Spingarn High School
| Joel Elias Spingarn Senior High School | |
|---|---|
 Spingarn Senior High School located in the Carver Langston neighborhood of Washington, D.C. | |
| Address | |
 | |
2500 Benning Road Northeast[1] , 20002 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Established | 1952 |
| Closed | 2013 |
| School district | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Color(s) | Green Vegas gold |
| Mascot | Mighty Green Wave |
| Website | https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/14000198.htm |
Joel Elias Spingarn High School was a public high school located in the District of Columbia, USA. The school is named after Joel Elias Spingarn (1875–1939) an American educator and literary critic who established the Spingarn Medal in 1913, awarded annually for outstanding achievement by an African American.
History
[edit]Spingarn High School opened in 1952, as a new and modern segregated high school for African American students. It was the last segregated high school built in Washington, DC, just two years before the U.S. Supreme Court ended school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education.[2]
The formal dedication ceremonies in December 1953 were attended by Joel Spingarn's widow, Amy Spingarn, and by Spingarn Medal winners Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois. The principal speaker at the dedication was Howard University professor John Hope Franklin.[3][4]
Dr. Purvis J. Wiliams was the first principal and served until 1971. Under his leadership, Spingarn gained a reputation as one of the top black schools in the district. Spingarn's enrollment was around 1500 students, who were almost entirely black even after desegregation.[2][5][6]
Woodson Junior High School students were housed in Spingarn High School from 1962 to 1963.[7]
Spingarn High School closed at the end of the 2012-13 school year due to low enrollment which had dropped to 374 students that year.[2][8][9]
In May 2014, the school was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[10]
In late 2021, it was announced that Spingarn High School will be reopened as the new site of the DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA). The site is currently undergoing extensive repairs and construction, with a plan to reopen in late 2024. The DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) is under the District Department of Employment Services (DOES).
Basketball teams
[edit]Spingarn High School had one of DC's most impressive basketball histories and has produced well-known players such as Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing and Sherman Douglas. Spingarn has played in more City Title games than all but one DC public school and won in 1961, 1980, 1985 and 2000. The school has also played in nine DCIAA title games and won consecutively for three years between 2000 and 2003.[11][12][13]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Elgin Baylor, retired Hall of Fame basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers[11][12][13]
- Dave Bing, retired Hall of Fame professional basketball player in the NBA, primarily for the Detroit Pistons from 1966 to 1975, and Mayor of Detroit from 2009 to 2013[11][12][13]
- John B. Catoe Jr., former general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority[14]
- Robert Contee, retired DC police chief[15][16]
- Sherman Douglas, retired professional basketball player who played in the NBA for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers from 1989 to 2001[11][12][13]
- Michael Graham, retired professional basketball player who played on Georgetown University's 1984 national championship team[11][13]
- Ollie Johnson, retired basketball player who was an All-American at the University of San Francisco and a first round draft pick of the Boston Celtics[11][13]
- Earl Jones, retired professional basketball player who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers[11][13]
- John Kinard, founding director of the Anacostia Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum[17]
- Willie Royster, former professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles[18]
- Stan Washington, retired NBA player for the Washington Bullets[19]
- Clarence Musgrove, former All-American athlete in track and field, inducted into the Catholic University Hall of Fame[20]
- Mike Hinnant, former NFL player, inducted into the Temple University Hall of Fame[21]
- Warren Buck III, physics professor at Hampton University who established the university's physics doctoral program. Also served as the first chancellor of University of Washington Bothell[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "GNIS entry for Spingarn Senior High School". USGS. January 16, 2008.
- ^ a b c Fenston, Jacob (February 1, 2019). "Spingarn High Students, Alums Brace For School's Closure". WAMU.
- ^ "Segregation Rapped at Spingarn Dedication". Washington Evening Star. December 12, 1953. p. 35.
- ^ "Robeson Plans To Be School's 'Silent' Guest". The Washington Post. December 11, 1953. p. 39.
- ^ "Dr. Purvis J. Williams honored at Spingarn High School". The Washington Afro-American. January 24, 2004.
- ^ Rogers, Jeanne (May 19, 1957). "Spingarn, Newest High School, Mirrors Changing Community". The Washington Post. p. A15.
- ^ DC Public Schools "Public School Buildings-Past and Present" MS, revised June 1972. Retrieved from Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- ^ "Book Closes on Spingarn High School". AFRO. June 26, 2013.
- ^ "Spingarn Senior High School (Closed 2014) (2022 Ranking) | Washington, DC". 13 October 2023.
- ^ "Spingarn High School". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g McKenna, Dave (March 5, 1999). "The Next Wave". Washington City Paper.
- ^ a b c d Evans, Judith (January 23, 2004). "Spingarn High's Title Wave Running Dry". Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stubbs, Roman (February 13, 2013). "As D.C.'s Spingarn High prepares to close, a rich basketball tradition is left behind". The Washington Post.
- ^ Sun, Lena H. (September 24, 2009). "D.C. Area Transit Chief Facing 'the Test of His Life'". The Washington Post. p. A1.
- ^ "Mayor chooses veteran officer Robert J. Contee as District's next police chief". Washington Post. December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ "Bowser Picks Longtime D.C. Police Official To Lead MPD". DCist. Archived from the original on 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ Smith, J.Y. (August 6, 1989). "John R. Kinard, Director of Anacostia Museum, Dies". The Washington Post.
- ^ Huff, Donald (June 9, 1981). "The Wait, the Wondering: Former Area Picks Play On". The Washington Post.
- ^ Dinsdale, Nathan. "Basketball Great Takes His Place Among Torero Legends". USD Magazine. No. Spring 2010. University of San Diego.
- ^ "Catholic Inducts Hall of Fame Class of 2018". Catholic Athletics. The Catholic University of America. February 7, 2018.
- ^ "For the Record". The Washington Post. December 2, 1987. p. D2.
Temple -- Announced that senior TE Mike Hinnant, former standout at Spingarn High School, was named to Associated Press All-East football team.
- ^ Physics, American Institute of (2022-03-10). "Warren W. Buck". www.aip.org. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
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- Educational institutions established in 1952
- Educational institutions disestablished in 2013
- Defunct schools in Washington, D.C.
- District of Columbia Public Schools
- African-American history of Washington, D.C.
- School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
- 1952 establishments in Washington, D.C.