Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas)

1928

Designed by Dallas architect Mark Lemmon, the school opened in 1928, and was constructed in the Elizabethan style.[10] At the cornerstone-laying ceremony in April 1927, a piece of the wedding cake of Woodrow Wilson's second daughter, Jessie, was included in the cornerstone "in memory of Mr. Wilson."[11] At US$700,000, the school's cost exceeded that of the district's previous four high schools by at least $100,000.[12] The ornamental lighting was made by Potter Art Metal Studios of Dallas; a 90-year company still in existence. Special features of the building included a gymnasium boasting "one entire wall of glass windows" and an auditorium that was to be the "best equipped and best lighted" in the district, with footlights and a separately ventilated orchestra pit.[13] A theater organ was later placed in the pit and pipes put in special lofts on the third level. The September 1928, Dallas Herald said the school "presents a rare spectacle from afar." Photos and the original blueprints of the school building were featured in an exhibition celebrating the works of Mark Lemmon at The Meadows Museum.[14]

The school has been colloquially called "Woodrow" by students and community members from its beginning, fostered by first principal G.L. "Pop" Ashburn, who led the school until 1956. The mascot of the school is the Wildcat. A Parent Teacher Association chapter was formed for the school even before its 1928 opening.[15]

1952

Until 1957 (when Bryan Adams High School opened), Woodrow was the only "East Dallas" high school.

The original principal of Woodrow Wilson served for 30 years.[16]

Woodrow Wilson integrated in the 1970s as the percentage of black and Hispanic students increased year after year. Gene Lyons of Texas Monthly stated in 1979 that "In short, everything that has been happening demographically within the DISD and, by extension, within U.S. big-city high schools has been happening to Woodrow Wilson."[17] In 1976 federal judge William McLaughlin Taylor Jr. wrote a school integration order for Dallas. This initial order stated that the enrollments should be balanced by closing Woodrow Wilson. The school remained open after residents of Lakewood protested, saying that it would close an already-integrated school.[18] His order did not require education levels after grade 8 to use integration busing. Lyons wrote that therefore Woodrow Wilson was "one of the few "naturally integrated" schools in Dallas."[17]

In 1981, interiors for the movie Crisis at Central High starring Joanne Woodward, were filmed at the school.[19] Many students, including the late Lance Bircher '83 (cited for his scene by imdb.com), were used in the filming. Of course, Woodrow students (actually the old alumni) were thrilled to receive a visit from Miss Woodward's husband, Paul Newman.

In 1979, Woodrow Alums planned and held Woodrow's 50th Anniversary Celebration, established the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame, and inducted the Hall of Fame's first class of members. Nine years later, in 1988, Woodrow Alums formalized their activities by creating the Woodrow Wilson High School Alumni Association, Inc. as an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) Texas nonprofit corporation, to maintain and improve communications for and among Woodrow Alums. In 1989 and 1999, the Alumni Association held Woodrow's 60th and 70th Anniversary Celebrations and, at each, inducted additional members into Woodrow's Hall of Fame. Since the 70th, Woodrow's Anniversary Celebrations have been held at 5 year intervals.

In 2004, thousands attended Woodrow's 75th Anniversary Celebration, which included a parade (from Lakewood to the school, with Congressman Sam Johnson as Grand Marshal, chauffeured in a new Ford Mustang driven by fellow alumnus Carroll Shelby, the legendary auto designer and builder), followed by an auditorium-packed program at which a new group of members was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Scores of "mini-reunions" also were held during that day in assigned rooms throughout the school.

In October 2007, the school was cited as one of 39 model schools in Science and Math by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.[20]

Around 2008, Woodrow parents launched "Choose Woodrow," a program aimed towards attracting families in the Lakewood neighborhood towards Woodrow.[21]

Rod Dreher, a politically conservative columnist in The Dallas Morning News, argued that the program was unfair. Dreher argued that even if the campaign attracted more white students who would raise the school's test scores overall, it would not help lower performing minority students who are enrolled at Woodrow.[22]

Rick Wamre, the president of Advocate Media, wrote in the Lakewood Advocate that Dreher had wrongly insinuated that the "Choose Woodrow" parents were racists.[23] Jim Schutze of Dallas Observer wrote that the article had accurate observations about the campaign targeting white persons and the disparity of the school, but he criticized what he called the piece's "painting a picture of the white people who send their kids to Woodrow as somehow racist, because their kids are mainly in the advanced placement classes and the kids of color are mainly not."[24] Michael Landauer wrote an editorial in the Dallas Morning News stating that Dreher made an "unfair" accusation against the Woodrow Wilson parents and that he "actively chooses to assign dark motives to people who are taking an active role in their neighborhood school."[25]

