Iowa City High School is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
and is part of the
Iowa City Community School District
Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) is the public school district that serves the Iowa City, Iowa area. Over 14,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade attend 21 elementary schools, three junior high schools, three comprehensive h ...
. The present high school was completed as part of the
Public Works Projects
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
started by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
to provide jobs. The first classes were held in the fall of 1939.
The previous high school building, built in 1909, was converted to a junior high school after the new building opened.
It was located where Mercy Medical Plaza now stands. The current building sits on a hill on the east side of
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
.
The school motto is "The School that Leads."
History
Iowa City has had public education called "high school" at least as far back as 1858, when M.B. Beals was hired as principal; though Beals' records do not show where classes were held, there were 35 boys and 35 girls attending in 1860.
[ Book also known as volume 3 of ''Irving Weber's Iowa City''. Reprinted from ] Buildings that held "high school", which included
junior high school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
, included the Grammar School, built in 1893
on the southwest corner of the Centre Market block;
and the 1903 Iowa City High School on the northeast corner of the same block.
A gymnasium in the northwest corner of the block was built in 1911, and included a swimming pool earlier than the university had its own pool.
The 1903 building's last high school graduating class was 1939, and the building was renamed Central Junior High School when the new City High School opened in 1939.
City High School was built through the Public Works Projects, one of many other programs formed in
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
package. City High would become the second high school to be built in
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
, as the older one was becoming overcrowded as the population of the city increased. To determine the new location of the school,
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
residents had to vote whether to build the school in a central location, closer to the existing high school, or in a Morningside location, which was the name of the street which it would be built by, out of town on the city's east side. The Morningside location was favored, and the school was built on top of a large hill outside of town. Over time, the city's suburban expansion reached the school, enclosed it, and the expanded past it. Now, the school is contained entirely by Iowa City's east side.
Academics
After graduation, 70% of City High graduates continue their education. Sixty percent attend four-year colleges, 5% junior or community colleges, and 5% trade and technical schools. City High ranks in the top ten schools for academic performance in Iowa.
Athletics
City High has a storied history in track and cross country. Together, the track and cross country programs have combined for 38 state titles and at least 10 runner-up finishes since 1989.
The Mittman’s women’s XC team logged state championship wins in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. In 2006 the women’s team drew national attention with their ranking as the 13th best XC program in the country. This earned the Little Hawk women a Nike Team Nationals bid (renamed in 2008 as Nike Cross Nationals) during the same year.
The strong cross country program served as the basis for the boys' track & field team run to 11 state team titles in class 4A between the years of 1992 and 2004. Coach John Raffensperger was head coach for 10 of the 11 state titles, being the only coach in Iowa to win 10 state titles. Raffensperger was also awarded National coach of the year.
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
named City High the top sports school in the state of Iowa, citing the school's dominant cross country, track, and football teams. The boys' and girls' cross country teams have won more than 20 state championships since 1990.
[City High Cross Country, http://www.cityhighruns.org/cc/index.htm ] State titles for Boys' Cross Country include titles from 1991-'94 and in '96, '97, '99, and 2000.
Other sports that have won state titles since 1989 include Girls' Volleyball (1998, 2007), Football (1993, 1994, 1996, 2009), Boys' Basketball (1989, 2008), Wrestling (1992, 1999, 2002), and numerous Boys' and Girls' Track state titles.
The 600m indoor school record is currently held by Ammon Smith in a time of 1:25.42 in 2022.
Performing arts
City High has been named a Signature School by the Grammy Foundation three times. (2000, 2001, and 2004). City High is one of only three schools nationwide to accomplish this. In 2004, Dr. Greg Grove (former choir director) and Bill Pringle (former band director) were flown to Washington D.C. for a congratulatory event by the Grammy Foundation.
City High Also has a band program, most recently winning first place at the Muskie Marching Invitational in 2021 and winning best
Drumline, led by center snare Pipey Bywat.
Journalism
City High is home to three student publications, ''The Little Hawk'' (newspaper), ''The City Review'' (literary and art magazine) and ''Red and White'' (yearbook).
