Northwest Classen High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9–12 in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
.
History
Northwest Classen High School was built in 1955 to accommodate the growing population in the northwest corridor of Oklahoma City. Along with
Classen School of Advanced Studies
Classen School of Advanced Studies, often referred to as Classen SAS, CSAS or simply Classen, is a public speciality school serving students in grades 9–12 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City Public Schools program participates in th ...
, it was named for Anton H. Classen, an early Oklahoma City real estate developer and philanthropist.
As the neighborhoods around Northwest Classen have changed, so has the cultural makeup of the campus. Initially an almost all-Caucasian school, the population has gradually become more multi-cultural. Today, the enrollment in the school is predominantly Hispanic with about 1/2 as many African-American and 1/4 Caucasian students with almost 100 different races and cultures represented.
[
]
Hudson Performance Hall
The original auditorium was, along with the rest of the school, targeted for upgrades and renovation as part of Oklahoma City's "MAPS for Kids" program in 2010. Alumni J. Clifford Hudson (a local businessman) and his wife Leslie, who had met in that auditorium, donated $500,000 in additional funds to install updated sound and lighting technology, improve the acoustics and update the audience area for the site. Now named the "Hudson Performance Hall", the venue has held concerts by notable acts such as Vince Gill (also an alumni), Al Yankovic, Arlo Guthrie, and Sinbad.
Extracurricular activities
Northwest fields teams in Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is an organization which organizes secondary school athletics and activities competitions at the state level. Derald Glover is its president. The OSSAA is a member of the National Federat ...
-sanctioned competition in baseball, fast-pitch softball, football, cheerleading, cross country, volleyball, basketball, tennis, wrestling, golf, soccer, and track.
Northwest is host to an active JROTC
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
(Army) program. Clubs include a chess club, multicultural club, history club, native-American student services club, Anime club, and a dance team.
Notable alumni
* William A. Martin
William Arthur Martin (1938-1981) was a computer scientist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
After graduating from Northwest Classen High School, where he was a state wrestling champion, he attended MIT where he received a ...
(Class of 1956) – Computer Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Pioneer
* Edward Ruscha
Edward Joseph Ruscha IV (, ''roo-SHAY''; born December 16, 1937) is an American artist associated with the pop art movement. He has worked in the media of painting, printmaking, drawing, photography and film. He is also noted for creating severa ...
(Class of 1956) – Artist
* Mason Williams
Mason Douglas Williams (born August 24, 1938) is an American classical guitarist, composer, singer, writer, comedian, and poet, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and for his work as a comedy writer on ''The Smothers Brothers ...
(Class of 1956) – Recording Artist
* Susanna Talley Clark (Class of 1957) – Songwriter, artist and wife of Guy Clark
* Henson Cargill
Henson Cargill (February 5, 1941 – March 24, 2007) was an American country music singer best known for the socially controversial 1968 Country No. 1 hit "Skip a Rope". His music career began in Oklahoma in clubs around Oklahoma City and Tulsa ...
(Class of 1959) – Recording Artist
* Gary Nixon
Gary Nixon (January 25, 1941 – August 5, 2011) was an American professional motorcycle racer who most notably won the A.M.A. Grand National Championship
American Flat Track is an American motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded an ...
(Class of 1959) - Professional motorcycle racer, AMA Grand National Champion (1967 and 1968), member of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...
and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
.
* Ron Norick
Ronald J. Norick (born August 5, 1941) is an American politician. A Republican, he served as mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from 1988 to 1998. He is the son of James H. Norick, who served as Mayor of Oklahoma City from 1959 to 1963 and 1967 to ...
(Class of 1959) – Former mayor of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
* Jerry C. Elliott High Eagle (Class of 1961) - Physicist and engineer. Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...
* Ronald Fagin
Ronald Fagin (born 1945) is an American mathematician and computer scientist, and IBM Fellow at the IBM Almaden Research Center. He is known for his work in database theory, finite model theory, and reasoning about knowledge.
Biography
Ron ...
(Class of 1963) – Computer Scientist, Author of Fagin's theorem
Fagin's theorem is the oldest result of descriptive complexity theory, a branch of computational complexity theory that characterizes complexity classes in terms of logic-based descriptions of their problems rather than by the behavior of algorithm ...
* Steven T. Kuykendall
Steven T. Kuykendall (January 27, 1947 – January 22, 2021) was an American politician and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from from 1999 to 2001 in the 106th Congress. He defeated Democrat Janice Hahn in the 1998 electi ...
