The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts is the first public high school in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation in 1824.^[1] The current building is located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, MA.

History[link]

Since its founding, English High School has had seven locations. Its first, on Derne Street at the rear of the Massachusetts State House, is marked by a metal plaque. Its second home (still standing), on the corner of Pickney and Anderson Streets, eventually became the Phillips School, a school for then free born and emancipated African Americans before the American Civil War. From 1844 to 1922, Boston English was a next door neighbor of the Boston Latin School, first near downtown Boston and then in a building on Warren Street (now demolished) in the South End. From 1954 to 1989, the school was across the street from Boston Latin at 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur. This site is now part of the Harvard Medical School. Its first head master was Dr. George B. Emerson, an early leader in educational reform. The School Committee establishing English High School was chaired by Samuel Adams Wells, the grandson of Governor Samuel Adams. The school was created at the urging of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association and was modeled after the Royal High School of Edinburgh, Scotland. English, like Boston Latin School, only admitted boys for the first 151 years of its history and did not become coeducational until 1972—although a separate high school for girls was established in Boston by Dr. Emerson in 1824.

The motto of the school has been: "The aim of every English High School boy is to become a man of honor and achievement." The current motto of the school is "College For All"

Curriculum[link]

English High was created originally to educate working class schoolboys in preparation for business, mechanics, and engineering trades as opposed to "latin-grammar" schools like Boston Latin that prepared schoolboys for the college, ministry and scholarly pursuits, and private academies that were open only to affluent residents. Its original curriculum consisted of such courses as English, surveying, navigation, geography, logic, and civics as well as a strong emphasis on mathematics.^[2]

Nowadays, English High has opened up its curriculum to include more liberal arts subjects such as foreign languages and writing as well as performing arts and more college preparatory courses. It is currently in the second year of an experimental "Commonwealth Co-Pilot School" status, which is geared toward improving the curriculum of urban schools. For a while, the school had an award winning mock trial team as well. English High School class of 1996 has a total of 11 seniors who went on to attend Boston College. Those students were accepted into Boston College School of Nursing, School of Management, School of Education and Arts and Science.^[3]

AVID[link]

This is one of the few schools that offer AVID. AVID is the acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination, an American college-readiness system. AVID is designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges, focusing on students in the academic middle by raising the expectations of students. Originating at the high school level, the program now serves grades 4-12 (roughly, ages 10–18).

Extracurricular activities[link]

Athletics[link]

Each Thanksgiving since 1887, English has played Boston Latin School in football in the oldest continuing high school rivalry in the United States. It is also the fourth longest U.S. high school rivalry of all time. In the 1993 football season, the football team made history by being the first team in school history to ever qualify for the Massachusetts State Championship. The Bulldogs (or Blue & Blue) defeated the Nantucket Whalers by the score of 16-7 to claim its school's first state championship. The '97 football team was the first team to go undefeated with a 12-0 record and English's second football state championship. Since 2005 the baseball team has started by a winning record of 18-0 and defeating their rivals the Brighton Bengals, and since then the baseball team has never let up and has won 2 city championships. English High also has competitive basketball, softball, volleyball, and track teams. Up until the 1980s, the school had a boys' hockey team, a golf team, and swimming teams for both boys and girls.

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps[link]

This school offers a JROTC program. The program is led by Col. D. Bennett and First Sergeant Alford. The students participate in drill performances and parades. The most up to date parade is the Veterans Day Parade. This program is funded by the US Army.

Notable alumni[link]

• J. P. Morgan - financier
• Louis Sullivan - architect
• Samuel Pierpont Langley - onetime director of the Smithsonian Institution
• Matthew Ridgway - major-general
• Leonard Nimoy - actor
• Bobby Guindon, Former MLB player (Boston Red Sox)
• Vito Tamulis, Former MLB player (New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies)
• Louis Farrakhan
• Percy Jewett Burrell - dramatist and playwright
• William H.C. Whiting - Confederate general
• Allan Crite - artist
• Kahlil Gibran (sculptor) - artist Inventor Innovator
• Herb Chambers
• A. Nicholas Vardac - Film Producer
• Paul X. Kelley - Commandant of US Marine Corps, 1983–1987
• Richard F. O'Donnell, Sr. - John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. Senior Consultant
• Bill Overton - Actor - NFL player - Dallas Cowboys & Kansas City Chiefs

Demographics[link]

• 44% Black
• 54% Hispanic
• 1% White
• 1% Asian

Image gallery[link]

• 

  Former building of English High School, Pinckney St., Boston (photo 2010)

• 

  English and Latin Schools, Boston, ca.1881

• 

  English High School, 1920

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Annals of The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association, 1795-1892. The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association, Boston, MA. [1]
• Semi-centennial Anniversary of the English High School, May 2, 1871. Robert Cassie Waterston, Editor. Boston: Printed for the English High School Association, 1871 Google books
• Annual Report of the School Committee of Boston, Boston, MA,1820-1821. [2]
• http://articles.boston.com/2010-11-08/bostonglobe/29317662_1_vision-statement-teacher-students

