H. D. Woodson High School

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Howard D. Woodson High School
WoodsonHS DC.jpg
Information
School typePublic high school
MottoThe Woodson Way
(In days to come, it will please us to remember this)
Established1972
School districtDistrict of Columbia Public Schools
PrincipalWilliam E. Massey
Grades9 to 12
Enrollment660 (2016)
Campus size6 acres (2.4 ha)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Red, Black, Green
MascotAfrican Warrior

Howard Dilworth Woodson High School (known as H. D. Woodson High School, Howard D. Woodson High School, or Woodson High School) is a secondary school in Washington, D.C. that serves grades 9 through 12. It is located in the Northeast Boundary neighborhood, at the intersection of 55th and Eads Streets NE. It is a part of the District of Columbia Public Schools, and primarily serves students in Ward 7.[1] The current principal is William Massey.

The school's sports program is among the strongest in the DC metro area, winning multiple varsity boys football championships and varsity boys and girls basketball championship repeats. The boys' varsity basketball team finished the 2015–16 season undefeated and won the state championship, finishing the season ranked 8th in the nation.[2]

History

H. D. Woodson

The school is named after Howard Dilworth Woodson (1877-1962). A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Woodson worked for the federal government as a civil/structural engineer for many years, and became a civic leader in the Far Northeast/Deanwood neighborhood, campaigning for more resources for education, redevelopment, and utility services for the area. During that time, the District of Columbia did not have an elected government. Woodson frequently testified before U.S. congressional committees for D.C. oversight.[3]

Woodson advocated for a high school to be built in Deanwood in response to demands in the area for a local school. Since the Deanwood area had no neighborhood high school, students traveled to Eastern, Spingarn, or Anacostia high schools.

Early years: 55th & Eads Streets, NE

The new school opened in 1972 at 55th and Eads streets NE., and was named Howard Dilworth Woodson Senior High School. Described as the first high-rise high school in the country,[4] it consisted of a seven-floor tower above a plaza and a ground floor with a greenhouse on the roof, and elevators and escalators that took students and faculty up and down the tower. Initially, the building's size and shape ran into obstacles with the planning boards. However, H.D. Woodson's son, Granville Woodson, the chief of the DCPS buildings department, argued successfully that the size and shape of the new school was exactly the point, and made the school the focus of the community by appearing as significant as possible.[5] The school resembled a modern office building with a large outside pedestrian plaza, a surface parking lot for 200 vehicles, and a stadium with track, athletic fields, and tennis courts. A student contest to create a slogan for the building resulted in the nickname, "the tower of power".[5]

When Woodson finally opened for grades 10 and 11 on September 13, 1972, it was praised as a state-of-the-art campus with a new look, new equipment, and specially recruited new teachers.[6] Inside the school there were 82 classrooms, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a large gymnasium, health suite, dance studio, auditorium/theater, and a military armory with ROTC classroom. The main office, including the principal's office, a full-scale bank, conference rooms, and administrative support areas, was located on the plaza floor. Assistant principal offices were located on the ground and plaza floors and floors 2, 5, and 7. Guidance counselors were located on floors 2–7. A college-sized library/media center with a college and career center encompassed the entire first floor. Between 1975-1979 it averaged 1,800 students per year during the day and 380 students per year at the evening community school. Students from all quadrants of the city attended the school, which was set up as a "comprehensive" high school, offering both traditional academic and vocational programs, including wood and machine shops, a drafting program, an electrical trade program, a "power mechanics" lab to study jet and rocket engines, extensive home-economics facilities, and a greenhouse. Between 1975 and 1979, Woodson had a graduation rate of 95%.[5]

For over 15 years, Woodson was well staffed and maintained by DCPS. The school was successful in academics and sports, and the premises were cared for by both staff and students. During Woodson's heyday under Principal James W. Curry, students participated in 78 clubs and organizations that further enriched and enhanced their academic experience. By 1979, the school's faculty numbered 185 teachers, including faculty at the evening community school.

