John Adams High School (South Bend, Indiana)

John Adams High School (often referred to locally simply as Adams) is a public secondary school in South Bend

Location

The campus is located in the River Park community on the East Side of South Bend, Indiana.Its address is 808 South Twyckenham Drive, South Bend, IN 46615.

History

John Adams High School was opened on September 30, 1940 as a program sponsored by the Federal Works Agency, Public Works Administration under Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The school opened late due to the polio epidemic of the 1930s. It is one of the four current South Bend Community School Corporation high schools. It sits on around 20 acres across from Indiana University South Bend. It has been renovated two times, the most recent being completed in early 2005.The school sports a large front lawn with many walking areas, giving it a campus-like feel. The front of the building has a tower built in, once home to a radio studio where Kate Smith sang God Bless America across the United States. It has since been renovated and remains idle. The school auditorium was once the only large performing stage in South Bend. It has been the site of many historical events and performances such as The Chicago Symphony, The Fred Waring Chorus, Ezio Pinza, Oscar Robinson, and John Wooden. The auditorium was remodeled and still seats over two-thousand people, but is now home to the school's basketball court. The classic movie Rudy was also filmed in John Adams classrooms.In 2005, the school celebrated its 65th anniversary with the completion of the most recent remodeling. It was only 11 years ago when the school was to be shut down due to a budget crisis. Large outcries by the community and movements by students kept the school going, and will keep it going for many years. The school was first led by Galen Sargent in 1940, and the current principal is Todd Wiedemann.

Athletics and Fine Arts

Indiana State Championship Play [cite web|url=http://www.ihsaa.org/school_directory_frame.htm | title=IHSAA Championships|accessdate=2006-12-13]

Year	Sport	Coach	Place
1972-1973	Boys Basketball	Dave Hadaway	2nd
1972-1973	Boys Golf	George Griffith	1st
1971-1972	Boys Golf	George Griffith	2nd
1987-1988	Boys Golf	Jerry Flanagan	2nd
1994	Boys Soccer	Jim Tallman	2nd
1961-1962	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	2nd
1962-1963	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	2nd
1963-1964	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	2nd
1961-1962	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	2nd
1965-1966	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	1st
1966-1967	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	1st
1967-1968	Boys Swimming	Don Coar	1st
1973-1974	Boys Swimming	Steve Smith	2nd
1976-1977	Boys Swimming	Steve Smith	2nd
1973-1974	Boys Swimming	Steve Smith	2nd
1974-1975	Boys Tennis	John McNarney	1st
1982-1983	Boys Tennis	Michael Allen	1st
1965-1966	Boys Wrestling	Moe Aronson	1st
1978-1979	Girls Tennis	?	2nd
1979-1980	Girls Tennis	?	2nd
1976-1977	Girls Volleyball	Sue Ganser	1st
1978-1979	Girls Volleyball	Sue Ganser	1st

Though John Adams is not the fine arts magnet school in South Bend, it has striven to keep an arts program alive under a continually decresing budget for and emphasis on the arts.The orchestra at Adams puts on several successful concerts every year. Under the direction of the highly praised Kathleen Kohn, the orchestra sends ensembles and soloists to compete at the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) competition, earning several golds each year. Show choir is a popular activity at Adams and nearly all performers in the ISSMA vocal competition receive a gold rating. The John Adams Drama Club has had many recent successes with plays such as Arsenic and Old Lace, Grease, The Odd Couple, and Black Comedy. It also does an annual haunted house which the students build themselves.The John Adams Eagle Marching Band [http://www.indianamarching.com/bands/index.php?type=Band&school=South%20Bend%20Adams&city=South%20Bend] went to regionals in 2006 for the first time since 1996 and received a gold rating at the ISSMA regional competition with a 70.85, the highest score in South Bend history. The Eagles' concert band has also received gold ratings in group II for the past two years in a row at the ISSMA competition and every year sends performers to the ISSMA State Solo and Ensemble Competition [http://www.issma.net/index.php] , as well as All-District Honor Band. And finally the two jazz bands at Adams are well known locally for their performances such as Big Band Bash and Jazz Soundsations, and participate in state comeptitions such as the Ball State Jazz Fest.

Academics

* Nevin Longenecker created the Science Research program at John Adams High School to further the education of students with a predisposition for science. Over the years Adams students have garnered grants and awards totalling over one million dollars. Recent awards include the two winners of the Indiana Academy of Science State Competition. [cite web|url=http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051221/News01/512210347 | title= Researchers from John Adams High School - South Bend, IN. | accessdate=2006-05-25]
* Under the leadership of Rosemary Hess, the school has recently been approved as an International Baccalaureate certified school. [cite web|url=http://www.sbcsc.k12.in.us/magnet-catalog.pdf | title= IB at John Adams High School - South Bend, IN. | accessdate=2006-05-25]
* The students are 44% White, 38% Black, 13% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and 2% Multiracial.
* The Mock Trial program at John Adams High School has consistently won the Indiana High School Mock Trial State Championship in recent years. John Adams High School won the state championship every year since 1998 with the exclusion of 2000. [ cite web|url=http://inmocktrial.org/awards.html|title=?] Over the years, Mock Trial teams from John Adams High School, which won the statewide competition, went on to Top 10 finishes at the national competition. [ cite web|url=http://www.nationalmocktrial.org/history.cfm|title=?]

IB Program

John Adams was recently granted permission to offer the IB Program [http://www.ibo.org] . It is the first inner-city school to offer the program, and the only high school in South Bend. The IB full diploma program is among the most rigorous academic programs of study available to high school students.Fact|date=February 2008Classes offered at Adams include History of the Americas HL and English HL.

Notable Alumni

Jason Kelly Author [http://www.nd.edu/~ndmag/pick2002/p02-1028.html] Sports Writer for the South Bend Tribune [http://www.southbendtribune.com/] Class of 1991.

Anthony Johnson- Played football for the University of Notre Dame and the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

Dan Harrigan (Swimmer) Bronze Medal Winner 1976 Olympics.

Thomas Ehlers was a linebacker in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills (1974-78). He played college football at the University of Kentucky.

Karl Romer Education Musician [http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?r=1&ean=675754688226] , Composer and Singer of Math Songs I must Sing. Romer was also a former All-American in Tennis at Adams

Michael Wolosin, Ph.D. Academic and Fellow at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change - Class of 1991.

Stasiu Nowak, Ph.D., J.D. Human Rights attorney - Class of 1993.

Matt Radecki [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0705411/] Film maker - Class of 1990

Brian David Chase [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1547676/] Film Editor - Class of 1991

Randal S. Forbes Social Security Disability Attorney, United Methodist Minister, former Circuit Court Judge, former law clerk Supreme Court of Indiana, former South Bend John Adams 1600 meter run record holder 4:28.7 - Class of 1979

Other High Schools With This Name

* John Adams High School (Jamaica/Ozone Park, NY)
* John Adams High School (Cleveland, OH)

External links

* [http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=7505 School snapshot]
* [http://www.sbcsc.k12.in.us/school-adams.htm South Bend Community School Corporation listing]
* [http://www.johnadamshighschool.org/ School website]

Citations