Coolidge Senior High School (Washington, D.C.)

Last updated
Calvin Coolidge Senior High School
Founders Library, Howard University, NW., Washington, D.C LCCN2010642221.tif
Address
Coolidge Senior High School (Washington, D.C.)
6315 Fifth Street Northwest [1]

Washington, D.C.
20011

United States
Coordinates 38°58′02″N77°01′09″W / 38.96722°N 77.01917°W / 38.96722; -77.01917
Information
School type Public high school
MottoEnter to Learn, Exit to Serve [2]
EstablishedSeptember 23, 1940;83 years ago (1940-09-23) [3]
StatusOpen [4]
School board District of Columbia State Board of Education
School district District of Columbia Public Schools
NCES District ID 1100030 [5]
School codeDC-001-455 [4]
CEEB code 090030 [6]
NCES School ID 110003000081 [4]
PrincipalSemanthe Bright [7]
Faculty43 (on an FTE basis) [4]
Grades 9 to 12 [7]
Enrollment561 [4]  (2020–2021)
 •  Grade 9 221 [4]
 •  Grade 10 196 [4]
 •  Grade 11 76 [4]
 •  Grade 12 68 [4]
Student to teacher ratio13.05 [4]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Gray and orange
   [2]
Nickname Colts
USNWR ranking13,394–17,857 [8]
Feeder schoolsLaSalle-Backus Education Campus, Takoma Education Campus, and Whittier Education Campus [7]
Website www.coolidgeshs.org

Calvin Coolidge High School is a public high school of the District of Columbia Public Schools system located in the Takoma neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Its campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [9]

Contents

History

To relieve crowding at Roosevelt High School, Superintendent Frank W. Ballou proposed building a new high school for students living in Manor Park and Takoma Park. [10] Dr. Ballou suggested that the new high school should be built at Fifth and Sheridan streets NW, [10] on property that the District of Columbia had purchased five years earlier [11] and across the street from Whittier School, which had been built in 1925. [12]

Temporarily named Northern Senior High School, [13] the building of the school was supported by many Takoma Park, Manor Park, Chillum Heights, and Sixteenth Street Heights residents and North Dakota Senator Lynn Frazier. [11] [14] The finance committee of the Board of Education approved the plan soon after Dr. Ballou's recommendation. [15] The House of Representatives originally appropriated $450,000 for the building of the school, [16] but a Senate subcommittee reduced the appropriation to $350,000, despite protests by Senator Frazier. [17]

In 1937, the question of a permanent name for the school was raised. [18] The Manor Park Citizens Association and the Brightwood Citizens Association wanted to name the school for Calvin Coolidge, the only former president without a school named after him. [18] Other residents favored using the name Northern High School because it would fit in with existing schools named Eastern, Western, and Central. [18] Those favoring Coolidge won out. [19]

The Board of Education planned to build a two-story brick school with a flat roof. [19] Local citizens associations said the planned school would look like a factory. [19] They preferred a colonial style similar to that of nearby Roosevelt High School. [19] The Manor Park Citizens Association held firm, and the plans were modified to include three stories, a pitched roof, and a cupola. [20] [21] Architect Nathan C. Wyeth changed the design to a modern Georgian style. [22]

Jeffress-Dryer Inc. won the bid to build the school, and construction began in 1938. [23] The original plans called for one boys' gymnasium and one girls' gymnasium. [23] Because two gymnasiums could not be afforded with the funds appropriated by Congress, the girls' gymnasium was eliminated from the plans. [23] After the Takoma Park Citizens Association petitioned Congress, [24] the District's Board of Commissioners agreed to appropriate an additional $16,000 in order to build the girls' gymnasium. [25] Construction was completed in February 1940, [3] at a cost of $1,500,000. [26]

Coolidge opened its doors on September 23, 1940. [3] Its first principal was Thomas J. Holmes, previously the assistant principal of Eastern High School. [3] Holmes did not end up completing his first year as principal, as he took a leave of absence to serve as an officer at Fort Meade in April 1941. [27] During its first school year, Coolidge had 31 teachers, [3] 750 students enrolled, and a capacity of 1,801. [28]

Admissions

Takoma is in the school's attendance boundary. [29]