In 1986, the school held a special dedication ceremony to name its gymnasium after John P. Davis, the school's first boys basketball coach (1972–82), who died in 1984.[7]

1990–2008: Decline and lack of funding

As years went by, the school building deteriorated due to lack of funding. By the 1990s, Woodson's tower "loomed over the Deanwood neighborhood became an outsized symbol of the District government's dysfunction."[8] Instead of the custodial staff being tied to the size of the building, DCPS tied the staff to student enrollment. As the student body declined, so did the number of custodial staff members. Preventive maintenance essentially came to a halt.

With a shortage of money for maintenance, broken pipes dripped throughout the building. The escalators no longer functioned and were used as stairs. As classes changed, the administration implemented a system for students to go up the escalators and down the stairwells, located at every corner of the building.[8] Woodson's pool had previously been used by the community, but by the mid-1990s, the Department of Parks & Recreation ceased contributing to the pool's maintenance, and soon after, the six-lane pool was closed.

Despite building deterioration, Woodson's athletic success continued. The closing of the school's pool did not stop the Warrior Sharks from winning the DCIAA Championship during the 1994 swim season. In a technique they called "dry-land swimming", the team swam on tables using stopwatches, and Coach Bruce Bradford developed breathing and kicking techniques.

The girls' basketball and the varsity football teams also continue the school's winning tradition. The girls won eleven DCIAA Championships and three state titles during that period. Each year, the varsity football team appeared in the annual DCIAA Turkey Bowl, taking four City Championship titles.

The school's "African Warrior" mascot was initially displayed backward, showing the buttock of the Warrior. In the mid-1990s, DCPS turned the warrior to face front. Woodson is also represented by three colors: red, black, and green, representing the blood, skin, and land of black people.

2008–2011: Relocation

Eventually, the original building was demolished in 2009, and replaced by a new three-story state-of-the-art building in 2011. As Woodson was being demolished in 2009, ninth-graders attended Ron Brown Middle School on Meade Street Northeast. The upperclassmen settled in at a former middle school in Southeast, once named Fletcher-Johnson Education Center on Benning Road.

Despite a gym smaller than a high school's and a field with no goal post, the girls' basketball and the varsity football teams continued winning. During the relocation period from 2008–2011, both brought home DCIAA Championships each year. The girls took home two state titles.

In September 2014, during halftime at a Roosevelt v. H.D. Woodson game, the school honored coach Robert Headen by dedicating the school's new stadium to him. As head coach, he had a record of 268 wins with only 87 losses, and won six city titles during his coaching career.[9] Headen was the first high school coach from DC inducted into the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame and in the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame for sports.[citation needed]

Demographics

98.9% of the students at Woodson are Black, non-Hispanic. Other students are Hispanic / Latino (0.6%), Native American / Alaska Native (0.2%), Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander (0.2%), or Multiracial (0.3%).[10]

Attendance boundary

  • Attendance Zone Changes: The H.D. Woodson HS attendance zone is made up of the attendance zone of the middle school that is designated to geographically feed into H.D. Woodson - Kelly Miller MS.
  • Geographic Feeder Pathway: Anyone living in the new attendance zone for Kelly Miller MS is zoned for and has a right to attend H.D. Woodson High School. Any student attending a feeder middle school out-of-boundary has the right to continue in the feeder pathway to H.D. Woodson. Feeder pathway changes were made to better align school building capacity with population and with boundary participation rates and to support racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity, where possible.
  • Programmatic Feeder Pathway: McKinley MS is a STEM middle school. Eighth-grade students at McKinley MS will have a right to attend Woodson HS to continue a STEM pathway.

Feeder schools

  • Elementary Schools
    • Nalle Elementary School
    • Smothers Elementary School
    • Aiton Elementary School
    • Drew Elementary School
    • C.W. Harris Elementary School
  • Middle Schools
    • Kelly Miller Middle School feeds into Woodson [11]

Curriculum and student performance

Students who attend H.D. Woodson can participate in the NAF program (Information Technology / Computer Science) and the STEM Academy. The school also offers various AP courses.

