots" Wright.
Learning at Phillips: What Students Study
Phillips is a High School Transformation and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) school. It offers challenging courses like Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes. These courses help students prepare for college. The school aims to create a positive learning environment that encourages reading, writing, and asking questions.
Academic Programs and Support
AP courses are offered in U.S. history, Biology, and English. Honors courses are available in 15 different subjects. Phillips also has "Education To Careers" (ETC) programs. These programs teach skills in areas like fashion design, graphic communications, and drafting. The school also has a Junior Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (JAFROTC) program. A health clinic is available to help students with their health needs. Students who live in the school's area can enroll. If there is space, students from outside the area can also apply.
Fun Beyond the Classroom: Extracurricular Activities
Besides its sports teams, Phillips offers many activities for students. These include the Student Council, Air Force (AFJROTC), a school Newspaper Club, the Book Club, the Culture Club, a Music Production Project, an Entrepreneurial Project, Junior Achievement, yearbook, and a Debate Team.
Working Together: Community Partners
Phillips High School works with many community and university groups. These partners include the University of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, Ada S. McKinley Educational Talent Search, City Year Chicago, Dawson Skills Center, Carnegie Learning, Field Museum, Kaplan, Center for New Horizons, and Project Strive. In 2010, Phillips became a turnaround school. This was an effort to lower the school's dropout rate. In 2013, the school received the Spotlight on Technology award from the Chicago Public Schools leadership technology summit. The school's attendance area covers parts of the South Side, Chinatown, and some areas of the Chicago Loop.
Sports at Phillips: The Wildcats in Action
Phillips High School competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The school's sports teams are called the Wildcats. Phillips athletic teams have a history of success.
Championship Wins and Athletic Achievements
- The boys' basketball team won the state Class AA title in 1974–75. They were also city champions in Chicago in 1976.
- The boys' track and field team placed first in 1901–02, 1905–06, 1942–43, 1949–50, 1950–51, and 1961–62.
- The girls' basketball team were regional champions in 2012–13.
- The 2014–15 Wildcats football team was the IHSA class 4A runner-up. They were the second Chicago Public Schools team and the first in 32 years to play in an IHSA football championship game.
- In the 2015–16 season, Phillips returned to the 4A finals. They defeated Belleville Althoff 51–7 to become the first Chicago public league team to win a state championship in football.
- For the second time in three years, they became state champions again in 2017 in the 5A division, defeating Dunlap 33–7.
Famous People Who Attended Phillips High School
Many notable individuals have attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School:
- Pastor T. L. Barrett (attended) — minister and gospel recording artist.
- Timuel Black (attended) — Historian and civil rights activist.
- Gwendolyn Brooks (attended) — author, first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize.
- Hillery Brown — professional basketball player.
- Archibald Carey, Jr (1926) — lawyer, judge, politician, diplomat and clergyman.
- Jodie Christian (attended) — jazz musician.
- Darius Clemons (1978) — basketball player.
- Nat "King" Cole (attended) — singer, musician and recording star in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Sam Cooke (attended) — Soul and gospel recording star in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Earl B. Dickerson (attended) — attorney and business executive.
- Osiris Eldridge (2006) — professional basketball player.
- Mary G. Evans (attended) — minister.
- Wilson Frost (1943) — politician, Chicago alderman.
- Marla Gibbs (1949) — Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and comedian (The Jeffersons, 227).
- Lucius Perry Gregg, Jr. — notable graduate of United States Naval Academy and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Alvin Hall — former NFL player.
- Vivian G. Harsh (1909) — Librarian and historian, first African American librarian in the Chicago Public Library system.
- Bernie Hayes — broadcast journalist.
- Herbie Hancock (attended) — jazz musician.
- Chris Hinton — NFL player.
- Milt Hinton — jazz musician.
- Paul Des Jardien — member of College Football Hall of Fame.
- George E. Johnson, Sr. (attended) — businessman, founder of Johnson Products.
- John H. Johnson (attended) — founder of Johnson Publishing Company (Ebony, Jet).
- George Kirby — comedian, actor and singer.
- Gerri Major (1912) — journalist, editor and author.
- Billy Martin — former professional NFL halfback.
- Ira Murchison (1951) — sprinter, gold medalist at 1956 Olympic Games.
- Lee Roy Murphy (attended) — professional boxer.
- Larry Murray (1971) — MLB professional baseball player.
- Ray Nance — jazz trumpeter.
- Guy Ousley (attended) — Negro league shortstop.
- Alonzo S. Parham — second African American to attend West Point.
- Polo G (attended) – Rapper.
- Mike Pruitt (1972) — NFL player.
- Al Pullins – original member of Harlem Globetrotters.
- Ted Double Duty Radcliffe (1920) — member of Baseball Hall of Fame.
- William Clintard "Bill" Robinzine (1971) — NBA basketball player.
- Charles Skyles, state legislator in Illinois.
- Dinah Washington (attended) — singer, recording artist in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Mary T. Washington — the first African-American woman CPA.
- Frances Cress Welsing — psychiatrist, author.
- Steven Williams (attended) — actor.
- Claude "Buddy" Young — Pro Football Hall of Famer, first African-American executive hired by a major sports league (NFL).
Notable Staff Members
- Maudelle B. Bousfield – educator and school administrator, principal of Phillips from 1939 to 1950. She was the first African-American principal in a Chicago public school.
- Captain Walter Dyett – violinist and assistant music instructor at the school.
- Mildred Bryant Jones – musician, educator, and first African-American director of music at Wendell Phillips.
