| Iowa City High School | |
|---|---|
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"The School that Leads"
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| Location | |
| 1900 Morningside Drive Iowa City, Iowa, USA |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1937 |
| School district | Iowa City Community School District |
| Principal | John Bacon |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | approx. 1620 |
| Color(s) | Red and White
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| Mascot | Louie the Little Hawk |
| Affiliation | Mississippi Valley Conference |
| Website | http://www.iowacityhigh.org |
Iowa City High School is a public high school in Iowa City, Iowa. It was built in 1937 as part of the Public Works Projects started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide jobs. The first classes were held in the fall of 1939. The first high school building was converted to a junior high school after the new building opened. It was located where Mercy Medical Plaza now stands. The new building sits atop a hill on the east side of Iowa City and, at one time, the tip of the bell tower was said to be the tallest point in Iowa City. The school motto is "The School that Leads."
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City High School was built through the Public Works Projects, one of many other programs formed in Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal package. City High would become the second high school to be built in Iowa City, as the older one was becoming overcrowded as the population of the city increased. To determine the new location of the school, Iowa City residents had to vote whether to build the school in a central location, closer to the existing high school, or in a Morningside location, which was the name of the street which it would be built by, out of town on the city's east side. The Morningside location was favored, and the school was built on top of a large hill outside of town. Over time, the city's suburban expansion reached the school, enclosed it, and the expanded past it. Now, the school is contained entirely by Iowa City's east side. Mr. John Bacon is head principal from August 2010-the present.
After graduation, 70% of City High graduates continue their education. Sixty percent attend four year colleges, 5% junior or community colleges, and 5% trade and technical schools.[1] City High ranks in the top ten schools for academic performance in Iowa.[2]
Sports Illustrated named City High the top sports school in the state of Iowa, citing the school's dominant Football, track and cross country teams.[3] The boys and girls cross country teams have won more than 20 state championships since 1990.[4] State titles for Boys Cross Country include titles from 1991-'94 and in '96, '97, '99, and 2000.[5]
Other sports that have won state titles since 1989 include Girls' Volleyball (1998, 2007), Football (1993, 1994, 1996, 2009),[6] Boy's Basketball (1989, 2008),[7] Girl's Basketball (2008), Wrestling (1992, 1999, 2002),[8] Boys Tennis (1999) and numerous Boys and Girls Track state titles.[9]
City High puts on two theatrical shows a year in the state of the art Iver A. Opstad Auditorium; a fall play and a spring musical. In the 2008-2009 school year, they performed "Teahouse of the August Moon" as their dramatic work, and "Evita" as their musical performance. As for 2009-2010 year, the play was "Almost Maine" and the musical was "The Wizard of Oz". In the 2010-2011 year, they performed "The Odd Couple" as a fundraiser for the free medical clinic, and "Fools" as their fall play. In spring 2011, they performed "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" as their musical. In fall 2011, their fall production was "Peter Pan".
Fourth Avenue Jazz Company (commonly referred to as 4th Ave) is City High's varsity show choir. They have been considered one of the best show choirs on the nation, winning many awards. It earned its name from the street that the founding director took to school every day, ending in the school's gymnasium parking lot. City Lights, the mixed prep show choir, will be performing the songs Up the Latter/Higher and Higher, Viva La Vida, I see you and It had better be tonight, During the 2010-2011 season. 4th Avenue has 5 songs in its show: The Dash, Let Yourself Go, Impossibly Free, Whats up/History Repeating, and a medley of Bon Jovi. Both teams did well during the 2011 season, with 4th Ave winning Grand Champion for the first time since 2004. 4th Ave is directed by Greg Grove and Ann Berry, choreographed by Damon Brown and Jarad Voss.
City High has been named a Signature School by the Grammy Foundation for three years.[10]
City High is home to three student publications, The Little Hawk (newspaper), the Scribe (literary and art magazine) and Red and White (yearbook).
The Little Hawk, a monthly newspaper, has earned seven National Pacemaker Awards (1993—95, 97—2000).[11]