Booker T. Washington Magnet High School (BTW) is a public
magnet high school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
Montgomery Public Schools
Montgomery Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The current Superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools is Melvin Brown. The district serves the city of Montgomery and surrounding Montgomery Co ...
(MPS) school district. CCPAC, originally located at George Washington Carver High School, was developed in 1982 to accommodate the growing need in Montgomery for specialized arts instruction for students. CCPAC began as a day program where students were bused from home schools to the Carver High School campus for magnet classes. As the program expanded and enrollment grew, the need to find a new location became more and more apparent.
In 1994, MPS received a $7,000,000 federal grant to fund several magnet schools including the Carver Creative and Performing Arts Center. A former shopping mall, Normandale Shopping Center, was selected as the future location for CCPAC, but in 1995, the shopping center was destroyed by a tornado. As a result, CCPAC began to operate out of four locations while searching for a replacement home. In 1996, CCPAC became a designated magnet school on the campus of the old Booker T. Washington School, at which time the name of the school and its program changed to Booker T. Washington Magnet High School.
Curriculum
The school's arts program is divided into four "magnet" centers, each housing their own areas of study which are called magnets.
Creative and Performing Arts Center
Choral magnet
Concert and Show Band magnets
Creative Writing magnet
Photography magnet
Piano magnet
Strings magnet
Technical Theater magnet
Theater and Musical Theater magnets
Visual Art magnet
Center for Advanced Technology
Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) magnet
Center for Law
Law magnet
Academy for Communication Arts
Broadcast Media magnet
Admission
Acceptance into BTW is based on successfully completing an audition/interview for the student's desired magnet area in addition to meeting school GPA and conduct requirements.
Locations
George Washington Carver High School (1983-1996)
From its inception in 1983 to 1996, the magnet arts program was housed at George Washington Carver High School under the name Carver Creative and Performing Arts Center (CCPAC).
Simultaneous separate locations (1995-1996)
For a short time, CCPAC operated out of four locations simultaneously, including
First Baptist Church (South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama)
The First Baptist Church is a Baptist church and a historic landmark. The First Baptist Church is located on South Perry Street, in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1829, it had a mixed congregation (consisting of enslaved and free bla ...
, a Montgomery Public Schools Professional Services Building, and the former Booker T. Washington High School.
Booker T. Washington Magnet High School (1996-2018)
In 1996, a federal grant enabled the school to become its own designated magnet school (rather than a day program) housed on the campus of the old Booker T. Washington School; it was at this time that the arts magnet program adopted the name Booker T. Washington Magnet High School. This location was originally intended to be a temporary solution immediately after Normandale's unfortunate demise, but the school adapted and found over time that the building was suitable for its needs.
In August 2018, a fire destroyed some of the buildings on campus which contained areas including the school library, counselor's office, MPS child nutrition center, and the visual art, photography, broadcast media, and C.A.T. magnets.
Hayneville Road Elementary School (2018–present)
Since 2018, BTW has been relocated at the site of the former Hayneville Road Elementary School. Montgomery Public School purchased the former Holy Cross Episcopal School to be the new home of Booker T. Washington Magnet High School. An additional 100,000 square feet will be added to host the black box theater, new cafeteria, etc. The project is expected to be complete by January 2023.
History of Booker T. Washington High School
Booker T. Washington High School began in early 1865 as a primary school for African Americans. In 1916, an additional building was erected at Union and Grove Streets.
In 1937, plans were made to open a senior high school. A thirty-room unit was constructed after several of the original structures were demolished in 1948, and a 123-foot underground tunnel was developed to connect the two sides of the campus. The former auditorium-gymnasium was constructed in 1954.
In 1956, Booker T. Washington became a high school.
Awards and recognition
* #3 in Montgomery, AL Metro High Schools; #28 in Alabama High Schools; #245 in Magnet High Schools in National Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
* #19 on AL.com's list of 30 best public high schools in Alabama for 2019
* #25 on Niche's list of 2020 Best Public High Schools in Alabama
* Grade A from the
Alabama Department of Education
The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) is the state education agency of Alabama. It is headquartered at 50 North Ripley Street in Montgomery. The department was formed by the Alabama Legislature in 1854. The department serves over 74 ...
Report Card
* Gold Medal, A+ College Ready Schools by U.S. News & World Report
* ''Your Start In The Arts'' High School Drama Grant Winner from the New York Conservatory For Dramatic Arts
Tank and the Bangas
Tank and the Bangas is an American musical group based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest and in November 2019, they were nominated in the Best New Artist category for the 2020 Grammy Awards. They have released ...
Jessica Grant
Jessica Grant (born May 31, 1972 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador) is a Canadian writer, whose debut novel ''Come, Thou Tortoise'' won the 2009 Winterset AwardGlenn Howerton (CCPAC, c/o 1994), actor
* Chintia Kirana, (BTW, c/o 2005), visual artist
* Andy Mills, actor
* Chika (BTW, c/o 2015), rapper
* Kimi Samson, musician
*
Wendy (White) Sasser
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
, dancer
*
Robert Shimp
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
, record engineer and producer
*
Daniel Sparkman
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...
, press secretary for the
Governor of Alabama
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
*
Johnny Veres
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
, musician and member of
Electric Blue Yonder
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
Notable staff
Zestlan Simmons, AP Language and Composition - NMSI Teacher of the Year 2012–2013 in English