Dr. Percy L. Julian High School Explained

Dr. Percy L. Julian High School
Former Name:Robert E. Lee High School
Coordinates:32.378°N -86.271°W
Motto:together we build, together we build"
Address:225 Ann Street
Zipcode:36107
Country:USA
Ceeb:011900
Mascot:Phoenix
Enrollment:1,374 (2022-23)[1]
Ratio:18.69
Teaching Staff:73.50 (FTE)
Communities:Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Air Force Base

Dr. Percy L. Julian High School (formerly Robert E. Lee High School) is a public secondary school in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, serving grades 9 - 12. The school is part of the Montgomery Public Schools system.

Dr. Percy L. Julian High School is zoned for the northside of Montgomery, including residents of the Gunter Air Force Base and Maxwell Air Force Base, however, few military students attend Montgomery public schools.[2] [3]

History

Early history

In January 1953, the Montgomery Board of Education purchased 12acres of property on Ann Street for $74,000 for a new high school. The new school would alleviate overcrowding at Sidney Lanier High School and accommodate children coming to Montgomery due to Maxwell and Gunter Air Force Bases. The final cost of the new facility was nearly $1.25 million.

The school opened to students for the first time on September 6, 1955, under the name Robert E. Lee High School.[4] The new school had 35 faculty members and approximately 800 students. Most of the 232 juniors and 173 seniors entering the school were transfers from Lanier, and some 354 sophomores moved up from area junior high schools. Its first graduating class consisted of 144 students.

Expansion

An auditorium was added in 1963. The guidance office, lunchroom, and library were enlarged and the math wing and mini-gym were added during the 1970s. By 1979 rooms were air conditioned, after students and teachers raised the necessary $80,000. In 1992, the library underwent extensive renovation and the entire school received a new roof. In 1997, land behind Julian formerly occupied by apartments was donated to the school, and in 2000 the space was completely paved to provide parking. In the summer of 2002, the entire school system was networked and wired with fiber optic cable to provide better and faster internet and network capabilities. Fine arts at the school have grown. The fine arts program includes drama which perform plays in the Auditorium, Art, Debate, and Choral .

The school added 9th Grade in the 2010/2011 school year. Julian High School's motto is The pursuit of continuous excellence.

Confederate legacy

The school included a plaque dedicated to its former namesake, Robert E. Lee, instructing students to not defame him.[5]

Renaming

In 2020 the school district's board of education voted to change the school's name.[6]

In November 2022, it was announced that the school would be renamed Dr. Percy L. Julian High School after Percy Lavon Julian.[7]

Sports

The Phoenix represent the school in ASHAA sporting competitions. During the 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 school years the Generals Cheerleaders won the Cheersport National Championship. In August 2023, the school mascot was changed to a phoenix.[8]

State championships

[9]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lee High School. National Center for Education Statistics. June 21, 2024.
  2. Web site: Maxwell AFB Community. Department of Defense Education Activity. July 4, 2022. July 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220705200702/https://www.dodea.edu/americas/southeast/maxwell/index.cfm. dead.
  3. Web site: If the quality of area's schools doesn't improve, could Maxwell AFB take off? .
  4. Book: Carter. Clinton. 'Echoes' of Robert E. Lee High School: The First Decade, 1955-65. Palmer. Kerry. Stifflemire. Roger. January 1, 2015. NewSouth Books. 978-1-60306-380-7. 1–6. en.
  5. Web site: Charles, Safiya. Lee High School plaque warns students never 'discredit the name of this great man'. Montgomery Advertiser. July 8, 2020. July 15, 2020.
  6. Web site: Johnson, Krista . July 14, 2020 . Montgomery school board votes to change the Confederate names of three high schools . July 15, 2020 . Montgomery Advertiser.
  7. Web site: Koplowitz, Howard . November 10, 2022 . Montgomery school board approves name changes for Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee high schools . November 24, 2022 . al.com.
  8. Web site: Williams . Jasmine . August 1, 2023 . Montgomery Public Schools announce mascots, logos for renamed high schools . January 7, 2024 . WSFA.
  9. Web site: Lee Montgomery Generals Sports History. Alabama High School Football Historical Society. November 20, 2015.
  10. Book: Idaho Blue Book . 2004 . State of Idaho . 147.
  11. News: Brizee . Alex . August 7, 2023 . Former Boise Democratic lawmaker was charged with a felony. . limited . . 50144804.
  12. Web site: Rankin . Duane . Montgomery to NFL: The Undrafted — Tyrone Rogers . Montgomery Advertiser . July 23, 2018 . April 27, 2018.

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