Jefferson High School (Iowa)

Thomas Jefferson High School is a public high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It is the eighth largest high school in Iowa. The school's mascot is Jeffy the J-Hawk and the official school colors are Columbia Blue and white.

Thomas Jefferson High School
Address
1243 20th St SW Cedar Rapids , Iowa 52404 United States
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1958
School district	Cedar Rapids Community School District
Superintendent	Dr. Tawana Grover
Principal	Jessica Luna
Faculty	86.08 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,543 (2019–20)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	17.93[1]
Color(s)	Columbia Blue and White
Mascot	Jeffy the J-Hawk
Newspaper	The Outlook
Affiliation	Mississippi Valley Conference
Website	jefferson.cr.k12.ia.us

History

Thomas Jefferson's first class graduated in 1958, but first competed in athletic events starting in the fall of 1957. The school's original population was made up of two formerly separate high schools, Theodore Roosevelt High School, and Woodrow Wilson High School. They merged into one school in April 1958, upon the completion of the construction of the school. Since then, Jefferson has been housed at its current location. The school added a new gymnasium addition to the school in 1990. In addition, a new science wing and music wing were built in 2003. The school has been named a "Blue Ribbon National School of Excellence" two times, one of the few traditional schools to earn this honor twice. In 2012, Jefferson received new geothermal heating.^[2]

Statistics

Jefferson has 170 staff members, and 1,516 students. The student to teacher ratio is 17:1.^[3]

Academics

Jefferson offers four years of French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. All four languages also offer an AP replacement for 4th year.

Extracurricular activities

Fine arts

Jefferson offers multiple instrumental programs, including marching band "The Band of Blue" under Thad Kelly Driskell Directors of Band, three concert bands, one jazz band, and two pep bands.^[4] They also offer six choirs, and three show choirs.^[5] In addition, Jefferson has one orchestra ensemble.^[6]

Athletics

The J-Hawks compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference in the following sports:^[7]

• Cross Country
  • Girls' 1980 Class 3A State Champions^[8]
• Volleyball
• Football
  • 3-time State Champions (1964, 1965, 1972)^[9]
• Basketball
  • Boys' 1967 Class 2A State Champions^[10]
  • Girls' 1993 State Champions^[11]
• Wrestling
  • 3-time State Champions (1962, 1973, 1974)^[12]
• Swimming
• Track and Field
  • Boys' 1962 Class AA State Champions^[13]
• Golf
  • Boys' 1965 Class AA State Champions^[14]
• Soccer
• Softball
  • 3-time State Champions (1983, 1997, 1998)^[8]
• Baseball
  • 1961 State Champions^[15]
• Tennis
  • Girls' 1990 Class 2A State Champions^[8]
• Bowling

Notable people

Alumni

• Landon Cassill, NASCAR driver^[16]
• Jacob Jaacks, professional basketball player^[17]
• Larry Lawrence, former Oakland Raider, played in the Super Bowl^[18]
• Todd Taylor, Iowa State Senator, District 35^[19]
• Jarrod Uthoff, basketball player for the Iowa Hawkeyes, former Mr. Basketball in Iowa, forward for the Dallas Mavericks
• Connor Van Scoyoc, professional baseball player in Colorado Rockies organization^[20]
• Mark Walter, founder and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners and Chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers^[21]

Faculty

• Wally Horn, former teacher, former Iowa State Senator^[22]
• Bob Vander Plaats, former teacher and coach^[23]

See also

• List of high schools in Iowa

References

1. "Thomas Jefferson High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
2. "Construction". Jefferson High School. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
3. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Thomas Jefferson High School". Retrieved August 14, 2012.
4. "Who we are". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
5. "Jefferson Singers". Archived from the original on 2012-06-04.
6. "Ensembles". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
7. "Mississippi Valley Conference". Mississippi Valley Conference. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
8. "Cedar Rapids Jefferson". Iowa High School Sports. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
9. "Record Book Football 2020 Complete Edition" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
10. "2020 State Tournament Stat Book Basketball" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
11. "All Time State Tournament Results" (PDF). Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. pp. 10–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
12. "2020 Wrestling Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
13. "2020 IHSAA Track & Field Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
14. "2019-2020 Golf Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
15. "2020 IHSAA Baseball State Tournament Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
16. Hlas, Mike (February 25, 2012). "Landon Cassill: From Cedar Rapids to the Daytona 500". The Gazette. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
17. "Jacob Jaacks profile". University of Iowa. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
18. Pugliese, Nick (December 7, 2012). "Legendary Jefferson athlete Larry Lawrence dies". IowaPrepSports.com. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
19. "Todd Taylor". Iowa Senate. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
20. Johnson, Jeff (August 11, 2018). "Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Connor Van Scoyoc waits and waits for his first pro outing". The Gazette. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
21. Christensen, Kim (April 21, 2012). "What kind of man is Dodgers' next owner?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
22. Iowa Secretary of State (1985). Official register. Iowa General Assembly. p. 33. wally horn jefferson high school.
23. Wolf, Gordon (October 21, 2005). "Gubernatorial candidate Vander Plaats wants to increase private investment in state's economy". Denison Bulletin Review. Retrieved August 18, 2014.

External links

• Official website

41°57′54″N 91°41′53″W