Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech or simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, United States, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District. It is one of six comprehensive public high school campuses in Oakland. Oakland Tech's attendance jurisdiction includes several neighborhoods, including Oakland Chinatown, Rockridge, North Oakland, and Temescal.
Tech received the maximum 6-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 2009.
Oakland Tech's main building was built in 1914 and resembles the main science building of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the 1970s, when many California schools were being demolished and rebuilt for earthquake safety, Tech's main building was determined to be too historic to tear down. Instead, it was gutted and rebuilt on the inside, while its historic exterior was preserved. The school was declared the 99th historic landmark by the city of Oakland on July 23, 1985.
While Tech was closed for earthquake retrofitting in the 1970s, the school was displaced to 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (formerly Grove Street). This location is sometimes erroneously referred to "Old Tech" but was actually the campus of the now defunct University High School (1923-1948). That campus had then served as Merritt College from 1954 to 1966 and is considered the birthplace of the Black Panthers.
In 1977 a group of students from a U.S. Government class at Tech launched a drive to create a California state holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.. The idea was not new - about a dozen states already had such holidays, and it had been proposed unsuccessfully at the national level - but it was still controversial. The students formed themselves into a group called "The Apollos" and lobbied for the holiday for four years; it was finally passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in 1981. In 2008 two students at other Oakland high schools heard about the Apollos and made an award-winning short documentary film about their successful quest.
Students at Oakland Technical High School have the option of enrolling in one of the school's academies, which operate as small subsets of the school. Students take one class within their academies, and spend the rest of the day in normal classes.
Paideia is an advanced History and English program. In the sophomore year, students have the option to take English 2 Paideia and World Cultures. In 11th grade, students, based on their grades, have the option to enroll in AP or HP English and US History. In 12th grade, students who are recommended, may take the advanced senior block, consisting of AP Government, AP Literature, and HP Comparative Government, in which they analyze works of art and compare them to the government. In senior year, students, according to grades, are also able to take AP Government and AP English 4.
The Engineering Academy focuses on mechanical engineering. Starting in 10th grade, the students in this academy study engineering, physics (focused on mechanics), drafting, etc. Students can be jointly enrolled in the Paideia and the Engineering programs.
In 2008, over half of the advanced senior block was accepted to the prestigious UC Berkeley. Students regularly score 4s or 5s for AP classes taken in the Paideia program.
After being sued for refusing to do so, the Oakland Unified School District mandates that every school publish a public record of their standing on a variety of standardized tests and other quantitative analyses.
Merrill Kenneth Albert, Class of 1940 - author and trial lawyer
Steven F. Arnold, Class of 1961 - filmmaker, photographer, painter, illustrator, set and costume designer, and assemblage artist
Pervis Atkins, Class of 1953 - NFL football player, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders; actor, The Longest Yard
Frank Shozo Baba, Class of 1933 - Japanese American Nisei who made radio broadcasts during World War II in the United States and in post-war Japan
Stephen Bechtel, Class of 1918 - engineer, president, CEO of Bechtel Corporation, 1933-1960
Bernice Bing, Class of 1955 - artist, activist
Linc Blakely, Class of 1931 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds
Esther Baum Born, Class of 1920 - architectural photographer, author
Antonia Brico (born Wilhelmina Wolthius), Class of 1919 - classical pianist, first woman conductor of the New York Philharmonic
John Brodie, Class of 1953 - NFL player, San Francisco 49ers, professional golfer, Senior PGA tour
Gabriel Carroll, Class of 2001 - award-winning mathematician, Stanford Economics professor
Howard Christie, Class of 1929 - producer of American films and television programs, All-American football player at the University of California, Berkeley
Bruce Cunningham, Class of 1923 - Major League Baseball player, Boston Braves
Jack Delinger, Class of 1946 - professional bodybuilder, 1949 AAU Mr. America and the 1956 Mr. Universe
Ron Dellums, Class of 1953 - former U.S. Congressman, former mayor of Oakland
Alfred Delucchi, Class of 1949 - Superior Court Judge
Bernie DeViveiros, Class of 1920 - Major League Baseball player, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers
Taylor Douthit, Class of 1919 - Major League Baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds
Sue Draheim, Class of 1967 - internationally recognized fiddler
Rockmond Dunbar, Class of 1991 - film and television actor, Sons of Anarchy, The Mentalist, Soul Food
Clint Eastwood, Class of 1949 - film actor, producer, Academy Award-winning director, former mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Lloyd Noel Ferguson, Class of 1934 - chemist, university professor, first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
Curt Flood, Class of 1956 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Senators known for challenging the Reserve clause
Len Gabrielson, Class of 1933 - Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
Len Gabrielson, Class of 1957 - Major League Baseball player, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, California Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers
Joe Gaines, Class of 1955 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros
John Gillespie, Class of 1920 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds
Alexis Gray-Lawson, Class of 2005 - Professional basketball player, Phoenix Mercury
Bob Greenwood, Class of 1946 - Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
Bud Hafey, Class of 1929 - Major League Baseball player, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies
Tom Hafey, Class of 1931 - Major League Baseball player, New York Giants, St. Louis Browns
Bernie Hamilton, Class of 1946 - actor, Starsky and Hutch
Jack Hayford, Class of 1952 - minister, chancellor, songwriter
Rickey Henderson, Class of 1976 - Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player (inducted 2009), member of eight teams
Proverb Jacobs, Class of 1954 - NFL football player, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants
Josh Johnson, Class of 2004 - quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals
Rodney Joseph Johnson - Houston police officer
Louise Jorgensen, Class of 1916 - ballerina and choreographer; director/producer of the Oakland Christmas Pageant (1919-1987)
Thomas Kraabel, Class of 1952 - Biblical archaeologist
Ted Lange, Class of 1966 - director, screenwriter, actor in The Love Boat, That's My Mama
Cookie Lavagetto, Class of 1931 - Major League Baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, Manager, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins
Don Lofgran, Class of 1946 - professional basketball player
Terrell Lowery, Class of 1988 - college basketball player, Major League Baseball player
Marshawn Lynch, Class of 2004 - former NFL All-Pro running back for the Seattle Seahawks
Tony Martin, Class of 1930 - actor, singer, entertainer
Bill McKalip, Class of 1926 - college All-American football player, NFL player, Portsmouth Spartans / Detroit Lions
Rod McKuen, Class of 1951 - poet, musician, songwriter
Joe Mellana, Class of 1922 - Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Athletics
Abbas Milani, Class of 1965 - historian, author, director of Iranian studies at Stanford University
Mistah F.A.B. - rapper
Huey P. Newton, Class of 1959 - co-founder of the Black Panther Party
Ray Norton, Class of 1956 - Olympic sprinter (Rome, 1960), NFL football player, San Francisco 49ers
Frank Oz, Class of 1962 - actor, director, puppeteer for Yoda in Star Wars series
Nell Irvin Painter, Class of 1969 - American historian, professor at Princeton University
Milman Parry, Class of 1919 - scholar of epic poetry, Homeric studies, professor at Harvard University
Wolfe Perry, Class of 1974 - actor, college basketball player at Stanford University
The Pointer Sisters (Ruth Class of 1963, Anita Class of 1965, Pat Class of 1968) - Grammy Award-winning R&B singing group
Patricia Polacco, Class of 1962 - children's author
Jim Pollard, Class of 1940 - NBA basketball player, Minneapolis Lakers
Jay Porter, Class of 1950 - Major League Baseball player, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, St. Louis Cardinals
Leon Powe, Class of 2003 - NBA basketball player, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies
Les Powers, Class of 1927 - Major League Baseball player, New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies
Roy Shivers, Class of 1959 - NFL player, St. Louis Cardinals, first African-American general manager of a professional football franchise, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Rick Shubb, Class of 1962 - musician, graphic artist, inventor of the Shubb Capo, popular guitar and banjo accessory
Ted R. Smith, Class of 1925 - aircraft designer
Jack Soo (Goro Suzuki), Class of 1934 - comedian, actor, Barney Miller
Peter Stackpole, Class of 1931 - photographer
Rehema Stephens, Class of 1987 - basketball player, Sacramento Monarchs
Robert Webber, Class of 1941 - film and TV actor, 12 Angry Men
George Wells, Class of 1965 - professional wrestler, Canadian Football League player
Arleigh Williams, Class of 1930 - college football, baseball player, University of California, Berkeley administrator
Yukmouth - rapper
Tech was featured in the 1987 film The Principal. It was filmed at what is locally referred to as "Old Tech", located at 5700 Martin Luther King Way (formerly 5700 Grove Street, site of the old University High School, which is now a part of the campus of Children's Hospital Oakland.
In 1993, Tech, at its current location, was featured in the movie Made in America.
