Continuing our series of schools within the Wallingford attendance area, here’s a look at Roosevelt High School.
Roosevelt High School (1410 NE 66th St.) is located in the Roosevelt neighborhood, just a block north of 65th and Roosevelt. We include it in our school series because it is our attendance area high school; however, for those 8th graders in the Advanced Placement Program (APP) at Hamilton International Middle School, a new APP program will begin at Ingraham High School in September 2011. More information about this new APP Program is listed below**
Roosevelt has over 1700 students–double the size of Hamilton’s population, but still strives to maintain an average class size of 27 students. It has an Honors Program, an Advanced Placement Program, and Running Start, in which juniors and seniors who pass a community college placement test may take classes at local community colleges for concurrent high school and college credit. Roosevelt also has World Language offerings in French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish in Levels I-IV, and American Sign Language classes offered in Levels I-III.
In addition to its academics, the high school has several offerings in the arts including band, jazz, drama, orchestra, and visual arts. The music program includes a marching band, concert band, jazz band, vocal jazz, symphony orchestra, concert orchestra, chamber orchestra, and a piano class. Cadet Band is open to all incoming Freshman Band Students, and no audition is required for Cadet or Marching Band.
Roosevelt is the only school within the Seattle Public Schools district that has a full time drama department, offering 8 periods of drama per day that includes courses for acting, directing, technical theatre, production, design, and a full musical theatre program with four private voice teachers, a vocal director and a choreographer for the yearly musical. Just recently, theatre tech students in the drama department built an impressive swimming pool onstage for their production of Metamorphoses.
Roosevelt’s athletic program includes Football, Coed Cross Country, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Tennis, Men’s Golf, and Women’s Swimming in the fall. Winter athletics include Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Wrestling, Men’s Swimming, and Gymnastics. Spring sports include Men’s Baseball. Women’s Softball, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Track, Coed Track and Field, and Women’s Golf. There are also various spirit squads to cheer for the Roosevelt Rough Riders all year long.
In 2004, the school underwent an $94 million dollar renovation, which you may remember seeing the sea of green and gold-clad students during lunchtime here in Wallingford, when the school was temporarily housed at Lincoln. The two-year project included state-of-the-art technology and safety upgrades, plus an impressive sky-lit library and a new commons area, making Roosevelt a great looking and functional school.
**From the New Student Assignment Plan Transition Plan approved by the school board, here’s the background on the new Advanced Program Placement program at Ingraham High School, and how it affects current 8th graders enrolled in APP at Hamilton:
New APP Program at Ingraham High School
A second program option for current APP students will open at Ingraham High School in September 2011. The program will begin in 2011‐12 at 9th grade, adding a grade each year. If there is sufficient interest among students entering 10th grade, a 10th grade cohort will also be started. This program model is based on a successful Gifted High School program at Bellevue’s Interlake High School. Academically Highly Gifted APP students will generally take core classes together and then enroll in International Baccalaureate classes beginning in 10th grade – a year earlier than usual. An accelerated curriculum leads to an early IB diploma, allowing seniors to complete internships, college classes, and further electives. Current 8th graders enrolled in APP at Hamilton or Washington (9th grade in 2011‐12) will be contacted and given the opportunity to get an early assignment (prior to Open Enrollment) to the new APP program at Ingraham. Students who apply for and receive an early assignment to Ingraham APP will forfeit their Roosevelt assignment. (If they reapply for Roosevelt, assignment will depend on space available; tiebreakers apply during Open Enrollment.)