Washburn High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Minneapolis Washburn High School | |
 |
|
| Washburn from the Air, 2007 | |
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 201 West 49th Street Minneapolis, MN, 55409  United States |
|
| Coordinates | |
| Information | |
| School board | Minneapolis Board of Education |
| School district | Minneapolis Public Schools |
| Principal | Carol Markham-Cousins |
| Vice principal | Linda Conley Thas Ard |
| Staff | 95.12 FTE.[1] |
| Enrollment |
1217[1] |
| Teaching staff | 59.34 FTE.[1] |
| CEEB Code | 241695[2] |
| Gender | Coeducation |
| School type | Public High School |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Mascot | The Mighty Miller |
| Yearbook | WaHiAn |
| Newspaper | The Ghrist |
| Established | 1925 |
| Feeder schools | All K–8 and middle schools in the Minneapolis Public School District are eligible to send eighth-grade graduates to Washburn. |
| Homepage | http://washburn.mpls.k12.mn.us/ |
Minneapolis Washburn High School is the fourth largest public high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the 2006-2007 school year, the school enrolled 1217[1] students, with a staff of 95.12 FTE.[1] As of 2007-2008 school year, the principal is Mrs. Carol Markham-Cousins, who is assisted by two assistant principals and administration from each Small Learning Community.
Contents |
[edit] General Information
Washburn is located in the Tangletown neighborhood of southern Minneapolis at 201 West 49th Street.
The school is named after Cadwallader C. Washburn[3], a civil war general officer who also founded the Gold Medal Flour company which later became General Mills.[3] The school teams' name, The Millers, comes from the connection of Washburn to the Minneapolis flour empire of the 1800's.
The staff is continually improved through professional staff development and training for teachers. Both parents and students are involved in the decision-making process through our student council, school leadership team and Parent/Advisory Boards for each SLC.
Title 1 funds are used to support students who have math and reading needs as indicated by assessment data.
[edit] Campus
Washburn is located on a large city block bordered by West 49th and 50th streets on the north and south side and Nicollet Ave. S. and Pleasant Ave. S on the east and west.[4] In addition to Washburn, Ramsey International Fine Arts Center shares this block, with Washburn taking 2/3 of this space. In between the schools is A. E. MacQuarrie Field which hosts football games and track and field matches. Also on the Washburn campus in a green space known as the Mall. Youth soccer teams use the mall for practice.
A tunnel connects the east side of Washburn and the west side of Ramsey. The tunnel transports heating and air conditioning between the schools. During the winter, snow melts directly above the tunnel due to the steam pipes within showing the tunnel's location. Decades ago, students used the tunnel during the winter when overcrowding forced Washburn to hold classes in Ramsey.
[edit] Student body
As of the 2006-2007 school year, Washburn enrolled 1,217[1] students. The same year, the school reported a racial makeup of 50.7% Black, 26.0% White, 12.2% Hispanic, 7.7% Asian and 3.4% American Indian.[1] The majority of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch with 60%.[1] Free and Reduced Price Lunch is the measure of poverty for the district. 18% of students have limited English proficiency and 13% of students qualify for special education.[1] The school has an Adequate Yearly Progress graduation rate of 89.94%[1] while roughly half of students who initially enroll graduate within 4 years.[citation needed] 29%[1] of students met or exceeded the standards in the 10th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment Series II test, while 14%[1] met or exceeded the standards for the 11th grade MCAS test in 2007.
During the 2007-2008 school year, 74 percent of the students were of African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent.[5]
[edit] Staff
During the 2006-2007 school year, Washburn employed 95.12 staff FTE.[1] 59.34 of those staff are teachers.[1] 44.34% of the teachers held a bachelor's degree while 52.29% held a master's degree.[1] During the 2005-2006 school year, the student to teacher ratio was 21:1.[6]
[edit] Past Principals
| Washburn High School Principals | |
|---|---|
| 1925–44 | A. E. MacQuarrie |
| 1944–57 | Leonard Fleenor |
| 1957–72 | Carl Anderson |
| 1972–79 | Dr. Roland DeLapp |
| 1979–82 | Dean Berntsen |
| 1982 | Wayne Nelson |
| 1983–86 | Don Burton |
| 1986 (Spring) | Ingve Magnusson |
| 1986–87 | Robert Lynch |
| 1987–89 | John Dyzacky |
| 1989–91 | Dr. Rosa Smith |
| 1992–94 | Dr. Andre Lewis |
| 1994–98 | Ronald Chall |
| 1998–99 | Debora Brooks-Golden |
| 1999–2000 | Dr. Joyce Lewis Lake |
| 2000–2007 | Dr. Steven Couture |
| 2007–present | Carol Markham-Cousins |
[edit] Curriculum
Washburn offers 10 different Pre-AP Courses at ninth and tenth grade; Honors, Advanced Placement and College in the Schools (CIS)[8] for tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students to earn college credit[9] free of charge.[10] The school also uses school-wide advisory programs to form trusting and caring relationships for each student.
[edit] Small Learning Communities
Washburn's Small Learning Communities (SLC), a curriculum change that took place starting at the beginning of the 2002–2003[11], puts students with similar interests together in classes. These students take the same electives relating to each SLC.
