Orr Academy High School
Public secondary school in Chicago, Illinois, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rezin Orr Academy High School is a public four-year high school bordered between the neighborhoods of West Garfield and Humboldt Park located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is a part of the Chicago Public Schools district and is managed by the Academy for Urban School Leadership. The school is named after labor leader Rezin Orr.
1973 (present building)
| Orr Academy High School | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
 | |
730 N. Pulaski Road , 60624 | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public Secondary |
| Opened | 1918 1973 (present building) |
| School district | Chicago Public Schools |
| CEEB code | 140696[1] |
| Principal | Karen M. Carpenter |
| Enrollment | 516 (2013–14) |
| Colors | Gold Black |
| Athletics conference | Chicago Public League |
| Team name | Spartans |
| Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Website | orracademy |
History
Orr traces its origins to 1918, when it was opened as an elementary school in a building, which is currently the Brian Piccolo Specialty School located at 1040 N. Keeler. Orr began hosting high school students in the 1920s, when it became a branch of Austin High School. From the 1940s to the 1950s, Orr was used a vocational school for seventh and eighth grade boys, and for a short period it served as a temporary home for Our Lady of the Angels School after that school was ravaged by a fire in 1958. Orr was then used as a branch of Marshall High School before becoming an independent high school in 1963.[2]
Rezin Orr High School moved into a new building in 1973 under the leadership of principal, Kenneth Van Spankeren.[3] The old Orr school building then became the Brian Piccolo Specialty School.
The current high school building was designed by the firm of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.[4]
Athletics
Orr competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).[5] The boys' basketball team were state champions in 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.[6]
Notable alumni
- Jay Davis (class of 1989), professional baseball player[7]
- Myke Henry (class of 2011), professional basketball player[8]