Rex Putnam High School (often Putnam 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 ...

Milwaukie, Oregon Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city ...

, United States.

History

The school was named after former

Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, was a constitutional officeOR Const. art. VIII. within the executive branch of the Oregon state government from 1872 to 2012, when it was elim ...

Dr.

Rex Putnam Rex Putnam (June 7, 1890 – May 17, 1967) was an American educator from the state of Oregon. A former classroom teacher and district superintendent, Putnam served as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction for nearly 25 years, the longest-se ...

. Rex Putnam has been an International Baccalaureate school since the spring of 2008. As such, the school offers the

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

to its Juniors and Seniors. Approximately 46% of the Junior class and 40% of the Senior class is enrolled in one or more IB courses as of 2010. Rex Putnam is the only North Clackamas high school that houses the IB Programme. Colleges and Universities around the world recognize the IB Programme and it is a very high honor to complete it.

Academics

In 1985, Rex Putnam High School was honored in the

Blue Ribbon Schools Program The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States.
In 2008, 81% of the school's seniors received their

high school diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

. Of 306 students, 249 graduated, 31 dropped out, 11 received a modified diploma, and 15 are still in high school.

Arts

Rex Putnam has competed in the

Northwest Oregon Conference The Northwest Oregon Conference (NWOC) is a 5A level classification that falls under the Oregon School Activities Association or the OSAA. The conference was created in 2006 when the OSAA restructured its conference system, expanding from 4 levels ...

at the 5A classification since the fall of 2010. Rex Putnam's A Capella Choir has earned five first-place titles at 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 ...

State Choir Championships, with their latest being in 2022, where they placed first in 5A.

Notable alumni

* Bella Bixby (1995-), professional soccer player for

Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which receives support from the Uni ...

Mike Bliss Michael Duane Bliss (born April 5, 1965) is an American professional stock car racing driver. A journeyman NASCAR competitor and the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, he has run in all three national series. Racing career Bliss began ...

(1965-), NASCAR Busch Series driver *

Scott Brosius Scott David Brosius (born August 15, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics (–) and the New York Yankees (–). Early life Brosius grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, where he attended Rex Pu ...

(1966-), professional baseball player for

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, MVP of

1998 World Series The 1998 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1998 season. The 94th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the National Le ...

Randy Emberlin Randy Emberlin is a comic book inker best known for his ink work on the Spider-Man comic books. Per the bio on his website, he currently lives in Portland, Oregon. He has spent the past 30 years working in a variety of creative fields, including as ...

, comic book artist *

Gabe Nevins Gabriel "Gabe" Allen Nevins (born August 26, 1991) is an actor who is best known for starring in Gus Van Sant’s 2007 film '' Paranoid Park''. Career Nevins was cast as the lead of '' Paranoid Park'' even though he was auditioning to be a sk ...

(1991-), actor, 2007 film '' Paranoid Park'' * Sam Strickland (1952-), 1970 javelin record holder(223`7"), 1974 2nd all time U.of Arizona,best throw in world (2 weeks) 264`11".

References

External links

Rex Putnam High School Website
{{authority control Milwaukie, Oregon High schools in Clackamas County, Oregon International Baccalaureate schools in Oregon Educational institutions established in 1963 Public high schools in Oregon 1963 establishments in Oregon