John Bartram High School is a public secondary school serving neighborhoods of the

Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The nor ...

area of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...

History

On February 5, 1939, John Bartram High School, located at the intersection of 67th Street and Elmwood Avenue in

, opened for the first time to 1,700 students. The school was named after Philadelphian botanist John Bartram. It was built to relieve overcrowding at West Philadelphia High School due to population increases in the southwest part of the city. According to a history of the school published on its 50th anniversary, the school was originally planned to be built at 74th Street and Dicks Avenue, but the site was changed before construction started. It was one of the first Philadelphia high schools named for a prominent individual rather than a geographic region of the city. On December 4, 1986, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The school is home to PA-20032 Unit of the Air Force

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...

School and site structure

Structure

The building is one city block long and the capacity of the school is about 3000 students. The blueprint of the school shows that there are approximately 103 classrooms and 12 staircases. The school has a boys' and a girls' gymnasium for different sporting events. The auditorium can hold about 1077 people. The art-deco building was designed for 2,750 students but frequently held 3,200 or more.

Curriculum

John Bartram students must take four English classes to graduate. English classes are to help students improve their reading, grammar, writing skills, and vocabulary. Optional English classes include SAT English, AP English, Theater, Public Speaking, and AP English Literature.

Feeder Schools

* Joseph W. Catharine School * Benjamin B. Comegys School * William Longstreth School * Thomas D. Morton School * John M. Patterson School * Penrose School * William T. Tilden Middle School *

S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School The S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School is an historic, American elementary school that is located in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is part of the School District of Philadelphia. It was added to the National Regis ...

Notable alumni

Joe Bryant Joseph Washington Bryant (born October 19, 1954), nicknamed "Jellybean", is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball As ...

(born 1954), basketball player who played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers * Solomon Burke (1936 or 1940–2010), musician * Bernie Custis (1928–2017), football player * Mary Jane Fonder (1942–2018), convicted murderer * Tyrone Garland (born 1992), basketball player *

Wilson Goode Woodrow Wilson Goode Sr. (born August 19, 1938) is a former Mayor of Philadelphia and the first African American to hold that office. He served from 1984 to 1992, a period which included the controversial MOVE police action and house bombing ...

(born 1938), former mayor of Philadelphia *

DJ Jazzy Jeff Jeffrey Allen Townes (born January 22, 1965), known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff (or simply Jazz), is an American disc jockey (DJ) and music producer. He was a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince with Will Smith. He is credited, alo ...

(born 1965), musician * Patti LaBelle (born 1944), singer, actress * David Martin (born 1959), former gridiron football

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

and

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

Earl Monroe Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...

(born 1944), basketball player who played in the NBA for the New York Knicks. * Connie Morgan (1935-1996), professional baseball player *

Ann A. Mullen Ann A. Mullen (October 24, 1935 – April 17, 1994) was an American politician who served as mayor of Gloucester Township, New Jersey and represented New Jersey's 4th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly. Born in Philadelphi ...

(1935–1994), politician who served as mayor of

Gloucester Township, New Jersey Gloucester Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 64,634, reflecting an increase of 284 (+0.4%) from the 64,350 counted in the 2000 census. The township ranked ...

and represented

New Jersey's 4th legislative district New Jersey's 4th legislative district is one of 40 in the state. As of the 2011 apportionment the district covers the Camden County municipalities of Chesilhurst, Clementon, Gloucester Township, Laurel Springs, Lindenwold and Winslow Towns ...

in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

. *

Danny Rapp Daniel Earl Rapp (May 9, 1941 – April 3, 1983) was an American singer and the frontman for the group Danny & the Juniors. The group is best known for their 1958 hit "At the Hop". Career Rapp's musical career began in 1955 with the formation ...

(1941–1983), Frank Maffei, Joe Terranova and David White (1939–2019), doo-wop group

Danny & the Juniors Danny & the Juniors are an American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally consisting of Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most widely recognized for th ...

* Irvin "Bo" Roberson (1935–2001), football player, track athlete * Al-Hajj Shabazz (born 1992),

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

who played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers.Al-Hajj Shabazz

West Chester Golden Rams The West Chester Golden Rams represent West Chester University of Pennsylvania, which is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in intercollegiate sports. They compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in NCAA Division II. T ...

. Accessed February 22, 2021. "Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.; High School: John Bartram" * Jimmy Wilkes (1925-2008), major league baseball outfielder in the Negro National League *

Erik Williams Erik George Williams (born September 7, 1968) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforc ...

(born 1968), football player * Frank Wolf (born 1939), Congressman for Virginia's 10th district

References

External links

Bartram High School
*
Pennsylvania State Department of Education
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartram, John, High School School District of Philadelphia High schools in Philadelphia School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Public high schools in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1939 1939 establishments in Pennsylvania Southwest Philadelphia