Woodson offers various extracurricular activities, including a National Honor Society, NJROTC, Drill Team, and Future Business Leaders of America.[12]

Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund

Susie Kay founded the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund (HDSF) in 1996 while working as an American Government teacher at Woodson. Kay organized a one-day charity basketball tournament to raise money to assist students with college expenses, raising $3,000 for academic college scholarships. As well as scholarships, HDSF provided mentorship from DC-area professionals, and college and career preparation.[13] To get HDSF on its feet, Key searched for corporate sponsors and volunteers, and as the operation grew, she was eventually asked by DCPS to raise funds for all DC Public School students.[14]

HDSF brought together more than 1,000 students and mentors; facilitated more than 250 internships; engaged over 1,000 volunteers in community cleanup projects; and helped more than 900 students attend college through scholarships totaling more than $3 million. Hoop Dreams shut down operations because scholarships beyond the 2009–10 academic year could not be guaranteed.[15]

Athletics

The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) is the public high school athletic league in Washington, D.C. The league was founded in 1958. The original high school conference for D.C. schools was the Inter-High School Athletic Association, formed around 1896. That organization was segregated, and black schools in the District formed their own athletic association. The Inter-High League was renamed the DCIAA in 1989 to bring the District of Columbia in line with other states with interscholastic athletic programs.

The DCIAA sponsors varsity championships in basketball, baseball, bowling, cross country, football, Flag football -girls, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, skiing, and track and field.

The District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) was created in 2012 by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray to expand interscholastic competition and enhance student-athlete achievement in public schools, public charter schools and independent private and parochial schools.[16] Prior to its creation, the DC City Title was a post season game between DCIAA & WCAC championship winners.

Boys' basketball

The head coach of the H.D. Woodson Warriors boys basketball team is coach Trey Mines (2013–present). Upon Mines accepting the position, the Warriors had never won a DCIAA Basketball Championship, but they finally did so in 2014. During the 2015–16 season, they became the first DC Public School to finish a season undefeated since Spingarn Senior High School in 1985.[17] After winning the DCIAA championship with a 30–0 record, the Woodson Warriors went on to beat WCAC champions Gonzaga in a 105-102 double-overtime semi-final on March 3, 2016 at the Verizon Center.[18] They went on to win the D.C. State Athletic Association championship against Friendship Collegiate 60-47 on March 6, 2016.[19]

H.D. Woodson went from being unranked to No. 8 in the country after winning their second consecutive DCIAA title and first DCSAA title. Although the team wanted to continue to play at the national level, the Woodson administration declined the invitation to play in the Dick's National Tournament, which ended their season #1 in the Washington Post with a record of 33–0.[20]

Nike Elite has sponsored the H.D. Woodson Boys' Basketball team since the 2016–17 season.

Boys' basketball DCIAA championships

Woodson has won two DCIAA championships (2014, 2015), and been runner-up on one further occasion.

Year Champion Runner-up Score Coach
2013 Theodore Roosevelt H.D. Woodson 77-50 Lawrence "Trey" Mines
2014 H.D. Woodson Coolidge 42-36 Lawrence "Trey" Mines
2015 H.D. Woodson Theodore Roosevelt 68-57 Lawrence "Trey" Mines

Boys' basketball city title/DCSAA

Woodson has won the DCSAA title once (2015), and finished runner-up once.

Year Champion Runner-up Score Coach
2014 St. John's H.D. Woodson 71-45 Lawrence "Trey" Mines
2015 H.D. Woodson Friendship Collegiate 60-47 Lawrence "Trey" Mines

Girls' basketball

Coach Robert Headen saw great success coaching Woodson's girls' basketball team. He has a career record of 543–59 with 14 DCIAA titles and two City Title championships. The girls' team had a seven-year run under Frank Oliver Jr. The eighth victory came under Associate head coach Mike Gray once the school placed coach Henry Anglin on administrative leave.[21]

Girls' basketball DCIAA championship total

School Championships Runners-up Total

Appearances

H.D. Woodson 23 23

Girls basketball city citle/DCSAA

Woodson Boys' Basketball Team had never made it to the City-Title game before the 2014–15 season. However, here is a list of City Title Games: Year-by-year results with Woodson's Girls.

Girls' basketball city title/DCSAA championships

Woodson has won the Girls' basketball city title/DCSAA championships 6 times, and finished runners up on a further 10 occasions.

