Juanita High School
Juanita High School Entrance
Location
Map
10601 Northeast 132nd Street
Kirkland, Washington
Coordinates47°42′57″N 122°11′58″W / 47.7157259°N 122.1995564°W / 47.7157259; -122.1995564
Information
TypePublic
EstablishedSeptember 4, 1971
PrincipalKelly Clapp
Staff140
Enrollment1,709 (2022-2023)
Student to teacher ratio12.14
Color(s)Red, White, and Navy Blue
MascotRaven
RivalLake Washington High School and Inglemoor High School
Websitejhs.lwsd.org

Juanita High School is a high school in Kirkland, Washington, administered by Lake Washington School District. It was opened on September 4, 1971, as a result of a campaign driven by an education theory known as the "Juanita Concept", developed by John Strauss, who became the school's first principal. The school was unable to maintain the concept for long, primarily because of the passing of the "Basic Education Law" in the mid-1970s,[1] resulting in the school later remodeling into a traditional format. The mascot chosen was the "rebel", to represent the rebellious nature of the teaching concept and the upcoming Bicentennial.[2][3] From 2020 to 2022, the National Parent Teacher Association designated Juanita High School as a school of excellence.[4]

New building

In June 2018, half the school was demolished and rebuilt to house more students. The whole school has been rebuilt and fully refurbished as of September of 2020.[3]

Facilities

Entrance to Juanita High School Field House and Pool

The school consists mainly of two buildings, the school building and the fieldhouse building. The school building has the classrooms, lunchroom, theater, library, and offices. The fieldhouse building has the fieldhouse, pool, and weight rooms.[5]

Mascot controversy

During the 1980s, the school's logo was altered, containing features of the Confederate flag, and depicting the "Running Rebel" as a Confederate soldier.[2] Pictures from old yearbooks showed students on campus with a confederate flag. In 2017, a student started a petition to change the mascot, citing the mascot's controversial historical ties to the Confederacy as racist. The students voted at the time to keep the mascot.[6]

In 2020, alumni and current students resurrected the petition, and the superintendent removed the Rebel mascot before the 2020-21 school year began. Students later voted for the new mascot to become the Raven. [7][8]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "School History - Juanita High". jhs.lwsd.org. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  2. ^ a b Belle, Rachel (14 July 2020). "Kirkland's Juanita High School is retiring the 'Rebels' mascot". KIRO-FM. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b Vannet, Dave; Tedder, Ruth Davis. "A Brief History of Juanita High School". Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  4. ^ "2020-2022 National PTA Schools of Excellence" (PDF). National PTA. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Juanita High School". jhs.lwsd.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  6. ^ "Juanita High students vote to keep 'Rebels' mascot". Kirkland Reporter. 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  7. ^ "Kirkland's Juanita High School will drop 'Rebels' as mascot after years of debate". KING-TV. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  8. ^ "Juanita High School Students Vote on New Mascot". www.lwsd.org. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  9. ^ "Micah Downs". Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  10. ^ Ringer, Sandy (September 19, 2008). "Kent Classic lures top field - Prep beat". The Seattle Times. p. C8.
  11. ^ "Bryan Walters". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.

External links

Kirkland, Washington
WIAA Sea-King District Two
Authority control databases: Geographic
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