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McClymonds High School

Summary

37°49′4.82″N 122°16′43.03″W / 37.8180056°N 122.2786194°W / 37.8180056; -122.2786194

McClymonds High School
Address
Map
2607 Myrtle Street

Oakland
,
California 94607

United States
Information
TypePublic secondary
Motto'School of Champions'
Established1915[1]
School districtOakland Unified School District
NCES District ID0628050
NCES School ID062805011555
Teaching staff24.27 (FTE)[2]
Grades9-12
Enrollment352 (2021–2022)[2]
Student to teacher ratio14.50[2]
Color(s)    orange and black
MascotWarrior
Websitewww.ousd.org/Domain/2263

McClymonds High School is a public high school in the West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. In addition to being the third oldest high school in Oakland, it is the only comprehensive high school in West Oakland, operated by the Oakland Unified School District. It was nicknamed the "School of Champions" in the early 1960s, after a number of award-winning athletes attended.[3][4]

History edit

 
John William McClymonds, former district superintendent and namesake of the school

Early history (1915–2005) edit

It started in January 1915 in a small building formerly occupied by Oakland Technical High School. Originally, 60 students were enrolled in the school, which at that time was called Vocational High School. It was the first public school in California to offer summer school. McClymonds High School was once a predominantly white school. Demographic changes in the 1940s and 1950s transformed McClymonds into a predominantly Black high school.

The school was named after John W. McClymonds, who at one time was the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District.[5] Ida Louise Jackson, the first black teacher in the Oakland district, taught history classes at McClymonds before her retirement in 1953.[6]

In 1927, with US$325,000 spent on additional classrooms, the school became more of a regular school than a summer school. In 1933, the legislative act was passed, regulating school building construction. This required that schools have steel and structural support on the inside. The building did not meet these requirements.

The school board decided to move to the campus to 14th and Myrtle Street in the same building with Lowell Junior High School. McClymonds High thereby became a four year high school. The name changed from J.W. McClymonds to Lowell McClymonds, then to McClymonds Lowell High School. Finally, in September 1938, the official name of the school became McClymonds, and it was moved to 26th and Myrtle.

In 1962, Afro-American Association sponsored the “Mind of the Ghetto” Conference which was held at McClymonds High School, featured a speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and in attendance was many Black leaders including Malcolm X, young Muhammad Ali, Floyd McKissick, Cecil B. Moore, Huey P. Newton,[7] Wil Ussery, Thomas Berkley, and Paul Cobb.[8][9][10] The Afro-American Association also held a demonstration at the school in 1963 about the importance of staying in school and studying.[11]

In 1982, twelve students from the basketball team at McClymonds High School were able to travel to Dakar, Senegal as a goodwill ambassador trip.[12] The McClymonds students were able to fundraise US$30,000 in order to afford the travel; they visited Gorée island, participated in local festivals, and numerous activities like museum visits.[12] Oakland mayor Lionel Wilson declared October 1981 as "McClymonds in Africa month" during their fundraising.[12]

In the 1990s, the school and the school district was troubled by an increase of violence; during that time the school board had adopted an enforced dress code districtwide (no expensive jewelry, no track suits, and no shorts), and had entertained the idea of a school uniform.[13] By 1994, the school board had also considered closing the campus due to the decade-long low attendance, high levels of drop out and school suspension, and the acts of violence on campus.[13]

In 2004, many students are working in conjunction with students from nearby UC Berkeley to revitalize a dilapidated drug-ridden park into a history learning park and expand it into the school's campus.[14] McClymonds was featured in the book Black in School: Afrocentric Reform, Urban Youth & the Promise of Hip-Hop Culture (2004), by Shawn Ginwright.

McClymonds Educational Complex (2005–2010) edit

Between 2005 and 2010, McClymonds was split into three smaller schools: BEST, EXCEL, and Kizmet Academy, collectively known as McClymonds Educational Complex.