In response to the above articles, Dreher defended his column and posted rebuttals against his critics' arguments.[26]

In 2009, Woodrow celebrated its 80th Anniversary. In honor of alumnus Carroll Shelby's designation as Grand Marshal of the 80th Anniversary Parade, scores of non-Woodrow graduates joined the parade — most showing off their Ford/Shelby Mustangs or Cobras, but a few were driving Dodge Vipers (another vehicle Shelby helped develop). During the main ceremony in the school's packed auditorium, the Alumni Association inducted twenty more individuals into Woodrow's Hall of Fame. The celebration concluded with an "Alumni Band Roundup" at Eddie Deen's Ranch that evening, where hundreds of Woodrow alums ate, drank, and enjoyed each other while listening and dancing to music played by eight bands, each composed of Woodrow Alums (with a few ringers here and there) from various classes between 1960 and 2008. A documentary video of the 80th Anniversary Celebration was produced by Michael Barnes and Kathy Kilmer Moak, both from the class of 1967. It featured historical photographs and interviews with many alums interspersed with clips of events during the 80th Anniversary Celebration. It premiered at the Lakewood Theater in the fall of 2009.

In the fall of 2009, Woodrow became one of four high schools in Texas to be designated as candidates for designation as an IB World School.[27] In March 2011, the school earned the IB designation after a rigorous three-year application process, including an extensive site visit by the IB Organization.

In December 2009, Woodrow earned the Texas ACT College Readiness Award,[28] the only Dallas comprehensive high school to receive that honor.

The Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation was formed in 2009. The Community Foundation's purpose is to raise funds, grants, and scholarships to support the faculty, students, and programs at Woodrow and its feeder schools. It also exists to cultivate other area programs and projects.[29]

In 2011, The Washington Post ranked high schools based on the quantity of AP/IB exams taken per graduating senior, without taking scores on those exams into account.[30] In the so-called "challenge index", Woodrow finished at 588 out of the top 1,900 high schools in the nation.[31] In 2012, the school moved up 157 places to 431 out of the top 1,900 high schools in America, or the top 9%.[32] In 2015, the school moved up to 271 out of the top 2,300 high schools in the country. This placed Woodrow above all area suburban comprehensive high schools except Highland Park and Colleyville Heritage[33]

In 2015, D Magazine put Woodrow and its feeders at the top of the list in a real estate analysis, "Where to Buy for the Best Schools"[34]

Kyle Richardson, who served as principal for a five-year period,[35] left in 2016. In May of that year was replaced by Michael Dang, previously principal of Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet.[36] However Dang resigned in June of that year,[37] Steve Ewing served as principal for 2016–17.[38] Roxanne Cheek served as principal for the 2017–18 school year; she left DISD and became a principal at Aikin Elementary School in the Richardson Independent School District.[39] In 2018 Michael Moran, previously an assistant principal at Bryan Adams High School, became the principal of Woodrow Wilson. [35] In July 2022, former J.L. Long principal Chandra Hooper-Barnett became Woodrow's new principal.

In 1979 Gene Lyons wrote that academic performance at Woodrow Wilson had declined in the 1970s; he wrote that when comparing performances of Woodrow to those of other schools as well Woodrow's younger students to its older ones, the trends together suggest "an incipient decline."[18]

Lyons stated that in 1971 "People who measure quality by the number of graduates who go to college considered it one of the best public high schools in the city."[17] In April 1977 a series of standardized tests was given out to students in DISD high schools. The 9th grade (freshman) students were in the following national percentiles: 23rd in language, 27th in reading, and 35th in mathematics. 11th and 12th grade (junior and senior) students together had the 38th national percentile in reading and the 41st percentile in language and math. These scores were below that of W. T. White High School, which had percentile scores in the 60s and 70s; and Bryan Adams High School, which had percentile scores in the fifties and sixties.[18] In 1978, 34.9% of students graduating from Wilson attended universities, colleges, and/or community colleges, lower than the DISD average of 37.2%.[17]

In 1979 the PTA requested that the scores from the April 1977 test be broken down by race, but principal Wayne Pierce stated he did not have access to the figures but that DISD did. The parents wanted to reassure the community that college-bound students were still well-served by the school. Lyons wrote that based on studies reporting that integrating and segregating students by race has "little to no effect upon individual achievement levels" and low test scores in majority black and majority Hispanic schools in Dallas, "there is little doubt that the figures would support such a contention".[18]

