Woodrow Wilson High School (Portsmouth, Virginia)

Woodrow Wilson High School is a public high school located in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is administered by Portsmouth City Public Schools. The school colors are royal blue, orange, and white, and the nickname is the Presidents.

History

Wilson can be traced back to 1885, when a high school was organized at The Academy on Glasgow Street, which had housed only grammar and elementary students from 1850 through 1884. The first high school class graduated that same year. In 1886 the Glasgow Street building was no longer suitable, so the city erected a new building on Green Street, known as the Green Street School. High school, grammar, and elementary students moved there from the Glasgow Street location in September 1886.

In 1888, Portsmouth High School was formally established but continued to be housed in the Green Street building. Portsmouth High School moved to a brand new building on Washington Street in 1909. The new facility was the first one planned for the exclusive use of the high school.

In September, 1919, Portsmouth High School was renamed Woodrow Wilson High School and moved to a new building on High Street. The vacated building became an elementary school called Washington Street School, and later F.T. Briggs School. In September, 1955, Woodrow Wilson High School moved again to a new facility on Willett Drive, and the vacated building on High Street became Harry Hunt Junior High School. In September 1993, Woodrow Wilson was merged with Cradock High School and Manor High School. To appease alumni, the Woodrow Wilson name was kept, though the three schools were merged into the Manor building, which opened in 1972.

The school, along with others in the area, has recently become noted for its high dropout rates.^[1]

Notable alumni

• V. C. Andrews – author^[2]
• Marty Brennaman – sportscaster for the Cincinnati Reds^[3]
• Karen Briggs – violinist^[4]
• Mahlon Clark – jazz musician^[5]
• LaTasha Colander – track and field sprint star, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist (4x400m)^[6][7][8]
• Bill Deal – beach music musician with group Bill Deal and the Rhondels
• Missy Elliott – rapper^[9][10]
• Perry Ellis – fashion designer^[11]
• Chandler Harper, golfer^[12]
• Ben Jones – actor and politician^[13]
• T. J. Jordan – basketball player
• LaShawn Merritt – sprinter, 2008 Olympic Gold medalist (400 meters and 4x400m relay)^[8]
• Bill Moran – baseball player^[14]
• Clarence Parker – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback^[8]
• Bill Schneider – journalist with CNN^[15]
• Khadijah Whittington – basketball player^[16]

References

External links

Wilson High School website