Curtis Senior High School

Curtis Senior High School is a public high school located in University Place, Washington.

For the school of the same name in Staten Island, see Curtis High School.
George R. Curtis Senior High School
Address
8425 40th W

University Place
,
Washington
,
98466

United States
Information
TypePublic secondary
Established1957
School districtUniversity Place School District
PrincipalTom Adams
Teaching staff60.40 (FTE)[1]
Grades10–12
Enrollment1,425 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.59[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Blue and White   
MascotVikings
WebsiteCurtis Senior High School

Curtis Senior High School is a part of the University Place School District and the only high school in the district. The school's namesake comes from the former UPSD Superintendent George R. Curtis. Opened in 1957 as a joint Junior-Senior High School at the corner of 40th and Grandview. In 1969 a high school facility was built about 500 yards east of the junior high that then extended up 40th Street. After this the original site became just a junior high school. In 2009 the original junior high was torn down and a new facility was built about 400 yards northeast of that site.

There are 105 staff members.

Tom Adams is the principal of the school. Adams is known as a strict disciplinarian with harsh policies of zero tolerance for misconduct. Adams is also fluent in Spanish and has spent extensive time in Colombia.

Curtis has been alleged to be home to significant racial discrimination, particularly against black students. In 2017, the University Place School District reached a settlement with three former Curtis students over alleged racial discrimination. The settlement totaled $450,000 for the three students and their parents.[2]

In one particular incident cited in the lawsuit by one of the students, Karen Macy, a former American Sign Language teacher, was alleged to have written her home address on the whiteboard during a lesson on giving directions in sign language. Students joked that her house would be egged if students knew her home address. She responded with words to the effect of “no one would do that, except for [student plaintiff], because he’s black,” according to court documents. Macy was placed on leave immediately following the reported incident and resigned from her teaching job in 2014.[2]

Jeff Chamberlin has been at the helm of the school district in what has been dubbed a “toxic environment” by the attorneys for the three students. The students report repeatedly being called the “n-word” by other students and having to focus “on surviving each and every school day without having a mental or emotional reaction.” Jeff Chamberlin has stayed silent on the issue as racism continues to plague the school district.[2]

Academics

Curtis Senior High School offers Advanced Placement classes. Curtis Senior High School also offers a running start program for juniors and seniors to take classes at local colleges such as Tacoma Community College, and Pierce College.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Curtis Senior High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  2. “Black Students Settle Discrimination Lawsuit Against UP School District for $450,000”, Debbie Cafazzo, Tacoma ‘’The News Tribune’’, March 17, 2017

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