Type Public school Dean John Horta Staff 200 Mascot Johnny Barrister Founded 1931 | Established 1931 Principal Patricia Heideman Grades 9–12 Phone +1 323-671-1400 | |
Address 3939 Tracy St, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA District Los Angeles Unified School District Similar Belmont High School, Hollywood High School, Eagle Rock High School, Fairfax High School, Loyola High School | ||
John Marshall High School is a high school located in the Los Feliz district of the City of Los Angeles at 3939 Tracy Street in Los Angeles, California.
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Marshall, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Marshall is named after jurist John Marshall, who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States for three decades.
Students at Marshall primarily come from Los Feliz, Atwater Village, East Hollywood, northeastern Koreatown, Elysian Valley, and Silver Lake.
John Marshall High School offers a good number of Advanced Placement and honors courses on top of the regular curriculum. The variety of AP courses offered makes it possible to take almost every major subject offered in grades 9–12 in the AP system. Entry to these courses in the past has been granted to students with high grades or letters of recommendation from their previous teachers. Many of the students who have taken AP courses move on to campuses of the University of California, with some top students achieving admission to Ivy League universities or other universities in the Top 25, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
Within the school, there are many Small Learning Communities, including the School for Environmental Studies, the school's only California Partnership Academy, the Performing Arts Academy, the Artistic Vision Academy, the STARS Academy, the Renaissance Academy, and the Social Justice Academy. The School also houses a School for Advanced Studies and a Gifted/High Ability Magnet.
History
Designed by architect George M. Lindsey in the Collegiate Gothic style, and constructed in 1930, John Marshall High School first opened its doors on January 26, 1931 with approximately 1200 students and 48 teachers. Joseph Sniffen, for whom the auditorium was named, served as the Principal, while Hugh Boyd and Geraldine Keith acted as Marshall's first Vice-Principals. The football field was named in Boyd's honor, while the library was named for Keith.
During the first semester of the school's existence, the faculty and students cooperatively selected the school motto, seal, and colors. The school motto, Veritas Vincit (Truth Conquers...), was an easy choice since this was a favorite sentiment of John Marshall. The school seal shows an open Book of Learning, behind which is projected the scales of justice with Veritas Vincit emblazoned on the bar. Two shades of blue became the official colors of the high school; the moonlight blue of midnight and the sunlight blue of dawn. Since the color blue is symbolic of truth, the choice of colors harmonized with the school's motto. John Montapert and Henry Suykida, two Marshall students who graduated in the Winter Class of 1939, composed "Alma Mater", the official school song.
The school's mascot is the "Barrister." The school's service organization is the Continentals. A bust of John Marshall stands in the center of the Senior Court.
Following the Sylmar earthquake of 1971, some of Marshall's buildings were condemned. The cafeteria was torn down, but the Los Feliz community, led by "Citizens to Save Marshall" activists Sherril Boller, Joanne Gabrielson, Alberta Burke, and Nina Mohi, tirelessly campaigned to save the unique Collegiate Gothic Main Building. In 1975, this building was closed for structural strengthening and all classes moved to temporary bungalows. In September 1980 the refurbished Main Building was opened. A new building now houses the library, cafeteria, and science classrooms. Mike Haynes Stadium, the school's football and track stadium, also dates to 1981.
Today, Marshall has an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students and a teaching staff of 106.