Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California, United States.

History

Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high school in Los Angeles, California after

Los Angeles High School Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are called the Romans. Los Angeles High School is a pub ...

and L.A. Polytechnic High School, and is the oldest high school still on its original site in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school that would eventually become Lincoln High had been founded decades earlier but was still an elementary school at this time. One of the school's first teachers was Ethel Percy Andrus (1911 - 1915). In 1916 Dr. Andrus became California's first woman high school principal at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles. She later founded

AARP AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazi ...

. After three semesters in an abandoned grammar school building, Manual Arts High School was opened on Vermont Avenue. After the

1933 Long Beach earthquake The 1933 Long Beach earthquake took place on March 10 at south of downtown Los Angeles. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach, California, on the Newport–Inglewood Fault. The earthquake had a magnitude estimated at 6.4 , and a ...

, the entire campus was rebuilt, constituting the present Manual Arts High School campus adjacent to the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a me ...

and

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. It was in the

Los Angeles City High School District Los Angeles City High School District (known in its last year as West County Union High School District) was a school district that served high school-aged residents of western Los Angeles County, California from 1890 to 1962. At times the distr ...

until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD. In 1995, "The Arts" became a

Pacific Bell The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pacific Bell or Pac Bell) is a telephone company that provides telephone service in California. The company is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, and, though separate, is now marketed as “AT&T”. The ...

Education First Demonstration Site joining thirteen other demonstration sites in California, and in 1996 the school was named a

California Distinguished School California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately 5-10% of California schools are awarded t ...

. In 1998, Manual Arts was officially granted Digital High School status. The 2005–2006 school year opened with small learning communities (SLCs), three on each track totaling nine SLCs. Manual Arts was relieved by the opening of Santee Education Complex in 2005.

West Adams High School

The school was relieved in 2007 when

West Adams Preparatory High School West Adams Preparatory High School is a secondary school in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Central Los Angeles, California. The school is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District and is operated by a nonprofit organization working in con ...

opened. During the same year, a section of the Manual Arts attendance zone was transferred to Belmont High School. In July 2008, the school became part of

MLA Partner Schools LA's Promise (formerly known as MLA Partner Schools) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, California. Its focus is on school reform and neighborhood revitalization. It currently operates two large public high schools and o ...

through LAUSD's newly created iDesign Schools Division. MLA Partner Schools, in collaboration with West Ed, will operate Manual Arts on a 5-year performance contract approved by the LAUSD School Board. The school was expected be relieved by Central Region High School 16 (which became Dr. Maya Angelou High School (Los Angeles, California)) when that school opened in 2011, and by Augustus Hawkins High School when that school opens in 2012. In the 2011–2012 school year, Manual Arts will return to a traditional school calendar schedule. As a result, several of the school's small learning communities will be restructured and the number of security on campus will be reduced. The 'Blewett Football Field is named in honor of James Blewett who was a standout Manual Arts football player and longtime Head coach with 9 Los Angeles City titles and 225 wins.

Student body

The racial make-up of the school is mostly Latinos and African-Americans and the neighborhood surrounding the school reflects the same make-up. During the 2004–2005 school year, MAHS had 3,766 students, including: * 3,054

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

s (81.1%) * 701

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

(18.6%) * 5

White American White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...

s (1%) * 4

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

s (1%) * 2 Native Americans (1%) As of 2010, the dropout rate at Manual Arts was 68%. More than 90% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch provided by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Students may purchase school supplies,

snacks A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

, drinks and other items at the Manual Arts Student Store.

Notable alumni

Gustavo Arriola - Manual Arts High School - 1935

Yvonne Watson - Manual Arts High School - W 1950

* Jon Arnett, football player, member of

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

, class of 1952 * Gus Arriola, cartoonist and creator of ''

Gordo Gordo (Spanish and Portuguese for "fat") may refer to: People * Afonso II of Portugal (1185–1223), King of Portugal nicknamed "''o Gordo'' ("the Fat") * Gordon Cooper (1927–2004), one of the seven original American astronauts, nicknamed "Gordo ...

'', class of 1935 *

Verna Arvey Verna Arvey (February 16, 1910 – November 22, 1987) was an American librettist, pianist and writer who is best known for her musical collaborations with her husband William Grant Still, a musician and composer. Early life and education Vern ...

, musician and writer * Roy L. Ash, (1918–2012), president of

Litton Industries Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States named after inventor Charles Litton Sr. During the 1960s, the company began acquiring many unrelated firms and became one of the largest conglomerates in the United States. A ...

, budget director * Ted Bates, football player *

Paul Blair (baseball) Paul L. D. Blair (February 1, 1944 – December 26, 2013) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from through , most notably as the center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles d ...