Both "The Little Hawk" and the "Red and White" are in the NSPA Hall of Fame.
''The Little Hawk'', a monthly newspaper, has earned thirteen
National Pacemaker Awards
The National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the "Pulitzer ...
(1989—95, 97–2000, 2012, 2022), more than any other high school student newspaper in the country.
"The Red and White" has won one National Pacemaker Award (1996).
"The Little Hawk" has won the NSPA Best of Show at the National Conference eleven times (1989–95, 97–99, 2012).
"The Little Hawk" and the "Red and White" were advised by Jack Kennedy from 1980 to 1999, and are currently advised by Jonathan Rogers. Kennedy was named the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Journalism Teacher of the Year in 1993 and inducted to the Iowa High School Press Association Hall of Fame in 1996.
The Little Hawk website (www.thelittlehawk.com) earned Pacemaker finalist in 2011 and 2012. In November 2012, it received 5th Place Best of Show at the JEA/NSPA San Antonio National Journalism Conference.
"The Little Hawk" Newspaper was the first high school publication to create an app for smartphones. The app was developed by student Jonathan Myers.
Notable alumni
*
Thomas R. Cech
Thomas Robert Cech (born December 8, 1947) is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, ...
, winner of the 1989
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
*
A.J. Derby, professional football player.
*
Tim Dwight
Timothy John Dwight Jr. (born July 13, 1975) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University ...
, professional football player.
*
Brian Ferentz, college football coach and former professional football player.
*
James Ferentz
James Ferentz (born June 5, 1989) is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played college football at Iowa. H ...
, professional football player.
*
Jay Hilgenberg
Jay Walter Hilgenberg (born March 21, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the NFL. He played for the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints from 1981 to 1993.
He is the son of All-A ...
, former professional football player (center) and broadcaster.
*
Joel Hilgenberg
Joel Hilgenberg (born July 10, 1962 in Iowa City, Iowa) was an American football center in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints. Hilgenberg played college football at the University of Iowa and he is the brother of former cent ...
, former professional football player, center for the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
.
*
Carol Kelso, former member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
.
*
Dan McCarney
Patrick Daniel McCarney (born July 28, 1953) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Iowa State University from 1995 to 2006 and the University of North Texas from 2011 to 2015, compiling a career college foo ...
, former collegiate football coach. Former head coach at
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
and
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...
.
*
Jason Reeves, singer-songwriter
*
Michael Roan
Michael Phillip Roan (born August 29, 1972) is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. He is now a high school teacher, vineyard owner and former football coach.
Amateur Career
A graduate and standout ...
, former professional football player
*
Scott Swisher, former Iowa State Representative from January 1957-January 1959. House District 56, Johnson County, Iowa.
*
Ramin Toloui
Ramin Toloui is an American academic, civil servant, and financial advisor who serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs in the Biden Administration.
Early life and education
Toloui was born and raised in Iowa Ci ...
, Assistant Secretary for the
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) is a bureau of the U.S. Department of State charged with promoting economic security and prosperity at home and abroad. It reports to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and t ...
and the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
. Former professor of the Practice at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
and former
at the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...
*
Christopher C. Miller
Christopher Charles Miller (born October 15, 1965) is an American retired United States Army Special Forces colonel who served as acting United States secretary of defense from November 9, 2020, to January 20, 2021. He previously served as Direc ...
, former Acting
United States Secretary of Defense
The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...
*
Eddie Watt
Eddie Dean Watt (born April 4, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed relief pitcher from through , most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won th ...
, former
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player (
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
,
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
)
*
Joey Woody, track and field coach and former athlete. As an athlete, specialized in the
400 meter hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once a ...
.
See also
*
List of high schools in Iowa
This is a list of high schools in the state of Iowa. You can also see a list of school districts in Iowa. Where the high school information is on the school district page, the link below will direct you to the district page.
Adair County
* AC/ ...
References
{{authority control
1930s architecture in the United States
Buildings and structures in Iowa City, Iowa
School buildings completed in 1939
Schools in Johnson County, Iowa
Public high schools in Iowa
Public Works Administration in Iowa
1939 establishments in Iowa