Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, formerly known as Woodrow Wilson High School (and colloquially as Wells High School), is a
public high school in
Portland, Oregon, United States.
History
Wells High School (originally Woodrow Wilson High School) was built in 1956, after a ballot measure was passed in 1945 providing $5 million to improve Portland's school system. Population was growing explosively, so emphasis was put on economy and ease of building, instead of on architectural style as was the norm in the earlier school buildings. Wells High School, which was designed by the firm Edmundson and Kochendoerfer, used the technique of
lift-slab construction to speed up construction. Wells was the first building in the
Northwest to use that technique.[5]
In July 2020,
Portland Public Schools pledged to rename the school in response to pressure from the community in light of the
racial justice movement that followed the
murder of George Floyd.[6] In January 2021, the name was changed to Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, in honor of
Ida B. Wells.[7] The mascot was also changed from the Trojans to the Guardians (represented by an owl).
Notable alumni
Damon Stoudamire, basketball player and coach, 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year[8]