Washington High School (Atlanta)
| Booker T. Washington High School | |
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45 White House Dr. Atlanta, Georgia 30314 |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public, college preparatory, exam, 21st-century small learning communities |
| Motto | "One Family, One Destiny" |
| Founded | 1924 |
| School district | Atlanta Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Meria Joel Carstarphen |
| Principal | Dr. Charcia Nichols, George G. Rutledge, and Sam Scavella |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1100+ (2010) |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Urban |
| Area | Historic Washington Park |
| Color(s) | Royal blue and white |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Team name | Bulldogs |
| Website | btwbulldogs |
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Booker T. Washington High School
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| Location | 45 Whitehouse Dr. SW, Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Coordinates | 33°45′12″N 84°25′18″W / 33.75333°N 84.42167°WCoordinates: 33°45′12″N 84°25′18″W / 33.75333°N 84.42167°W |
| Area | 21.4 acres (8.7 ha) |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Wachendorff,Eugene C. |
| Architectural style | Medieval eclectic |
| NRHP Reference # | 86000437 |
| Added to NRHP | March 18, 1986 |
Booker T. Washington High School, named for the famous educator, opened in September 1924 under the auspices of the Atlanta Board of Education, with the late Charles Lincoln Harper as principal. It was the first public high school for African-Americans in the state of Georgia and the Atlanta Public Schools system.
Booker T. Washington High School was transformed into four small schools. Starting in the fall of 2014, the school transitioned back to the original one school, with four assistant principals, one academy leader, and one principal.
Designed by Atlanta-born architect Eugene C. Wachendorff, the building incorporates medieval and Byzantine elements, including the dramatic main entrance with five arches in two tiers. Six additions have been made to the original four-story building, which is situated on 21.4 acres (87,000 m2) of land. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It is fitting that visitors pass the statue of the school's namesake on the way to the entrance. One of the foremost black educators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 on a small farm in Virginia. He founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881.
In 1927, the only exact replica of the Booker T. Washington monument at Tuskegee University in Alabama was erected at the school's entrance. The statue of Washington, called "Booker T. Washington Lifting the Veil of Ignorance," is a replica of the original bronze at the Tuskegee Institute by sculptor Charles Keck. The inscription reads: "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."
Today, the school, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, boasts an enrollment of more than 1600 students and a faculty and staff of more than 100.
Recent visitors to the historic institution have included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, activist Jesse Jackson, civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, and President George W. Bush.
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Wikipedia