John Marshall High School (Los Angeles, California)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Marshall High School
Location
3939 Tracy Street
Los Angeles, California

Flag of the United States United States

Information
School district Los Angeles Unified School District
Principal Daniel Harrison
Staff 200
Enrollment

4,500

Type Public
Grades 9-12
Athletics John Marshall High School Barristers
Athletics conference Northern League, Los Angeles City Section CIF
Mascot Johnny Barrister
Color(s) Midnight Blue and Sunlight Blue
Established 1931
Information (323) 671-1400
Homepage

John Marshall High School is a high school located at 3939 Tracy Street, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Marshall, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Marshall is named after jurist John Marshall, who served as Chief Justice of the United States for three decades.

The school is in the Los Feliz district of the city, northeast of Hollywood. Students at Marshall primarily come from Los Feliz, Atwater Village, East Hollywood, northeastern Koreatown, Elysian Valley, and Silver Lake; some are bussed from overcrowded schools in South Los Angeles and Westlake. Melrose Hill is zoned to Marshall, but most residents of that neighborhood send their children to private schools [1].

John Marshall is currently in its tenth year as a concept 6/multitrack year-round school.

John Marshall High School offers a good number of Advanced Placement and honors courses on top of the regular curriculum. The variety of AP courses offered makes it possible to take almost every major subject offered in grades 9-12 in the AP system. Entry to these courses in the past has been granted to students with high grades or letters of recommendation from their previous teachers. Many of the students who have taken AP courses move on to campuses of the University of California, with some top students achieving admission to Ivy League universities or other universities in the Top 25, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Within the school, there are many Small Learning Communities like the John Marshall Gifted, Highly Gifted, High Ability Magnet School opened with a class of ninety freshman students in August of 1999. The Magnet, a Small Learning Community (SLC), is on Track A which most resembles the traditional academic year. By providing a stringent and rigorous curriculum, the Magnet has designed a course of study to provide an academically challenging college preparatory program. It presents students with an array of choices in enrichment opportunities which includes the full spectrum of academic and extracurricular activities. The goal is not only to foster analytical and critical thinking skills, but also to develop creative abilities and independent thinking. By participating and interacting in a culturally diverse urban high school, students gain an invaluable experience which will enhance their ability to interface with the modern world.

Another SLC, the School for Advanced Studies on the school's "C" track also offers the rigorous AP courses found in the Magnet program and contributes to the school's prominence. In addition to the School for Advanced Studies, there are numerous other SLC within Marshall, such as the School for Environmental Studies, Performing Arts Academy, Artistic Vision Academy, Well and Fitness Academy and Social Justice Academy.

Contents

[edit] History

John Marshall High School first opened its doors on January 26, 1931 with approximately 1200 students and 48 teachers. Joseph Sniffen, for whom the auditorium was named, served as the Principal, while Hugh Boyd and Geraldine Keith acted as Marshall’s first Vice-Principals. The football field was named in Mr. Boyd's honor, while the library was named for Mrs. Keith.

During the first semester of the school's existence, the faculty and students cooperatively selected the school motto, seal, and colors. The school motto, Veritas Vincit (Truth Conquers), was an easy choice since this was a favorite sentiment of John Marshall. The school seal shows an open Book of Learning, behind which is projected the scales of justice with Veritas Vincit emblazoned on the bar. Two shades of blue became the official colors of the high school; the moonlight blue of midnight and the sunlight blue of dawn. Since the color blue is symbolic of truth, the choice of colors harmonized with the school's motto. John Montapert and Henry Suykida, two Marshall students who graduated in the Winter Class of 1939, composed "Alma Mater", the official school song.

Johnny Barrister is the school’s mascot. Since John Marshall was in the legal profession and served as a jurist it was fitting that Marshall’s students be called “Barristers.” The school's service organization is the Continentals. A bust of John Marshall stands in the center of the Senior Court.

Following the Sylmar earthquake of 1971, some of Marshall’s buildings were condemned. The cafeteria was torn down, but the Los Feliz community, led by "Citizens to Save Marshall" activists Sherril Boller, Joanne Gabrielson, Alberta Burke, and Nina Mohi, tirelessly campaigned to save the unique Collegiate Gothic Main Building. In 1975, this building was closed for structural strengthening and all classes moved to temporary bungalows. In September of 1981 the refurbished Main Building was opened. A new building now houses the library, cafeteria, and science classrooms.

