President Theodore Roosevelt 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 ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

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 ...

Honolulu, Hawai'i Honolulu (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of H ...

. It is operated by the

Hawaii State Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, but i ...

and serves grades nine through 12. Roosevelt High School is accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...

. Roosevelt was ranked as the top high school in Hawaii in 2019 by ''U.S. News & World Report'' (see State and National Ranking, below).

History

President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

High School is one of the oldest public

secondary 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 '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s in the state of Hawaii. It was one of the first schools in the state to have compulsory

Reserve Officer Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

education, a standard from 1934 to 1966. The school avoided destruction when on March 4, 1942, the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

attempted to bomb Pearl Harbor a second time. Weather caused one of the two floatplane bombers to drop its bombs 980 feet from the school, shattering some windows. Roosevelt High School is most famous for its buildings and landmark domed bell tower constructed in Spanish mission architectural style, currently being restored through grants of the

Hawaii State Legislature The Hawaii State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the ...

. Its buildings were used as backdrops in several

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

productions. Adjacent to the historic bell-towered building is the 2001 Hawaiian

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

sculpture "Hookahi" (To Make as One), by

Mark Watson Mark Andrew Watson (born 13 February 1980) is a British comedian and novelist. Early life Watson was born in Bristol to a Welsh mother and English father. He has younger twin sisters and a brother, Paul. He attended Bristol Grammar School, ...

Shooting

In January 2014, a police officer shot a knife-wielding runaway teen who was being detained for trespassing and became disruptive at the school.

Campus and location

Roosevelt High School is located in

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. It is situated in Makiki's Kalāwahine Valley adjacent to the

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (informally known as Punchbowl Cemetery) is a national cemetery located at Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu, Hawaii. It serves as a memorial to honor those men and women who served in the United St ...

overlooking

downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...

and Ala Moana.

Demographics

There were 1427 students attending Roosevelt High School in the 2012-2013 school year. As of then, the racial composition was as follows: *

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

: 5.2% *

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

: 1.0% *

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

: 2.2% *

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

: 84.2% * American Indian: 0.4% * Multiracial: 7.0%

Complex Area Information

Roosevelt High School is part of the

Hawaii Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, but i ...

Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area The Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area is one of nine Hawaii Department of Education complex areas on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA. It is part of the Honolulu District and operates two community schools, three high schools, five middle sc ...

along with

Kaimuki High School Kaimuki High School is a WASC-accredited four-year public high school located in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Kaimuki High School falls under the jurisdiction of the Hawaii Department of Education. It is bordered by the Manoa-Palolo Drainage ...

and McKinley High School.

Roosevelt Complex

The Roosevelt Complex consists of 12 elementary, middle, and public charter schools including Roosevelt. *Anuenue School *Education Lab Public Charter School *Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School *Kawananakoa Middle School *Lincoln Elementary School *Maemae Elementary School *Manoa Elementary School *Noelani Elementary School *Nuuanu Elementary School *Pauoa Elementary School *Stevenson Middle School

Feeder Middle Schools

Roosevelt High School feeds primarily from 3 middle schools in the Honolulu area. *Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School *Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School *President George Washington Middle School

Programs

Music

The Roosevelt High School Music Department consists of

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

(

Concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

/ Symphonic),

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

(Concert/Symphony),

Marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Ensemble. The orchestra program consists of the Chamber Strings and the Symphony Orchestra.

Smaller Learning Communities

Academies

List of academies include: * Arts and Communication Academy, * Engineering and Technology Academy, * Liberal Arts Academy, * Sports & Fitness Academy

=Arts and Communication Academy

= Roosevelt's Arts and Communication Academy officially began operations in 2002 and in 2004 graduated its first class. Known for involving language, art, humanities, and history in a humanistic approach, the academy is active with the Hawaii Opera Theater and brings students to cultural centers such as Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid. Recently they are also expanding their school trips to Asia, particularly Japan. This academy is usually in charge of hosting Japanese students on their visits to Hawaii to study how schools there operate.

Notable alumni

Alfred Apaka Alfred Aholo Apaka, Jr. (March 19, 1919 – January 30, 1960) was a Hawaiian singer whose romantic baritone voice was closely identified with Hawaii between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of ...

, singer, bassist *

Yvonne Elliman Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. She scored a number of hits in the 1970s and achieved ...

, singer *

James Shigeta James Saburo Shigeta ( ja, 繁田三郎) (June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor of Japanese descent. He was noted for his roles in '' The Crimson Kimono'' (1959), '' Walk Like a Dragon'' (1960), ''Flower Drum Song'' (1961), ...

, actor *

Thomas Gill Thomas or Tom Gill may refer to: * Thomas Gill (1788–1861), British Whig politician and industrialist * Thomas Gill (architect) (1870–1941), American architect * Thomas Gill (footballer) (born 1965), Norwegian football goalkeeper * Thomas G ...

, Congressman * Ivanelle Hoe, swimmer *

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...

, singer, song writer, and producer *

Chad Owens Chad Owens Sr. (born April 3, 1982) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and kick returner. He was most recently a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Jacksonville J ...

, Canadian Football League player *

Clarissa Chun Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun (陳美玲) is the Head Coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's wrestling program, formerly, the USA Wrestling assistant National coach and an American Olympic women's freestyle 48 kg (105.5 lbs) wrestler. Chun ...

, 2x US Olympian, wrestler * Larry Price, radio talk show host *

William S. Richardson William Shaw Richardson (December 22, 1919 – June 21, 2010) was an American attorney, political figure, and chief justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court from 1966 to 1982. Prior to his service as the top jurist in Hawaii, Richardson was li ...

, Chief Justice of Hawaii * Dietrich Varez, artist, printmaker *

Mike Lum Michael Ken-Wai Lum (born October 27, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball player and coach who became the first American of Japanese ancestry to play in the major leagues when he debuted with the Atlanta Braves in . He currently serves as the ...

, former professional baseball player (

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, and

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 ...

) * Gervin Miyamoto,

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

for the District of Hawaii * John Simerson, American football player *

Sammy Steamboat Samuel K. Mokuahi (May 4, 1934 – May 2, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sammy Steamboat. Early life Mokuahi grew up in Honolulu, attending President Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he play ...

, professional wrestler * Peter Moon, ukulele and slack-key guitar player

State and National Ranking

Roosevelt received a "Best High School" ranking in 2019 from ''U.S. News & World Report'' with a score of 97.91, making it the top high school in Hawaii and ranking #360 nationally out of 17,245 ranked schools.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt Theodore High School Public high schools in Honolulu 1932 establishments in Hawaii Educational institutions established in 1932