Northwest Classen High School

Northwest Classen High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9–12 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Northwest Classen High School
Address
2801 Northwest 27th Street Oklahoma City , (Oklahoma County) , Oklahoma 73107 United States
Coordinates	35.4983919°N 97.5633735°W / 35.4983919; -97.5633735[1]
Information
Motto	You-Knighted by Pride and Loyalty[2]
Established	1955
Opened	September 2, 1955 (1955-09-02)
School district	Oklahoma City Public Schools
Principal	Jahree Herzer
Teaching staff	73.90 (FTE)[3]
Grades	9–12[4]
Enrollment	1,177 (2017-18)[3]
Student to teacher ratio	15.93[3]
School colour(s)	Purple      Gold
Sports	Baseball • basketball • cheerleading • cross country • football • soccer • softball • tennis • track and field • volleyball • wrestling
Mascot	Bedivere (Knight of the Round Table)
Team name	Knights
Newspaper	The Shield
Website	www.okcps.org/NWClassen
Last updated: March 28, 2019 (2019-03-28)

History

Northwest Classen High School was built in 1955 to accommodate the growing population in the northwest corridor of Oklahoma City. Along with Classen School of Advanced Studies, it was named for Anton H. Classen, an early Oklahoma City real estate developer and philanthropist.[5][6]

As the neighborhoods around Northwest Classen have changed, so has the cultural makeup of the campus. Initially an almost all-Caucasian school, the population has gradually become more multi-cultural. Today, the enrollment in the school is nearly an equal split of Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian students with almost 100 different races and cultures represented.

Hudson Performance Hall

The original auditorium was, along with the rest of the school, targeted for upgrades and renovation as part of Oklahoma City's "MAPS for Kids" program in 2010. Alumni J. Clifford Hudson (a local businessman) and his wife Leslie, who had met in that auditorium, donated $500,000 in additional funds to install updated sound and lighting technology, improve the acoustics and update the audience area for the site. Now named the "Hudson Performance Hall", the venue has held concerts by notable acts such as Vince Gill (also an alumni), Al Yankovic, Arlo Guthrie, and Sinbad.[7]

Extracurricular activities

Northwest fields teams in Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association-sanctioned competition in baseball, fast-pitch softball, football, cheerleading, cross country, volleyball, basketball, tennis, wrestling, golf, soccer, and track.[8]

Notable alumni

• William A. Martin (Class of 1956) – Computer Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Pioneer[9]
• Edward Ruscha (Class of 1956) – Artist[10]
• Mason Williams (Class of 1956) – Recording Artist[10]
• Susanna Talley Clark (Class of 1957) – Songwriter, artist and wife of Guy Clark[11]
• Henson Cargill (Class of 1959) – Recording Artist[12]
• Gary Nixon (Class of 1959) - Professional motorcycle racer, AMA Grand National Champion (1967 and 1968), member of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.[13]
• Ron Norick (Class of 1959) – Former mayor of Oklahoma City[14]
• Ronald Fagin (Class of 1963) – Computer Scientist, Author of Fagin's theorem[15]
• Lynne Hardin (Class of 1964) – Chair, Oklahoma City Board of Education (2013–present)[16]
• Steven T. Kuykendall (Class of 1965) - Member, US House of Representatives, California's 36th congressional district from 1991–2001.[17]
• Elizabeth (Herring) Warren (Class of 1966) – United States Senator from Massachusetts, Democratic Party presidential candidate. Special Advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner while establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Professor, Harvard Law School.[18]
• Kirk Humphreys (Class of 1968) – Former Mayor of Oklahoma City[14]
• Skip Bayless (Class of 1970) – Sports Broadcaster[19]
• Rick Bayless (Class of 1971) -- Chef and restaurateur[20]
• William Citty (Class of 1971) – Chief of Police, Oklahoma City[21]
• J. Clifford Hudson (Class of 1973) – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sonic Corp.[22]
• Vince Gill (Class of 1975) – Recording Artist[23]
• Sean O'Grady (Class of 1977) – World Boxing Association Lightweight[24]
• Brad Piccolo (Class of 1979) - Recording Artist (Founding member of The Red Dirt Rangers)[25]
• Edgar Cruz (Class of 1979) - Recording Artist[26]
• Darryl "Choo" Kennedy (Class of 1983) - Professional Basketball Player[27]
• Walter Emery Fountain (Class of 1980) - Major General, United States Army[28]
• Kathy (Garrett) Willard (Class of 1984) – Chief Financial Officer, LiveNation[29]
• Kevin Thornton (Class of 1987) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd)[30]
• Bryan Abrams (Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd)[30]
• Mark Calderon (Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd)[30]
• Brent Learned (Class of 1988) - Native American Artist with works in the Smithsonian and many other collections[31]
• Sam Watters (Class of 1988) – Recording Artist (member of Color Me Badd)[30]
• Jabee Williams (Class of 2001) - Recording Artist[32]
• Darnell Jackson (Class of 2003, transferred) – Former NBA Basketball Player[33]

