W. H. Adamson High School

W. H. Adamson High School
Altogether Adamson ... Where Failure Is Not An Option[1]
Location
201 E. Ninth St. Dallas, Texas 75203  United States
Information
Type	Public, Secondary
School district	Dallas Independent School District
Principal	Evangelina Kircher[1]
Faculty	78[1]
Grades	9-12
Number of students	1,233[2]
Color(s)	Royal Blue and White[1]
Mascot	Leopards[1]
Trustee dist.	7, Eric Cowan[3]
Area	Central, Leslie Williams[4]

William Hardin Adamson High School, formerly Oak Cliff High School, is a public secondary school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas (USA). Adamson High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District.

History

In 1891 the newly-incorporated Town of Oak Cliff voted to seek bids on a school building. The newspaper reported: “Resolved by the city council of Oak Cliff that the mayor be instructed to advertise for plans for a modern three-story brick school building with brick cross walls [sic] to be erected at Oak Cliff, Texas, to contain twelve rooms for school purposes and the cost of said building, complete, not to exceed the sum of $22,000,…” The cornerstone was laid at the corner of Patton and Tenth streets for the school in September, 1892 under the auspices of the Masonic grand lodge of Texas.^{[citation needed]}

In 1891 William Hardin Adamson was named superintendent and Oak Cliff Central School operated at that location until a new building was constructed to house the high school in 1915 at the corner of Ninth and Beckley. The old building was then operated as an elementary school until 1926 when it was torn down and the students assigned to John H. Reagan and James Bowie schools and later to the new Ruthmeade School (now John F. Peeler). 201 East Ninth Street has been the site of a Dallas’ high school facility since 1915.^{[citation needed]}

The school is named for William Hardin Adamson, who became superintendent of the Oak Cliff School District shortly after moving to Oak Cliff in 1901. The school district later was annexed by the Dallas Independent School District, and when Oak Cliff High School was constructed, Adamson was named principal of the new school. He served as principal until 1934 and died a year later on 26 May 1935 at age 71. A week later, the school system renamed the school after Adamson.^[1]

Adamson High School was one of six high schools in Dallas in the 1930s and 1940s; the only other high school in Oak Cliff was Sunset High School, which was located about 19 blocks from Adamson High.^{[citation needed]}

The location of Adamson High School is just four blocks from the Texas Theater where Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, was captured.

The 1924 Oak Cliff High School football team won the state championship, one of only two DISD high schools to win a state football title (Sunset, in 1950 with the now-discontinued "City" championship, is the other).^[5]Carter High School was forced to forfeit its 1988 Class AAAAA title.^{[citation needed]}

Around 2009 DISD planned to raze Adamson. Some Adamson alumni created a movement to have Adamson declared a Dallas landmark so that the district will be unable to raze the existing campus.^[6] DISD is acquiring other property so it can build the new Adamson.^[7]

On June 8, 2011, W. H. Adamson High School was granted historical status by the Dallas City Council.^[8]

Statistics

The attendance rate for students at the school is 93%, compared with a state average of 96%. 81% of the students at Adamson are economically disadvantaged, 7% enroll in special education, 6% enroll in gifted and talent programs, and 30% are considered "limited English proficient."^[9]

The ethnic makeup of the school is 94% Hispanic American, 4% Afro-American, 2% White American, non-Hispanic, less than 1% Asian American/Pacific Islander American, and less than 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native.^[9]

The average class sizes at Adamson are 24 students for English, 25 for foreign language, 23 for math, 26 for science, and 27 for social studies.^[9]

Teachers at the school carry, on average, 13 years of teaching experience and 7% of the teachers on staff are first-year teachers.^[9]

Test Scores

Below is a list of percentages that represent the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.

Grade 9[10] Year Reading Math 2006 83% 41% 2005 65% 32% 2004 70% 27% 2003 64% 39%

Grade 10[10] Year Science English[11] Math 2006 39% 80% 40% 2005 — 59% 32% 2004 — 72% 31% 2003 — 56% 44%

Grade 11[10] Year Science English[11] Math 2006 64% 68% 72% 2005 — 84% 69% 2004 — 86% 74% 2003 — 60% 48%

Feeder patterns

2007–2008

Starting at the beginning of the 2007–2008 school year, only Hector Garcia Middle School will feed into Adamson High School.^[12]

Felix Botello, James Bowie, James S. Hogg, John F. Peeler, and John H. Reagan Elementary Schools will all feed into Garcia Middle School, and ultimately into Adamson High School.^[12]

