Hudson K-8 School
| Hudson K-8 School | |
| |
|
Birmingham City Schools |
| Years | 1908–present |
|---|---|
| Location | 3300 F. L. Shuttlesworth Drive, (map) Collegeville |
| Grades | K-8 |
| Principal | Fred Stewart |
| Enrollment | 700 (2017) |
| Colors | red & black |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Website | bhamcityschools.org |
Bertram A. Hudson K-8 School, formerly Bertram A. Hudson Negro Elementary School, is a K-8 school in the Birmingham City Schools system located at 3300 F. L. Shuttlesworth Drive in Collegeville.
Hudson School replaced an earlier schoolhouse established in 1908 in a church on 30th Avenue North and 33rd Street. The Birmingham Board of Education erected the first permanent school building on the current 5.3-acre site in 1922. The new building was constructed of structural clay tile by C. W. Hadnott. The total cost for the land, building and fees was $8,336.86. It initially served 760 students led by principal Thomas Settles, who bought a house across the street from the school. It was named for Bertram Hudson, the first Black educator in Birmingham.
In 1929 Hudson School adopted a platoon system with students alternating classroom time with lessons in shop rooms, the gymnasium, auditorium, and outdoor areas.
Several additions to the school were completed in the 1950s, including the addition of a gymnasium/auditorium and 8 new classrooms added in 1957 at a cost of $115,000. In 1965 a $14 million bond issue was approved by city voters, which included $5 million for schools, in addition to $1.5 million made available from the State of Alabama that year. As initially proposed, the money was to have funded the replacement of Hudson School with a completely new building with 30 to 35 classrooms, including special rooms for art, home economics, industrial arts and music. Ultimately it was decided to construct an addition to the existing school. The low bid for the new hexagon-shaped building was $556,000.
The school was formally accredited in 1977.
Under a school consolidation plan proposed by acting superintendent Barbara Allen and approved by the Board, Hudson K-8 moved to a new $14.5 million building in the summer of 2009 with some students transferring in from Kirby Middle School. The new 70,000 square foot brick-clad building was designed by Charles Williams & Associates and constructed by the Argo Building Company. It has 32 standard classrooms, 4 special education classrooms, 1 science lecture and laboratory, a band room, a choral room, an art room with a ceramic kiln, and a business education classroom and lab. It also has a media center, a computer lab, a 250-seat cafeteria, 500-seat gymnasium with a stage, and extensive administrative spaces. Each of the classrooms was furnished with an interactive multimedia whiteboard along with three desktop computers for students and one for the teacher.
During the summer just before the school opened its doors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted soil tests at the school, which lies within the 35th Avenue Superfund Site. Results from the test, publicized a year later, showed high levels of arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soil, possibly from a nearby Walter Coke operation. The EPA oversaw a major project, funded by Walter Coke, to remove and replace contaminated topsoil on the school property and on 23 nearby residential lots.
Based on test scores from 2017, Hudson was deemed a "failing school" under the terms of the Alabama Accountability Act, permitting parents to claim tax credits to transfer students to another school. Hudson remained on the list in 2018 and 2019.
Principals
- Thomas Settles, 1922–1968
- Edward Thompson, 1968–1969
- Ulysses Chatman, 1969–1979
- Hosea Turk, 1979–1982
- Billy Wayne Davenport, 1982–1983
- Erroll Pharris, 1983–1997
- Tyrome Smith, 1997–1998
- John Thedford, 1998–1999
- Hugh Gardner, 1999–2001
- Darrell Hudson, 2001–2002
- Aurlinda Wilson Hagler, 2002–2003
- Wayne Dansby, 2003–2004
- Carolyn Denson, 2004–2007
- Jesse Daniel, 2007–2012
- Fred Stewart III, 2013–
References
- Samuel, Sally (March 28, 1957) "Area schools are improved." The Birmingham News, p. 14
- Bryant, Joseph D. (March 3, 2008) "Hudson School students discover history has real-life roots." The Birmingham News
- Leech, Marie (July 3, 2011) "Toxic substances found in soil of almost-new Birmingham school." The Birmingham News
External links
- Hudson K-8 School at bhamcityschools.org
- Hudson K-8 School at cwilliams-arch.com