Westinghouse High School (Pittsburgh)

Westinghouse High School
Location
Westinghouse High School
1101 N. Murtland Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
United States
Coordinates 40°27′39″N 79°54′4.36″W / 40.46083°N 79.9012111°W
Information
Type Public
Established 1917
School district Pittsburgh Public Schools
Principal Mr. Alexander Herring (Acting)
Grades 6–12
Enrollment 781 August 2012[1]
Representative Randall Taylor
Website Official website
Westinghouse High School
Front of school
Architect Ingham & Boyd
Architectural style Classical Revival
Governing body Local, Pittsburgh Public Schools
NRHP Reference # 86002716 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP September 30, 1986
Designated CPHS November 30, 1999[3]
Designated PHLF 2001[4]

Westinghouse High School is a public school in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, or The Academy at Westinghouse named for Pittsburgh resident George Westinghouse.

The school has an enrollment of 707 students, 99% of whom are African American.[1]

Westinghouse is one of ten high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Westinghouse High School is a 6-12 school, one of four created in Pittsburgh Public Schools. Girls in one building, Boys in another part of the building with Faison joining Westinghouse High School on a separate floor if the board approves. In the 2011-2012 school year, the school absorbed students from the East Liberty neighborhood due to the closure of nearby Peabody High School. [5]

Feeder District

The City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods which are served by Westinghouse High School are as follows: East Hills, East Liberty, Highland Park, Homewood North, Homewood South, Homewood West, Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar and Point Breeze North.[6]

History

Westinghouse High School opened in 1917. The major changes in the fall of 2011 at Westinghouse faced some community conflict because laws dictate that students can not be forced to attend a single-gender school under a 'feeder pattern. Hence, Pittsburgh Public Schools board decided that students living East of Negley will attend Westinghouse but can opt out in 30 days and attend the default Pittsburgh Milliones, University Preparatory School which faced increased enrollment. Projected enrollment for Westinghouse was to be 750 students. But in the early fall of 2011, 450 students have signed up.

By November 2011, the three principals that started the school year at Westinghouse were gone and the district also made an announcement that the single-gender operations would end in early 2012. The ACLU and others made threats of looming legal challenges and rather than go to court, the district decided that changes were the more prudent pathway for the future of the school.

Curriculum and Academies

Westinghouse offers Culinary Arts and Cosmetology as part of its school-within-a-school programs.

The Science and Math Academy (SAM) allows students to develop skills in math and the sciences. A summer program allows students in the Academy to work with several colleges and universities

The Business and Finance Academy teaches students the skills needed in the financial services field, preparing students for further work in college or in the job market. Students are provided with training in the computer skills used most frequently in the business world.

Notable alumni

Arletta Scott Williams - 1978 graduate (Executive Director, Allegheny County Sanitation Authority, ALCOSAN)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Westinghouse High School Fact Sheet". PPS Web Site. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  3. ↑ "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  4. ↑ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  5. ↑ "Reform's next round: The city's high school plan is bold and far-reaching", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 25, 2010, retrieved 2010-07-17
  6. ↑ EJ. "Discover PPS". Pittsburgh Public Schools. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Billy Strayhorn Timeline, accessed December 31, 2006 Archived December 6, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Boston Piano: 10th Anniversary Celebration" (PDF) (Press release). Steinway & Sons. Fall 2002. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
  9. ↑ Karlovits, Bob (2002-06-30). "Nemacolin jazz festival beckons famed pianist". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
  10. ↑ "Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh, PA" Details, accessed December 31, 2006
  11. ↑ "Maurice Stokes Biography". Basketball Hall of Fame Web Site. Archived from the original on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
  12. ↑ "My Homewood", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16 December 2005, retrieved 2010-07-17
  13. ↑ Dyer, Ervin (2007-02-19). "The Westinghouse High School Wall of Fame - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

External links