Charles A. Sprague High School, known as Sprague High School, is a

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 ...

in the Sunnyslope neighborhood of

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The school is named after

Charles A. Sprague Charles Arthur Sprague (November 12, 1887 – March 13, 1969) was the 22nd Governor of the US state of Oregon from 1939 to 1943. He was also the editor and publisher of the ''Oregon Statesman'' from 1929 to 1969. Sprague High School in Salem, ...

, who served as Oregon's governor from 1939 to 1943.

Academics

In the 2017–18 school year, 87.9% of Sprague's seniors received a high school diploma, compared to a statewide rate of 77%. Of 365 students, 321 graduated and 30 dropped out. In the 2017–18 school year, Sprague's test scores were significantly higher than the state averages. In English, Sprague had 84% of students meeting state standards compared to the 70% state average, 46% in math compared to 33% statewide, and 81% in science compared to the 54% state average. The racial makeup of Sprague currently consists of 74% white, 11% Hispanic, with all other races compiling the other 15%.

Music activities

Grammy Signature School recognition

Sprague has been recognized as a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

Signature School in many years. This program is designed to honor exceptional public high school music programs across the country. * 2009: GRAMMY Signature Schools * 2008: GRAMMY Signature Schools * 2000: National GRAMMY Signature School * 1999: GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold

Orchestra

Since the orchestral program was created in 1986, Sprague's Camerata Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra have won a combined 25

Oregon School Activities Association 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 ...

(OSAA) State Championships, and the program flourished under the direction of Steve A. Nelson. In addition, Sprague is the only high school in Oregon to have won state championships in all four

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 ...

music categories (String Orchestra, Full Orchestra, Choir, and Band) in a single year (1998). Beginning in 1993, and every fourth year until 2005 (1997, 2001, 2005), Sprague's Orchestra Program has traveled to Austria, where the Camerata has been named the "Top High School String Orchestra in the World" on multiple occasions after winning the

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Youth and Music Festival in 1997 and 2005. The orchestras are currently directed by Lisa Rael. *State Championships: *Full Orchestra: 1988, 1996–99, 2001–03, 2006, 2011 *String Orchestra: 1990, 1993, 1995–2000, 2002, 2004–06, 2009–11

Choir

Choir director Russ Christensen was named the 2006-2007 Oregon Music Educator of the year. The choir placed or tied for first in OSAA state choir championships in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2017. The choir is now directed by Dr. Robert David Brown.

Bands

Sprague High School Marching Band and

Color Guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the military colour is generally carried by a young ...

won the

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 ...

state championship in 1984, 1985, and 1986. They won the Kelso Highlander Marching band competition in 1983. The marching band competed in the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

state championships in San Jose in 1984, coming in second place by only 3/4 of a point. They also took first place at the

Bands of America Bands of America (BOA) is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the United States, such as the annual Grand National Championships. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA), ...

regional championship in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

in 1985. The color guard, named the Starlighters Winterguard, won the Western Dream Pageant Scholastic division with the highest score up to that point in 1986, having an undefeated season. In 2017, under the direction of Dr. Richard Greenwood, the band won the 6A OSAA state championship for the first time since 2012. *State Championships: 1998, 2001, 2003–07, 2009, 2012, 2017 The band is a member of

Northwest Association for Performing Arts The Northwest Association for Performing Arts (NWAPA) is a governing body and competitive circuit of high school marching bands, Color guard (flag spinning), color guards, and percussion ensembles based in Portland, Oregon. The association was fou ...

and

. Sprague has hosted the Pacific Coast Invitational, a marching band competition, since 1982.

Concert Band

Sprague band has participated in many Heritage Festivals in

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

over the years. Below is list of the accomplishments by participation year:

Marching band accolades

The first two months of each

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compul ...

is marching band season. To start the season off, two weeks in August are devoted to marching band camp. Members of Sprague Band assemble with the Color Guard practice drills, straighten lines and create a show for competition with other high school marching bands within Oregon,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, and

. Most are members of the Northwest Association of Performing Artists.

Athletics

Sprague now competes in the 6A Central Valley Conference, re-established in 2022. The other teams in the conference are also from Salem and Keizer: McNary, North Salem, South Salem, West Salem. Sprague has won ten state championships in various sports, including six Directors Cup trophies for league standings in all sports throughout a school year. During the 2004-2005 school year, Sprague won both the football and baseball state championships, marking the first time since 1998 that a major Oregon high school was a state champion in two of the "Big 3" (football, basketball, and baseball) in the same year. Sprague has also had a very successful tennis program. Between 2006 and 2009, the boys' tennis team won the team state championship and had a player in the singles final in three out of four years (2006, 2007, 2009). Sprague has one of the best high school racquetball teams in the nation. They have 7 state and 6 national titles, along with numerous individual player titles. The team swept the state championship in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. They have been in the top 2 high school racquetball teams for over a decade. State Championships * Football: 2004 * Boys' tennis: 1977, 1993, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2009 * Baseball: 1995, 2005 * Softball: 2003 * Racquetball: 1998, 2008, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 (club sport) National Champions * Racquetball: 1998, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020 (club sport) State Championship Appearances * Boys Cross Country: 1972, 1980, 1984, 1989–91, 1999-2000, 2004 * Girls Cross Country: 1978–81, 1986–87, 1989, 1992, 1996–97, 2007, 2015–17 * Volleyball: 2018 * Girls Basketball: 1989 * Boys Basketball: 1989, 1996–97 * Boys Swimming: 1974–78, 1986, 1990–95, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2011, 2015, 2017–18 * Girls Swimming: 1976–78, 1985, 1990–97, 1999-2000, 2002–15, 2017–18 * Wrestling: 1979-82, 1984–85, 1988, 1991–18 * Baseball: 1995, 2005 * Boys Golf: 1976, 1979–80, 1992–93, 1999–2003, 2007–08, 2011–12 * Girls Golf: 2000–01, 2007, 2012–14, 2018 * Softball: 1989, 1992, 1994, 2003, 2005 * Boys Tennis: 1974–79, 1982–83, 1985, 1988–18 * Girls Tennis: 1977, 1980–85, 1988, 1990–92, 1994, 1996–98, 2004–14, 2018 * Boys Track and Field: 1974–76, 1978–82, 1984–85, 1989–94, 1997, 2000–12, 2014–17 * Girls Track and Field: 1975–77, 1979–83, 1986, 1988–89, 1992, 1995–98, 2001–04, 2007, 2010–14, 2017

Notable alumni

Joey Wong use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

, baseball player * Bill Swancutt, NFL football player Sportspeople from Salem, Oregon

References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1972 High schools in Salem, Oregon Public high schools in Oregon 1972 establishments in Oregon