Demographics

Coolidge High School had 561 students enrolled during the 2020–2021 school year. [30] Of these students, 65 percent were black, 33 percent were Hispanic/Latino, and 1 percent were multiple races. [30]

Curriculum

Coolidge High School offers Advanced Placement courses in science, English, math, and history. [31] It has an art room, a media center, a computer lab, and a science lab. [7]

According to the 2011 District of Columbia's Comprehensive Assessment System, 32% of students met or exceeded math standards, and 42% of students met or exceeded reading standards. [32] In 2010, the school's graduation rate was 95%, and 47% of graduating students registered at a college or university in the following fall semester. [32]

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The school's athletic teams are named the Colts. [33] Coolidge was the first high school in the District to require physical education classes five period per week. [34] Because the school was so new, it could not organize any athletic teams in time for the 1939–1940 school year, but it did have teams organized for the 1940–1941 school year. [35] In December 1940, The Colts' first basketball game was played against Woodward Prep. [36] Because the delivery of its basketball hoops was delayed, the game was played at a local Y.M.C.A. [37] Coached by the former head coach of Anacostia High School, Julian Colangelo, [38] Coolidge beat Woodward Prep, 42 to 19. [39] Coolidge also won its second-ever basketball game, winning an away game against Briarley Military Academy by a score of 25 to 17. [40] Coolidge's third basketball game was the first game played in its own gymnasium; it was a 19-to-12 win against Anacostia High School. [41]

The Colts first baseball team played its first game in April 1941, playing against Briarley Military Academy. [42] Coolidge lost the game 13 to 7 after committing six errors and walking nine batters. [42]

Coolidge's football team, coached by Sherman Rees and Gil Roberts, began playing in September 1941. [43] Coolidge lost its first game 27 to 0 against John Handley High School. [44] Coolidge played its second football game, and its first home game, against National Training School. Coolidge won the game 7 to 6. [45]

The 1946–1947 school year was particularly successful at Coolidge, with the school's baseball, basketball, football, golf, rifle, and archery teams all bringing in District championships that year. [46]

After years without a stadium, the District's Board of Education and the District's Board of Commissioners approved construction of a stadium behind the school at Third and Sheridan streets in 1945. [47] The land was owned by the federal government. [48] Coolidge did not want to build a stadium on federally owned land so it would not have to share ticket revenue with the federal government. [48] The federal government ended up giving the land to the District Board of Education, allowing Coolidge to continue plans for a 10,000-seat stadium, football and baseball field, and a quarter-mile track. [49] President Harry Truman cut the stadium's construction from the District's 1952 budget in order to keep the District's budget balanced. [50] The District's Board of Commissioners approved a 1955 budget that included Coolidge's stadium. [51] Congress ended up appropriating funds for the stadium's construction in the 1955 budget. [52]

In 2007, Coolidge opened its new football field, including a digital scoreboard, a press box, and a new public-address system. [53]

In 2010, Coolidge hired Natalie Randolph as its football coach, making her the only female head football coach in the nation. [54] Randolph had previously played wide receiver for the D.C. Divas women's professional football team. [55] Randolph also teaches environmental sciences. [56]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takoma Park, Maryland</span> City in the United States

Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City", is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone. A planned commuter suburb, it is situated along the Metropolitan Branch of the historic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, just northeast of Washington, D.C., and it shares a border and history with the adjacent Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Takoma. It is governed by an elected mayor and six elected councilmembers, who form the city council, and an appointed city manager, under a council-manager style of government. The city's population was 17,629 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chillum, Maryland</span> Census-designated place in Maryland

Chillum is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, bordering Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrie School</span> School in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

Barrie School is a progressive independent school for students age 12 months through Grade 12 located in an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C. The school is within the Glenmont census designated place, has a Silver Spring postal address, and is in close proximity to Layhill. Barrie School is a nonprofit school with 501(c)(3) status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anacostia</span> Neighborhood in Washington, D.C.

Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue SE, Morris Road SE, Fort Stanton Park SE, and Anacostia Freeway SE. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepherd Park</span>

Shepherd Park is a neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. In the years following World War II, restrictive covenants which had prevented Jews and African Americans from purchasing homes in the neighborhood were no longer enforced, and the neighborhood became largely Jewish and African American. Over the past 40 years, the Jewish population of the neighborhood has declined but the neighborhood has continued to support a thriving upper and middle class African American community. The Shepherd Park Citizens Association and Neighbors Inc. led efforts to stem white flight from the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and it has remained a continuously integrated neighborhood, with very active and inclusive civic groups.

Frank W. Ballou Senior High School is a public school located in Washington, D.C., United States. Ballou is a part of the District of Columbia Public Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takoma (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Takoma, Washington, D.C., is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. It is located in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B, in the District's Fourth Ward, within the northwest quadrant. It borders the city of Takoma Park, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Philip Sousa Bridge</span> Bridge in Washington, D.C., United States

The John Philip Sousa Bridge, also known as the Sousa Bridge and the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge, is a continuous steel plate girder bridge that carries Pennsylvania Avenue SE across the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The bridge is named for famous United States Marine Band conductor and composer John Philip Sousa, who grew up near the bridge's northwestern terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brightwood (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Brightwood is a neighborhood in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C. Brightwood is part of Ward 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingman Park</span> Place in the United States

Kingman Park is a residential neighborhood in the Northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., the United States capital city. Kingman Park's boundaries are 15th Street NE to the west; C Street SE to the south; Benning Road to the north; and Anacostia Park to the east. The neighborhood is composed primarily of two-story brick rowhouses. Kingman Park is named after Brigadier General Dan Christie Kingman, the former head of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingman Island</span>

Kingman Island and Heritage Island are islands in Northeast and Southeast Washington, D.C., in the Anacostia River. Both islands are man-made, built from material dredged from the Anacostia River and completed in 1916. Kingman Island is bordered on the east by the Anacostia River, and on the west by 110-acre (45 ha) Kingman Lake. Heritage Island is surrounded by Kingman Lake. Both islands were federally owned property managed by the National Park Service until 1995. They are currently owned by the D.C. government, and managed by Living Classrooms National Capital Region. Kingman Island is bisected by Benning Road and the Ethel Kennedy Bridge, with the southern half of the island bisected again by East Capitol Street and the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge. As of 2010, Langston Golf Course occupied the northern half of Kingman Island, while the southern half of Kingman Island and all of Heritage Island remained largely undeveloped. Kingman Island, Kingman Lake and nearby Kingman Park are named after Brigadier General Dan Christie Kingman, the former head of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingman Lake</span> Lake in Washington, D.C., United States

Kingman Lake is a 110-acre (0.45 km2) artificial lake located in the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The lake was created in 1920 when the United States Army Corps of Engineers used material dredged from the Anacostia River to create Kingman Island. The Corps of Engineers largely blocked the flow of the Anacostia River to the west of Kingman Island, creating the lake. Kingman Lake is currently managed by the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenway (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood in Ward 7, United States

Greenway is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. The neighborhood is bounded by East Capitol Street SE, Interstate 295 SE, Fairlawn Avenue SE, Minnesota Avenue SE, Pennsylvania Avenue SE,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manor Park (Washington, D.C.)</span>

Manor Park is a neighborhood in Ward 4 of northwest Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association</span>

The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) is the public high school athletic league in Washington, D.C. The league was founded in 1958. The original high school conference for D.C. schools was the Inter-High School Athletic Association, formed around 1896. That organization was segregated, and black schools in the District formed their own athletic association. The Inter-High League was renamed the DCIAA in 1989 to bring the District of Columbia in line with other states with interscholastic athletic programs. The DCIAA offers sports on the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Fort Stevens Ridge is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. built during the 1920s. The neighborhood comprises about 50 acres (0.20 km2) and is very roughly bounded by Peabody Street, Fifth Street, Underwood Street, and Ninth Street. As of the 2010 census, the neighborhood had 2,597 residents. It was named for nearby Fort Stevens, a Civil War-era fort used to defend the nation's capital from invasion by Confederate soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langston Golf Course</span>

Langston Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course in Washington, D.C., established in 1939. It was named for John Mercer Langston, an African American who was the first dean of the Howard University School of Law, the first president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, and the first African American elected to the United States Congress from Virginia. It was the second racially desegregated golf course in the District of Columbia, and in 1991 its first nine holes were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier Education Campus</span> Public elementary school in Washington, DC, United States

J.G. Whittier Elementary School is a public elementary school located in the Northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brightwood Education Campus</span> Public high school in Washington, DC, United States

Brightwood Education Campus is a public school located in the Northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia.

