Harry Ells High School
Location
Richmond, California
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1955 (1955)
Closed1985 (1985)

Harry Ells High School in Richmond, California was a major public high school serving the community from 1955 to 1985 with a gap of 3 years (1967–70) when it served as the temporary South campus of Richmond High School. It was named for Harry Leander Ells (1854–1943), a pioneering resident who served as Richmond's postmaster, a member of its first school board, and an assemblyman representing Contra Costa County.[1]

History

Ells originally opened as a middle school in 1944, as Richmond grew from the influx of World War II manufacturing and shipyard workers and their families. Ells was changed to a high school in 1955 and graduated its first class in 1958. In the Fall of 1967, it became Richmond High School South Campus while Richmond High's main campus was rebuilt and the new John F. Kennedy High School opened one mile away. In 1970, Ells reopened as a four-year high school, but by then had lost part of its student base, its Eagle mascot and red-and-white school colors to the new Kennedy High School.[2] The reopened Harry Ells returned with new colors of purple and white and new mascot, the Falcon. After 15 more years as a separate high school, Ells closed forever in 1985, the result of declining enrollment and the discovery of asbestos in many of its buildings. After the Ells campus was torn down, LoVonya Dejean Middle School was built and opened on the same site in 2001. A plaque marks the place where Ells once stood, and a section of 33rd Street has been named Harry Ells Place.

After graduating its first four-year high school class in 1958, Ells rapidly achieved prominence on several fronts. For example, its marching band was selected to play at the opening ceremonies at the 1960 Winter Olympics, held in Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, CA;[3] the Ells basketball team won the prestigious iNorthern California Tournament of Champions in 1964 and placed three players on the All-Tournament Team,[4] and debate and forensics teams excelled in regional and state competitions throughout the decade of the 1960s, earning Ells a National Award for Excellence in Speech for the years 1961–1967 from the National Forensics League.[5]

Notable alumni

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (November 2020)

See also

References

  1. ^ Comella, Doug. "Who Was Harry Ells". Harry Ells High School Class of 1960. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Access my library[dead link]
  3. ^ "Disney Finishes 2d to Mother Nature," San Francisco Call-Bulletin, February 19, 1960
  4. ^ John E. Spalding, "The Tournament of Champions(1947–75) plus The Northern California CIF Regional (1976–80)", p. 16
  5. ^ Plaque in possession of Ells graduate and former Richmond teacher from National Forensics League
  6. ^ Presidential Papers, July 2, 1992: www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid+21196
  7. ^ "Kent N. Brown – People – Department History – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  8. ^ "California State Meet Results – 1915 to present". prepcaltrack. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  9. ^ "Biography of Congresswoman Susan Davis". United States House of Representatives. U.S. Congress. Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "The Ren Brown Collection Gallery". renbrown.com. The Ren Brown Collection Gallery. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "About The Artist James Dietz – Military and Aviation Artwork". The Art of James Dietz. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Announcement of The Honorable Patricia Ann McGinley Memorial Luncheon from the Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California, August 16, 2013
  13. ^ "Ravenswood Winery – Joel". Ravenswood Winery. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  14. ^ "Ron Theobald Stas". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  15. ^ "About Mimi". Mimi Wirth Oil Painter. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.

Further reading

. Enos, Ben. "At Harry Ells High, Truly It Was 'We Are Family'", East Bay Times, September 6, 2007.


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