Coleman High School (Arkansas)
| Coleman High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Former name | Hall School Jefferson County Training School Jefferson County High School |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Watson Chapel School District |
| Nickname | Pirates |
Coleman High School was a public secondary school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas established in 1915. It served as a high school for black students until the public schools were integrated in 1971. It was a part of the Watson Chapel School District.
History[edit]
The school was founded as Hall School because it was founded in an abandoned dance hall on West Seventh Street in Pine Bluff. In 1915, C.P. Coleman, a graduate of the all-black Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi took the position of principal as well as the entire faculty, with a student body of 50. In 1950, the school had a faculty of 23, a student body of 900, and had moved to West 13th street. The campus included a $30,000 high school building as well as an elementary building and a home economics center. The school gymnasium was at that time the only gym for Negro children in the county. In 1951, a fireproof high school building and a science lab were added on an adjacent tract of land.[citation needed]
On April 15, 1970 there was a shooting resulting in five injuries and one death.[1]
District Court for Eastern District of Arkansas judge Oren Harris, in 1971, ordered the Watson Chapel School Board to desegregate schools. The former Coleman High School/Coleman Elementary School was to become a combined middle school while all high school students were to be moved to Watson Chapel High School.[2]
As of 2016, Coleman Elementary occupies the campus.[3][unreliable source?] Earnest C. Smith, a guidance scientist who developed NASA's lunar rover, at one time taught mathematics at Coleman.[4][unreliable source?]
References[edit]
- ^ "Shoot Out At School Leaves One Man Dead". Northwest Arkansas Times. Associated Press. April 16, 1970. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ Franklin, Ben A. (February 6, 1971). "Court Warns Arkansas Board to Integrate Schools". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Coleman High School 1915 to 1971". Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ "WINGCOM WATCHDOG (WW)". July 25, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2018.