Parker High School
| A. H. Parker High School | |
|
Birmingham City Schools |
| Years | 1900–present |
|---|---|
| Location | 900 4th St. N., (map) Smithfield |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Principal | Joseph Martin |
| Enrollment | 924 (2008) |
| Colors | purple and gold |
| Mascot | Thundering Herd |
| Website | birmingham.schoolinsites.com |
A. H. Parker High School is a secondary school in Birmingham named after A. H. Parker, a long-time Birmingham educator, and located at 900 4th Street North in the Smithfield Community. The school was first named Negro High School and later became Industrial High School before being named in Parker's honor.
The school first opened as a high school for black children in the fall of 1900 with its freshmen class of 19 students and one teacher, Mr Parker. The school's first graduation was June 3, 1904 at the 16th Street Baptist Church, where 15 students received diplomas. By then Parker had become the school's principal.
In September 1910 the school moved to a new location called the Lane Auditorium and began offering skills for women such as sewing, knitting, and child care. By that time the enrollment was about 100 students. In 1920 the negotiations for the final location for the school were done. In spring of 1923 construction of a new building began. By 1929 the school had an industrial building, a library and a gymnasium.
In 1937 the school had an enrollment of over 2,700. In 1939, Parker retired as principal and the school was subsequently renamed A. H. Parker High School in his honor.
The school continued to grow steadily to 3,761 students in 1946. Because of that large number, the school soon became known as the largest high school for Negroes in the world. In 1953, the school was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges, an accreditation it has kept ever since.
Constuction of a new gymnasium was completed in 2006. In February 2007 the board announced that Parker High School would be one of the schools rebuilt using the city's $331 million share of the $1.1 billion Jefferson County School Construction Fund. The board's plan to spend $35 million on the new school, which would be constructed without its own athletic stadium, has drawn criticism from several alumni who said that the proposed budget was far less than adequate.
Crystal Wadsworth, class of 2007, was the first white student to graduate from Parker.
In 2008 members of the A. H. Parker High School Foundation criticized Principal Joseph Martin's performance, citing mismanagement, declining academics and poor leadership. Martin disputed those charges and said that academic performance was improving.
Principals
- A. H. Parker, 1904-1939
- Robert Johnson
- Joseph Martin, 2002-present
Notable alumni
- Oscar Adams, Jr 1940, Alabama Supreme Court justice
- Kamau Afrika, civic leader
- William Bell, Birmingham City Council
- Annie Jo Edwards 1966, actress and singer
- Nell Carter 1968, singer and actress
- Betty Gamble, Fairfield police chief
- Fred Horn 1943, state senator
- Randall Horton, 1979, poet and author
- Avery Parrish, jazz musician
- Alma Johnson Powell 1954, wife of Secretary of State Colin Powell
- John Rhoden, artist
- Roderick Royal, Birmingham City Council
- Sun Ra, jazz musician
- Walter Sharpe, basketball player
- Willie Scoggins, basketball coach
References
- Parker, A. H. (1933) A Dream That Came True: Autobiography of Arthur Harold Parker. Birmingham: Industrial High School Press. - accessed through the Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections on January 4, 2007.
- Camp, Mrs. Claudette, John T. Cargill, Jr., and Zackary Sims. A. H. Parker History Page. A. H. Parker High School United Alumni Association. Accessed January 5, 2007.
- Singleton, William C. III (August 15, 2007) "Alumni want more funds for new school." Birmingham News
- Stock, Erin (June 26, 2008) "Parker principal defends leadership, says school has improved." Birmingham News