Brookland Stadium, or Killion Field, was the athletic field for Catholic University in Brookland, Washington, D.C. from 1924 to 1985. It was named after alumni Captain Edward L Killion. It was located on the main campus of The Catholic University of America, next to Brookland Gymnasium, in the area now occupied by the Columbus School of Law and the Law School Lawn.

References

  1. ↑ GNIS entry for Calvin Coolidge Senior High School; USGS; December 31, 1981.
  2. 1 2 "2020–2021 Parent and Student Handbook" (PDF). Calvin Coolidge High School. p. 3. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Coolidge High Opens Sept. 23: 750 Students Will Enter New School When Term Begins". The Washington Post. August 25, 1940. p. A11. ProQuest   151279315.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Search for Public Schools - Coolidge HS (110003000081)". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for District of Columbia Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ "K–12 School Code Search". College Board. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Coolidge High School". District of Columbia Public Schools. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Coolidge High School". U.S. News High School Rankings. U.S. News & World Report L.P. 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Weekly listing". National Park Service.
  10. 1 2 "Ballou Maps Building Plan For Schools". The Washington Post. January 3, 1936. p. 13. ProQuest   150888373.
  11. 1 2 "Citizens of Northwest Seek $450,000 for New School". The Washington Post. June 12, 1937. p. 13. ProQuest   150822759.
  12. ↑ "Manor Park School Project Under Way". The Washington Post. September 30, 1925. p. 12. ProQuest   149467332.
  13. ↑ "Houck Will Present Cup To Commander Malloy". The Washington Post. March 15, 1936. p. F6. ProQuest   150863491.
  14. ↑ Secrest, James D. (April 5, 1936). "Traffic Action Slated as Rider On Budget Bill". The Washington Post. ProQuest   150818214.
  15. ↑ "2 Night Schools To Close; Low Funds Blamed". The Washington Post. February 28, 1936. p. 17. ProQuest   150739892.
  16. ↑ "District Supply Bill Provides For 54 New School Teachers". The Washington Post. March 31, 1937. p. 5. ProQuest   150851393.
  17. ↑ Secrest, James D. (June 9, 1937). "D.C. Heads Back Senate Supply Bill". The Washington Post. p. 1. ProQuest   151003626.
  18. 1 2 3 "Debate Raging Over Names of Schools-to-Be". The Washington Post. November 14, 1937. p. 16. ProQuest   150903560.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Citizen Groups Protest Plans Of New School". The Washington Post. December 22, 1937. p. 34. ProQuest   150915765.
  20. ↑ "Manor Citizens Urge Funds for P.U.C. Studies". The Washington Post. January 4, 1938. p. X13. ProQuest   151100964.
  21. ↑ "Coolidge School's Low Bid Is More Than Authorized". The Washington Post. September 14, 1938. p. X17. ProQuest   151062001.
  22. ↑ "Coolidge High Plan Approved By Arts Group: Georgian Type of Building Will Be Erected in Takoma Park". The Washington Post. January 15, 1938. p. X15. ProQuest   151137940.
  23. 1 2 3 "$1,326,950 High School Contract Let". The Washington Post. September 25, 1938. p. 11. ProQuest   150985097.
  24. ↑ "Takoma Park, DC". The Washington Post. January 3, 1940. p. 13. ProQuest   151376904.
  25. ↑ "District's Extensive School Building Program Nears Completion". January 24, 1940. p. 12. ProQuest   151294622.
  26. ↑ "80,000 Will Return To District Schools". The Washington Post. September 22, 1940. p. 14. ProQuest   151334987.
  27. ↑ "Recreation Board Plan Approved". The Washington Post. April 3, 1941. p. 17. ProQuest   151447000.