"Mack Is Back!" (2010–present) edit

In 2010, McClymonds Educational Complex returned to being McClymonds High School. The school's 2010–2011 theme was "Mack is Back!"

On September 24, 2010, the school opened a new, state-of-the-art football field, William Belford Stadium, named in honor of the late William "Bill" Belford (often called the "godfather" of McClymonds sports).[15]

Academics edit

McClymonds's average SAT score for 2013 was 1155 out of 2400. The nation's average SAT score for the year was 1497.

In 2007, McClymonds had over 100 graduates. In 2008, McClymonds had the highest CAHSEE test scores in the Oakland Unified School District. McClymonds High School's graduation rate is over 80%, surpassing the District's graduation rate, which is around 74%.[when?]

There are two career pathways at McClymonds: Engineering and Entrepreneurship. Students choose their pathway toward the end of their freshman year, after being exposed to various pathway and career exploration activities. Entrepreneurship students have the opportunity to gain a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from Merritt College through their dual enrollment partnership and 5-course sequence.

Sports edit

McClymonds offers a variety of sports, including football, baseball, basketball, cross-country, track, tennis, and volleyball. Many of McClymonds athletes have prospered professionally, from basketball (Bill Russell, Paul Silas, Joe Ellis, Antonio Davis) and football (Wendell Hayes, Marcus Peters) to baseball (Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Curt Flood, Lee Lacy) and track (Jim Hines).[4]

Basketball edit

The McClymonds varsity basketball team won a state Tournament of Champions held in 1978 at the Oracle Arena. On March 15, 2008, McClymonds achieved its first ever Division I state championship basketball win over Dominguez High School of Compton, California, 73–54, at the Arco Arena, as the culmination of their undefeated streak of 32 wins and no losses.[16]

Football edit

On May 16, 2006, the Oakland City Council adopted a resolution, sponsored by Council Member Nancy J. Nadel (District 3), congratulating the McClymonds Football Team For Excellence in Athletics and Academics,[17] recognizing that McClymonds High School had ranked #1 in the East Bay and Northern California as the high school with the most football players (9) attending Division I universities, under the direction of head football coach Alonzo Carter. McClymonds was the only high school in the nation that year with three Top 100 prospects, and, with only 600-650 students, ranked #1 in Northern California for Division I Signees, and ranked #2 in the State, behind Long Beach Poly, which had 5,000 students.

The McClymonds varsity football team, led by captain Dwayne Washington, won the Division 5A state championship in January 2017. The Warriors defeated the La Jolla Country Day HS with a score or 20–17. The following year, McClymonds won a second consecutive state championship, defeating the Golden West High School Trailblazers in the California Division 5AA Football Championship 42–12.[18]

Facilities edit

Chappell Hayes Health Center edit

McClymonds' health center, founded by Children's Hospital doctor and UC Berkeley alumna Barbara Staggers, and named after activist Chappell Hayes, was opened in 2005. In creating the Health Center, Dr. Staggers partnered with Lisa Hardy, MD., Division Chief of Psychiatry at Children's, to ensure that mental health services would also be available to the school community. It serves McClymonds' students and alumni, and members of the West Oakland community.[19]

Library Innovation Technology center edit

In 2023, McClymonds opened a Library Information Technology (LIT) center.[20] The center was funded by local bond measures and includes a cafe, a library, a maker space, and an Africana center.[20]

According to Leah Jensen, who runs the center, McClymonds is one of only two Oakland Unified School District comprehensive high schools that have fully functional libraries.[20] The center has a mural painted by Daniel Galvez which depicts images from Oakland and Black history, including Lake Merritt, Black cowboys, and people such as Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton, Barack Obama, Frank Robinson and Bill Russell.[20]