(Class of 1965) - Member, US House of Representatives, California's 36th congressional district
California's 36th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. Based in the eastern part of Riverside County, it covers most of the desert communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, Coachella, Rancho Mirage, D ...
from 1991 to 2001.
* Elizabeth (Herring) Warren (Class of 1966) – United States Senator from , Democratic Party presidential candidate. Special Advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
Timothy Franz Geithner (; born August 18, 1961) is a former American central banker who served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. He was the President of the Federal Reserve Bank o ...
while establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mortg ...
. Professor, Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
.
* Kirk Humphreys
Kirk Humphreys (born September 13, 1950) is an American politician who served as Mayor of Oklahoma City from April 9, 1998, to November 3, 2004. He was considered a favorite candidate of the Republican party establishment for U.S. Senator in 2004, ...
(Class of 1968) – Former Mayor of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
* Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless (born John Edward Bayless II) is an American sports columnist, commentator, and television personality. He is well-known for his work as a commentator on the ESPN2 show '' First Take'' with Stephen A. Smith, a show which he left ...
(Class of 1970) – Sports Broadcaster
* Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless (born November 23, 1953) is an American chef and restaurateur who specializes in traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations. He is widely known for his PBS series '' Mexico: One Plate at a Time''. Among his various acco ...
(Class of 1971) -- Chef and restaurateur
* J. Clifford Hudson
J. Clifford Hudson (born 1954, Dallas) is an American business executive best known for serving as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Oklahoma City-based Sonic Corp. He also served as a trustee of the Ford Foundation and is a p ...
(Class of 1973) – Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
and Chief Executive Officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of Sonic Corp.
* Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
(Class of 1975) – Recording Artist
* Sean O'Grady (Class of 1977) – World Boxing Association Lightweight
* Walter Emery Fountain (Class of 1980) - Major General, United States Army
* Kevin Thornton (Class of 1987) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd
''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...
)
* Bryan Abrams
''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...
(Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd
''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...
)
* Mark Calderon
''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...
(Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd
''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...
)
* Sam Watters
Samuel Joshua Watters (born July 23, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. Watters was a member of the multi-platinum selling 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd and co-authored many of their hits including "I ...
(Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd
''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...
)
* Jabee Williams (Class of 2001) - Recording Artist
* Darnell Jackson
Darnell Edred Jackson (born November 7, 1985) is an American professional basketball player, who lastly played for BM Slam Ostrów Wielkopolski of the PLK. He played college basketball for the University of Kansas for four seasons, including th ...
(Class of 2003, transferred) – Former NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
Basketball Player
Order of the Round Table Hall of Fame
In 2018, the Friends of NWC High School Foundation instituted a Hall of Fame with annual inductions.
* James R Daniel (class of 1958, inducted 2018) - Vice Chairman, BancFirst Corporation
* Dayna Davis Savage (Class of 1957, inducted 2018) - Leader, The Gathering Place, a memory care ministry in Houston, Texas
* Cliff Hudson (Class of 1973, inducted 2018) - Chairman, Sonic Corporation; Chairman, Oklahoma City School Board (2001-2008)
* Ron Norick
Ronald J. Norick (born August 5, 1941) is an American politician. A Republican, he served as mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from 1988 to 1998. He is the son of James H. Norick, who served as Mayor of Oklahoma City from 1959 to 1963 and 1967 to ...
(Class of 1959, inducted 2018) - Mayor, Oklahoma City (1987-1998)
* Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
(Class of 1975, inducted 2018) - Recording artist
2019 Inductees were:
* Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless (born John Edward Bayless II) is an American sports columnist, commentator, and television personality. He is well-known for his work as a commentator on the ESPN2 show '' First Take'' with Stephen A. Smith, a show which he left ...
(Class of 1970) - Sports columnist and television personality
* John D. (Denny) Carreker (Class of 1960) - Entrepreneur, Chairman and CEO of Carreker Corporation
* Jerry C. Elliott (Class of 1961) - Physicist and engineer. Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...
for his role in the recovery of the Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...
astronauts.
* Lynne Hardin (Class of 1964) - Author of ''The Magic of Why'' and former Chair of the Oklahoma City Public School Board.
* Mason Williams
Mason Douglas Williams (born August 24, 1938) is an American classical guitarist, composer, singer, writer, comedian, and poet, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and for his work as a comedy writer on ''The Smothers Brothers ...
(Class of 1956) - Musician, composer, comedian, comedy writer. Winner of both Grammy and Emmy awards.
References
External links
Official website
District site
Facebook Page
(Created by Alumni)
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1955
Public high schools in Oklahoma
Schools in Oklahoma City
Northwest Classen High School alumni
1955 establishments in Oklahoma