John Bartram High School


John Bartram High School is a public secondary school serving neighborhoods of the Southwest Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the School District of Philadelphia.

History

On February 5, 1939, John Bartram High School, located at the intersection of 67th Street and Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia, opened for the first time to 1,700 students. According to a history of the school published on its 50th anniversary, the school was originally planned to be built at 74th Street and Dicks Avenue, but the site was changed before construction started. It was built to relieve overcrowding at West Philadelphia High School due to population increases in the southwest part of the city.
The art-deco building was designed for 2,750 students but frequently held 3,200 or more.
It was one of the first Philadelphia high schools named for a prominent individual rather than a geographic region of the city.
On December 4, 1986, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The school is home to PA-20032 Unit of the Air Force JROTC.

School and site structure

The building

The school was built in 1939 due to overcrowding in West Philadelphia High School. The school was named after a famous botanist, John Bartram. Mr. Cennamo, 11th grade climate coordinator, said, "originally the building consisted of four floors, but in the 21st century the 4th floor was blockaded from all students". The building is one city block long and the capacity of the school is about 3000 students. The blueprint of the school shows that there are approximately 103 classrooms and 12 staircases. The school has a boys' and a girls' gymnasium for different sporting events. The auditorium can hold about 1077 people.

English

John Bartram students must take four English classes to graduate. English classes are to help students improve their reading, grammar, writing skills, and vocabulary. Optional English classes include SAT English, AP English, Theater, Public Speaking, and AP English Literature.

Notable alumni