In the 2005–06 school year, almost 60% of White students took Advanced Placement classes. During the same year, 7% of Hispanic students and 4% of black students had TAKS scores at the "college ready" level, or a level for beginning university studies. In 2008 Kent Fischer of The Dallas Morning News wrote "State accountability reports show that white students at Woodrow are generally successful" and that "minority students at Woodrow struggle" as they do at other DISD schools.[21]

In November 2011 the Texas Education Agency ranked Woodrow Wilson "Academically Unacceptable". At the time 68% of its students were categorized as at risk. Nearby Highland Park High School in University Park was 7.9% at risk. The Daily Campus compared and contrasted the two schools' situations that year.[41]

In 2014 Woodrow Wilson was one of three DISD comprehensive high schools which had a percentage of tested students with a 990 or higher on the SAT higher than the DISD overall average of 13.3%. It had 204 students, 21.1% of the tested students, at that level in 2013. In 2014 it was 354 students, 28.8% of the total tested students, an increase by 59 students. The DISD administration stated that students who score 990 or above on the SAT are likely to not require remedial classes when attending universities and colleges.[55]

In 2014–15 Woodrow students earned an average SAT score of 898 out of 1600, however that number masks the large variation in scores between subgroups.[56] White students scored an average of 1105 out of 1600, while African American students scored 856, and Hispanic students 818.[56] On the ACT, Woodrow students earn an average score of 18 out of 36, similarly there was wide variation in subgroup scores. White students averaged a score of 24, African American students averaged 18, and Hispanic students averaged 17.[56]

Also in 2014–15, students took a combined 1,174 AP exams, with 25.9%, 304, scoring higher than 3 out 5 (considered passing).[56] In 2014, the school improved its number of college ready students (defined by DISD as a 990 SAT score) by 137% despite the fact that 150 more juniors took the test.[57]

Principal Ruth Allen Vail '91 presents plaque to son of Heisman winner David O'Brien Jr (father Davey O'Brien '35) and Heisman winner Tim Brown '84 in January 2010

The Woodrow Wilson Wildcats compete in the following sports:[58]

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Football
• Golf
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming and Diving
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Woodrow has been called the "High School Home of the Heisman" because it was the first high school in the nation to be the alma mater of two Heisman Trophy winners: Davey O'Brien (1938) and Tim Brown (1987), and it remains the only public high school in the U.S. to have that distinction. As a relatively small inner-city Dallas public school that is coeducational and builds its athletic teams from the ethnically and economically diverse students within its tight attendance zone, Woodrow was proud to remain unparalleled among all public and private U.S. high schools as to the number of its graduates who had won the Heisman among until 1995, when Eddie George's Heisman Trophy win allowed Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia (a private school that build teams from "[y]oung men, from around the country and the world")[59] to share the distinction with Woodrow. And in 2004, private, Catholic, Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana, California gained its second Heisman Trophy winner in Matt Leinart. Nevertheless, Woodrow achieved this distinction first and it remains the only public high school in the U.S. with two Heisman winners.

In 1979 the school played in the AAAA (4A) division of the University Interscholastic League (UIL), the public school athletic league of Texas. Woodrow Wilson, with 1,450 students chose to play in League 4A, with high schools enrolling around 3,000 students, due to what Lyons called "community pride"; it was eligible to play in the less competitive AAA (3A) league but instead played in 4A.[60]

Notwithstanding Tim Brown's efforts, from about the 1980s until fairly recently, Woodrow's football program struggled. However, the Wildcats made the state playoffs in 1991, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, advancing to the second round in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011. Previous Woodrow teams made state semi-finals in 1951 and 1969, and even earlier teams of the 1930s and 1940s were successful and produced such stars as O'Brien, I. B. Hale '35, Mal Kutner '38, Herschel Forester '48, and Bill Forester '49.

