Ramsay High School
Ramsay Alternative High School (originally "Southside High School") is a magnet high school serving about 600 students in the Birmingham City Schools system. It is situated near 12th Avenue South and 20th Street in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The school building's site, on a ridge just north of the crest of Red Mountain, near the Five Points South area.[1]
History
The school structure was designed by the firm of Warren Knight and Davis with William B. Ittner of St Louis, Missouri, as a consulting architect. The design called for multi-story facades facing north and south with wings for a cafeteria and an auditorium. and expansive terraces. Only the south-facing portion of the central building was finished.
The school was opened on September 19, 1930. It was later named for Erskine Ramsay, a noted industrialist who was serving as the president of the Birmingham Board of Education at the time. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited Ramsay High School in 1932. An auditorium and athletic facilities were constructed in 1949. A flat-roofed annex was added onto the main building in 1962. In 1968, the Ramsay High School Class of 1968 erected the sign in front of the school. (Prior to that time, there was no sign visible from the street with the name of the school on it.) In 1975, Ramsay High School became a magnet school, serving above average students from throughout the city. The school currently has just under 600 students. $21 million worth of renovations and additions to the school's buildings are scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008 for a fall 2009 completion. A science wing and competition gym will be added with new space for the school's Junior ROTC program, counseling office, and cafeteria. After construction is completed, the 1962 "flat top" annex will be demolished to make way for expansion of the school's courtyard and parking lot.
Current Principals
- Dr. Mark Sullivan
- Mrs. Cassandra Fells (Assistant)
- Mr. Micah Kemp (Assistant)
Notable former students
- Phillip Alford, an actor who played the character "Jem" in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Alford's other acting credits include: Fair Play, The Intruders, Shenandoah, and Bristle Face[2]
- Dellynne Catching (class of 1967), Miss Alabama 1968
- Fannie Flagg, TV announcer in Birmingham, Hollywood actress, and novelist
- Andrew Glaze, poet and playwright
- Wayne Rogers, the actor on the TV series M*A*S*H* who played "Trapper John McIntyre"
References
- ↑ "Birmingham Wiki "Ramsay High School"". Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ↑ "Phillip Alford". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
