Booker T. Washington High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
| Booker T. Washington High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 715 South Lauderdale Street Memphis, Tennessee USA |
|
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Motto | We're tops! We lead and others follow. |
| Established | 1873/1926 |
| School district | Memphis City Schools |
| Principal | Alisha Kiner |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 700 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | BTWHS Website |
| 250px Eastern facade with main entrance from South Lauderdale Street |
|
Booker T. Washington High School (also known as BTW[1]) is a public secondary school located in South Memphis. Part of the Memphis City Schools, it serves grades 9-12. The school gained national attention when U.S. President Barack Obama delivered the school's 2011 commencement address as a reward for winning the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge.
History
The school was originally founded as the Clay Street School in 1873 and was among the first public high schools for African Americans in Memphis.[2] It was renamed Kortrecht High School in 1891. In 1926 a new building was constructed and the school was renamed in honor of American educator and civil rights leader Booker T. Washington.[3][4] Further expansions were completed in the years since, including the Blair T. Hunt Gymnasium, dedicated in 1950.[5]
Race to the Top
The school entered and won the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, a competition that "invites public high schools across the country to demonstrate how their school best prepares [students] for college and a career."[6] Among the required application materials were student essays and videos that demonstrated the school's innovation in education. The accomplishments of the school included increasing graduation rates from 55% in 2007 to 82% in 2010 through the use of same-gender freshman classrooms and increased teacher effectiveness.[7] BTW also suffered from and overcame high teen pregnancy and violence rates.[7] The school beat out more than 450 other applicant schools, and as a reward for this achievement, President Barack Obama delivered the school's 2011 commencement speech.[7][8]
Notable alumni
- The Bar-Kays - Popular Memphis, Tennessee soul, R&B, and funk band formed in 1966.
- Marion Barry - Former mayor of Washington, D.C.[9]
- Lucie Campbell - Evangelist and songwriter[4]
- W. W. Herenton - First African American mayor of Memphis[4]
- Benjamin Hooks - American civil rights leader and executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People[4]
- Verdell Mathis - Negro League baseball player[10]
- Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr. - Civil rights attorney and Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
- Fred Valentine - Major League Baseball outfielder [11]
References
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- ↑ http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7739be3f
External links
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