Woodrow's basketball team won state back in 1938, and later produced Alton Lister '76, a pro player on five different teams. Recent Woodrow graduate Anthony Randolph was one of the nation's top recruits, according to Rivals.com. He was a small forward for the LSU Tigers during his freshman year in college. Currently, Randolph is a professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was selected as the 14th overall draft pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Woodrow's 2011 basketball team lost in the Regional Quarterfinals to Kimball (62-57), after leading most of the game. Kimball eventually won the state championship. The Wildcats, however finished ahead of Kimball with the number one total team offense in the Dallas Morning News' rankings.[61]

In 1953, Woodrow Wilson won the city and state golf championships with brothers Gene and Ross Teter.[62]

In 2007, Woodrow's athletics program was ranked No. 6 out of all 4-A high schools in the Dallas Morning News All-Sports competition. The Wildcats' score of 81 was better than 95 other local 4-A and 5-A high schools. That year, seven Woodrow football players made the state all-academic team: Thomas Simpson, Sam Ashbrook, Ian Mackinnon, and Jared Muston on the first team; and Ryan Gunter, Jack Hlavaty, and Preston Richmond on the second team.[63]

In 2010, Woodrow placed 19th in 4-A All Sports Award competition sponsored by The Dallas Morning News - out of 62 4-A schools. Its score of 74 was higher than that of 88 4-A and 5-A schools. The girls' volleyball team and the boys' basketball team went deep into state playoffs with the basketball team being ranked 7th in the state. The tennis team, girls' swimming and both golf teams also did well in playoffs.[64] In 2011 the school moved into the top ten out of 70 ranked schools from Wichita Falls to Texarkana. Its score of 91 points ranked ahead of 133 4-A and 5-A schools.[65] In 2012, Woodrow won nine district titles and several teams advanced in the playoffs, which should have moved the school up in ranking (but the newspaper discontinued the awards).

Bill and Herschel Forester were Wildcats who played college football at SMU as well as in the pros. Dallas' Forester Field was named for their father, Herschel, who taught at Woodrow from the opening of the school until the late 1950s.

In March 2010, Freshman Grace Choi was ranked first in Texas in girls' golf.[66]

In April 2014, Seniors Barrett Blaker and Javier Gonzalez were ranked 12th out of hundreds of policy urban debate teams across the country at the Urban Debate National Championships in Washington D.C.[67]

From the school's beginning, a Junior ROTC program has been part of Woodrow's high school program.[68] In the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s, the school had the largest JROTC program in the nation, with 16 different companies and an ROTC band; a May 1941 article declared the program "largest of its kind in the world."[69]

The Performing Arts Department got its start from a member of the original faculty, H. Bush Morgan. Mr. Morgan was also sponsor of the Senior Publication. J. William Brown, a math teacher who joined the faculty in 1952, subsequently took that sponsorship until the late 1980s. Morgan originally produced class plays and in 1929 "Giants Stairs" swept all the city contests. In the 1940s, some musical productions were added, such as "Best Foot Forward". In the 1957–58 school year, drama teacher Helen Eckleman started producing Broadway musicals each year with the first being "Oklahoma". She continued until 1971, when choir teacher Jerry McKinney took over the productions with "Calamity Jane". Marca Lee Bircher took over from McKinney in 1975–76 with her first production "Oliver!". She continued for 28 years, assisted by choreographer Patricia Hardman. Following this team, John Beaird and alumnus Sean Morrison '98 took over the program. Morrison left to earn his doctorate and Beaird continues. The 56th production was "Anything Goes" April 18–21, 2013. This was Woodrow's third production of that show. The 1980 effort produced American Ballet Theatre star Margie Hardwick. The 1999 show spawned Travis Willingham to a successful career in television, movies and anime.

The Bircher-Hardman era went from flying monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz" to a real rain storm onstage for "Singing in the Rain". In 1979, Bircher formed the school's award-winning show choir, Variations. The group was originally formed just to perform at the school's 50th Anniversary Celebration, but continues to this day. Bircher and Hardman finished out in 2003 with a book-end production of the school's first annual musical, "Oklahoma". "School Zone Dallas" did an extensive television show on this production and the history of the duo's reign. Many of their students have moved to New York and Los Angeles to pursue careers in theater, writing and acting.

By 2019 the school established a special education program, called the "Percolators," where special education students operate a coffee shop for the school community.[70]

In 1928 the students attending Woodrow were of upper middle class and wealthy class families.[18]

In 1971 75-80% of Woodrow Wilson's students were Anglo White. By 1979 the percentages were 51% Anglo White, 27% Mexican American, and 22% Black.[17] In 1979 the school had 1,450 students.[72]

By 1979 multiple generations of Anglo White families in Lakewood had attended Woodrow Wilson. That year Gene Lyons of Texas Monthly wrote that "Woodrow is seen as a community school" in the Lakewood community.[18] As of 1979 the parent-teacher association (PTA) largely originated from wealthier neighborhoods in the north of the Woodrow Wilson attendance zone.[18]