{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox school | name = Joel Elias Spingarn Senior High School | image = YOUNG, BROWN, PHELPS, SPRINGARN EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS H.D, WASHINGTON NE.jpg | image_size = 275px | caption = Spingarn Senior High School located in the Carver Langston neighborhood of Washington, D.C. | motto = | address = 2500 Benning Road Northeast<ref name="GNIS">{{cite web |title= GNIS entry for Spingarn Senior High School |url= https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:530742 |publisher= USGS |date= January 16, 2008}}</ref> | city = Washington | state = DC | zipcode = 20002 | country = USA | established = 1952 | closed = 2013 | schooltype = Public high school | district = District of Columbia Public Schools | grades = 9 to 12 | principal = | campus_type = Urban | campus_size = | enrollment = | faculty = | ratio = | mascot = Mighty Green Wave | colors = {{color box|green}} Green<br/>{{color box|gold}} Vegas gold | website = https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/14000198.htm }} '''Joel Elias Spingarn High School''' was a public high school located in the District of Columbia, United States. Founded in 1952, the school was the last segregated high school built in Washington, D.C. The school closed in 2013, and in 2023 the site began redevelopment to become a vocational school.
== History == Spingarn High School opened in 1952, as a new and modern segregated high school for African American students. It was the last segregated high school built in Washington, D.C., just two years before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional in ''Brown v. Board of Education''.<ref name=wamu-2013>{{cite news|last=Fenston|first=Jacob|url=https://wamu.org/story/13/02/01/spingarn_high_students_alums_brace_for_schools_closure/|title=Spingarn High Students, Alums Brace For School's Closure|work=WAMU|date=February 1, 2019}}</ref>
The school is named after Joel Elias Spingarn (1875–1939) an American educator and literary critic who established the Spingarn Medal in 1913, awarded annually for outstanding achievement by an African American. The school's formal dedication ceremonies in December 1953 were attended by Spingarn's widow, Amy Spingarn, and by Spingarn Medal winners Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois. The principal speaker at the dedication was Howard University professor John Hope Franklin.<ref>{{cite news |title=Segregation Rapped at Spingarn Dedication |work=Washington Evening Star |date=December 12, 1953 |page=35}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Robeson Plans To Be School's 'Silent' Guest |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 11, 1953 |page=39}}</ref>
Purvis J. Wiliams was the first principal, serving until 1971. Under his leadership, Spingarn gained a reputation as one of the top black schools in the district. Spingarn's enrollment was around 1500 students, who were almost entirely black even after desegregation.<ref name=wamu-2013/><ref>{{Cite news|title=Dr. Purvis J. Williams honored at Spingarn High School|date=January 24, 2004|work=The Washington Afro-American}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Jeanne |title=Spingarn, Newest High School, Mirrors Changing Community |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 19, 1957 |page=A15}}</ref> Woodson Junior High School students were housed in Spingarn High School from 1962 to 1963.<ref>DC Public Schools "Public School Buildings-Past and Present" MS, revised June 1972. Retrieved from Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives</ref>
Spingarn High School had one of D.C.'s most impressive basketball histories, producing well-known players such as Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing and Sherman Douglas. Spingarn won the City Title in 1961, 1980, 1985 and 2000. The school also played in nine District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) title games, winning for three consecutive years from 2000–2003.<ref name="mckenna-1999">{{cite news |last1=McKenna |first1=Dave |date=March 5, 1999 |title=The Next Wave |url=https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/theater/article/13017246/the-next-wave |work=Washington City Paper}}</ref><ref name="evans-2004">{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Judith |date=January 23, 2004 |title=Spingarn High's Title Wave Running Dry |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2004/01/23/spingarn-highs-title-wave-running-dry/3c1285d8-d81e-45e0-976b-12895dc45d22/ |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="stubbs-2013">{{cite news |last1=Stubbs |first1=Roman |date=February 13, 2013 |title=As D.C.'s Spingarn High prepares to close, a rich basketball tradition is left behind |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/as-dcs-spingarn-high-prepares-to-close-a-rich-basketball-tradition-is-left-behind/2013/02/13/bed6b11e-75d7-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
===Closure and redevelopment=== Spingarn High School closed at the end of the 2012–13 school year due to low enrollment; that year, there were about 374 students.<ref name=wamu-2013/><ref>{{cite news |title=Book Closes on Spingarn High School |url=https://afro.com/book-closes-on-spingarn-high-school/ |work=AFRO |date=June 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publicschoolreview.com/spingarn-senior-high-school-profile|title = Spingarn Senior High School (Closed 2014) (2022 Ranking) | Washington, DC| date=13 October 2023 }}</ref> In May 2014, the school was added to the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spingarn High School |url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/14000198.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526065427/https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/14000198.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 26, 2017 |website=National Register of Historic Places |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
In November 2023, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the city would renovate the Spingarn campus to house the D.C. Infrastructure Academy (DCIA), a vocational school founded in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-kicks-transformation-spingarn-high-school-new-dc-infrastructure-academy|title =Mayor Bowser Kicks Off Transformation of Spingarn High School Into New DC Infrastructure Academy| date=November 15, 2023}}</ref> The DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) is under the Department of Employment Services (DOES). The site is undergoing extensive repairs and construction, with a plan to reopen in 2026.