Year Champion Runner-up Score Coach
1990 H.D. Woodson O'Connell 70-53 Robert "Bob" Headen
1992 H.D. Woodson O'Connell 46-29 Robert "Bob" Headen
1994 O'Connell H.D. Woodson 47-35 Robert "Bob" Headen
1997 Elizabeth Seton H.D. Woodson 64-51 Robert "Bob" Headen
1998 St. John's H.D. Woodson 73-35 Robert "Bob" Headen
1999 St. John's H.D. Woodson 54-47 Robert "Bob" Headen
2001 Elizabeth Seton H.D. Woodson 47-43 Robert "Bob" Headen
2003 McNamara H.D. Woodson 91-49 Robert "Bob" Headen
2006 Good Counsel H.D. Woodson 62-34 Frank Oliver Jr.
2007 Holy Cross H.D. Woodson 61-54 Frank Oliver Jr.
2008 H.D. Woodson McNamara 61-55 Frank Oliver Jr.
2009 H.D. Woodson Good Counsel 61-43 Frank Oliver Jr.
2010 Elizabeth Seton H.D. Woodson 51-30 Frank Oliver Jr.
2011 St. John's H.D. Woodson 59-44 Frank Oliver Jr.
2012 H.D. Woodson Good Counsel 64-54 Frank Oliver Jr.
2013 H.D. Woodson Georgetown Day 60-42 Henry Anglin & Mike Gray

Softball

The girls' softball team won two City Championships in 1986 and 2002 under coach Robert Headen.

Swimming

Swimming city title/DCSAA championships

Year Champion Coach
1994 H.D. Woodson Bruce Bradford

Track and field

1978 - Lady Warriors won the 1978 Penn Relay 400-meter girls relay.[22]

Varsity football

Varsity football DCIAA championship

Coach Headen retired from football in 1999 after 27 years as head coach at H.D. Woodson High, and after winning an unprecedented seven DCIAA Championship. At the end of his career, 12 of 18 players drafted into the NFL were Woodson alumni. As Woodson's Athletic Director, he replaced himself with coach Gregory Fuller, who has continued the winning tradition at Woodson with eight DCIAA Championships of his own as of 2016.

Woodson has won the Varsity football DCIAA championships on 16 occasions, and finished runner-up a further 7 times.

Year Champion Runner-up Score Coach
1975 H.D. Woodson Dunbar 14-0 Robert "Bob" Headen
1981 H.D. Woodson Theodore Roosevelt 7-6 Robert "Bob" Headen
1982 H.D. Woodson Coolidge 33-0 Robert "Bob" Headen
1985 Coolidge H.D. Woodson 35-6 Robert "Bob" Headen
1986 Coolidge H.D. Woodson 32-13 Robert "Bob" Headen
1987 H.D. Woodson Coolidge 21-6 Robert "Bob" Headen
1993 H.D. Woodson Anacostia 14-12 Robert "Bob" Headen
1994 H.D. Woodson Anacostia 6-0 Robert "Bob" Headen
1997 H.D. Woodson Anacostia 26-22 Robert "Bob" Headen
2001 Dunbar H.D. Woodson 16-14 Greg Fuller
2002 H.D. Woodson Dunbar 19-3 Greg Fuller
2004 Dunbar H.D. Woodson[23] 33-0 Greg Fuller
2007 Dunbar H.D. Woodson 20-9 Greg Fuller
2008 H.D. Woodson Dunbar 24-6 Greg Fuller
2009 H.D. Woodson Ballou 30-26 Greg Fuller
2010 H.D. Woodson Dunbar 44-12 Greg Fuller
2013 H.D. Woodson Wilson 25-13 Steve Scott
2014 H.D. Woodson Ballou 16-12 Steve Scott
2015 H.D. Woodson Wilson 40-24 Greg Fuller
2016 H.D. Woodson Wilson 22-20 Greg Fuller
2017 Ballou H.D. Woodson 17-14 Greg Fuller
2018 H.D. Woodson Ballou 18-12 Greg Fuller
2019 Dunbar H.D. Woodson 21-12 Greg Fuller

Notable faculty

  • Angela Winbush, music teacher, National Recording Artist
  • Robert Headen, PE teacher and sports coach, First African-American and the first Washington DC inductee into the National High School Coaches Association

