Theodore Roosevelt High School (Los Angeles)

Infobox_School
name =Theodore Roosevelt High School


motto = "Don't flinch, don't foul, hit the line hard!"
established =1922
type =Public
affiliation =
district =Los Angeles Unified School District
grades =9-12
president =
principal = Dr. Friere
head of school =
dean =
faculty =
staff =
students =
enrollment =5,047
athletics =
conference =
colors =Blue, Cardinal & Gold color box|Bluecolor box|#9a122ccolor box|Gold
mascot =Rough Rider, Football: Teddy Bear)
free_label =
free_text =
free_label2 =
free_text2 =
location =Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
information =
website = [http://www.rooseveltlausd.org/ Official website]

seealso|Theodore Roosevelt High School "for schools of the same name"

Theodore Roosevelt High School is a high school (grades 9-12) located in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, California named for the 26th president of the United States.

Roosevelt is a public school in the Los Angeles Unified School District with an enrollment of 5,047 in 2007, making it the largest High School by population west of the Mississippi river [per Ms. Hultman, College Councilor @ TRHS] .. Its current principal is Dr. Friere and follows the track system as an all year-round school and has 6 periods, except for B-Track which only has four periods. Its school colors are red, gold and blue and the mascot is Teddy the Bear and their sport teams are known as the Rough Riders. The school's motto is "Don't flinch, don't foul, hit the line hard!", which is a Theodore Roosevelt quote. [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/
]

Students come from Boyle Heights and City Terrace.

Campus

The Campus has 7 main buildings with several bungalows scattered around the school. A football field, track, utility field, gym, outside basketball courts, tennis courts, an Olympic sized pool and a softball field support the various sport teams and physical education needs at the school.

In between two of the main buildings, a quad is located with a gazebo as its focal point. Several benches surround this area, which supports most of the student body during Nutrition and Lunch. Behind one of the buildings can be found the Japanese Garden and the Lindbergh fountain.

Also available on campus, is a daycare program run by the school, which provides daycare for the students attending the school and their children.

History

Roosevelt was founded in 1922, but opened in 1923 in Boyle Heights to the East of the Los Angeles River. Boyle Heights has been a gateway community for new immigrants to Los Angeles. Russians escaping from the Communist Revolution, Jews escaping from Germany and Japanese predominated before the Hispanic community became the majority. In the 1950s and 1960s the area became primarily Hispanic as the other ethnic groups moved to new suburbs.

During World War II the Japanese were removed to internment camps. Many returned after the war. A Japanese Garden that had been destroyed was restored in 1996 with funds raised by RHS Alumni and students. The Garden Restoration committee was headed by Bruce Kaji, class '44. In 2004 the Japanese Garden went through a major upgrade through the generosity of Shigeo Takayama, class '35. Mr. Takayama was the President of the RHS Japanese Club that raised funds and built the original garden in the 1930s.

As the population grew in the area, Roosevelt sought expansion. The R-Building (R for Roosevelt) was the main building and faced Fickett Street. The street was vacated and an new administration (A-Building for administration) was constructed. Many new buildings were created and added to campus. The R-building has an interesting history and distinct architecture. There was a fourth floor to the building which had to be closed due to damage from a fire. The basement was built with a shooting range for the Junior ROTC (JROTC) although only air rifles may be used now.

Central Region High School 15 will open in 2012 [http://www.laschools.org/project-status/one-project?project_number=56.40054] , relieving Roosevelt.

The East LA Classic

The East L.A. Classic is the homecoming game for Roosevelt High School and Garfield High School. . The classic has taken place since a few years after the opening of the two schools, with the exception of the Depression and World War II. The classic brings out alumni from all parts of the world, usually fielding 20,000 people per game and has been held at the East Los Angeles College at the Weingart Stadium although it has been held at the The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Controversy

Home to a majority of Hispanic students, Roosevelt has found itself in a lot of controversy. It was one of the 5 schools to initiate the student walkouts in 1968, and contributed to the walkouts in 2006, in protest to the HR 4437 bill.

Notable Alumni

*Lou Adler - Music and Film Producer; noted for the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Up in Smoke.
*Sam Balter - All American Basketball player UCLA; Gold Medal winner Basketball 1936 Summer Olympics;Member of the SCSBA Hall of Fame
*Paul Bannai - First Japanese American Assemblyman in California
* Dr. Leo Buscaglia - USC Professor; Best Selling Author
*Lynn Cain - USC Running back, played for Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams
*Willie Davis - MLB 18 years; LA Dodgers 1960-72;2 time All-Star
*Mike Garrett - Heisman Trophy winner USC 1966;USC AD
*Michael Galitzen (Mickey Riley)- 1932 Summer Olympics Gold Medal Springboard Diving
*Joe Gold - Founder of Gold's Gym
*Paul Gonzales - First Mexican-American winner Boxing Gold Medal 1984 Summer Olympics
*Genero Hernandez - World Junior Lightweight Champion 1991-1994
*Mas Imai - Former Executive VP Disney International; COO of Sanrio Inc. (Hello Kitty)
*Bruce Kaji - Founder Japanese American National Museum
*Herbert G. Klein President Richard Milhous Nixon's Communications Director for the Executive Branch
*Dan Kuramoto - Co-Founder Hiroshima Jazz Group
*Dr. Julian Nava - Educator; Ambassador to Mexico Jimmy Carter Administration
*Lennie Niehaus - Emmy Winner & Clint Eastwood's Musical Director
*Eugene Obregon - Medal of Honor in Korean War
*Harry Pregerson - Federal District Judge 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
*Edward R. Roybal - LA City Councilman 1949-62;U.S. House of Reps 1963-1993
*Donald T. Sterling - Owner LA Clippers
*A. Wallace Tashima - First Japanese American appointed to U.S. Court of Appeals
* Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout - Aviatrix record setter of the 30's & 40's contemporary of Amelia Earhart & Pancho Barnes
*Antonio Villaraigosa - Mayor of Los Angeles
*Harold M. Williams - Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Carter administration;President Emeritus Getty Center
*Howard Zieff - Director of Private Benjamin & My Girl
*Castulo De La Rocha -CEO AltaMed
*Gil Cedillo -California State Senator

References

External links

* [http://www.rooseveltlausd.org/ Roosevelt High School website]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ca/2352 GreatSchools information]