Benson Polytechnic High School
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| Benson Polytechnic High School | |
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| Motto | United by Spirit, Bonded by Name. |
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| Contact Information | Phone: 503-916-5100 Fax: 503-916-5100 |
| Established | 1919 |
| Type | Technical |
| Principal | Christie Plinski |
| Location | 546 NE 12th Ave Portland, Oregon United States |
| District | Portland Public School District |
| Enrollment | 1508 students |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| Publication | Tech Pep |
| Mascot | Techman |
| Website | [1] |
Benson Polytechnic High School is a coeducational, public technical school in the Portland Public Schools District. Its nine-acre campus is located in the center of Portland's Eastside commercial area. Matriculants are given a normal high school education with special emphasis in a technical area.
Benson is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. It is a member of SkillsUSA (formerly Vica) and Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).
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[edit] History of Benson
[edit] Benson's predecessor
Benson Polytechnic High School began in 1908 as the Portland School of Trades in the Atkinson Building at 11th and Davis in Northwest Portland. It was established to give "boys who wished to enter a trade a better opportunity than do shops and factories of the present time." Any boy from Portland who was at least fourteen years old, or who was a grammar school graduate, could attend. The course of study was three years. Students could also attend night school and/or summer sessions at the trade school.
In 1909, a course of study for girls was added. The Portland School of Trades was coeducational until 1913 when the girls' departments were moved to the Lownsdale School (which later became Lincoln High School).
[edit] Beginnings and the First World War
The Portland School Board voted to change the school's name to Benson Polytechnic High School after civic leader and philanthropist Simon Benson gave $100,000 in 1917 to the Portland School District for the construction of a building to house a technical school. The School Board appropriated an equal amount of money. Six blocks of land at Northeast 12th and Hoyt were purchased and a building was built, and the new Benson Polytechnic School opened its doors in September 1918 to 46 boys.
Benson Polytechnic School served not only the educational needs of the city's youth, but also the defense needs of a nation at war. During World War I the federal government took control of the school. Twenty-four hours a day, recruits were stationed and trained on the campus. North and south wings were added to the back of the school building to serve as a barracks for the troops.
[edit] Expansion and the Second World War
After World War I, the barracks became shop classrooms, and surplus government property was purchased and used as shop equipment. Mr. Benson gave the student body $10,000, and the first Tech Show was presented to the Portland community. Benson Polytechnic School grew rapidly in course offerings and in student population. In 1920, the printing department was set up and the school paper, the Tech Pep. was published. In 1923, Benson's own radio station, KFIF, signed on. In 1930, when KFIF became too expensive for the student body to operate, the District accepted ownership of the station. The station was renamed KBPS (for Benson Polytechnic School) and has continued to this day to operate on the Benson campus and to be staffed by Benson students. In 1926, an aviation department was added to the school. By 1940, Benson had 2,800 students and was the largest school in Portland.
During World War II, the federal government once again utilized Benson Polytechnic School. Training men during swing and graveyard shifts, the War Production Board kept the Benson building in use twenty-four hours a day for every day of the war. The building was a high school for Portland's young men from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a training facility for federal industry from 2:30 p.m. until 8 a.m.
Deterioration of both the facility and the student body was a concern following World War II. Because the building had been in continuous use during the war, it was left in extremely poor condition. Benson became a "dumping ground" for troubled students from 1945 to 1952.
[edit] Modern times
In 1953, the Portland School Board launched a five-year building program to upgrade Benson. A library and automotive wing were completed in 1954. The north shop wing was remodeled in 1955 and the south shop wing in 1960. Benson became co-educational once in September 1973. Seven females attended that year. When the health occupations program was moved from Washington High School to Benson in 1980, Benson's female population grew substantially.
An arsonist's fire damaged offices and classrooms in the main section of Benson on January 3, 1991. Coincidentally, the School Board had already scheduled the Benson facility for major improvements. In 1991, a new health occupation wing, a new library, a new student services center, and a new band room were added; and halls and offices were modernized.
[edit] Student profile
As a magnet school, Benson is highly selective among the Portland area. Until recently, students were required to complete an application for admissions. This however, is no longer the case due to the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act; instead a lottery is used to determine which students are admitted. As of Fall 2003, there were 1508 students enrolled in Benson. 84% are seeking a higher degree after graduation.
- By grade: 486 freshmen, 420 sophomores, 314 juniors, 288 seniors
- By gender: 44% female, 56% male
- By ethnicity: 39% Caucasian, 30% African Americans, 23% Asian Americans, 6% Hispanic, and 2% Native American.
[edit] Curriculum
In addition to a standard high school curriculum, students specialize in a self-selected major during the final two years of enrollment. Students may specialize in the following areas, provided by a partnership with SkillsUSA and Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA):
- Communications Technology
- Construction Technology
- Computer Hardware/Software Technology
- Drafting/Engineering Technology
- Electric/Electronics Engineering Technology
- Health Occupations
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology
- Transportation Technology
[edit] Athletics and extracurricular programs
Benson is a member of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA). It offers a number of interscholastic varsity sports, such as baseball, softball, basketball, wrestling, track, swimming, tennis, golf, cross country, soccer, football, volleyball, rally, and dance. It also has various intramural sports.
In addition, Benson offers a number of extracurricular pursuits, such as interschool, local, state, and national mathematics competitions through the math school, Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) club, Boy Scouts of America Explorer Program, Junior Achievement, a chess club, a science club, and student government. It also has a National Honor Society chapter.
