Mount Tahoma 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 ...

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

. It opened in 1961 and is a part of the

Tacoma Public Schools Tacoma School District No. 10, commonly called Tacoma Public Schools, is a school district headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, United States. Composed of 35 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, 10 high schools, and 4 early learning centers. It ...

. The school's mascot is the

Thunderbird Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to: * Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture * Ford Thunderbird, a car Birds * Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds ...

as a ative Americansymbolism for power, protection, and strength.

History

Mount Tahoma opened its doors in the South Tacoma neighborhood in 1961. It is the original Native American name for

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

. The school was built by a California contractor in the 1960s and wasn't very accommodating for its Washington students. The original school layout consisted of three open air courtyards, with a college style open campus. Frequently, students carried parkas or umbrellas from class to class. 2004 was the last year that students would be in the original Mount Tahoma building. Students and staff moved to the new building, which fit more with the Pacific Northwest weather.

New Building

Built in 1961, the setting of Mount Tahoma High School drastically changed in September 2004. The school is located on 74th Street and is overlooked by

(which is the namesake for Mt. Tahoma.) The new campus features 93 teaching spaces, including 81 classrooms, eight technology labs, wireless networking throughout the building, a 600-seat performance arts theatre, two gymnasiums, a pool, weight room, aerobics room, athletic fields and a 3,500 seat stadium. The offices are located in the front of the main entrance and are connected to the large 900-seat commons. There are 9 science classrooms with a 90-foot greenhouse and nursery. Mount Tahoma's counseling center is the hub of career activities, which enable students to access college information and career opportunities.http://www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/perf/MtTahoma2005-06.pdf

Statistics

*School Conference - West Central, District 3, Narrows League, Bridge Division *School Interhigh League - GPS, Greater Puget Sound

Notable alumni

Ahmad Rashad Ahmad Rashad (born Robert Earl Moore; November 19, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1972 NFL Draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was known as Bobby Moor ...

(Bobby Moore), class of 1968, an Emmy Award winning sportscaster and football wide receiver *

Ron Cey Ronald Charles Cey (; born February 15, 1948), nicknamed "Penguin", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from through , most notably as an integral member of the Los Angeles Do ...

, Class of 1966,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

third baseman from 1973 to 1982 and co-MVP of the

1981 World Series The 1981 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1981 season. The 78th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Nati ...

Ray Horton Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...

, Class of 1978, NFL cornerback and coach, former

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

defensive coordinator *

Marilyn Strickland Marilyn Strickland (born September 25, 1962) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital of Olympia, and also includes much of eastern Tacoma ...

, 38th mayor of

and congressional candidate *

Vince Goldsmith Vince Goldsmith, born July 20, 1959, was a star football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL), as both a linebacker and defensive lineman. Goldsmith played college football with the University of Oregon Ducks (from 1977 to 1980) as a def ...

, class of 1977, CFL Outstanding Rookie Award. All-Star Linebacker and Defensive Lineman 1981, 1983, 1988 (Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders. University of Oregon Hall of Fame, All Conference, All American.

References

External links

*
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Achievers Program

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1973 High schools in Pierce County, Washington Schools in Tacoma, Washington Public high schools in Washington (state) 1973 establishments in Washington (state)