Notable alumni edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "The West Oakland Project by Alison Yin". Narrative Magazine. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  2. ^ a b c "McClymonds High". National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "480 Boys at McClymonds". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. April 1963. pp. 27–30, 32.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kroichick, Ron (2022-09-15). "West Oakland's McClymonds High launched generations of Black sports greatness". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  5. ^ Wolfe, Wellington, ed. (1901). Men of California. Pacific Art Company. p. 256.
  6. ^ "Oakland Teacher Helps 'Home Folks' to Happiness". Oakland Tribune. 1953-02-08. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Hillard, David, Huey: The Spirit of the Panther, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006.
  8. ^ "Dr. King's "Bank of Justice is Bankrupt" Speech Was Tested in Oakland in 1962". Post News Group. 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  9. ^ Turner, Wallace (1962-11-11). "Negros to Study 'Mind of Ghetto'; Afro-American Association Sets Meeting in Oakland No N.A.A.C.P. Support". The New York Times. p. 50. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  10. ^ Murch, Donna Jean (2010). Living for the City: Migration, Education, and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. Univ of North Carolina Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-8078-3376-6.
  11. ^ Lazard, Dorothy (2020-11-05). "The Afro-American Association: Forerunner to the Panthers". Oakland Public Library. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  12. ^ a b c "McClymonds High School: Goodwill Ambassadors to Africa". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. July 1982. pp. 47–50.
  13. ^ a b Ginwright, Shawn A. (2004). Black in School: Afrocentric Reform, Urban Youth & the Promise of Hip-hop Culture. Teachers College Press. pp. 62–65. ISBN 978-0-8077-4431-4.
  14. ^ News & Events: McClymonds Students Study to Rejuvenate Park
  15. ^ http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7688754 Archived 2012-10-09 at the Wayback Machine McClymonds High dedicates new football field
  16. ^ http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_8589820 [dead link]
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2011-03-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Oakland Will Hold Victory Parade Friday for McClymonds Warriors - Oakland Post". Oakland Post. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  19. ^ Public Health Heroes Awards Ceremony Archived 2009-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ a b c d McBride, Ashley (21 April 2023). "McClymonds High School unveils new library and Africana Center". The Oaklandside.
  21. ^ Ting, Eric (2019-11-07). "351 NFL players from the last 35 years graduated from a Bay Area high school. Here's all of them". SFGATE. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  22. ^ Bolch, Ben (2009-03-21). "Division I boys' preview: Westchester looks into mirror at McClymonds". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  23. ^ "Former NBA All-Star Antonio Davis reconnects with Oakland through volunteer work". The Mercury News. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Mayor-elect Ron Dellums: Oakland 'can be a great city'". People's Weekly World. June 24, 2006. Archived from the original on October 2, 2006.
  25. ^ Mitchell, Eileen (27 April 2013). "Giving back to the game". SFGATE. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  26. ^ Lupien, Tony; Lowenfish, Lee (1980). The Imperfect Diamond: The Story of Baseball's Reserve System and the Men Who Fought to Change It. New York: Stein and Day. ISBN 0-8128-2709-0.
  27. ^ "MC Hammer through the years". SFGATE. 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  28. ^ Thompson, Jerry; Deterville, Duane (2007). Black Artists in Oakland. Arcadia Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7385-4725-1.
  29. ^ Oakland Museum of California: Object Detail: Catalog ID: H96.1.2067 Archived 2009-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ "Lee Lacy Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  31. ^ "Ernie Lombardi Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  32. ^ Phillips, Frosene (December 16, 2004). "Musical Paradise". East Bay Times. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  33. ^ "Bill Raimondi, Still 'Regular' Despite Fame". Oakland Tribune. 1933-02-19. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-12-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Frank Robinson Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  35. ^ "Willie Tasby Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  36. ^ Thompson, Jerry; Deterville, Dwayne (2007). Black Artists in Oakland. Charleston, SC: Arkadia Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7385-4725-1.
  37. ^ "Oakland police chief grateful to take on challenge, gives emotional thank you to his mom". KTVU FOX 2. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-19.

External links edit

  • Y.E.L.L. - giving McClymonds a new future[permanent dead link]
  • Article referencing sports
  • History
  • More history
  • Website of SFF, an organization giving grant money to McClymonds

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