Woodlawn High School
Woodlawn High School is a large magnet high school serving about 1,300 students in the Birmingham Public School System. The principal is Shirley Graham.
The mascot is the Colonels, and the school colors are green and gold. The school newspaper is "The Tattler".
While still handsome outside, the interior of the school is currently in a rather dilapidated state. It is surrounded by a neighborhood that has suffered a long decline. Academically, Woodlawn has also declined, and in recent years has been listed on Alabama's "academic alert" list. Woodlawn is one of two Birmingham schools with a "Young Mothers" program that counsels students who get pregnant.
History
Woodlawn High School was established in 1916 after Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham. The present building on 1st Avenue North, designed by architect Harry B. Wheelock, was completed January 30, 1922 for an initial enrollment of 700.
A large mural around the proscenium arch in the high school's auditorium was painted between 1934 and 1939 by Sidney van Sheck and Richard Blauvelt Coe for the Works Progress Administration. A campaign is underway to raise $190,000 for restoration of the artwork, which is the largest WPA mural in the South.
The Warblers are a men's chorus that started as a singing club at Woodlawn, active from 1929 to 1977. Most current Warblers members are alumni of the Woodlawn club.
In 1956 the Woodlawn debate team, coached by Rose B. Johnson, won the inaugural Barkley Forum, a prestigious debate tournament at Emory University in Atlanta.
Woodlawns Junior R.O.T.C. program has been active since 1922 and has started the military careers of countless officers in the U.S. Military.
Under legendary multi-sport coach John Blane, Woodlawn's basketball team won state championships in 1927, 1937, 1943, and 1957 while the track team won state titles in 1932, 1944, 1945 and 1946. He coached Woodlawn against Phillips High School at Legion Field in 1927.
Notable alumni
- Bobby Bowden (1948), football coach
- Miriam Rogers Fowler (1957), BMA curator
- Glenn Garett (1970), musician
- Mike Hale (1969), Jefferson County sheriff
- Oliver Robinson (1957), basketball player, state legislator
- Bobby Humphrey, football coach
- Betsy Rogers, 2003 national teacher of the year
- Sabert Oglesby Jr, engineer & researcher
- Paul Hemphill, author
- Herman Moore (1945), book dealer and author
- Neil Shepherd, bomber pilot and academician
- Jim Carns, state legislator
- Mary Goss Hardin, grocer
- Karlos Dansby, football player
- Jackie Martinek, chief nursing officer, Brookwood Hospital
References
- Woodlawn Housing Initiative. "History of the Woodlawn Neighborhood." Woodlawn Community Information System. [1] - accessed March 25, 2006
- Torres, Ailene. (June 2005) "A new beginning: Despite man challenges, students in Ensley defy the odds." Birmingham Post-Herald.
- Nelson, James R. (July 9, 2005) "WPA-era mural at Woodlawn in dire need of restoration." Birmingham News.
External links
- Woodlawn classes of 1969-71 reunion web site
- Woodlawn H.S. postcard at Postcard Birmingham
- Woodlawn on Wikipedia
- Woodlawnhigh.org another WHS Alumni/reunion web site