| George Washington Preparatory High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 10860 South Denker Ave Los Angeles, California 90047 |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1926 |
| School district | Los Angeles Unified School District |
| Principal | Dr. Athaur R. Ullah |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 3000 |
| Color(s) | red & blue |
| Athletics | CIF Los Angeles City Section |
| Athletics conference | Marine League |
| Mascot | Generals |
| Website | [1] |
George Washington Preparatory High School is a secondary school in the Westmont section of unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States that is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, (LAUSD).
It was founded in 1926. The school has a Los Angeles address but is not located in the city limits of Los Angeles.
The mascot is the General, a reference to the school's namesake George Washington. The school colors are red and blue.
The school serves many areas in South Los Angeles and unincorporated areas around South Los Angeles, including Athens, West Athens and Westmont. In addition it serves the LAUSD section of Hawthorne.
It was the location for a 1986 TV movie entitled Hard Lessons depicting Denzel Washington as the new principal, who sets out to rid the school of gang violence and drugs and restore educational values to the school.
The current principal is Dr. Athaur R. Ullah. Two famous former principals are Dr. George McKenna, whom Denzel Washington portrayed in the movie Hard Lessons; and LAUSD Board Member Marguerite LaMotte.
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George Washington Preparatory High School was founded in 1927 as a six-year high school that slowly developed into a four-year school. In 1935 Washington High began accepting 11th and 12th graders only, and by the early 1960s, Washington Senior High School had expanded to include grades 10 through 12.
In the early 1980s, a new founder, the famed Dr. George McKenna, redefined Washington High School as a college preparatory school, and George Washington Preparatory High School, "The Prep," became an academic institution for grades 9-12. During subsequent years, Washington added Performing Arts, Math/Science, and Communication Arts Magnets and achieved honors in scholastic, athletic and extra-curricular competition. It has had championship teams in virtually every sport, and its students have won scholarship awards and contests in fields of: oration, drama, music, debate, art, and technology. Additionally, students have received honors recognition in scientific composition and from the public media, as well as having served as officers in district and city organizations. Alumni have gone on to achieve careers as professionals in business, medicine, law, and public service, and have earned recognition as celebrated figures in art and culture.
The reorganization of Washington Preparatory High School into Small Learning Communities (SLCs) began in 2006. The purpose of the SLC is to develop a sense of unity and cohesiveness and to foster the individual needs of students. The SLCs that were established as a result of this effort are: Etech (Engineering and Technology); ELMS (Ethics, Leadership, and Mediation Scholars); S.T.A.R.S (Visual and Performing Arts); BIZ (Business); SHAPE (Health and Fitness); and Law and Justice. The three Magnet programs have remained intact.
In 2009, in order to graduate and participate in senior activities such as prom, senior picnic, and grad night seniors must earn 230 credits, pass the California High School Exit Exam, and maintain 95% attendance.
Today, as part of an urban four-year comprehensive high school, we continue our commitment to providing our students with a quality education as part of a diverse student body, enabled to strive for excellence and to reach and fulfill their greatest potential, equipped to meet the challenges of a global, technological and changing society.[1]
Washington Prep opened in 1927.[2]
In 2007, a 17-year-old student was stabbed after a confrontation by another classmate on campus, and was later pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital.
On September 19, 2008, a 12-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man received gunshot wounds at the campus. Two other individuals may have been shot.[3]
The student population at Washington Prep will be lessened, hopefully improving various measures of academic performance, now that South Region High School 6 has opened (in 2011).[4]
On September 30, 2011, a 16-year-old girl, Angela Gettis, a cheerleader for Washington Prep, collapsed on the sideline during a football game between Washington Prep and John C. Fremont High Schools (rivals in the Los Angeles district). Bystanders soon started CPR. She was briefly revived at some point, and was immediately taken by paramedics from Fremont High School to the hospital, but unfortunately was pronounced dead there about three hours later from cardiac arrest. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the underlying cause of death.[5]
As of the school year 2008-09, there were a total of 2,440 students attending the high school.[6]
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