| James A. Garfield High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Garfield Building Location: 400 23rd Avenue Seattle, Washington 98122 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1920 |
| Principal | Theodore Howard II |
| Faculty | 92 (October 2005) |
| Enrollment | 1,918 (September 2010) |
| Color(s) | Purple & White |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Website | http://garfieldhs.seattleschools.org/ |
James A. Garfield High School is a public high school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington, USA.
Located along 23rd Avenue between E. Alder and E. Jefferson Streets in Seattle's urban Central District, Garfield draws students from all over the city. Garfield is also known as the magnet school for the school district's Accelerated Progress Program for especially gifted students. As a result it has many college-level classes available ranging from calculus-based physics to Advanced Placement (AP) studio art.
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James A. Garfield High School was founded in 1923 as East High School at its current location. The first graduating class consisted of only 282 students who transferred from Broadway High School. In three years, the school's enrollment forced the 12-room building to be scrapped for the Jacobean-style building designed by Floyd Naramore. In 1929, the city commissioned the architect to design an addition for the school as enrollment peaked at 2,300 students.[1]
Garfield High School has long played a key role in its neighborhood, and because the Central District has changed, so has the school's population. In its early decades, the school was noted for its Jewish, Japanese and Italian populations. After World War II, the neighborhood became predominantly African-American[2] and by 1961, 51 percent of Garfield students were black, compared to only 5.3 percent of the general Seattle school district population.[3] In the late 1960s and 1970s, Garfield was at the center of the school district's attempts to avoid forced busing through various plans, including turning it into a "magnet" school. This began the focus on music and science that persist to the present day.
Notable people who have spoken at Garfield include Martin Luther King and Jesse Jackson.[4] Civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael spoke at the school in 1967.[5] Former Senator, and current President Barack Obama gave a speech in 2006 regarding "Innovation in Education,"[6][7]
The buildings have lasted for more than eight decades, but they were partially demolished in a sweeping redesign of the school that began in June 2006. The remodel was mostly completed by the fall of 2008, making the class of 2009 the only class to attend classes in both the old and new buildings. There was a movement to hold off the remodeling to preserve the building's history, including a city initiative to preserve the Quincy Jones auditorium as a historic site, thereby blocking the remodeling.[8] The new design has a state-of-the-art performing arts center. After its renovation, Garfield had become the second most expensive high school in the state, after Stadium High School, with Stadium High at $106 million and Garfield at $105 million.
The school reopened in time for 2008 classes on 3 September. Faculty and students vacated their temporary quarters at Lincoln High School at the end of the 2007-2008 school year.
Garfield High School's architecture makes extensive use of terracotta. Among the many terracotta details worked into the building are emblems of botany, the trades, arts and crafts, industry, intelligence, and the sciences.
Garfield was one of 14 schools in King County in 2007 to receive the "School of Distinction" award from the office of superintendent of public instruction for making the most progress over six years in reading and writing on the WASL.[9] The school also had a silver medal of distinction from U.S. News and World Report in 2008 and 2009 for being among the top-performing high schools in terms of college readiness.[9] The school is noted for producing a number of National Merit Scholars each year.[4] The school consistently produces more National Merit Scholars each year than any other public school in Washington state.[10] Garfield frequently competes for the highest number of National Merit Scholars of any school in the state, including private schools.[11] Garfield students make up more than 70 percent of the Seattle Public School students who take AP exams.[10]
Each year there are dozens of valedictorians, most of whom go on to the top universities.[9] In June 2005, 44 valedictorians graduated.[9] In recent years, however, the school has faced widespread complaints that white students are served through AP and honors programs, and black students are not supported.[12] During the 2006-2007 school year Garfield offered more than 120 different classes across nine departments, including an extensive selection of advanced classes. Garfield students also take classes from local community colleges through a program called Running Start. Students also take courses through online programs from Stanford's EPGY and Johns Hopkins University's CTY program. Students also attend on-campus courses at the University of Washington.[13]
Garfield basketball teams have won many regional and state titles, including a stretch from 1980 to 1991 during which time the Bulldogs won five Class AAA titles, eight Seattle Metro League championships, qualified for the state tournament nine times, and won the state tournament five times. The boys basketball team has won the state championship 11 times and was the runner-up five times since 1949. The team has notable alumni, including Brandon Roy (GHS c/o 2002), and University of Washington alumni Will Conroy.[14] Both the girls and boys teams were state champions in 1980 and 1987. The girls team won the state championship in 2005. The boys team reached the state championship in 2009, but it lost to Federal Way High School.[15][16]
Garfield's tennis teams have been successful in the KingCo 4A division. The boys teams were undefeated league champions in 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. They also won the league title in 2009. The 2009 match against perennial 3A power Newport High School pit Garfield, which had not been defeated in three years, against Newport, which had not been defeated in five. Garfield prevailed 5-4.[17]
In 2001, the boys swimming and diving team won the state championship. [18] In 2007, the girls swimming and diving team won its conference, district title and state championship.
