Last updated: March 28, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-28)
Historyedit
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.[5][6]
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 predominantly Hispanic with about 1/2 as many African-American and 1/4 Caucasian students with almost 100 different races and cultures represented.[2]
Hudson Performance Halledit
The original auditorium was, along with the rest of the school, targeted for upgrades and renovation as part of Oklahoma City's "MAPS for Kids" program in 2010. After meeting in the auditorium, local businessman and alumni J. Clifford Hudson and his wife Leslie donated $500,000 in additional funds to install updated sound and lighting technology, improve the acoustics and update the audience area for the site. Now named the "Hudson Performance Hall", the venue has held concerts by notable acts such as Vince Gill (also an alumnus), Al Yankovic, Arlo Guthrie, and Sinbad.[7]
Extracurricular activitiesedit
Northwest fields teams in Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association-sanctioned competition in baseball, fast-pitch softball, football, cheerleading, cross country, volleyball, basketball, tennis, wrestling, golf, soccer, and track.[8]
Northwest is host to an active JROTC (Army) program. Clubs include a chess club, multicultural club, history club, native-American student services club, Anime club, and a dance team.
Notable alumniedit
William A. Martin (Class of 1956) – Computer Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Pioneer[9]
Lynne Hardin (Class of 1964) - Author of The Magic of Why and former Chair of the Oklahoma City Public School Board.
Mason Williams (Class of 1956) - Musician, composer, comedian, comedy writer. Winner of both Grammy and Emmy awards.
Referencesedit
^"Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report". Geographic Names Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. December 18, 1979. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
^ abcde"NORTHWEST CLASSEN HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
^"OEQA 2017 School Profiles" (PDF). Retrieved October 2, 2018.
^"General Information / About Northwest Classen". www.okcps.org. Oklahoma City Public Schools. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
^"Northwest Classen High School". Oklahoma City Public Schools. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
^"Classen High School History". Classen High School Alumni Association. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
^"About Us". Hudson Performance Hall. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
^"Henson Cargill, 1941–2007, Edmond Sun, March 27, 2007.
^"Gary Nixon: Two Time Grand Champion". The Daily Oklahoman. September 6, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
^ abCentrella, Heidi R. (2004). "Alumni Raising Funds for Northwest Classen High School". The Journal Record of Oklahoma City. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
^"Ron Fagin's Site at Almaden Research Center". Retrieved April 14, 2010.
^"About Lynne Hardin". Retrieved February 14, 2013.
^Lee, Robert (November 30, 1998). "Our State Has Seventh Congressman". The Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
^"Elizabeth Warren: An Okie in Washington riles Wall Street". The Daily Oklahoman. August 1, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
^"Wall of Fame Honorees". The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
^Cathey, Dave (October 20, 2015). "Rick Bayless' Oklahoma homecoming is full, like his life". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
^"Interview with Bill Citty". The Living Room with Gerry Bonds. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
^"1973 graduates of Northwest Classen High School announce $500,000 donation to fund additional improvements of the school's auditorium".
^"2007 Oklahoman of the Year". Oklahoma Today Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
^Pryzbylo, Robert (September 17, 2009). "Getting to know...Sean O'Grady". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
^The Shield -- Northwest Classen High School Yearbook. Oklahoma City, OK: Yearbook Staff, Northwest Classen High School. May 18, 1979. p. 173.
^"Awards honor graduates". The Daily Oklahoman. September 25, 2005. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
^Pego, David (January 11, 1982). "Knights' Darryl Kennedy city's best basketball player?". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
^The Shield -- Northwest Classen High School Yearbook. Oklahoma City, OK: Yearbook Staff, Northwest Classen High School. May 18, 1979. p. 161.
^Calderon, Rachel (July 23, 2014). "Hip Hop Artist Wins Emmy For Work Promoting Science Museum Oklahoma". News 9. KWTV. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
^Carlson, Jenni (March 14, 2007). "Jackson finding his way at KU Oklahomans in the NCAA Tournament: Darnell Jackson, Kansas Jayhawks The former NW Classen and Midwest City player gives Jayhawks some muscle". NewsOK.com. GateHouse Media, Inc. Retrieved February 7, 2019.