North High School (Evansville)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

North High School is a high school on the north side of Evansville, Indiana.

[edit] Student body

The 2005-06 school year saw enrollment of 1515 with a 94.1% graduate rate. 81% of the class of 2005 attended college.

[edit] Faculty

The average age of the faculty was 41.4 years with an average of 14.9 years of experience. The average teacher salary was $45,405. There was an average of 14.8 students per teacher. Though with an average of 14.9 years of teaching, since 2001, President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind policy has "failed" North High School each year by use of the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress).

"Indiana Department of Education" IDOE AYP (passing or failing) for public schools for the years 2001 through present

[edit] History

A drawing by art teacher Jon Siau depicting North's feeder schools: Evans and Oak Hill Middle Schools, and Howard Roosa, Delaware, Vogel and Scott Elementary Schools.

In the early 1950's the Evansville and Vanderburgh County population was increasing and pushing in a northern direction. It was decided that a new high school was needed to relieve the burden on the existing public high schools - Central High School, Benjamin Bosse High School and FJ Reitz High School.

The location of the school on property near the Mechanic Arts Trades and Industry High School on the north side was chosen. Mechanic Arts curriculum was incorporated into the new high school which would allow students from the other high schools to come as shared time students. In the fall of 1956 the new North High School opened its doors. The school opened serving students from the seventh through 12th grades. The first graduating class consisted of only 18 girls and 149 boys because students in the district were allowed to choose to remain at their present high school or to transfer to the new school.

During that first year the school fielded their first athletic teams and were dubbed the "North Huskies." A reserve football schedule and a varsity basketball schedule were played. Football games during the early years were played at Bosse Field and other high school fields and in the 1970’s, the new Central High School's field was designated as the Huskies' home field. North prided itself on having the best spectator basketball arena in the city.

Many innovations were part of the new school's activities. North pioneered in presenting Broadway musicals in the Evansville schools and eventually was followed by the other schools. Its concert choir became an outstanding program, and the choir's following became so great that several Spring Concerts were held at the Civic Auditorium to accommodate the large audience. Over the years the choir groups have performed for hundreds of local clubs, organizations, and civic events.

In 1967, North lived the ultimate dream of Indiana high school students by winning the then - single class state basketball championship, becoming only the second Evansville high school to do so. Another state championship was savored in 2000 when the North golf team won that title. In 1995 the Huskies football team reached the final game in the state football tournament. The Huskies baseball team has twice played in the final game in the state baseball tournament.

North's darkest hours came in 1983 when, because of dwindling enrollments in the city for a short period, a few school board members suggested closing North. Students, faculty and parents rallied, attending overflow school board meetings which had to be moved to school auditoriums to allow North supporters to explain the importance of keeping North in operation. The board was convinced. Ironically, just two decades later, North's district is the fastest-growing in the county, due to the northeastern part of Vanderburgh County experiencing another population explostion.

[edit] North Principals

• 1956 - 1967: Adrian Meadows
• 1967 - 1981: Harold Buck
• 1981 - 1999: James Sharp
• 1999 - present: Brenda Weber

[edit] Current Department Chairs

• Amy Walton (English)
• Amanda Bussey (Social Studies and World Languages)
• Diane Walker (Business, Music, and Family & Consumer Sciences)
• Charles Uhde (Mathematics)
• Marybeth Ferguson (Science, Art, and Industrial Technology)
• Kaye Stoops (Special Education)
• Robert Cuprisin (Physical Education, Athletics, and Health)

[edit] School Song

Tune to "Across the Field"

Fight the team across the way, let's show them North is here. Set the earth reverberating with a mighty cheer. Rah! Rah! Rah! Fight, Fight Huskies let's win this game, while forever we sing your fame. Hail! Hail! to Green and White, ever onward to victory.

[edit] Awards

North was presented with a national award in the White House Rose Garden and State Blue Ribbon honors. In 1994 North was named by Redbook magazine one of the 134 best schools in the nation and the best in Indiana. The school was featured on ABC's "Good Morning, America" following this honor. North's principal, James Sharp, was named "Principal of the Year" by the Indiana Association of School Principals. The first and second Evansville Courier "Teacher of the Year" awards were presented to North teachers, and two more were awarded in later years. In 1995 it was named an Indiana Blue Ribbon School and in 1996 a National Blue Ribbon School.

[edit] Famous alumni

• Bob Ford, NBA player and television executive
• Dave Schellhase, NBA player
• Deke Cooper, NFL player
• Jeff Overton, PGA Tour Member
• Alan Billingsley, Composer
• David A. Southwood, Professor