Since 2002, the number of SLCs has changed from six to three. Here is how they currently stand:
- Center for International Studies and Commerce
- Center for American Studies
- Center for Aerospace & Engineering
[edit] Bilingual support
Washburn offers bilingual classes in Somali, and English as a Second Language (ESL) support is also available.
[edit] World languages and fine arts
Washburn currently offers two world languages: French and Spanish.
The school also offers jazz band, concert band, orchestra and concert choir. These classes are all being taught by a single teacher, after as many as three teachers during the 2003–2004 school year. One left after the 2003–2004 school year and the second after the 2005–2006 school year, both due budget cuts. After the 2004–2005 school year, Washburn was forced to cut from its supplies budget to keep one teacher full-time.[12]
[edit] Extracurricular activities
[edit] Athletics
Washburn is a member of the Minnesota State High School League[13] and offers several Boys and Girls varsity level sports, including:
|
Boys' Athletics |
Girls' athletics |
[edit] Fresh Start
In March 2008, the Minneapolis Board of Education announced that Washburn would be one of two schools participating in the Minneapolis Public Schools Fresh Start program. Along with Edison High School, Washburn will be hiring new teachers and staff and examining their curriculum.[14][15] These changes are part of a nine-point-plan by the Minneapolis school board to alleviate budget problems and make 4 out of 5 graduates ready for college.[14][15] Principal Carol Markham-Cousins will be allowed to stay. The rest must reapply for their positions.
In a letter sent to students on May 14, 2008 Markham-Cousins sent letters to students and family members explaining the reasons for the Fresh Start. She cited graduation rates, college preparation as two reasons why the program must go forward.[16] The same day, students staged a walk-out in protest of the program.[17] Student drew with chalk on the sidewalk in front of the school in support of the teachers.[17]
Additional changes coming to Washburn during the 2008-2009 include an increase in the number of art classes and the introduction of the International Baccalaureate program.[14][15] Unconfirmed reports state that the Japanese program will cease this summer.
[edit] Famous alumni
- Douglas Skoog 1936 (1918-2008) — analytical chemist, textbook author at Stanford University[18]
- Bob Cabana 1967 — Astronaut, 2008 Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductee[19]
- Ryan Hoag — Former NFL player and former contestant on the The Bachelorette
- James Arness — Actor most famous for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke[20]
- Patty Berg — Golfer, founding member of the LPGA[21]
- Ralph Lemon — Artist[22]
- Dave Moore — Newscaster[23]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Washburn Senior High 2007 (PDF). School Report Card. Minnesota Department of Education (2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ High School. SAT: Code List Search. The College Board (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b Cadwallader Washburn. History. Washburn High School (2003-09-07). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ 201 W 49th Street Minneapolis, MN 55409. Maps. Google Inc. (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ Goldberg, Scott. "Historic nomination resonates with students", KARE-11 News, Multimedia Holdings Corporation, 2008-06-04. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ Teachers. Washburn Senior High School. GreatSchools Inc. (2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ Principals. WHS History. Washburn High School (2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ College in the Schools (2008). Participating Schools. College of Continuing Education. Regents of the University of Minnesota. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ College in the Schools (2008). College in the Schools Benefits Students, Teachers, Schools, and the University. College of Continuing Education. Regents of the University of Minnesota. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ Petersen, Joy. "PSEO gives high schoolers a college experience", Minnesota Daily, 2008-02-19. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ "High school reform: Back to small" (fee required), Star Tribune, 2001-12-07. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. (English)
- ^ Draper, Norman. "Big money brings little changes", Star Tribune, 2003-11-30, pp. A1,A6. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. (English)
- ^ Minneapolis Washburn H.S.. Minnesota State High School League (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b c Nelson, Tim. "Two Minneapolis high schools head for 'fresh starts'", News, Minnesota Public Radio, 2008-03-21. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ a b c Nelson, Tim. "Teachers react to plans for a 'fresh start'", News, Minnesota Public Radio, 2008-03-21. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ Markham-Cousins, Carol (2008-05-14). "Letter to Students". 1. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ a b Schugel, James. "Students Walk Out To Protest Teacher Lay-Offs", WCCO News, CBS Broadcasting Inc., 2008-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ Bergeron, Louis. "Douglas Skoog, analytical chemist, textbook author, dies at 89", Stanford News Service, Stanford University, 2008-05-28. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ Walsh, Paul. "Minneapolis native heading into astronaut Hall of Fame", Star Tribune, Chris Harte, 2008-05-02. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. (English)
- ^ Arness, James; Wise, James E. (2001). James Arness: an autobiography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1221-6.
- ^ Markoe, Arnie (2002). The Scribner encyclopedia of American lives. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, pg. 74. ISBN 0-684-80665-7.
- ^ Lemon, Ralph; Morris, Tracie (2000). Geography: art, race, exile. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press : University Press of New England, pg. 32. ISBN 0-8195-6443-5.
- ^ Moore, Peter (1999). Gone writing: the poems of Moore on Sunday. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pg. 49. ISBN 0-8166-3432-7.
[edit] External links
|
|||||