Order of the Round Table Hall of Fame

In 2018, the Friends of NWC High School Foundation instituted a Hall of Fame with annual inductions.[34]

• James R Daniel (class of 1958, inducted 2018) - Vice Chairman, BancFirst Corporation
• Dayna Davis Savage (Class of 1957, inducted 2018) - Leader, The Gathering Place, a memory care ministry in Houston, Texas
• Cliff Hudson (Class of 1973, inducted 2018) - Chairman, Sonic Corporation; Chairman, Oklahoma City School Board (2001-2008)
• Ron Norick (Class of 1959, inducted 2018) - Mayor, Oklahoma City (1987-1998)
• Vince Gill (Class of 1975, inducted 2018) - Recording artist

References

1. "Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report". Geographic Names Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. December 18, 1979. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
2. "General Information / About Northwest Classen". www.okcps.org. Oklahoma City Public Schools. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
3. "NORTHWEST CLASSEN HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
5. "Northwest Classen High School". Oklahoma City Public Schools. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
6. "Classen High School History". Classen High School Alumni Association. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
7. "About Us". Hudson Performance Hall. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
8. "OSSAA Schools Classification by Sport". Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
9. "William A. Martin Obituary". Tech Talk. June 10, 1981. p. 3. Retrieved September 13, 2008 – via groups.csail.mit.edu.
10. "What's New with Mason Williams". Mason Williams. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
11. Hurt, Edd (July 5, 2012). "Susanna Clark, 1941–2012". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
12. "Henson Cargill, 1941–2007, Edmond Sun, March 27, 2007.
13. "Gary Nixon: Two Time Grand Champion". The Daily Oklahoman. September 6, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
14. Centrella, Heidi R. (2004). "Alumni Raising Funds for Northwest Classen High School". The Journal Record of Oklahoma City. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
15. "Ron Fagin's Site at Almaden Research Center". Retrieved April 14, 2010.
16. "About Lynne Hardin". Retrieved February 14, 2013.
17. Lee, Robert (November 30, 1998). "Our State Has Seventh Congressman". The Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
18. "Elizabeth Warren: An Okie in Washington riles Wall Street". The Daily Oklahoman. August 1, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
19. "Wall of Fame Honorees". The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
20. Cathey, Dave (October 20, 2015). "Rick Bayless' Oklahoma homecoming is full, like his life". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
21. "Interview with Bill Citty". The Living Room with Gerry Bonds. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
22. "1973 graduates of Northwest Classen High School announce $500,000 donation to fund additional improvements of the school's auditorium".
23. "2007 Oklahoman of the Year". Oklahoma Today Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
24. Pryzbylo, Robert (September 17, 2009). "Getting to know...Sean O'Grady". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
25. The Shield -- Northwest Classen High School Yearbook. Oklahoma City, OK: Yearbook Staff, Northwest Classen High School. May 18, 1979. p. 173.
26. "Awards honor graduates". The Daily Oklahoman. September 25, 2005. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
27. Pego, David (January 11, 1982). "Knights' Darryl Kennedy city's best basketball player?". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
28. The Shield -- Northwest Classen High School Yearbook. Oklahoma City, OK: Yearbook Staff, Northwest Classen High School. May 18, 1979. p. 161.
29. Kathy Garret Willard on Facebook
30. "Color Me Badd Official MySpace Profile". MySpace. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
31. "Artist Biography". Retrieved July 30, 2020.
32. Calderon, Rachel (July 23, 2014). "Hip Hop Artist Wins Emmy For Work Promoting Science Museum Oklahoma". News 9. KWTV. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
33. Carlson, Jenni (March 14, 2007). "Jackson finding his way at KU Oklahomans in the NCAA Tournament: Darnell Jackson, Kansas Jayhawks The former NW Classen and Midwest City player gives Jayhawks some muscle". NewsOK.com. GateHouse Media, Inc. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
34. "Order of the Round Table Hall of Fame".

External links

• Official Website
• District site
• Facebook Page (Created by Alumni)