Northwest Classen High School

Northwest Classen High School
Address
2801 Northwest 27th Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73107 United States
Coordinates	35°29′54″N 97°33′48″W / 35.4983919°N 97.5633735°WCoordinates: 35°29′54″N 97°33′48″W / 35.4983919°N 97.5633735°W [1]
Information
Established	1955
Opened	September 2, 1955
School district	Oklahoma City Public Schools
CEEB code	372685
Principal	Kirk Wilson
Staff	90
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1093
Student to teacher ratio	14.4
School colour(s)	Purple and Gold
Mascot	Bedivere - Knight of the Round Table
Nickname	Northwest Classen Knights
Team name	Knights
Average ACT scores	151 testers with an average composite of 16.7 (2010)[2]
Newspaper	The Shield
Website	Home of the Knights

Northwest Classen High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9-12 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

History

Northwest Classen High School was built in 1955 to accommodate the growing population in the northwest corridor of Oklahoma City. Along with Classen School of Advanced Studies, it was named for Anton H. Classen, an early Oklahoma City real estate developer and philanthropist.^[3][4]

As the neighborhoods around Northwest Classen have changed, so has the cultural makeup of the campus. Initially an almost all-Caucasian school, the population has gradually become more multi-cultural. Today, the enrollment in the school is nearly an equal split of Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian students with almost 100 different races and cultures represented.

Extracurricular activities

Northwest fields teams in Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association-sanctioned competition in fast-pitch softball, football, cheerleading, cross country, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, golf, soccer, and track.^[5]

Notable alumni

• Mason Williams (Class of 1956) – Recording Artist ^[6]
• Edward Ruscha (Class of 1956) – Artist ^[6]
• William A. Martin (Class of 1956) – Computer Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Pioneer ^[7]
• Susanna Talley Clark (Class of 1957) – Songwriter, artist and wife of Guy Clark ^[8]
• Henson Cargill (Class of 1959) – Recording Artist ^[9]
• Ronald Fagin (Class of 1963) – Computer Scientist, Author of Fagin's theorem ^[10]
• Lynne Hardin (Class of 1964) – Chair, Oklahoma City Board of Education (2013-present) ^[11]
• Ron Norick (Class of 1965) – Former mayor of Oklahoma City ^[12]
• Elizabeth (Herring) Warren (Class of 1966) – United States Senator from Massachusetts. Special Advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner while establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Professor, Harvard Law School. ^[13]
• Kirk Humphreys (Class of 1968) – Former Mayor of Oklahoma City ^[12]
• Skip Bayless (Class of 1970) – Sports Broadcaster ^[14]
• William Citty (Class of 1971) – Chief of Police, Oklahoma City ^[15]
• J. Clifford Hudson (Class of 1973) – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sonic Corp. ^[16]
• Vince Gill (Class of 1975) – Recording Artist ^[17]
• Sean O'Grady (Class of 1977) – World Boxing Association Lightweight ^[18]
• Brad Piccolo (Class of 1979) - Recording Artist (Founding member of The Red Dirt Rangers) ^[19]
• Darryl Kennedy (Class of 1983) - Professional Basketball Player
• Kevin Thornton (Class of 1987) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd) ^[20]
• Bryan Abrams (Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd) ^[20]
• Sam Watters (Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd) ^[20]
• Mark Calderon (Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd) ^[20]
• Darnell Jackson (Class of 2003, transferred) – Former NBA Basketball Player ^[21]

References

1. "Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report". Geographic Names Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1979-12-18. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
2. "Oklahoma Public High School Average ACT Scores: 2010 Graduates" (PDF). Oklahoma State Department of Education. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
3. "Northwest Classen High School". Oklahoma City Public Schools. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
4. "Classen High School History". Classen High School Alumni Association. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
5. "OSSAA Schools Classification by Sport". Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
6. "What's New with Mason Williams". Mason Williams. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
7. "Obituary". MIT. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
8. "Susanna Clark, 1941–2007, Nashville Scene, July 5, 2012.
9. "Henson Cargill, 1941–2007, Edmond Sun, March 27, 2007.
10. "Ron Fagin's Site at Almaden Research Center". Retrieved 2010-04-14.
11. "About Lynne Hardin". Retrieved 2013-02-14.
12. Centrella, Heidi R. (2004). "Alumni Raising Funds for Northwest Classen High School". The Journal Record of Oklahoma City. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
13. "Elizabeth Warren: An Okie in Washington riles Wall Street". The Daily Oklahoman. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
14. "Wall of Fame Honorees". The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
15. "Interview with Bill Citty". The Living Room with Gerry Bonds. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
16. "1973 graduates of Northwest Classen High School announce $500,000 donation to fund additional improvements of the school's auditorium".
17. "2007 Oklahoman of the Year". Oklahoma Today Magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
18. "Sean O'Grady Professional Profile". NAI Sullivan Group. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
19. The Shield -- Northwest Classen High School Yearbook. Oklahoma City, OK: Yearbook Staff, Northwest Classen High School. May 18, 1979. p. 173.
20. "Color Me Badd Official MySpace Profile". MySpace. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
21. "Darnell Jackson". Scout.com.

External links

• Official Website
• District site
• Alumni Association
• Facebook Page (Created by Alumni)
• Alumni/Faculty/Current Students' Community