Booker T. Washington High School (Tennessee) Explained

Booker T. Washington High School
Motto:We're tops! We lead and others follow.
Established:1873 (built)-1926 (rebuilt)
Former Name:Clay Street School
Type:Public secondary
Principal:Alicia Kiner
Enrollment:593 (2016-17)[1]
Grades:9-12
Streetaddress:715 South Lauderdale Street
Mascot:Warrior
Website:BTWHS Website
Picture Caption:Eastern facade with main entrance from South Lauderdale Street
Picture Caption2:Eastern facade with main entrance from South Lauderdale Street

Booker T Washington High School (also known as BTW)[2] is a public secondary school located north of Downtown Memphis, on the southside of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The school was administered by the Memphis City Schools system, until the beginning of the 2013-14 year, it was served by the Shelby County Schools district. 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 founded as the Clay Street School in 1873 and was among the first public high schools for African Americans in Memphis.[3] Green Polonius Hamilton was its principal. 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.[4] [5] Further expansions were completed in the years since, including the Blair T. Hunt Gymnasium, dedicated in 1950.[6]

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."[7] 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.[8] BTW also suffered from and overcame high teen pregnancy and violence rates.[9] 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.[9] [10]

Notable alumni

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: B. T. Washington High. National Center for Education Statistics. February 7, 2019.
  2. Web site: Barack Obama gives keynote address at Memphis high school, views flood damage, and meets NCAA champs. Flock. Elizabeth. May 17, 2011. The Washington Post. May 18, 2011.
  3. Web site: Early Black Education in Memphis. Booker T. Washington Class of 1966. May 17, 2011.
  4. Web site: Kortrecht High School Historic Items and Photos. memphistechhigh.com. May 17, 2011.
  5. News: Obama hails high school graduates in Memphis. Kuhnhenn. Jim. May 17, 2011. Associated Press. May 17, 2011.
  6. Web site: BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL: THROUGH THE YEARS. The Commercial Appeal. Scripps Interactive Newspaper Group. May 18, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111006193550/http://m.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/booker-t-washington-high-school-through-years/39267/. October 6, 2011.
  7. Web site: Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. May 17, 2011.
  8. Web site: President visits Memphis High School graduation. Holland. Sally. CNN.com. May 16, 2011.
  9. Web site: 3 high schools vie to get Obama for commencement. Holland. Sally. May 9, 2011. CNN.com. May 18, 2011.
  10. Web site: President Obama at Booker T. Washington High: Commencement Challenge Winners. whitehouse.gov. National Archives. May 17, 2011.
  11. Web site: Marion Barry Just Wants to Be Loved. Brisbane. Arthur S.. April 26, 1987. The Washington Post. W20. May 17, 2011.
  12. News: Sheriff's Attorney Selected; Executive Assistant Picked . 6 June 2024 . . 3 February 1976 . 25.
  13. Web site: Verdell Mathis. 2006. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. May 18, 2011.
  14. Web site: Maxine A. Smith NAACP Collection . Digital Library of Georgia . December 7, 2016.
  15. Web site: Fred Valentine - Society for American Baseball Research. sabr.org.
  16. Web site: With trial date set in death of NBA player Lorenzen Wright, his mother now can 'breathe'. The Commercial Appeal.

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