North High School (Formerly known as North Phoenix High School) is a high school that forms part of the

Phoenix Union High School District The Phoenix Union High School District is a high school-only school district in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is one of five high school-only districts in the Phoenix area. Overview The school district serves students within a area of P ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

History

North Phoenix High School opened its doors in 1939, becoming the first high school built after George Washington Carver High School, a school that was built for

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

purposes.

Closure

By 1981, the school's enrollment had fallen to 814. As a result, North High was closed in 1981, and would become one of four schools to close during the 1980s. As a result of the closures, two lawsuits were filed, accusing the Phoenix Union High School District of discriminating against ethnic minorities and low-income students by closing schools in their neighborhoods, in addition to unfair resource allocations. The lawsuits were later consolidated into the ''Castro v. Phoenix Union High School District'' lawsuit, in which a federal judge ruled against the school district. That ruling resulted in the reopening of North High, as well as, among other measures, the establishment of magnet programs across the district. Phoenix Union High School District's website makes no reference to the controversy surrounding the school's closure and eventual reopening, merely stating that the school closed, due to declining enrollment, and later reopened.

Reopening

The school reopened in 1983, and in 1984, 875 students were enrolled at the school.

Campus

The school's campus was built using funds from the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

and

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

, both established as part of the

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 ...

. The school is noted for having built-in lockers in the hallways, at a time when every other school within the Phoenix Union High School District has removed theirs. Film and commercial producers have said the school reminds people of a traditional high school. The school's football field contains lattice tower light poles and a concrete grandstand.

In popular culture

The 1996 movie '' No One Would Tell'' was filmed on the school's campus. Charles Barkley filmed his "I am not a role model" commercial for

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

at the school's gymnasium.

Notable alumni

Beverly Fessenden - North High School - 1945

* Rebecca White Berch - Chief Justice,

Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Each justice i ...

Evelyne Bradley Evelyne E. Bradley (March 1, 1925 – May 21, 2013) was an American Navajo judge. She served as a district judge for the Navajo Nation from 1984 until her retirement in 1995. Bradley was one of the first women to become a judge within the Nava ...

– Former

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

district judge * Michael Bruce -

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

band member, inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 *

Ed Buck Edward Bernard Peter Buck (né Buckmelter; born August 24, 1954) is an American convicted felon and businessman. A former model and actor, he made a significant amount of money running and selling the data service company Gopher Courier. He becam ...

– Democratic political activist and fundraiser *

Samuel Burke Samuel Burke (born 1985/1986) is a business and technology correspondent who has anchored programs on both CNN International and CNN en Español. He is host of the CNN series "Suddenly Family - DNA Discoveries with Samuel Burke." He's also host ...

- CNN Correspondent * Eldridge Wayne Coleman -Professional Wrestling Champion "Superstar" Billy Graham *

Joan Ganz Cooney Joan Ganz Cooney (born Joan Ganz; November 30, 1929) is an American television writer and producer. She is one of the founders of Sesame Workshop (formerly ''Children's Television Workshop'' or CTW), the organization famous for the creation of ...

- creator/producer, ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'' *

George Flint George Flint may refer to: * George Flint (basketball), American basketball player and coach * George Flint (American football) (born 1937), American football guard * George Washington Flint (1844–1921), American academic administrator *Major Geor ...

- football player * Patrick O. Ford - military war hero *

Beverly Garland Beverly Lucy Garland (née Fessenden; October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action or science-fiction movie ...

- actress *

John Howard Lindauer John Howard Lindauer II (born November 20, 1937) is an American economist who served as chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage from 1976 to 1978 then was Dean of the School of Business and Public Affairs. He was the Republican Party ca ...

- Republican candidate for governor of Alaska in 1998 * Dallas Long, Jr. - Olympic Shot Putter *

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

- entertainer *

Terry Peder Rasmussen Terry Peder Rasmussen (December 23, 1943 – December 28, 2010) was an American serial killer. Rasmussen killed at least six people in a series of crimes that spanned decades and stretched across the continental United States. Due to his use of ...

- serial killer * Meg Sneed - LGBT / Civil Rights Activist * Alan Williams - NBA basketball player

References

External links

North High School

Phoenix Union High School District website

Arizona Department of Education School Report Card
{{authority control High schools in Phoenix, Arizona International Baccalaureate schools in Arizona Educational institutions established in 1939 Public high schools in Arizona 1939 establishments in Arizona