, professional baseball player, Yankees, Orioles, Reds *

Lyman Bostock Lyman Wesley Bostock Jr. (November 22, 1950 – September 23, 1978) was an American professional baseball player. He played Major League Baseball for four seasons, as an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels (1978), with a li ...

, professional baseball player, class of 1968 *

Steve Broussard Steve Nelson Broussard (born February 22, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, and Seattle Seahawks. He has also ser ...

, former NFL running back, class of 1985 *

Nacio Herb Brown Ignacio Herbert "Nacio Herb" Brown (February 22, 1896 – September 28, 1964) was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s. Amongst his most enduring work is the scor ...

, songwriter, class of 1914 * Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and the

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States. History On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their firs ...

, class of 1950 *

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

, film director * Leland Curtis, artist, environmentalist, and Antarctic explorer *

Jimmy Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

aviator, class of 1914 *

Carl Earn Carl Earn (March 7, 1921 – April 4, 2007) was an American tennis player who competed on the amateur and professional circuits in the 1940s and 1950s. He reached as high as world No. 7 in the professional ranks in 1946. Biography Earn grew up i ...

(1921–2007), tennis player * Tom Fears, Pro Football Hall of Fame,

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

, class of 1941 *

Earl C. Gay Earl C. Gay (1902–1972) was a registered pharmacist who was a member of the Los Angeles City Council between 1933 and 1945. Biography Gay was born December 8, 1902, in Long Beach, California, the son of Ellsworth Gay and Elba W. Bain Gay. His ...

(1902–1975),

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member, 1933–45 * Kathryn Grayson, singer and film actress *

Philip Guston Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein, June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980), was a Canadian American painter, printmaker, muralist and draftsman. Early in his five decade career, muralist David Siquieros described him as one of "the most promising ...

, artist, class of 1930 * Robin Harris, comedian and actor, class of 1971 * Ed Heinemann, self-taught aerospace engineer and aircraft designer for

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated a ...

. *

Virginia Jaramillo Virginia Jaramillo Flores is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Party of the Democratic Revolution. In 1997, she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District as a local deputy for the Party of the Democratic Revolution ...

, painter *

Jimmie Jones Jimmie Sims Jones (born January 9, 1966) is a former professional American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football ...

, football player *

Reuben Kadish Reuben Kadish (January 29, 1913 – September 20, 1992) was an American artist, specializing as a sculptor, draughtsman, muralist, painter, and printmaker. In his later career he also taught art history and sculpture in New York City. Biograph ...

, artist, class of 1930 * Lynton Richards Kistler (1897–1993), lithography printmaker, artist. *

Goodwin Knight Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician who served as the List of governors of California, 31st governor of California from 1953 until 1959. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Re ...

, 31st

governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, t ...

, class of 1914 * Stanley Knowles,

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

and

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

House Leader * Leo K. Kuter, film art director * Mittie Lawrence, actress * Woodley Lewis, football player * Ned Mathews, football player * Gerson Mayen, midfielder for

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...

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, class of 2005 * Jimmie McDaniel, African American tennis player and track and field athlete *

Ernie Orsatti Ernest Ralph Orsatti (September 8, 1902 – September 4, 1968) was a professional baseball player who was an outfielder and first base for the St. Louis Cardinals from to . Orsatti appeared in four World Series, two of which the Cardinals won. ...

, outfielder for the

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* Victor Orsatti,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

agent, film and television producer * Dwayne O'Steen, football player * Jerry D. Page,

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

, class of 1932 * Dwayne Polee, former professional basketball player, class of 1981 *

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionism, abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splas ...

, artist, class of 1930 (left before graduation) *

Marie Prevost Marie Prevost (born Marie Bickford Dunn; November 8, 1896 – January 21, 1937) was a Canadian-born film actress. During her 20-year career, she made 121 silent and sound films. Prevost began her career during the silent film era. She was ...

, actress, class of 1916 *

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, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors member, class of 1972 * Rachel Robinson, American former professor and registered nurse, as well as the widow of professional baseball player

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

* Eugene Selznick (1930–2012), Hall of Fame volleyball player * Oscar Sorto, MLS player for the Los Angeles Galaxy, class of 2012 * Andre Spencer (1964–2020), basketball player * Scott Stephen, football player * Irving Stone, author * John Floyd Thomas Jr., serial killer *

Lawrence Tibbett Lawrence Mervil Tibbett (November 16, 1896 – July 15, 1960) was an American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang leading roles with the Metropolitan Opera in New Yor ...

, baritone,

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

, class of 1914 * Paul Winfield, actor

References

External links

Manual Arts High School website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1910 Los Angeles Unified School District schools High schools in Los Angeles Public high schools in California 1910 establishments in California Exposition Park (Los Angeles neighborhood)