Booker T. Washington High School, named for the famous educator, opened in September 1924 under the auspices of the Atlanta Board of Education, with the late Charles Lincoln Harper as principal. It was the first public high school for African-Americans in the state of Georgia and the Atlanta Public Schools system.
Booker T. Washington High School was transformed into four small schools. Starting in the fall of 2014, the school transitioned back to the original one school, with four assistant principals, one academy leader, and one principal.
Administration
- Dr. Tasharah Wilson, Principal
- Antonio Mattox, Assistant Principal, Ninth Grade
- Yvette Williams, Assistant Principal, Tenth Grade
- Tracy Harrell, Assistant Principal, Eleventh Grade
- Kimberly Moore, Assistant Principal, Twelfth Grade
- Joseph Williams, Academy Leader, CTAE & Fine Arts
History
Designed by Atlanta-born architect Eugene C. Wachendorff, the building incorporates medieval and Byzantine elements, including the dramatic main entrance with five arches in two tiers. Six additions have been made to the original four-story building, which is situated on 21.4 acres (87,000Â m2) of land. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It is fitting that visitors pass the statue of the school's namesake on the way to the entrance. One of the foremost black educators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 on a small farm in Virginia. He founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881.
In 1927, the only exact replica of the Booker T. Washington monument at Tuskegee University in Alabama was erected at the school's entrance. The statue of Washington, called "Booker T. Washington Lifting the Veil of Ignorance," is a replica of the original bronze at the Tuskegee Institute by sculptor Charles Keck. The inscription reads: "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."
Today, the school, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, boasts an enrollment of more than 1600 students and a faculty and staff of more than 100.
Recent visitors to the historic institution have included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, activist Jesse Jackson, civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, and President George W. Bush.
The school serves as a cornerstone of Atlanta Public School's comprehensive reform program, Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams). The project aims to increase the number of inner city students who graduate and go to college.
Academics
Washington Early College
Booker T. Washington High School-Early College is one of the newest early college small schools in the Atlanta Public School System. The premise behind the early college concept is to afford students the opportunity to obtain college credits while going to high school. BTWHS-EC aims to prepare students to pursue post secondary education at some of the top universities and colleges in the U.S.
In addition to the core program of study, students are required to take the following classes to meet the requirements of the Early College School:
- Early College Seminar
- Early College Math
- Early College English
- Early College Social Studies
- Early College Science
Washington Banking, Finance, and Investment
The Booker T. Washington High School Banking, Finance and Investment Small School (BFI) gives BTW high school students an opportunity to learn about and prepare for college careers in business and finance. Emphasis is placed on a college preparatory curriculum that is directly linked to the business world.
This school prepares students for careers in business and finance with challenging courses. It focuses on broad, transferable skills, with an emphasis on financial industry elements such as accounting, financial planning, management, banking, credit, economics, money management, technology, investments, and insurance. In addition to their required courses, BFI students take one or two specialized courses each semester and a college level course in their senior year. Students also participate in job shadowing experiences and paid internships.
BFI is a part of the National Academy Foundation's Academy of Finance. This foundation assists in establishing an ongoing relationship that involves corporate executives, school personnel, parents, and students, and results in paid internships, scholarships, and employment opportunities. Students are provided opportunities to enter into paid internships with local financial service companies during the summer of their senior year, and many offers of part-time employment during the school year are provided. BFI also has the Institute of Student Achievement (ISA) as its intermediary partner. This organization supports the school's planning process, curriculum development, leadership development, and overall development of the small learning communities.
Washington Health, Science, and Nutrition
The Booker T. Washington High School of Health Science and Nutrition (BTWHSN) provides an interdisciplinary curriculum with a healthcare and nutrition concentration through in-depth investigation, hands-on discovery, experimentation, and inquiry-based learning. Through a four-year program of study, students have the opportunity to:
- Undergo a rigorous and relevant curriculum and receive in-depth instruction designed to ensure that all students meet the graduation requirements of the Atlanta Public Schools system while affording them multiple opportunities for postsecondary study.
- Gain college credit through dual enrollment and advanced placement courses.
- Explore career interest in various nutrition and health care-related fields.
- Gain invaluable knowledge, skills, and experiences through medical seminars, internships, and health science field trips.
- Partake in an array of shadowing opportunities and hands-on modules.
Booker T. Washington High School of Health Science and Nutrition offers two career pathways: Therapeutic Services and Nutrition & Food Science.
Feeder patterns
- Elementary schools: Herndon and Bethune
- Middle schools: Kennedy, Sylvan, and Brown
Local School Council
The property and business of the Booker T. Washington High School Local Council is managed by seven school council members, of whom two are parents or guardians of students enrolled in the school, two are teachers, and two are business education partners. The principal serves as chairperson of the Local School Council, which meets on the first Monday of each month from 9:00-10:00 am in the second-floor conference room at the school.
Student activities
Clubs and organizations
Athletics
Notable alumni
Religion
- Martin Luther King, Jr. - civil rights leader
Arts and entertainment
- Les Brown - motivational speaker
- Bruce Bruce - actor, comedian
- Lee Moses - Musician
- Jean Carne - singer
- Julius "Nipsey" Russell - actor, comedian, dancer
- Ken Sagoes - actor
- Young Thug-rapper, singer
Government and politics
- Leroy Johnson - Georgia State Senator
- Louis Wade Sullivan - former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George H.W. Bush
Sports
- Donn Clendenon - former professional baseball player
- Reshad Jones - Miami Dolphins
- Jabari Smith - Sacramento Kings
- Lawrence Smith - Baltimore Ravens
- Elmore Spencer - L.A. Clippers
- Walter Stith -Buffalo Bills
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fulton County, Georgia
Footnotes
Further reading
- Jay Winston Driskell, Jr. Schooling Jim Crow: The Fight for Atlanta's Booker T. Washington High School and the Roots of Black Protest Politics. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2014.
External links
- Booker T. Washington High High School
- Washington School of Banking, Finance and Investment
- Booker T. Washington Early College High School
- Booker T. Washington High School of Health Science and Nutrition
- Washington Senior Academy
- Atlanta Public Schools, Office of High Schools