Walnut Hills High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Walnut Hills High School
Address
3250 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
United States
Coordinates 39°8′28″N 84°28′47″W / 39.14111°N 84.47972°W / 39.14111; -84.47972Coordinates: 39°8′28″N 84°28′47″W / 39.14111°N 84.47972°W / 39.14111; -84.47972
Information
Type Public, Coeducational high school
Motto "Sursum ad summum"
(Latin: Rise to the Highest)
Established 1895
School district Cincinnati Public Schools
Superintendent Laura Mitchell
Principal John Chambers
Grades 7-12
Enrollment 2,778 (2014-15)[1]
Student to teacher ratio 21:1
Color(s) Blue and Gold         
Athletics conference Eastern Cincinnati Conference
Nickname Eagles
Accreditation North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
National ranking 47 (U.S. News & World Report, 2017)
Newspaper The Chatterbox
Yearbook Remembrancer
Website www.walnuthillseagles.com
[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Walnut Hills High School is a public college-preparatory high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Operated by the Cincinnati Public Schools, it houses grades seven through twelve. The school has been given an excellent rating by the Ohio Department of Education.[8] Newsweek named it the 53rd best public high school in America in 2013,[9] and U.S. News & World Report ranked it 36th in the nation in 2008.[3] In 2016, Walnut Hills High School is ranked 1st within Ohio and 77th nationally by the same listings outlet.[10]

The school colors are blue and gold. The motto is "Sursum ad summum," which is Latin for "Rise to the Highest." The mascot is the eagle, and the sports teams are known as "The Eagles."

History

Front entrance to Walnut Hills High School

The school was the third district public high school established in the city of Cincinnati, following Hughes H.S. and Woodward H.S., and was opened in September 1895 on the corner of Ashland and Burdett Avenues in Cincinnati. As a district high school, it accommodated the conventional four years (grades 9–12). It began with 20 teachers and 684 students.

In 1919, Walnut Hills became a classical high school (college-preparatory school) and was expanded to accommodate six years (grades 7–12). Students were drawn from the entire city, rather than from a defined district within the city. As a classical high school, its organization was modeled on eastern college preparatory schools in general, and on Boston Latin School in particular.

A new building on Victory Boulevard (now Victory Parkway) was built on 14 acres (57,000 m2) acquired from the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati and completed in 1931. Designed by architect Frederick W. Garber's firm it remains in use today. The facility was designed for 1700 students and included 31 class rooms, 3 study halls, choral harmony and band rooms, a general shop, a print shop, a mechanical drawing room, 2 swimming pools (separate swimming for boys and girls), a library, a large and a small auditorium, and a kitchen for teaching cooking (with pantry and adjacent living room and dining room).[11]

Examples of Cincinnati's famous Rookwood Pottery are to be found throughout the building, including the masks of comedy and tragedy adorning the proscenium arch of the large theatrical auditorium. The school's original Ashland and Burdett location became the Burdett School in 1932, which was closed in 1979. Abandoned for many years, the building was renovated in 2005 as the Schoolhouse Lofts.

Four temporary, prefabricated steel classrooms, called "The Colony" or "the Tin Can" by resentful students, were installed in 1958 to accommodate the increasing student population.[12] As of the 2011–2012 school year, these have been demolished. In 1960, a one-story Annex added 17 classrooms, including a language laboratory and typing lab, to the school.[12] In 1976, a Fine Arts Complex was added, partially supplementing existing facilities near the main Auditorium, the "Small Auditorium." In 1998, the Annex was razed and an Arts and Science Center containing 30 classrooms and state-of-the-art science labs replaced it in 1999. This construction was funded entirely with $9 million of private donations from the school's alumni.

The Robert S. Marx stadium, a 2000-seat all-weather football and soccer field, was dedicated on 1 September 2006. At the same time the 8-lane William DeHart Hubbard Track was dedicated. Construction of both facilities was funded by the Cincinnati Public Schools. They are named for alumni who had distinguished themselves in athletics during their student years, and DeHart Hubbard was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event. In 2016, a new two-toned synthetic turf was installed, featuring the "WH" logo at midfield and Walnut Hills lettering in the end zones.

Students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 are called Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors, respectively. At Walnut Hills after 1919, students in the 7th Grade are referred to as 'Effies' and those in the 8th grade are 'E-flats.' This derives from a different scheme for naming classes that was in use in the early part of the 20th century. Then, the 12th grade was the A-class, 11th grade was the B-class, and so forth, with the 8th grade the E-class and 7th grade the F-class. The other remnant of this system surviving into the late 20th century was the event called the "B-A Prom," which was the Junior-Senior Prom.