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "Woodson High School | My School DC". www.myschooldc.org. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  2. ^ "School Profiles Home". profiles.dcps.dc.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  3. ^ "Howard D. Woodson Residence, African American Heritage Trail - www.culturaltourism.org". www.culturaltourismdc.org. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  4. ^ "A hopeful moment as new H.D. Woodson High School opens its doors". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  5. ^ a b c "End of an Error". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  6. ^ Perl, Peter; Perl, Peter (1981-12-26). "Woodson's Class of 1980: Defeats, Victories in Real World". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  7. ^ Huff, Donald; Huff, Donald (1986-04-17). "Notebook". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  8. ^ a b "A hopeful moment as new H.D. Woodson High School opens its doors". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  9. ^ "H.D. Woodson dedicates stadium to DC coach Bob Headen". USA Today High School Sports. 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  10. ^ "Woodson High School | My School DC". www.myschooldc.org. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  11. ^ "H.D. Woodson High School Boundary and Feeder Pathway" (PDF). August 2014.
  12. ^ "School Lottery Profile". profiles.dcps.dc.gov. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  13. ^ http://www.hoopdreams.org/redpacket_online.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  14. ^ "Susie Kay "Hoop Dreams" | No Strings Attached - ENews". No Strings Attached - ENews. 2016-09-18. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  15. ^ Wilson, Timothy (2009-10-08). "Hundreds Gather to Say Goodbye to Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  16. ^ Pitts, Breana (2014-05-16). "D.C. Student-Athletes Awarded $21,000 at DCSAA Scholarship Reception | Afro". Afro. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  17. ^ "Ronald Reagan: Remarks Congratulating the Championship Spingarn High School Basketball Team". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  18. ^ "No. 1 H.D. Woodson rallies past Gonzaga in a DCSAA double overtime thriller". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  19. ^ "H.D. Woodson beats Friendship Collegiate to cap its perfect season with a DCSAA title". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  20. ^ "Final 2015-16 boys' basketball rankings: Unbeaten H.D. Woodson is No. 1". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  21. ^ "H.D. Woodson girls' basketball coach placed on administrative leave following altercation". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  22. ^ "Woodson Girls Win". The Washington Post. 1978-04-30. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  23. ^ "Dunbar Gobbles Up Another Title (washingtonpost.com)". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  24. ^ Fachet, Robert (23 September 1981). "D.C.'s Brown, Now an Eagle Is Waiting for Redskins". Washington Post.
  25. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (23 September 2011). "Orlando Brown, Who Sued N.F.L. Over Errant Flag, Dies at 40". The New York Times.
  26. ^ a b c Barr, Josh (9 May 1999). "It's the End of an Era For H.D. Woodson". Washington Post.
  27. ^ "Ken Crawley, former Buffaloes cornerback, proud of achievements on, off field". The Denver Post. 2 January 2016.
  28. ^ Eaton, Emilie (July 7, 2016). "UC coach engages at-risk youth with basketball". The Enquirer.
  29. ^ Schultz, David (December 27, 2009). "D.C. Bowl Game Is Homecoming For Temple Player". WAMU.
  30. ^ Reiter, Ben (November 21, 2005). "Byron Leftwich". Sports Illustrated Vault.
  31. ^ "Redskins' Josh Morgan returns home". WJLA. 25 July 2012.
  32. ^ Autullo, Ryan (September 29, 2012). "UT freshman Russell off to fast start". The Blade.
  33. ^ Wimmer, Chris (20 September 1990). "Tech's Russell a Summer He'd Like to Forget". Washington Post.
  34. ^ Rubinstein, Julian (25 November 1993). "A Player for All Seasons, Spriggs Aims for a Woodson City Title". Washington Post.
  35. ^ "Howard University Mourns Loss of Fallen Bison, Jose White". Howard University Athletics. October 29, 2019.
  36. ^ Barr, Josh (27 April 2012). "Patriots draft former H.D. Woodson star Tavon Wilson in second round". Washington Post.

External links

Coordinates: 38°53′48″N 76°55′22″W / 38.8968°N 76.9227°W / 38.8968; -76.9227

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