West Philadelphia High School is a secondary school located in the

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Although there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the n ...

section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

at the intersection of 49th Street and Chestnut Street.

History

20th century

The original West Philadelphia High School (WPHS) building opened in 1912 as Philadelphia's first secondary school west of the Schuylkill, occupying an entire city block bounded by 47th, 48th,

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

, and

Locust Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...

Streets. The student population at that time was in excess of 5,500. Such was the press on the new high school, which originally stood as two separate buildings for boys and girls, that the City was compelled to open Overbrook High School in 1926. A third high school,

John Bartram John Bartram (June 3, 1699 – September 22, 1777) was an American botanist, horticulturist, and explorer, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for most of his career. Swedish botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus said he was the "greatest natu ...

, followed in 1935. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986. The school's motto was "Alere Flammam," to feed the flame. It derived from the Latin verb "alere," to nourish or to feed, and the Latin noun "flammam," flame. WPHS's athletic field, which is located at 48th and Spruce Street, was formerly known as Passon Field and home to

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

in the 1930s. It was the home field of the

Eastern Colored League The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL), was one of the several Negro leagues, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated. League history Founding The ECL ...

's Philadelphia Bacharach Giants starting in 1931, and the Negro National League's Philadelphia Stars in 1934 and 1935. In 1936, the Stars moved to Penmar Park at 44th and Parkside, where they played the majority of their home games through their final season in 1952. The field is still in use by West Philadelphia High School's football and baseball teams.

21st century

In September 2011, the school moved to a new building at its current building at 49th and

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

Streets. The new building is much smaller due to reduced enrollment at the high school. The former building at 47th Street & Walnut Street was converted into housing as the West Lofts, for about 268 apartments. In June 2013, the school district allowed the Sustainability Workshop to take all of the space in the auto mechanic building, prompting community opposition. In November 2016, the water from some faucets at the high school was found to be discolored, and was declared unsafe by school officials the following month.

Small learning communities

* AUTO: Automotive Academy * B&T: Business and Technology * UL: Urban Leadership * 9: Ninth Grade Success Academy * CAPA: Creative & Performing Arts

Sports programs and extracurricular activities

* Cheerleading Squad * Dance Club * Musicals * Choir * Volleyball * Baseball * Boys Basketball - 1977 national champions * Girls Basketball * Football * Track

Notable alumni

Gene Banks Eugene Lavon Banks (born May 15, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He was born and raised in Philadelphia. Early life and education Banks was born in Philadelphia. He attended West Philadelphia High School, where he w ...

, professional basketball player,

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

and

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Tyrell Biggs Tyrell Biggs (born December 22, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, and challenged once for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1987. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, havin ...

, heavyweight boxing champion,

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Linda Harriott-Gathright Linda C. Harriott-Gathright is an American politician serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the Hillsborough 36 district. She assumed office on December 5, 2018. Early life and education Born in Philadelphia, ...

, politician * John McDermott, first American U.S. Open golf tournament winner, 1911 *

Anne Rudin Anne Rudin (January 27, 1924 – November 25, 2021) was an American politician who served as the 51st Mayor of Sacramento from her election in 1983 until she stepped down, after declining to seek a third term in 1992. She was Sacramento's firs ...

, former

Mayor of Sacramento This is a list of mayors of Sacramento, California. The Sacramento City Council met for the first time on August 1, 1849, and the citizens approved the city charter on October 13, 1849. The City Charter was recognized by the State of California ...

, 1983 to 1992 * Ray Scott, former professional basketball player and coach,

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Art Spector Arthur Edward Spector (nicknamed "Speed"; 17 October 1920 – 18 June 1987) was an American basketball player. He played as a forward for the Boston Celtics from 1946 to 1950. Early life and education Spector was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...

, former professional basketball player,

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

Grammy award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning jazz pianist *

LeAnna Washington LeAnna M. Washington (born July 28, 1945) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 4th district from 2005 to 2014. She served as a member of the Pennsylvania House ...

, former Pennsylvania state senator

References

External links

*
Public School Insights Story on WPHS
{{authority control 1912 establishments in Pennsylvania Chestnut Street (Philadelphia) Educational institutions established in 1912 High schools in Philadelphia Public high schools in Pennsylvania School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia School District of Philadelphia West Philadelphia