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Coordinates: 44°54′47″N 93°16′59″W / 44.91306°N 93.28306°W / 44.91306; -93.28306
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===Small Learning Communities===
===Small Learning Communities===


Washburn's Small Learning Communities (SLC), a curriculum change that took place starting at the beginning of the 2002–2003<ref>{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = High school reform: Back to small | work = Star Tribune | pages = | language = English | publisher = | date = 2001-12-07 | url = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MN&p_theme=mn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F442F6B9BFB6F16&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | accessdate = 2008-06-13 | archiveurl = | archivedate = | format = fee required}}</ref>—when Minneapolis Public Schools transitioned from magnet-style education—puts students with similar interests together in classes. These students take the same electives relating to each SLC.
Washburn's Small Learning Communities (SLC), a curriculum change that took place starting at the beginning of the 2002–2003<ref name="WHS_StarTribune_SLC">{{cite news | last = Shah | first = Allie | title = Grant boosts high school reform - Minneapolis moves toward small learning communities | work = Star Tribune | pages = 1B | language = English | publisher = | date = 2001-12-07 | url = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MN&p_theme=mn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F442F6B9BFB6F16&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | accessdate = 2008-06-13 | archiveurl = | archivedate = | format = fee required}}</ref>—when Minneapolis Public Schools transitioned from magnet-style education—puts students with similar interests together in classes. These students take the same electives relating to each SLC.

The transition was partially funded by to gifts totaling a $4 million grant from the [[McKnight Foundation]] to the Minneapolis Public schools to assist with building maintenance and teacher training.<ref name="WHS_StarTribune_SLC" />


When the SLC system debuted in 2002, Washburn offered the following SLCs: International Studies, Hospitality/Travel/Tourism, and Aviation, Engineering, Technical Design, Business, Fine Arts, American Studies, and Health and Human Services.<ref name="WHS_Reorg_2006">{{cite paper | title = Organizational Structure for 2006-2007 | publisher = Washburn High School | date = 2006 | url = http://washburn.mpls.k12.mn.us/sites/d295ebc7-dca8-42b8-bff7-286922f9b3f4/uploads/WLT_Prnt_App_box_rev_4-2008__2.doc | format = DOC | accessdate = 2008-06-16}}</ref>
When the SLC system debuted in 2002, Washburn offered the following SLCs: International Studies, Hospitality/Travel/Tourism, and Aviation, Engineering, Technical Design, Business, Fine Arts, American Studies, and Health and Human Services.<ref name="WHS_Reorg_2006">{{cite paper | title = Organizational Structure for 2006-2007 | publisher = Washburn High School | date = 2006 | url = http://washburn.mpls.k12.mn.us/sites/d295ebc7-dca8-42b8-bff7-286922f9b3f4/uploads/WLT_Prnt_App_box_rev_4-2008__2.doc | format = DOC | accessdate = 2008-06-16}}</ref>

Revision as of 03:05, 17 June 2008

Minneapolis Washburn High School
Washburn from the Air, 2007
Address
Map
201 West 49th Street

Minneapolis
,
MN
55409

 United States
Coordinates44°54′47″N 93°16′59″W / 44.91306°N 93.28306°W / 44.91306; -93.28306
Information
School typePublic High School
Established1925
School boardMinneapolis Board of Education
School districtMinneapolis Public Schools
CEEB code241695[2]
PrincipalCarol Markham-Cousins
Staff95.12 FTE.[1]
Teaching staff59.34 FTE.[1]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducation
Enrollment1217[1]
Color(s)Blue and Orange
MascotThe Mighty Miller
NewspaperThe Grist
YearbookWaHiAn
Feeder schoolsAll K–8 and middle schools in the Minneapolis Public School District are eligible to send eighth-grade graduates to Washburn.
Websitehttp://washburn.mpls.k12.mn.us/

Minneapolis Washburn High School is a four-year public high school serving grades 9–12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. By enrollment, Washburn is the fourth largest high school in the Minneapolis Public School Distict.

During the 2006-2007 school year, the school enrolled 1217[1] students, with a staff of 95.12 FTE.[1] As of 2007-2008 school year, the principal is Mrs. Carol Markham-Cousins, who is assisted by two assistant principals and administration from each Small Learning Community.

The school is currently in the middle of a transition, called Fresh Start, where the entire staff and faculty have been fired in an effort to put the school on track to goals established by the district.[3][4][5][6][7]

History

Washburn was built next to the site of an orphanage[8] in the Tangletown neighborhood of southern Minneapolis at 201 West 49th Street.

The school is named after Cadwallader C. Washburn[9], a civil war general officer who also founded the Gold Medal Flour company which later became General Mills.[9] The school teams' name, The Millers, comes from the connection of Washburn to the Minneapolis flour empire of the 1800's.

