North Medford High School is a
public high school
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
in
Medford,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, United States. It is part of
Medford School District, and its nickname is the Black Tornado. The school enrolls 1,750 students.
History
Originally the City of Medford had a single high school, Medford High School, constructed in the 1920s. In the 1960s, the school district expanded, constructing a new high school on the opposite side of the city. Rather than develop this into an independent school, the district kept Medford High School as the lone school, with students attending at the two different locations. The current campus of NMHS was the newly constructed "Medford Senior High School", with grades 11 and 12 attending while grades 9 and 10 went to Medford Mid High School, which later became
South Medford High School
South Medford High School is a public high school in Medford, Oregon, United States.
History
The South Medford campus was originally built in 1931 as Medford High School. Then in the 1960s, the school was divided between two campuses. Medford ...
(SMHS) and ultimately
Central Medford High School. (SMHS has since moved into a new building). This was set in place to primarily to allow Medford to compete athletically with larger school districts such as
Portland Public Schools of
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. At this time the city would have been placed in smaller athletic (then 2A) divisions if the district would have been divided into two secondary schools.
![North Medford High School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/North_Medford_High_School.jpg)
During the 1960s and 70s, Medford commonly put forth many state championship athletic teams in the Oregon then 3A division. However, in 1986, Medford High School was finally split into the two current high schools. Both now house around 2,000 students, similar to the number of students Medford High School collectively held in the 1970s and 1980s.
North Medford's current principal is Allen Barber.
Campus development
North Medford was built in 1967 and has been remodeled and has had additions added starting in 1973 through 1981 and again in 1992. In 2007, the City of Medford passed a bond for district wide school renovations, including a complete renovation of North Medford with remodeled auditorium, administrative space, and a new library. The project was completed in early 2011.
The school campus includes of occupied building space with 64 classrooms, and is located on a large campus, most of which is used for sports and recreation. Both North and
South Medford High School
South Medford High School is a public high school in Medford, Oregon, United States.
History
The South Medford campus was originally built in 1931 as Medford High School. Then in the 1960s, the school was divided between two campuses. Medford ...
share a common football stadium,
Spiegelberg Stadium.
Academics
Graduation Rates per School Year
Four-year Cohort Total is determined by the number of students initially in that class. Four-year Cohort Adjusted is representative of those students that did not transfer out of state, country, to private or homeschooling, or otherwise are deceased.
Awards
North Medford consistently places highly among schools in contention for the
OSAA
The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) is a non-profit, board-governed organization that regulates high school athletics and competitive activities via athletic conferences in the U.S. state of Oregon, providing equitable competition amo ...
's Oregonian Cup, a trophy awarded each year to the school that best exemplifies excellence in academics, activities, and athletics. The school ranked in the top 10 annually from the 2002-2003 school year to the 2008-2009 school year, winning the trophy in 2003-2004.
The school was also recognized in 2000 by the Grammy Foundation for excellence in music education, being named a Grammy Signature School.
Sports
The North Medford Black Tornado participate in Oregon's 6A Southwest Conference.
The school's colors are red and black.
Prior to Oregon's shift from four classification level to six levels, North Medford was part of the Southern Oregon Conference (SOC) at level 4A.
State championships
Team Championships
Athletes from North Medford have won many individual state championships as well, with most in the era of the 1940s through the 1970s.
Notable alumni
*
Brad Arnsberg
Bradley James Arnsberg (born August 20, 1963) is a Major League Baseball coach and a former pitcher. He has held the role of pitching coach for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros, and is currently with the ...
, former baseball player, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers; earned the save for
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...
's 300th career win; pitching coach for
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
when they won
2003 World Series
*
Bill Bowerman
William Jay Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champi ...
, founder of
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
, former
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
track coach
*
Seth Brown, baseball player for the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
*
Tracey Eaton
Tracey Bruce Eaton (born July 19, 1965) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Houston Oilers, Phoenix Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the Portland S ...
, professional football player for Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons
*
Dick Fosbury
Richard Douglas Fosbury (born March 6, 1947) is an American retired high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. Besides winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, he revolutionized the h ...
, athlete, high jump, inventor of
Fosbury Flop, and Olympic gold medalist
*
Page Hamilton
Page Hamilton (born May 18, 1960) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet. Most of his work has been in the hard rock and alternative metal styles, though he ...
, founder/guitarist of band
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
*
Marshall Holman
Marshall Holman (born September 29, 1954) is an American sports broadcaster and retired professional ten-pin bowler. He was known for his flamboyant, fiery demeanor and his success on the PBA Tour from the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s. He i ...
, professional bowler
*
Jon Lindstrom
Jon Robert Lindstrom (born October 18, 1957) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and musician. He is well known for his role as Kevin Collins on the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its spin-off ''Port Charles''.
...
, actor, writer, and musician
*
Danny Miles
Danny Miles (born October 9, 1945) is a retired American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Oregon Institute of Technology for 45 years from 1971 to 2016. Miles has led the Hustlin' Owls to three NAIA Division II ...
, hall of fame basketball coach
*
Kellin Quinn
Kellin Quinn is an American singer and musician. He is the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the post-hardcore band Sleeping with Sirens. Aside from his band, he is well-known for collaborating with other artists.
Career
Quinn is the vocali ...
, lead singer of rock band
Sleeping With Sirens
*
Lisa Rinna
Lisa D. Rinna (born Elizabeth Deann Rinna; July 11, 1963) is an American actress and television personality. As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' and Taylor McBride ...
, actress, talk show host, reality TV personality
*
Braden Shipley
Braden Alec Shipley (born February 22, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Shipley attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he played for the Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team. Prior to that, he attended Nor ...
, baseball player, pitcher for
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
*
Kevin Towers
Kevin Scott Towers (November 11, 1961 – January 30, 2018) was an American executive in Major League Baseball. He served as the general manager of the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 2009 and for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010 to 2014.
Early ...
, general manager of
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
1995-2009,
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
2010-2014
*
Bob Wolcott
Robert William Wolcott (born September 8, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners (1995–97), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998), and Bosto ...
, former baseball player
*Dan Arthur,
National Radio Host
References
{{authority control
High schools in Jackson County, Oregon
Education in Medford, Oregon
Educational institutions established in 1966
Public high schools in Oregon
1966 establishments in Oregon