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: English High School (Boston, Massachusetts)

• English High School
• Wikimedia for English High School: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:English_High_School_%28Boston,_Massachusetts%29

Coordinates: 42°18′23″N 71°06′34″W / 42.3063°N 71.1094°W / 42.3063; -71.1094

Phil English
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Robert A. Borski, Jr.
Succeeded by	Kathy Dahlkemper
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Tom Ridge
Succeeded by	District eliminated
Personal details
Born	(1956-06-20) June 20, 1956 (age 56) Erie, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Christiane English
Residence	Erie, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Accountant
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature

English with Jack Kemp, Sue Myrick and Mike Turner (c. May 2004)

Philip Sheridan "Phil" English (born June 20, 1956) served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 - 2009 from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, representing the state's 3rd Congressional district.

After 14 years in the U.S. House, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper on Nov. 4, 2008.

Early life and career[link]

English is a lifelong resident of Erie. He attended Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. While in college, he served as Chairman of a College Republicans organization.

English served as Erie City Controller from 1985 to 1989. In 1988 he was the Republican nominee for State Treasurer but was defeated by Democrat Catherine Baker Knoll. He stayed in politics and served as Chief of Staff for then State Senator Melissa Hart.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

English was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 after seven-term incumbent Tom Ridge vacated the seat to make a successful run for Governor. English benefited from the Republican wave of 1994 as well as Ridge's coattails. In addition, the Democrats had a crowded primary in which the Erie candidates split the vote, which allowed Sharon attorney Bill Leavens to win the primary. English, as a native of Erie, then garnered enough support from his hometown (generally a Democratic stronghold) to win the election.^[1]

English was re-elected in a close race in 1996 as Bill Clinton carried the district. However, he was handily reelected in 1998 on Ridge's coattails, and didn't face a close race again until 2006. That year, he defeated Steve Porter by only 54% to 42% (with 4% going to Constitution Party candidate Tim Hagberg). Porter was an unknown retired college professor who spent virtually no money; he raised only $81,100 to English's $1.4 million.^[2]

English is a Republican, liberal on economic matters and conservative on social matters. He has strong ties to organized labor, which is not typical for most Republicans. However, this served him well in a district dominated by the heavily Democratic, thoroughly unionized city of Erie (no other city in the district has more than 17,000 people).

English moved up the seniority ladder in the House over the years. From his first term, he was a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee--the first freshman Republican to be appointed to this committee since 1975. In the 110th Congress, English served as the ranking member on the Subcommittee of Select Revenue Measures.

2008 Election[link]

English's narrow win in 2006 led the Democrats to target his seat in 2008. He faced first-time candidate and small businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper in the November election.

The race captured considerable national attention. Although English outspent Dahlkemper—raising $2.2 million to Dahlkemper's $872,000—the Democratic House Campaign Committee overwhelmed English overall in spending on media buys and direct mail.

In the election, English was defeated, taking 48 percent of the vote to Dahlkemper's 52 percent. English carried five of the district's seven counties, but could not overcome a 14-point deficit in his native Erie County, the largest county in the district.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phil English

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• PoliticsPA interview

Scott English (born Scott David English, January 10, 1943, Brooklyn, New York) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as the composer (along with Richard Kerr) of "Brandy", which became a number-one hit for Barry Manilow in 1974 under the revised title of "Mandy". English had a single release of "Brandy", which reached #12 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1971,^[1] and made the US chart in March 1972.

In 1964, English had a regional doo-wop hit called "High on a Hill", written by Frank Cariola and A. Mangravito.^[2] "High on a Hill" has consistently been voted an all-time top song on oldies radio stations in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

With Larry Weiss, he wrote "Bend Me, Shape Me", which became a hit for the Chicago-based band The American Breed, reaching number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968; it was also a hit in the UK for Amen Corner. (The song had been recorded a year earlier by The Outsiders, but only as an album track on their The Outsiders In album).

English and Weiss also penned Eric Burdon and the Animals' 1966 song "Help Me Girl" (also released as a single around the same time period by The Outsiders), Lynne Randell's 1967 hit "Ciao Baby", and "Hi Ho Silver Lining" which English also produced for Jeff Beck. He later produced Thin Lizzy's self-titled debut album, 1971's Thin Lizzy.^[3]

In 1998, English was listed as a co-writer (with Simon Stirling and Phil Mankiza) on the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, "Where Are You?". The song was performed by Imaani, and at the time, the songwriters were producing her album.^[4] However, that album was never released as Imaani and her record label, EMI, parted company.

Discography[link]

• Scott English (1978)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Scott English at Allmusic
• Scott English discography at Discogs
• A sample of Scott English singing "Brandy" (1971)