When the school opened, it served 7—10th grades and added one year each year for the next two years.[8] It served middle school and high school students until 1929.[8] That year, the orphanage was torn down and the Minneapolis School Board built a middle school on the site.[8]

Campus

Washburn is located on a large city block bordered by West 49th and 50th streets on the north and south side and Nicollet Ave. S. and Pleasant Ave. S on the east and west.[10] In addition to Washburn, Ramsey International Fine Arts Center shares this block, with Washburn taking 2/3 of this space. In between the schools is A. E. MacQuarrie Field which hosts football games and track and field matches. Also on the Washburn campus is a green space known as the Mall. Youth soccer teams use the mall for practice, while students at the school use it for physical education classes.

A tunnel connects the east side of Washburn and the west side of Ramsey, running under MacQuarrie Field. The tunnel transports heating and air conditioning between the schools. During the winter, snow melts directly above the tunnel due to the steam pipes within showing the tunnel's location. Decades ago, students used the tunnel during the winter when overcrowding forced Washburn to hold classes in Ramsey.

Student body

As of the 2006-2007 school year, Washburn enrolled 1,217[1] students. The same year, the school reported a racial makeup of 50.7% Black, 26.0% White, 12.2% Hispanic, 7.7% Asian and 3.4% American Indian.[1] The majority of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch with 60%.[1] Free and Reduced Price Lunch is the measure of poverty for the district. 18% of students have limited English proficiency and 13% of students qualify for special education.[1] The school has an Adequate Yearly Progress graduation rate of 89.94%[1] while district-wide 43.7% of students graduated during the 2003–2004 school year.[11][12] 29%[1] of students met or exceeded the standards in the 10th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment Series II test, while 14%[1] met or exceeded the standards for the 11th grade MCAS test in 2007.

During the 2007-2008 school year, 74 percent of the students were of African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent.[13]

Title 1 funds are used to support students who have math and reading needs as indicated by assessment data.

Staff

During the 2006-2007 school year, Washburn employed 95.12 staff FTE.[1] 59.34 of those staff were teachers.[1] 44.34% of the teachers held a bachelor's degree while 52.29% held a master's degree.[1] During the 2005-2006 school year, the student to teacher ratio was 21:1.[14]

The staff is continually improved through professional staff development and training for teachers. Both parents and students are involved in the decision-making process through our student council, school leadership team and Parent/Advisory Boards for each SLC. [15]

Past Principals

1925–present [16]
Washburn High School Principals
1925–44 A. E. MacQuarrie
1944–57 Leonard Fleenor
1957–72 Carl Anderson
1972–79 Dr. Roland DeLapp
1979–82 Dean Berntsen
1982 Wayne Nelson
1983–86 Don Burton
1986 (Spring) Ingve Magnusson
1986–87 Robert Lynch
1987–89 John Dyzacky
1989–91 Dr. Rosa Smith
1992–94 Dr. Andre Lewis
1994–98 Ronald Chall
1998–99 Debora Brooks-Golden
1999–2000 Dr. Joyce Lewis Lake
2000–2007 Dr. Steven Couture
2007–present Carol Markham-Cousins

Curriculum

Washburn offers 10 different Pre-AP Courses at ninth and tenth grade; Honors, Advanced Placement and College in the Schools (CIS)[17] for tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students to earn college credit[18] free of charge.[19] The school also uses school-wide advisory programs to form trusting and caring relationships for each student.

Small Learning Communities

Washburn's Small Learning Communities (SLC), a curriculum change that took place starting at the beginning of the 2002–2003[20]—when Minneapolis Public Schools transitioned from magnet-style education—puts students with similar interests together in classes. These students take the same electives relating to each SLC.

The transition was partially funded by to gifts totaling a $4 million grant from the McKnight Foundation to the Minneapolis Public schools to assist with building maintenance and teacher training.[20]

When the SLC system debuted in 2002, Washburn offered the following SLCs: International Studies, Hospitality/Travel/Tourism, and Aviation, Engineering, Technical Design, Business, Fine Arts, American Studies, and Health and Human Services.[21]

Since 2002, the number of SLCs has been reduced to six SLCs three Centers in 2006 [21]. Here is how they currently stand:

Each center has been comprises SLCs with common course content.[21]

Bilingual support

Washburn offers bilingual classes in Somali, and English as a Second Language (ESL) support is also available.

World languages and fine arts

Washburn currently offers two world languages: French and Spanish.

The school also offers jazz band, concert band, orchestra and concert choir. These classes are all being taught by a single teacher, after as many as three teachers during the 2003–2004 school year. One left after the 2003–2004 school year and the second after the 2005–2006 school year, both due budget cuts. After the 2004–2005 school year, Washburn was forced to cut from its supplies budget to keep one teacher full-time.[22]

Extracurricular activities

Washburn students have a variety of opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities ranging from Jazz Band to Anime to Young Life. These activities take place before and after school. Notable organizations include, The Grist newspaper, The WaHiAn yearbook, Educational Talent Search, Elevation, First Robotics, GSA (Gay Straight Alliance), National Honor Society and Student Government.

