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Ida B. Wells High School
Address
1151 SW Vermont Street Portland, (Multnomah County), Oregon 97219 United States
Coordinates	45°28′37″N 122°41′23″W / 45.476842°N 122.689798°W / 45.476842; -122.689798
Information
Former name	Woodrow Wilson High School
Type	Public
Motto	"Lifting as we climb"
Opened	1956
School district	Portland Public Schools
Principal	Ayesha Coning
Grades	9–12
Number of students	1,540 (2021–2022 enrollment)
Color(s)	Forest green and white
Athletics conference	OSAA Portland Interscholastic League 6A-1
Team name	Wells Guardians
Rival	Lincoln High School
Feeder schools	Jackson Middle School Robert Gray Middle School
Website	www.pps.net/ibw

Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School (IBWHS; colloquially Wells High School) is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. The school is located in the center Hillsdale neighborhood next to Rieke Elementary. The boundary includes most of Southwest Portland.

History

Wells High School (originally Wilson High School) was built in 1956, after a ballot measure was passed in 1945 providing $5 million to improve Portland's school system. Population was growing explosively, so emphasis was put on economy and ease of building, instead of on architectural style as was the norm in the earlier school buildings. Wilson High School, which was designed by the firm Edmundson and Kochendoerfer, used the technique of lift-slab construction to speed up construction. Wilson was the first building in the Northwest to use that technique.

In July 2020, Portland Public Schools pledged to rename the school in response to pressure from the community in light of the racial justice movement that followed the murder of George Floyd. In January 2021, the name was changed to Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, in honor of Ida B. Wells. The mascot was also changed from the Trojans to the Guardians (represented by an owl).

Notable alumni

• Kenji Bunch, violist and composer
• Ginny Burdick, communications consultant and member of the Oregon State Senate
• Boaz Frankel, television personality
• Peter Gassner, CEO and co-founder of Veeva Systems, a company supporting processes in the pharmaceutical industry. Net worth US $5.25 billion.
• David Gilkey, Nationally recognized photojournalist and war correspondent.
• Alicia Lagano, actress
• Paul Linnman, television news reporter and anchor; radio personality
• Dale Murphy, professional baseball player, 7-time All-Star, twice National League MVP
• Gabriel Pascuzzi
• William "BJ" Prendergast, US Army Major General who served as commander over US Army Africa (USAFRICOM) and Oregon National Guard.
• Damon Stoudamire, basketball player and coach, 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year
• Wayne Twitchell, professional baseball player

References

1. "Ayesha Coning". Portland Public Schools. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
2. "Oregon School Directory 2018–19" (PDF). Oregon Department of Education. p. 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
3. ^ "New Principal for Wilson High School Named". Pamplin Media. March 19, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
4. "Portland Public Schools Annual Comprehensive Financial Report For the year ended June 30, 2021" (PDF). Portland Public Schools. p. 128. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
5. "Wilson High School (Portland, oregon)". Oregon Digital. University of Oregon Libraries, Oregon State University Libraries. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
6. Campuzano, Eder (July 15, 2020). "Portland Public Schools will rename Wilson High by spring 2021, more buildings to come". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
7. Young, Jenny (January 26, 2021). "PPS changes Wilson HS name to honor Ida B. Wells-Barnett". KOIN. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
8. Stabler, David (March 9, 2010). "Homecoming for composer Kenji Bunch at the Portland Youth Philharmonic". OregonLive. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
9. Janet Christ (June 1, 2000). "He's Got a Future Full of Drama". The Oregonian. p. D02.
10. Rob Owen, Special to The Oregonian (April 7, 2012). "Ex-Portlander Alicia Lagano shows her grit in 'Client List'". OregonLive.com. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
11. "Commissioner names aides". The Oregonian. January 4, 1973. Section 2, p. 13.
12. "Dale Murphy Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
13. "Damon Stoudamire Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
14. "Wayne Twitchell Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2017.

External links

• Official website

• 1956 establishments in Oregon
• Educational institutions established in 1956
• High schools in Portland, Oregon
• Hillsdale, Portland, Oregon
• Portland Public Schools (Oregon)
• Public high schools in Oregon
• Name changes due to the George Floyd protests
• Ida B. Wells
• Buildings and structures in Southwest Portland, Oregon