Wendell Phillips Academy High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wendell Phillips Academy High School | |
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 244 East Pershing Road Chicago, Illinois 60653 |
|
| Information | |
| School district | Chicago Public Schools |
| Principal | Euel Bunton |
| Enrollment |
830 (2007) |
| School type | Public |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Language | English |
| Area | Urban |
| Team name | Wilsdcats |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Homepage | http://www.phillips.cps.k12.il.us/ |
Wendell Phillips Academy High Schoolis a public four-year high school located in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of the Chicago Public Schools and is named for the noted American abolitionist, Wendell Phillips. It was the first predominately black high school in Chicago.
Contents |
[edit] Curriculum
Phillips is a High School Transformation and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) school and offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses as well as honors courses as part of its academic curriculum. provides a positive learning environment through an academic curriculum promoting literacy, and inquiry-based learning. AP courses are offered in U.S. history, environmental science and English. Honors courses are offered in 15 subjects. Education To Careers (ETC) programs are offered in fashion design, graphic communications, and drafting. Phillips also features a Junior Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (JAFROTC) program[1] and a state-of-the-art health clinic to serve the needs of its students. [2] Enrollment is open to students living in attendance area, if space is available, students outside the area may apply.
[edit] History
Phillips opened September 5, 1904[3] and was named for Wendell Phillips (1811-1884), the staunch abolitionist and advocate for Native Americans. He was one of the leading members of the American Anti-Slavery Society. When the school opened, it was predominately white, by 1907, 90 black students had enrolled at Phillips.[4] Early yearbooks portray a racial mix in the student body, but by 1920 the school had become Chicago's first predominately African-American high school.[5] During this period, the school's winning basketball team was drafted by Abe Saperstein, a Chicago Parks and Recreation employee,[6] to form the nucleus of a group that later became the Harlem Globetrotters.[3][5]They were initially called "the Savoy Big Five", taking their new name from Bronzeville's Savoy Ballroom.[7] Those players included Tommy Brookings, Hillary 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, all of whom were formerly students at Phillips High.[8]
In 1929, the Board of Education voted to build a new Wendell Phillips High School at 49th and Wabash Avenue. Economic conditions during the Great Depression slowed the work on the building; it was finally completed February 4, 1935. The old school "mysteriously" caught fire January 28, 1935, making it necessary for the students to move to the new school in February 1935.
Now located at 244 E. Pershing Road in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, the school has produced a number of notable African-American alumni, including Nat "King" Cole, businessmen John H. Johnson (founder of Ebony and Jet magazines) and George E. Johnson, founder of Johnson Products (a cosmetics manufacturer and the first African-American owned firm to be listed on the American Stock Exchange).[9] The school building was constructed in 1904 in the Classical Revival style, and was designated a Chicago Landmark on May 7, 2003 in time for its 100th anniversary.[10]
[edit] Principals
- 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 - present)
[edit] Extra curricular activities
In addition to its longstanding sports progran, Phillips offers students the opportunity to participate in Student Council, a school Newspaper Club, the Book Club, the Culture Club, a Music Production Project, an Entrepreneurial Project, Junior Achievement, yearbook, and a debate Team.
[edit] Sports
Phillips athletic teams have had a history of success. In 1975 Phillips basketball team beat Waukegan, Peoria Richwoods and Bloom to win the state Class AA title, ending the season with a 32-1 record. In 1977, in one of the most dramatic basketball games ever played in Illinois, top-ranked Phillips beat second-rated Westinghouse 77-65 for the 1977 Public League title before 12,000 at the Amphitheatre. The 1977 Wildcats finished 28-1, losing to St. Laurence in the state quarterfinals. The 1984-85 girls basketball team was ranked No. 3 in the state after the regular season and finished 27-2, after losing 74-44 in the Public League final to Marshall, which went on to win the state title. Ironically, earlier in the season, the girls beat Marshall 54-48 to win the Mayor's Holiday Tournament title. In football, Phillips has appeared in two Prep Bowl games, losing to St. George 19-12 in 1943 and 40-24 to St. Laurence in 1973. Against St. George, future College Football Hall of Famer Buddy Young ran for both of Phillips' touchdowns. In track, Coach Carl Bonner's track and field team won the 1962 state title.
In 2007 the Wildcats football team posted a 2-6 record, the boys basketball team was 2-17 while the girls basketball team was 10-6.[11]
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Maudell Brown Bousfield, Chicago's first African-American public school principal[3]
- Archibald Carey, Jr, lawyer, judge, politician, diplomat and clergyman[3]
- Nat "King" Cole[5]
- Sam Cooke Pop and gospel recording star[12]
- Vivian G. Harsh: Chicago’s first black head librarian[12]
- Chris Hinton: NFL player
- Paul Des Jardien, Member of College Football Hall of Fame[12]
- George E. Johnson: Founder, Johnson Products, the first African-American owned company listed on American Stock Exchange[12]
- John H. Johnson
- Lee Roy Murphy, professional boxer
- Alonzo S. Parham, the second African-American to attend West Point[13]
- Ted ‘‘Double Duty’’ Radcliffe: Member of Baseball Hall of Fame[12]
- Al Pullins: Original member, Harlem Globetrotters.
- Dinah Washington,
[edit] Community Partners
Phillips community and university partners include the University of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, Ada S. McKinley Educational Talent Search, Dawson Skills Center, Carnegie Learning, Field Museum, Kaplan, Center for New Horizons, and Project Strive.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Chicago Air Force JROTC Schools. Chicago JROTC. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ a b Wendell Phillips Academy High School. Chicago Public Schools. Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
- ^ a b c d House Resolution. Illinois General Assembly (2004). Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
- ^ McCants Sr., Raymond. A Breif History of Wendell Phillips Highschool. Wendell Phillips High School Centennial Committee. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ a b c Wendell Phillips High School. Chicago Department of Planning and Development (2003-05-07). Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
- ^ Sanders, Carla (2004-01-09). Globetrotters Commemoration Day. Wendell Phillips High School Centennial Committee. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ Chicago's Globetrotters. WTTW - Chicago. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ All-Time Roster. Harlem Globetrotters. Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
- ^ George E. Johnson was a natural businessman. African American Registry. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
- ^ Wendell Phillips High School. City of Chicago. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
- ^ Wendell Phillips Academy High School. Preps Plus. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ a b c d e Bell, Taylor (2008-04-09). Phillips Wildcats. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-14.
- ^ Chronology of African American Military Service: World War I to World War II. Redstone. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. “Alonzo Parham entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the first black cadet to be accepted since the graduation of Charles R. Young in 1889.”
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