Paul Robeson High School (Chicago) Explained

Paul Robeson High School
Streetaddress:6835 South Normal Boulevard
City:Chicago, Illinois
Zipcode:60621
Country:United States
Coordinates:41.7704°N -87.6363°W
District:Chicago Public Schools
Principal:Melanie V. Beatty–Sevier
(2017–2018)[1]
Ceeb:141070[2]
Gender:Coed
Grades:9–12
Campus Type:Urban
Conference:Chicago Public League
Accreditation:North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Team Name:Raider[3]
Colors: Gold, scarlet, black
Opened:1977
Status:Demolished
Closed:June 2018
Enrollment:26 (2017–2018; last graduating class of seniors)[4] [5]

Paul Robeson High School was a public four–year high school located in the Englewood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in September 1977, Robeson was a part of the Chicago Public Schools district.[6] The school was named in honor of African-American entertainer and athlete Paul Robeson. After years of declining enrollment and low academic performance, the school closed after the 2017–2018 school year and was later demolished in September 2018.

History

Prior to becoming Robeson High School, the school was known as Parker High School from 1901 to 1977. Parker was located at 68th and Stewart Avenue (6800 S. Stewart Avenue) about 100 yards away from the present Robeson location in the Englewood area of Chicago. At the time, the school was located on the same campus with Wilson Junior college and Chicago Teachers College. The new school building was constructed on the former Normal Avenue Park site,[7] named for Robeson, opened on September 6, 1977.[8]

During the 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 school years, Robeson served as a receiving school for students affected by the closings of Engelwood High School (which was located about 2.5 miles away) and Calumet High School, which lead to Robeson being overcrowded. By the 2014–2015 school year, CPS considered the campus for consolidation due to its low–enrollment.[9] Due to low enrollment and poor academic performance, Chicago Public Schools decided to close Robeson along with three other neighborhood high schools: Harper, Hope College Prep and Team Englewood. Robeson held its last graduation on June 12, 2018[4] and closed. The building was later demolished in September 2018. Englewood STEM High School was built on the site, opening on September 3, 2019.

Athletics

Robeson competed in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and was a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The school teams were stylized as the Raiders for boys' teams and the Lady Raiders for girls' teams. The school's boys' tennis team won IHSA state championships in 1937–1938 and 1938–1939 as Parker High School.[10] Since 1974, when the IHSA began sponsoring a state championship tournament in football, Robeson was the only CPL team to play in a state championship football game, finishing second in 5A in 1982–1983, until Phillips won the 4A title in 2015–2016.[11]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Administrators. directory. Paul Robeson High School. 29 December 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110727184729/http://www.prhs.org/welcome.jsp?rn=9689131. 27 July 2011.
  2. Web site: High School Code Search. College Board. 22 October 2013.
  3. Web site: Chicago (Robeson). Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 December 2009. 29 December 2009.
  4. https://twitter.com/oliviaobineme/status/1006563532119343104?lang=en Twitter - Olivia Obineme (@OliviaObineme) - 12 Jun 2018 - Watson shared in his speech that he was one of 207 students that graduated in 1984. Today’s graduating class includes 26 students, according to the commencement program. #RobesonHigh #FinalGraduation #ChicagoPublicSchools #Englewood
  5. http://schoolinfo.cps.edu/schoolprofile/schooldetails.aspx?SchoolId=609707 Chicago Public Schools: Robeson
  6. "contact." Paul Robeson High School. Retrieved on Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
  7. http://www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/links/chicago/chi_tim6.html CPSR - Paul Robeson's Chicago History 1921-1958
  8. Web site: History. Robeson High School. 5 January 2010. In 1889, Colonel Francis W. Parker provided a land grant for the purpose of building educational facilities for the community. Since then, various institutions have been located on this land ... and Parker High School. In the mid–1970s, Chicago State University moved to a new campus on 95th Street, and a new high school was built on its old site. Parker High School was converted into Parker Elementary School (later Parker Community Academy), and the new school opened as Paul Robeson High School on September 6, 1977.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110727184802/http://www.prhs.org/history.jsp?rn=7768785. 27 July 2011.
  9. https://www.ctunet.com/research/englewood-hs Chicago Teacher's Union, Englewood HS
  10. Web site: IHSA Season Summaries. Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. 5 January 2010.
  11. Web site: Boys Football Champions and Runners-Up. Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 7 November 2012.
  12. 'Former State Rep. Eugenia Chapman,' Chicago Tribune, Dan Wetzel, October 1, 1994
  13. Web site: Jeremy Pargo, Maccabi Electra - Euroleague 2010-11 - Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL.

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