== Notable alumni == * Elgin Baylor, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player and general manager<ref name="mckenna-1999"/><ref name="evans-2004"/><ref name="stubbs-2013"/><ref name=SpingarnAlum/> * Dave Bing, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player, Mayor of Detroit, business owner<ref name="mckenna-1999"/><ref name="evans-2004"/><ref name="stubbs-2013"/><ref name=SpingarnAlum/> * Warren Buck III, physics professor, first chancellor of University of Washington Bothell<ref>{{Cite web |last=Physics |first=American Institute of |date=2022-03-10 |title=Warren W. Buck |url=https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/47040 |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=www.aip.org |language=en}}</ref> * John B. Catoe Jr., former general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority<ref name=SpingarnAlum/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sun |first1=Lena H. |title=D.C. Area Transit Chief Facing 'the Test of His Life' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304780.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 24, 2009 |page=A1}}</ref> * Hope Clarke, actress, dancer, choreographer, and director<ref name=SpingarnAlum>Bobo, Marian Kenely. [https://spingarnalumni.org/notable-alumni Spingarn SHS Notable Trail Blazers: Alumni Achievements.] Spingarn Alumni Association.</ref> * Robert Contee, retired D.C. police chief<ref name=SpingarnAlum/><ref name=wapo>{{cite news | title = Mayor chooses veteran officer Robert J. Contee as District's next police chief | newspaper = Washington Post | date = December 22, 2020 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/washington-police-chief-newsham-bowser-contee/2020/12/22/34739df8-30ef-11eb-bae0-50bb17126614_story.html | accessdate = January 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bowser Picks Longtime D.C. Police Official To Lead MPD|url=https://dcist.com/story/20/12/22/robert-j-contee-washington-dc-police-replace-chief-peter-newsham/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=DCist|language=en|archive-date=2021-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726203735/https://dcist.com/story/20/12/22/robert-j-contee-washington-dc-police-replace-chief-peter-newsham/|url-status=live}}</ref> * Sherman Douglas, professional basketball player<ref name="mckenna-1999"/><ref name="evans-2004"/><ref name="stubbs-2013"/> * Michael Graham, professional basketball player<ref name="mckenna-1999"/><ref name="stubbs-2013"/> * Mike Hinnant, professional football player<ref>{{cite news |title=For the Record |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1987/12/02/for-the-record/e5df28e3-a809-4c80-8b2d-224ced90148c/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 2, 1987 |page=D2 |quote=Temple -- Announced that senior TE Mike Hinnant, former standout at Spingarn High School, was named to Associated Press All-East football team.}}</ref> * Ollie Johnson, basketball player<ref name="mckenna-1999"/><ref name="stubbs-2013"/> * Earl Jones, professional basketball player<ref name="mckenna-1999"/><ref name="stubbs-2013"/> * John Kinard, founding director of the Anacostia Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum<ref name=SpingarnAlum/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=J.Y. |title=John R. Kinard, Director of Anacostia Museum, Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/08/06/john-r-kinard-director-of-anacostia-museum-dies/c5ca16c1-c9b6-4b35-93d0-9823a1f4bbe7/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 6, 1989}}</ref> * Jamorko Pickett, professional basketball player<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chen |first1=Nathan |title="I am DC": Jamorko's Journey |url=https://georgetownvoice.com/2021/05/24/i-am-dc-jamorkos-journey/ |website=The Georgetown Voice |access-date=August 3, 2021 |date=May 24, 2021}}</ref> * Willie Royster, professional baseball player<ref>{{cite news |last1=Huff |first1=Donald |title=The Wait, the Wondering: Former Area Picks Play On |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1981/06/09/the-wait-the-wondering-former-area-picks-play-on/723f6816-86ec-428d-b898-b41df0fb83f1/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 9, 1981}}</ref> * Stan Washington, professional basketball player<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dinsdale |first1=Nathan |title=Basketball Great Takes His Place Among Torero Legends |url=https://sites.sandiego.edu/usd-magazine/2010/01/mr-washington-goes-hall |work=USD Magazine |issue=Spring 2010 |publisher=University of San Diego}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|38|53|58.3|N|76|58|15.3|W|display=title}}
Category:Educational institutions established in 1952 Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2013 Category:Defunct schools in Washington, D.C. Category:District of Columbia Public Schools Category:African-American history of Washington, D.C. Category:School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Category:1952 establishments in Washington, D.C.