Theodore Roosevelt High School (Los Angeles)

Theodore Roosevelt High School
File:TRHSSeal.png "Don't flinch, don't foul, hit the line hard!"
Location
456 South Matthews Street, Los Angeles, California, United States 90033
Information
Type	Public
Established	1922
School district	Los Angeles Unified School District
Principal	Mr. Bruce Bivins
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	5,047
Color(s)	Cardinal, & Gold
Athletics conference	Eastern League CIF Los Angeles City Section
Mascot	Rough Rider, Teddy Bear
Rivals	Garfield High School
Website	Official website

Theodore Roosevelt High School is an educational institution of seven high schools (grades 9-12) located in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, California named for the 26th president of the United States.

Roosevelt is a public school in the Los Angeles Unified School District with an enrollment of 5,047 in 2007, making it one of the largest in the country, and second largest behind Belmont High School at the time. Up until the 2008-09 school year, the school followed a year-round calendar. In 2008, the school started to be managed by the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which was started by Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. In 2010, the cohesive institution was split up into seven small schools, each with its own principal, CEEB code (used by SAT, colleges, etc.), students and staff. The outcomes of this have been debated by students and administrators.

Its school colors are red and gold, the mascot is Teddy the Bear, and their sport teams are known as the Rough Riders. The school's motto is "Don't flinch, don't foul, hit the line hard!", which is a Theodore Roosevelt quote.

Students come from Boyle Heights, South Central, East Los Angeles, and City Terrace.

Roosevelt participates in the annual "East L.A. Classic" against Garfield High School. It is the homecoming game for both schools and attracts over 20,000 people every year.

History

Roosevelt was founded in 1922, but opened in 1923 in Boyle Heights to the east of the Los Angeles River.

During World War II the Japanese were removed to internment camps. Many returned after the war. A Japanese garden that had been destroyed was restored in 1996 with funds raised by alumni and students.

As the population grew in the area, Roosevelt sought expansion. The R-Building (R for Roosevelt) was the main building and faced Fickett Street. The street was vacated and a new administration (A-Building for administration) was constructed. Many new buildings were created and added to campus. The R-building has an interesting history and distinct architecture. There was a fourth floor to the building which had to be closed due to damage from a fire. The basement was built with a shooting range for the Junior ROTC (JROTC), although only air rifles may be used now.

Roosevelt was one of the five schools to initiate the student walkouts in 1968, and contributed to the walkouts in 2006, in protest to the HR 4437 bill. Roosevelt also has been recently criticized for opening a Planned Parenthood clinic on campus grounds.

May 15, 2015 Roosevelt High School students Unify and Fight by walking out once more. In protest to the unsatisfactory decisions made by Administrations as well as being furious at School Officials for not managing the school properly. Roosevelt High School Located in Eaat Los Angeles has a history of fighting for social and educational justice, and students continue that legacy by not keeping quite and making their voices heard on that day. (Allegedly the walkout was intended to stop the displacement of 23 Roosevelt Teachers)

In 2009 the opening of the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Centers helped to expand Roosevelt.

Academic Performance Index (API)

API for High Schools in the LAUSD District 5 and local small public charter high schools in the East Los Angeles region.

School	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School	807	818	815	820	832
Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School	718	792	788	788	809
Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter High School	662	726	709	710	744
James A. Garfield High School	553	597	593	632	705
Abraham Lincoln High School	594	609	588	616	643
Woodrow Wilson High School	582	585	600	615	636
Theodore Roosevelt High School	557	551	576	608
Thomas Jefferson High School	457	516	514	546	546
Santee Education Complex		502	521	552	565

The East LA Classic

The East L.A. Classic is the homecoming game for Roosevelt High School and Garfield High School, and now Woodrow Wilson High School make appearances in the game versus Roosevelt or Garfield. The classic has taken place since a few years after the opening of the two schools, with the exception of the Depression and World War II. The classic brings out alumni from all parts of the world, usually fielding 20,000 people per game and has been held at the East Los Angeles College at the Weingart Stadium although it has been held at the The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Artwork

The artist Nelyollotl Toltecatl painted a 400 feet (120 m) mural, known as the Anahuac Mural, on two outside walls of Roosevelt depicting murder, rape, and enslavement of Native Americans by European colonizers. In 1996 Toltecatl, who was previously known under a Spanish name, began to work on a mural intended to depict Chicano history and assimilation. After about a year of work on the project, the tone of his mural changed after attending a lecture by Olin Tezcatlipoca.

Notable alumni

• Leo Buscaglia - Writer and professor
• Chris Arreola - Professional heavyweight boxer
• Lou Adler – Music Grammy Award winner and film Producer; noted for the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Up in Smoke
• Sam Balter – All American basketball player UCLA; gold medal winner basketball 1936 Summer Olympics; member of the SCSBA Hall of Fame
• Paul Bannai – First Japanese American assemblyman in California
• Lynn Cain – USC running back, played for Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams
• Phil Carreón (1923–1920), big band leader who gave Lennie Niehaus his first job as arranger and alto saxophonist
• Gil Cedillo – California state senator
• Willie Davis – MLB 18 years; LA Dodgers 1960–72; 2 time all-star
• Michael Galitzen (Mickey Riley) – 1932 Summer Olympics gold medal springboard diving
• Mike Garrett – Heisman Trophy winner USC 1966; Former USC AD
• Joe Gold – Founder of Gold's Gym
• Paul Gonzales – First Mexican-American winner of the boxing gold medal 1984 Summer Olympics
• Frances Hashimoto - Former president and CEO of Mikawaya, credited as the creator and inventor of mochi ice cream and introducing the dessert to the American consumer market.
• Genaro Hernandez – World junior lightweight champion 1991–1994
• Robert Kinoshita – an artist, art director, and set and production designer who worked in the American film and television industries from the 1950s through the early 1980s.
• Herbert G. Klein President Richard Milhous Nixon's communications director for the executive branch
• Lennie Niehaus – Emmy winner and Clint Eastwood's musical director
• Eugene Obregon – Medal of Honor in Korean War
• Harry Pregerson – First Jewish American appointed federal circuit judge, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
• Ricky Romero – All City Player of the Year; pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays
• Edward R. Roybal – LA city councilman 1949–62; U.S. House of Representatives 1963–1993
• Shirlee Smith
• Donald Sterling - Owner of the Los Angeles Clippers
• A. Wallace Tashima – First Japanese American appointed federal circuit judge, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
• Bobbi Trout – Aviatrix record setter of the 1930s and 1940s, contemporary of Amelia Earhart and Pancho Barnes
• Antonio Villaraigosa – Former Mayor of Los Angeles, 2005-13
• Harold M. Williams – Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Carter administration; president emeritus of the Getty Center
• Howard Zieff – Director of Private Benjamin and My Girl

References

• <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/local-latino-talent-wins-latvs-be-a-vj-contest-71469937.html/> July 29, 2003 press release

External links

• Roosevelt High School website
• GreatSchools information