At the end of the 2006–2007 school year, Marvin O. Koenig, Walnut Hills' Principal for fifteen years, retired. Before the 2007–2008 school year began Jeffrey J. Brokamp was named the new Principal. A member of the Class of 1978, he is the son of previous Walnut Hills' Principal Raymond Brokamp. Jeff retired at the end of the 2016-17 academic year.

An 8-phase construction project designed by SHP Leading Design[13] and constructed by HGC Construction and Turner Construction began in the 2010–2011 school year, and was completed for the 2014–2015 school year.[14] Highlights of the $56 million project funded by both Cincinnati Public Schools[15] and the school's Alumni Foundation include a complete renovation of the original 1931 building, new music lyceum and athletic complex, including a new gym seating 1200 along 3 of the 4 walls, locker rooms, and a full size natatorium featuring a 25-meter, 6 lane pool. There are two tunnels, one going from the locker rooms and another from the band rooms into Marx Stadium. The new gym held its first game on November 30, 2012. A two-floor, 15 classroom foreign language wing was built, along with 4 outdoor courtyards around the school. All classrooms were updated with whiteboards. The building remained open and in use, with 7 temporary full-functioning modular buildings (known to students as "The Mods") replacing classrooms under renovation. In fall 2013 the mods were removed to make way for the Christopher South Athletic Complex, which opened in October, 2014. The complex features an all-weather synthetic turf field lined for football, soccer, and lacrosse, stands that seat 400, a press box, concessions, and batting cages.[16] Six new hard-surface tennis courts opened in the spring of 2016.

Academics

All students must pass a standardized test in math and reading to be accepted to the school.[3]

An Honors program of 90 students presents history, science, and English in grade 8. See the listings for English 8 Honors, Science 8 Honors, and American History Honors in the Curriculum Guide.

In keeping with classical format, all students who enter in grades 7 or 8 must complete three years of Latin. The classical emphasis is complemented by many Advanced Placement courses being offered.

Clubs and activities

Walnut Hills' Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[17] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[18]

Athletics

The sports teams have played in various regional leagues since the demise of the Public High School League in 1984. In recent years the school's most notable teams have been girls' tennis, soccer, and girls' track teams. In 2011, the football team qualified for the Ohio football playoffs for the first time in school history. The 2012–2013 boys' basketball team finished the regular season 21–1, ranked #1 in Ohio and #18 in the country.[19] They advanced to the Final Four in the tournament. The game was played at OSU's Schottenstein Center. They lost to Toledo Rogers.

Ohio High School Athletic Association Team State Championships

Notable alumni

Notable alumni include:

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Walnut Hills High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  3. 1 2 3 "Walnut Hills High School (Top 100, #36)". U.S. News & World Report. December 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  4. ↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  5. ↑ Hannah Sparling. "Walnut Hills names interim principal". Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  6. ↑ "Walnut Hills High School". Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  7. ↑ "Laura Mitchell Chosen as Next CPS Superintendent". Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  8. ↑ 2007–2008 School Year Report Card
  9. ↑ Newsweek's Top 100 Public High Schools of 2007
  10. ↑ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/ohio/districts/cincinnati-public-schools/walnut-hills-high-school-15134 U.S news and World Report
  11. ↑ Visiting Committee Report Walnut Hills High School by the Cincinnati School Foundation, page 4, April 1969
  12. 1 2 Visiting Committee Report Walnut Hills High School by the Cincinnati School Foundation, Appendix A, page 48, April 1969
  13. ↑ "Portfolio: Walnut Hills HS". Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  14. ↑ , HGC Construction website.
  15. ↑ "CPS FMP (Facilities Master Plan)". Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  16. ↑ http://www.walnuthillseagles.com/news-pdfs/2014/WHHS_Ribbon_Cutting_for_the_new_Christopher_South_Athletic_Complex_Press_Release_with_photo.pdf
  17. ↑ "2009 Convention – Club Point Summary" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
    • "2010 State Convention – Club Point Summary" (PDF). OJCL.org. Ohio Junior Classical League. 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  18. ↑ "Constitution of the Ohio Junior Classical League" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. March 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2009. ...by paying both OJCL annual chapter dues and any annual chapter membership dues required by NJCL.
  19. ↑ "Max Preps". Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  20. ↑ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  21. ↑ "Jeremy Fishbein Biography". GoLobos.com. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Five questions with Jeremy Fishbein". cincinnati.com. Gannett. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "The Shaw Prize – Top prizes for astronomy, life science and mathematics". shawprize.org. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.