East High School (Denver)
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East High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
East High School, circa 1930. Courtesy: Denver Public Library Photoswest.
Location:	1600 City Park Esplanade Denver, Colorado
Added to NRHP:	July 27, 2006
NRHP Reference#:	06000660

See also: East High School for schools of the same name

East High School is a High School located in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the Denver Public Schools System.

History

East High school opened in 1875 at 1731 Arapahoe Street with a total enrollment of 108 students, and was the first high school in Denver. The first graduating class was in 1877.

In 1889, it moved to 19th and Stout Street because of the need for more room. This location is now referred to as "Old East," and could accommodate 700 students.

The school featured a gracious flight of stairs leading to the entrance, which was notable for its sculpture of the face of a young girl, depicted as an Angel. School architect Robert S. Roeschlaub and the school board decided to use a local childhood beauty instead of a Greek face to symbolize the school's "dedication to youth." The sculptor was Preston Powers, famous for his statue of the Indian on the grounds of the Colorado state capitol. Five thousand girls across the city were visited as part of a campaign to find the model for the face, and six-year-old Ella Catherine Matty was selected. The statue was so lovely that East High students have since been referred to as East Angels.

When "Old East" was demolished in 1925, this keystone was removed and placed in a rock garden at the current location of East, 1600 City Park Esplanade. The architect for the current facility was Denver native George Hebard Williamson, himself a 1893 graduate of "Old East" High. Williamson won national recognition for his design of the "new" East, which has a 162-foot (49 m) high clock tower^[1] modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

In early 1991, the East High building was declared an official Denver Historic Landmark by the Denver Landmark Commission and the Denver City Council.

In July 2005, a music video for the song Over My Head (Cable Car), by The Fray was filmed in East High.

In 2007 and 2008, the schools' Constitutional Scholars team won 1st place at the We the People National Competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education.[2][3] Starting with the first annual contest celebrating the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution in 1988 with a team coached by American History teacher Sheila Feeney, East has fielded the Colorado representative team in 19 of the 21 years of the competition.

East has also enjoyed notable success in several Colorado 5A sports, including the most recent State Championship for a Denver Prep League School in baseball (State Champions in 1994), basketball (State Champions in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2007 and 2008), soccer (1994), lacrosse (State Champions in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000), tennis, rugby (state champions in 1997, 2002, and 2004) and football. In 2006 the East High Angels Football team made it to the 5A playoffs for the first time in 12 years, returning again in 2007 to win their first playoff game since 1992.

The school's boys and girls basketball teams are consistently ranked with the best teams in the state. In 2007, the boys basketball team was named the top ranked team in the state according to RISE Magazine and Sports Illustrated, and finished the season with another 5A state championship win topping a season with a 22-3 record. The boys repeated their 2007 success by winning the 5A state title again in 2008, making it their 5th title since 1996.

Notable alumni

Among the many notable individuals who have attended East High School are:^[2]

• Jerome Biffle, track and field gold medalist in 1952 Olympics
• Joe Barry Carroll, NBA All-star
• Beat icon Neal Cassady attended East High School for a short time
• Adam Cayton-Holland, writer at the Westword newspaper
• Don Cheadle, actor^[3]
• Judy Collins, folk and standards singer and songwriter^[4]
• Three members of Earth, Wind & Fire who were East Alumni were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• Philip Bailey
• Andrew Woolfolk
• Larry Dunn

• Douglas Fairbanks, was expelled from East High School, went on to become one of the most famous silent movie stars of all time.^[4]
• Bill Frisell, jazz guitarist
• Pam Grier, actress^[4]
• General Robert T. Herres, first Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Jamie Laurie (aka Jonny 5), Singer/Song writer for the popular band The Flobots
• Harold Lloyd, silent film actor
• Hattie McDaniel, actress (the first African American to win an Academy Award for her performance in Gone with the Wind)
• Stephen L.R. McNichols, Colorado governor (1957-1963)
• T. J. Miller, co-star of the 2008 movie Cloverfield
• David Oliver, a professional track athlete^[5]
• Antoinette Perry, stage actress (the namesake of the Tony Awards)
• Dianne Reeves, jazz vocalist
• Reese Roper, singer/song writer for Five Iron Frenzy
• Sidney Sheldon, writer
• Isaac Slade, Singer/Song writer for popular band The Fray.
• Jack Swigert, a NASA astronaut
• Paul Whiteman, a jazz composer and bandleader

References