Garfield track and field teams have won multiple metropolitan, district and state titles. Garfield won state titles in boys and girls track in 1987.
Famous Bulldog alumni also include Olympic gold medalist Debbie Armstrong, who won the giant slalom at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
In 2005, Garfield's performance of Cabaret won the Outstanding Program and Poster Design award and Special Honors in Educational Impact and Student Achievement from the 5th Avenue Theatre.[19] Subsequent musicals have been unable to enter the 5th Avenue Awards due to scheduling. One of the main draws of Garfield's drama program is its large student led Drama Club, an important element that is missing from many other local area schools. The Garfield Drama Club produces collections of short plays and a main stage Winter Show every year, all of which are directed and produced by current students.[20]
The Messenger is Garfield's bi-weekly student-run newspaper. The Messenger has earned awards from the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association: placing in Best of Show in the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Conventions and winning its most prestigious honor, the Pacemaker Award, in 1997 and 2006.[21] A column from the paper was reprinted by All About Jazz in 2004.[22] In 2006 and 2007, staff reporters won the NSPA's Brasler Prize.[23]
Post, Garfield's Outdoor Education Program, is a student-led organization which leads a variety of outdoor trips available to all students in the Seattle School District. Trips include rock climbing, mountain climbing, snow camping, biking, kayaking, backpacking, survival skills, wilderness navigation, skiing and snowboarding, and canyoneering.[24] The program is entirely staffed by Garfield students, who complete a 30-hour Mountaineering Oriented First Aid Course.[25]
Garfield remains one of the last two public schools in the Seattle metropolitan area that offers Latin. The Latin language club is affiliated with the National Junior Classical League and remains one of the largest local chapters.[26] Garfield students score highly on the National Latin exam as well, with more than half of the Latin students receiving golds (top 10 percent in the world) for several consecutive years.
The music program at Garfield High School has won numerous awards. Several notable musicians attended the school, including Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones, and Ernestine Anderson.
The choirs at Garfield include a concert choir and a vocal jazz group.[27] In 2009, the vocal jazz band received a special commendation for its performance at Lionel Hampton.[28]
The orchestra program includes a symphony orchestra, a concert orchestra, and a chamber music program which is conducted by Marcus Tsutakawa .
Every year, 20 students from the orchestra play in the Seattle Youth Symphony orchestra, often in principal positions. Garfield students also play in the Youth Symphony's Junior and Debut Orchestras, the Seattle Conservatory of Music Starling Scholar Chamber Orchestra, and many community ensembles. Garfield orchestra members have had their original compositions debuted by the Seattle Symphony and the Youth Symphony. In 1995, Garfield guest conductor Gerard Schwarz, music director of the Seattle Symphony, said, "I don’t recall hearing a high school orchestra perform anywhere in this country on such a high level."[29] Garfield has won numerous first-place awards in festivals around the world, including the Best Orchestra for Downbeat Magazine in both 1999 and 2007, and the National Orchestra Cup in 2011[29]. The Garfield Symphony Orchestra has also toured and performed in Japan, Europe, Boston, Chicago, and Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York.
Garfield's jazz program has won state, national and international awards and accolades in big band, combo and individual categories. The jazz ensemble has toured Europe several times, visiting the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy and most recently in the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. It has also attended the International Association of Jazz Educators' conference, as well as the Essentially Ellington Competition in New York City. It is the only band to win the 'First Place' trophy in consecutive years (2003–04) and the only band to have been invited to Essentially Ellington for ten consecutive years.[30] Overall showings at Essentially Ellington have included 1999 (honorable mention), 2000 (honorable mention), 2002 (2nd place), 2003 (1st place), 2004 (1st place), 2006 (3rd place), 2008 (2nd place), and 2009 (1st place), and 2010 (1st place). Its consistent placement in national competitions and long history of national recognition indicate its status as one of the best high school jazz bands in the country.[31]
Among the many other awards are 13 division and sweepstakes awards at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival (Moscow, Idaho), 13 first-place finishes at the Reno Jazz Festival, five sweepstakes awards at the Clark College Jazz Festival (Vancouver, Washington), ten sweepstakes or first-place awards at the Viking Jazz Festival (Poulsbo, Washington), six sweepstakes awards at the Bellevue Jazz Festival, six first-place awards at the Mount Hood Jazz Festival, and first place in the "Heavy" (top) Division at the 1995 Fullerton College Jazz Festival.
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