Marshall won the United States Academic Decathlon in 1987 (under David Tokofsky) and 1995. The Head coach of the 1995 team was Mr Phil Chase, who also opened the School for Advanced Studies.

Today, Marshall has an enrollment of approximately 4,500 students and a teaching staff of 200.

The school will be relieved by Central Region High School 13 when the school opens in 2011 [2].

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Bob Arbogast, Los Angeles talk show host and legendary Chicago disc jockey.
  • Peter Arbogast, Los Angeles-based sportscaster, son of Bob Arbogast.
  • Michael D. Antonovich, member of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
  • John Browning (pianist), two time Grammy winning virtuoso American pianist.
  • Lyor Cohen, known as Lyor Shulman in his Marshall days, Warner Music Group's (WMG) Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music.
  • Caryl Chessman, known as the "Red Light Bandit", was a cause celebre for the movement to ban capital punishment. Attended but may not have graduated from Marshall.
  • John Paul DeJoria, Co-founder and CEO of John Paul Mitchell Systems hair care product company.
  • Alex del Zoppo, musician and member of Sweetwater (band).
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, actor. Attended but did not graduate from Marshall.
  • Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood madam.
  • Ed Fredkin, Computer Scientist - Physicist.
  • Charles Gerencser, Executive Publisher Los Angeles CityBeat Weekly and New Angeles Monthly Magazine
  • Lola Glaudini, actress
  • Mike Haynes, NFL Hall of Famer.
  • Eddie Hodges, actor
  • David Ho, physician and Time Magazine's 1996 Man of the Year.
  • Will Hutchins actor well known as Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster in 1950's Warner Brothers television series Sugarfoot.
  • Lance Ito, Los Angeles Superior Court judge famous for the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995.
  • Anne-Marie Johnson, television actress and First National Vice President of the Screen Actors Guild.
  • Bob Kloppenberg, ex-NBA coach Seattle Supersonics.
  • Dan Kwong, performance artist and playwright.
  • Tom LaBonge, member of the Los Angeles City Council.
  • Rosemary LaPlanche, Miss America, 1941.
  • Carol Lin, CNN broadcaster.
  • Warren Miller (director), made over 750 films on skiing and other outdoor sports
  • Ronn Moss, songwriter and member of Player (band) and actor (The Bold and the Beautiful, assorted films).
  • Julie Newmar, prolific actress, well known for her role as Catwoman in the television series "Batman."
  • Michelle Phillips singer and member of the 1960's singing group The Mamas and the Papas.
  • Tim McIntire, actor, American Hot Wax.
  • Allan "apl.de.ap" Pineda Lindo, vocalist for the Black Eyed Peas.
  • Aaron Rapoport, photographer
  • Andy Reid, NFL head football coach, Philadelphia Eagles.
  • Chris Tashima, actor and Academy Award-winning filmmaker.
  • Steve Taylor, film and television music composer
  • Bill Toomey, 1968 Olympic decathlon champion, taught at Marshall
  • Hal Uplinger, NBA player Baltimore Bullets 1947-53, CBS sports and entertainment producer, was the first to use the instant replay.
  • La Monte Young, composer.
  • James R. Sutton, political attorney, mayoral advisor, San Francisco, CA.
  • Hon. Jon S. Tigar, judge, Alameda County Superior Court.
  • Ruben B. Martinez, author, journalist, musician, Emmy award-winning television journalist, LMU Professor of English.
  • David S. Levinson, restaurant owner, formerly V.P. Finance at a national Fortune 20 company.
  • Anthony W. Batts, Chief of Police, Long Beach Police Department.
  • Robin S. Toma, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

[edit] Trivia

An exterior of the school is shown during Miley Cyrus's Best of Both Worlds Tour during the song, "Nobody's Perfect."

  • The Pharcyde shot their video "Runnin'" inside/outside the Collegiate Gothic Main Building.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 34°6′28″N, 118°16′39″W