Athletics

Washburn is a member of the Minnesota State High School League[23] and offers several Boys and Girls varsity level sports, including:

Fresh Start

In March 2008, the Minneapolis Board of Education announced that Washburn would be one of two schools participating in the Minneapolis Public Schools Fresh Start program. Along with Edison High School, Washburn will be hiring new teachers and staff and examining their curriculum.[3][4] These changes are part of a nine-point-plan by the Minneapolis school board to alleviate budget problems and make 4 out of 5 graduates ready for college.[3][4] Principal Carol Markham-Cousins will be allowed to stay. The rest must reapply for their positions.

In a letter sent to students on May 14, 2008 Markham-Cousins sent letters to students and family members explaining the reasons for the Fresh Start. She cited graduation rates, college preparation as two reasons why the program must go forward.[6] The same day, students staged a walk-out in protest of the program.[5] Student drew with chalk on the sidewalk in front of the school in support of the teachers.[5]

Additional changes coming to Washburn during the 2008-2009 include an increase in the number of art classes and the introduction of the International Baccalaureate program.[3][4] Minneapolis Public Schools has said that Washburn will be one of four high schools moving to a college-ready curriculum, but exact implementation of this plan remains to be seen.[7] Unconfirmed reports state that the Japanese program will cease this summer.

Famous alumni

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Washburn Senior High 2007" (PDF). School Report Card. Minnesota Department of Education. 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  2. ^ "High School". SAT: Code List Search. The College Board. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  3. ^ a b c d Nelson, Tim (2008-03-21). "Two Minneapolis high schools head for 'fresh starts'". News. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  4. ^ a b c d Nelson, Tim (2008-03-21). "Teachers react to plans for a 'fresh start'". News. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  5. ^ a b c Schugel, James (2008-05-14). "Students Walk Out To Protest Teacher Lay-Offs". WCCO News. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  6. ^ a b Markham-Cousins, Carol (2008-05-14). "Letter to Students". 1. Retrieved 2008-06-12. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ a b "High school redesign underway". District Initiatives. Minneapolis Public Schools. 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  8. ^ a b c d "Washburn Millers". WHS History. Washburn High School. 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  9. ^ a b "Cadwallader Washburn". History. Washburn High School. 2003-09-07. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  10. ^ "201 W 49th Street Minneapolis, MN 55409". Maps. Google Inc. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  11. ^ Swansom, Christopher B. (2008-04-01). "Cities in Crisis" (PDF). Editorial Projects in Education. Retrieved 2008-06-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Diaz, Kevin (2008-04-01). "Minneapolis schools get failing grade on dropouts". Star Tribune. Chris Harte. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Scott (2008-06-04). "Historic nomination resonates with students". KARE-11 News. Multimedia Holdings Corporation. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  14. ^ "Teachers". Washburn Senior High School. GreatSchools Inc. 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  15. ^ "Parent Council Meetings". Washburn High School. Minneapolis Public Schools. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  16. ^ "Principals". WHS History. Washburn High School. 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  17. ^ College in the Schools (2008). "Participating Schools". College of Continuing Education. Regents of the University of Minnesota. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  18. ^ College in the Schools (2008). "College in the Schools Benefits Students, Teachers, Schools, and the University". College of Continuing Education. Regents of the University of Minnesota. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  19. ^ Petersen, Joy (2008-02-19). "PSEO gives high schoolers a college experience". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  20. ^ a b Shah, Allie (2001-12-07). "Grant boosts high school reform - Minneapolis moves toward small learning communities" (fee required). Star Tribune. pp. 1B. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  21. ^ a b c "Organizational Structure for 2006-2007" (DOC). Washburn High School. 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-16. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. ^ Draper, Norman (2003-11-30). "Big money brings little changes". Star Tribune. pp. A1, A6. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  23. ^ "Minneapolis Washburn H.S." Minnesota State High School League. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  24. ^ Bergeron, Louis (2008-05-28). "Douglas Skoog, analytical chemist, textbook author, dies at 89". Stanford News Service. Stanford University. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  25. ^ Walsh, Paul (2008-05-02). "Minneapolis native heading into astronaut Hall of Fame". Star Tribune. Chris Harte. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  26. ^ Arness, James; Wise, James E. (2001). James Arness: an autobiography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1221-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Markoe, Arnie (2002). The Scribner encyclopedia of American lives. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. pp. pg. 74. ISBN 0-684-80665-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ Lemon, Ralph; Morris, Tracie (2000). Geography: art, race, exile. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press : University Press of New England. pp. pg. 32. ISBN 0-8195-6443-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Moore, Peter (1999). Gone writing: the poems of Moore on Sunday. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. pp. pg. 49. ISBN 0-8166-3432-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

44°54′47″N 93°16′59″W / 44.91306°N 93.28306°W / 44.91306; -93.28306

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