Leodis V. McDaniel High School, formerly James Madison High School, is one of nine comprehensive public high schools in the Portland Public Schools in the city of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, United States. The school serves neighborhood students and many transfer students in grades 9–12.

History

The high school was founded in 1957, and was originally named after

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

, the fourth US President and co-author of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

. Construction on the campus began in 1955. Leodis V. McDaniel became the principal of the school in 1983, and remained until his death in 1987. On June 29, 2004, the school was damaged by fire, probably caused by fireworks. Two movies have been filmed at the school: '' Paranoid Park'' (2007) and ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this i ...

'' (2008). The school was renovated in 2019-2021 as part of a $790 million bond measured passed in 2017. Classes took place at the former John Marshall High School in Portland's Lents neighborhood during the renovation. During the renovations, the school board began a process to re-name the school, as Madison had been a slaveholder. On February 24, 2021, Portland Public School Board voted to rename Madison High School after Leodis V. McDaniel, a former principal of the school who was well respected in the community. In April 2021, the school mascot was changed from the Senators to the Mountain Lions.

Curriculum

McDaniel High School offers a full range of college preparatory core content classes as well as unique elective options in the areas of mathematics, performing & visual arts, science, social science, and world languages. Students may challenge themselves by enrolling in Advanced Placement and dual credit courses. The latter are taught by McDaniel faculty who work in partnership with

Portland Community College Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colum ...

Athletics

McDaniel participates in the Portland Interscholastic League at the 6A level. Team sports include soccer, cross country, football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, swimming, dance team, wrestling and track and field. McDaniel athletics is most known for its baseball program, which holds the most state titles of any high school baseball program in the state of Oregon.

Students

In the 2016–2017 school year, McDaniel's student population was 33.3% White, 24.5% Hispanic, 16.3% African American, 13.6% Asian, 2.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% Native American, and 9.5% mixed race, making it one of Oregon's most diverse high schools.

Notable alumni

* Leslie A. Baxter, educator * Craig Berkman, politician * Kent Bottenfield, Major League Baseball player *

Brian Cole (bass guitarist) Brian Leslie Cole (September 8, 1942 – August 2, 1972) was the bass guitarist, bass vocalist and one of the founding members of the 1960s folk rock band the Association. Biography Brian was born in Tacoma, Washington to Perry Anthony Cole a ...

, member of

The Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...

* Paul J. De Muniz, first Hispanic Chief Justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Rob Dressler, Major League Baseball player *

Terry Ley Terrence Richard Ley (born 21 February 1947, Portland, Oregon) is a retired baseball pitcher who began his career in the season for the New York Yankees. He was a student of University of Oregon before he was drafted in the 3rd round of the Janu ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher * John Minnis, politician *

Jim Pepper Jim Gilbert Pepper II (June 18, 1941 – February 10, 1992) was a jazz saxophonist, composer and singer of Kaw and Muscogee Creek Native American heritage. He moved to New York City in 1964, where he came to prominence in the late 1960s as a mem ...

, musician * Billy Rancher, musician * Rick Wise, first Major League Baseball pitcher to pitch a no-hitter and hit a home run in the same game

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDaniel, Leodis V. High School High schools in Portland, Oregon Educational institutions established in 1957 Public high schools in Oregon 1957 establishments in Oregon Portland Public Schools (Oregon) Madison South, Portland, Oregon James Madison