  28. ↑ Giddens, Lucia (March 4, 1941). "Calvin Coolidge High School To Be Dedicated Tonight". The Washington Post. p. 12. ProQuest   151476724.
  29. ↑ Zafar, Nina (2019-08-28). "D.C.'s Takoma is a neighborhood that fought for diversity and still reaps its benefits". Washington Post . Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  30. 1 2 "School Profile: Coolidge High School". District of Columbia Public Schools. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Academics". Calvin Coolidge Senior High School. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  32. 1 2 "2011-12 School Scorecard: Coolidge High School" (PDF). District of Columbia Public Schools.
  33. ↑ "Colts Boast Margin in Practice". The Washington Post. April 15, 1942. p. 26. ProQuest   151509909.
  34. ↑ "Draft Registry Aid Mapped by D.C. Schools". The Washington Post. September 12, 1940. p. 17. ProQuest   151273737.
  35. ↑ Burnett, Bill (December 21, 1939). "New School Opening Now Set for Fall". The Washington Post. p. 25. ProQuest   151121406.
  36. ↑ "Schoolboys Face Eight Games Today". The Washington Post. December 17, 1940. p. 24. ProQuest   151315016.
  37. ↑ "Schoolboy Basketball in Comeback Today". The Washington Post. January 3, 1941. p. 21. ProQuest   151439102.
  38. ↑ "Anacostia High Post May Go To Skip Lehr". The Washington Post. September 20, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest   151326497.
  39. ↑ "Coolidge High Wins First Game of Career". The Washington Post. January 4, 1941. p. 14. ProQuest   151393924.
  40. ↑ "Coolidge Quint Trips Briarly By 25-17 Count". The Washington Post. January 8, 1941. p. 17. ProQuest   151464693.
  41. ↑ "Coolidge Wins, 19-12, Over Anacostia". The Washington Post. January 15, 1941. p. 22. ProQuest   151365179.
  42. 1 2 "Briarley Nine 13-7 Winner Over Coolidge". The Washington Post. April 16, 1941. p. 25. ProQuest   151442605.
  43. ↑ "Eastern Game at Episcopal Tops Schedule". The Washington Post. September 27, 1941. p. 23. ProQuest   151378832.
  44. ↑ "Handley Routs Coolidge High 27-0 in Opener". The Washington Post. September 28, 1941. p. SP8. ProQuest   151365244.
  45. ↑ "Coolidge Gains First Football Victory, 7 to 6". The Washington Post. October 4, 1941. p. 19. ProQuest   151372570.
  46. ↑ Heft, Herb (June 19, 1947). "Colts Lose But Only by Graduations". The Washington Post. p. 19. ProQuest   151977689.
  47. ↑ "Coolidge Stadium Plans Tangled in Government Tape". The Washington Post. October 25, 1945. p. 13. ProQuest   151819509.
  48. 1 2 "Land Swap for Coolidge Stadium Urged". The Washington Post. April 6, 1950. p. 20. ProQuest   152304062.
  49. ↑ "Recreation Cedes Land to Coolidge". The Washington Post. May 4, 1950. p. 19. ProQuest   152297606.
  50. ↑ "1952 D.C. Budget $16 Million Above Figure for 1951". The Washington Post. January 16, 1951. p. B1. ProQuest   152417089.
  51. ↑ Bassett, Grace (May 20, 1954). "Hill Receives $172 Million D.C. Budget". The Washington Post. p. 1. ProQuest   148524311.
  52. ↑ "D.C. School Budget Gets Quick Study". The Washington Post. May 22, 1954. p. 21. ProQuest   148518262.
  53. ↑ McKenna, Dave (September 28, 2007). "Outside the Lines: Coolidge Senior High Gets a New Field and New Hope". Washington City Paper.
  54. ↑ "DC High School Hires Female Football Coach". Sentinel. Los Angeles, California. March 18, 2010. p. B2. ProQuest   220055049.
  55. ↑ Goldenbach, Alan (March 11, 2010). "'Diva' Has a New Job Description: Head Coast, High School Football". The Washington Post. p. A1. ProQuest   410337193.
  56. ↑ DiPerna, Jody (November 25, 2010). "Natalie Randolph Completes Her Inaugural Season". Washington Informer. p. 28. ProQuest   815418828.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.