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SLIDESHOWThe glory gone: A year at Howard
ABOUT THIS PROJECTThis story was compiled during the course of the last school year. Reporter Kelli Gauthier and videographer/photographer Patrick Smith spent five months in the Howard School of Academics and Technology observing and interviewing students, teachers, administrators and other staff. Principal Paul Smith gave the journalists full access to the school.
TIMELINE• 1882Howard becomes part of public school system.• 1883School moves to corner of East Eighth and Douglas streets; high school courses added.• 1886First high school diploma awarded.• 1904School moves to East 11th Street.• 1921School moves to Carter and West 10th streets.• 1933First black school in state to receive “approval status” from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.• 1954School moves to its current location on Market Street.• 1960Group of Howard seniors participates in lunch-counter “sit-ins” at Chattanooga restaurants.• 1960sSchool earns recognition for producing graduates who go on to study law, medicine, teaching.• 1980Reggie White, future UT “Minister of Defense” and NFL Hall of Fame inductee, graduates from Howard.• 1990Renamed Howard School of Academics and Technology; uniforms are introduced.• 2003Hamilton County Commission approves renovation rather than building a new school.• 2004Middle school grades added to Howard.• 2007The school hires extra staff to cut down on student absenteeism.• 2009Students make double-digit gains in math and reading on standardized tests.• 2010Graduation rate climbs 12 percentage points to 68.6 percent, the highest level in years.• 2011Number of suspensions drops from 146 to 67. Expulsions decline from 73 to 17.Source: Newspaper archives; 2010 State Report Card
It came down to this. One last chance for Howard School of Academics and Technology to prove that its students could learn, that its teachers could teach. One last chance to prove that the school could be what it once was.