2006–2007

Until the end of the 2006–2007 school year, W. E. Greiner and Boude Storey Middle Schools feed into Adamson.^[13]

Felix Botello, James S. Hogg, John F. Peeler, and John H. Reagan Elementary Schools all feed into Greiner Middle School, and ultimately into Adamson High School.^[13]

James Bowie Elementary School feeds into Storey Middle School, and ultimately into Adamson High School.^[13]

Notable alumni

• Charles P. Cabell - U.S. Air Force four-star general and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1953–1963)^[14]
• Leonora Corona - opera singer^[15]
• Tom Chandler - head coach of baseball for Texas A&M University from 1959–1984^[15]
• Yvonne Craig - Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman^[15]
• Samuel David Dealey - Navy submarine hero^[15]
• E. King Gill - Texas A&M University's 12th man^[15]
• Larry Groce - noted singer, songwriter, musician and radio host.
• Malcolm Harris (class of 1988) - noted comic book writer^[15]
• Brenda Hayward (class of 1959) - elected first Miss Teenage America in 1958 (then Brenda Brodnax)^[15]
• Michael Martin Murphey (class of 1963) - country-western music artist^[15]
• Ray Wylie Hubbard (Class of 1963) - country-western
• James L. Holloway Jr. (class of 1915) - U.S. Navy four-star admiral and superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy (1947–1950)^[16]
• B. W. Stevenson (class of 1967) - country pop music artist^[15]
• Doyle Willis (class of 1926) - served on Texas Legislature^[15]
• Jim Wright (class of 1939) - elected to Texas State House of Representatives (1947), mayor of Weatherford (1948), elected to U.S. Congress (1955), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1987–1989)^[15]
• Allen Melton, Attorney; Co-Founder and President, Goodwill Industries of Dallas, Inc.; Justice of the Peace for Oak Cliff, 1932-36; Chairman, W.H. Adamson Scholarship Foundation for over 20 years, providing thousands of dollars in college scholarships to deserving Adamson Graduates; Member, National YMCA Board of Directors.
• Maurice Acers, Attorney; (Husband of Ebby Halliday).

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Dallas ISD - W. H. Adamson High School. Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
2. ^ Texas Education Agency - School Directory - type in school number "057905002" and select "view report." Retrieved on 4 October 2006.
3. ^ Dallas ISD - Schools by Trustee. (PDF). Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
4. ^ Dallas ISD - Schools by Area. (PDF). Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
5. ^ Dave Campbell's Texas Football, 2008 edition, page 362
6. ^ Wilonsky, Robert. "Adamson Alumni Gathering for Last-Minute Appeal to Dallas ISD Trustees Tomorrow Night." Dallas Observer. Wednesday September 23, 2009. Retrieved on September 23, 2009.
7. ^ Wilonsky, Robert. "In Oak Cliff Neighborhood, the Complex Negotiations Behind New Adamson High." Dallas Observer. January 15, 2010. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.
8. ^ [1] City Council protects Adamson High School with landmark designation
9. ^ ^{a b c d} Great Schools - W. H. Adamson High School - Dallas, Texas. Information originally from the Texas Education Agency. Retrieved on 4 October 2006.
10. ^ ^{a b c} Texas Education Agency - TAKS Aggregate Data System. Results are not on a static webpage, you must request them using the system. 4 October 2006.
11. ^ ^{a b} Officially, "English Language Arts."
12. ^ ^{a b} Dallas ISD - 2007 School Feeder Patterns - W. H. Adamson High School. Retrieved on 25 April 2007.
13. ^ ^{a b c} Dallas ISD - 2006 School Feeder Patterns - W. H. Adamson High School. Retrieved on 4 October 2006.
14. ^ Cabell, Charles Pearre, The Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/fca1.html 
15. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} OakCliff.com - Notable Natives. Retrieved on 13 October 2006.
16. ^ "Restrained Power", TIME Magazine, August 4, 1958, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,863614-4,00.html 

External links

	Dallas-Fort Worth portal
	Schools portal

• W. H. Adamson High School
  • Old website: 1997-1998
• School profile (PDF)
• Attendance zone map (PDF)
• Immigrant Students - A Dallas Morning News series about immigrant students enrolled in Adamson

Coordinates: 32°44′51″N 96°49′20″W / 32.747464°N 96.822106°W / 32.747464; -96.822106

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