Arsenal Technical High School
Encyclopedia
Arsenal Technical High School is a public high school in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools
Indianapolis Public Schools
Indianapolis Public Schools, abbreviated locally as IPS, is the largest school district in Indianapolis as well as in the state of Indiana with 33,372 students enrolled in 2009-2010...

 school system. Established in 1912, the school consists of a 76 acres (30.8 ha), multiple building campus east of downtown Indianapolis
Downtown Indianapolis
The term Downtown Indianapolis refers to the central business district of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The boundaries of downtown Indianapolis have varied over time as the city has grown. The city's original platted area, the Mile Square, is sometimes used to denote the downtown area...

 and is the only such type school in Indiana. The school was originally a U.S. Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 Arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...

, which was closed after the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

.

Most of the original buildings from the Arsenal still remain. These include the actual Arsenal building, the officer's West Residence, the soldier's Barracks, the entrance Guardhouse, the Barn, and the powder Magazine. Buildings built for the school include Stuart, Treadwell, Morgan, and Lone Halls, which are the four buildings with general purpose classrooms. However, Lone and Morgan halls contain workshop-style rooms as well. Moon Hall houses the music department and cafeteria. The east and west gyms are used for physical education and sports, the auditorium is for school assemblies, and the media center houses the library and bookstore. Due to the Arsenal and the many school buildings that had existed on the campus for such a long time, Tech was placed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places listings in Center Township, Marion County, Indiana
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Center Township, Marion County, Indiana.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Center Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States...

 in 1976.

Arsenal Tech has three magnets, and for non-magnet students there is a "small school" for each grade level. The magnets are: The Math/Science Academy, New Tech High, and Career Technology Magnet.

As part of the 2012 Super Bowl, which will be hosted by the city, a community center and new field surface will be placed on campus. This is part of the legacy project put on every year by the Super Bowl host city, with this year's overall project to renew and restore the city's east side. The NFC team's practice field was originally set to be placed on Tech's campus but it is now at the University of Indianapolis
University of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...

 after being deemed impractical for the high school.

History

Arsenal Technical High School, once a United States Arsenal, includes a Civil War armory complex and 20th-century buildings on its campus. As the oldest military installation in central Indiana and the oldest high school in the city at the same location, the campus has dual significance.

Arsenal

Tech, as Indianapolis residents call it, did not begin as a school but as a Civil War arsenal. In 1862, Congress passed an act to create a permanent U.S. Army arsenal in Indianapolis. Army planners chose this site in 1863 at present-day 1500 East Michigan Street, because it had close access to downtown Indianapolis but was also far enough outside the city limits that it would not disrupt any neighborhoods. The first soldiers arrived in 1865, and the U.S. Government maintained the arsenal there until 1903, using it to store heavy artillery, lighter arms, and some munitions. After the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

, facilities like this were dubbed obsolete for military needs, and by this time, the city had fully encroached on the site.

The iron gate and brick Italianate guard house on Michigan Street date to the 1870s. Soldiers arriving late from a night on the town were detained in basement cells in the guard house. The Arsenal Building was completed in 1865. Its central tower originally served as an elevator. Wagons could pull up under the tower and be hoisted up by a platform. Once in place, rifles, cannon, or other materiel was unloaded at the appropriate floor. The internal floor system was replaced by a pan joist system in 1932. The massive, monumental three-story building with full basement with its soft red-brick exterior and Vernon, Indiana, limestone trim looks very much as it did in the 1860s.

The 1867 barracks is one of the earliest remaining buildings on campus. It once housed the detachment of fifty soldiers that staffed the arsenal. The West Residence, 1870, accommodated officers.

School

On March 27, 1903, the Arsenal grounds were sold at public auction to an Indianapolis public trust to keep the property intact as the site of a school or park. In 1904, the Winona Agricultural and Technical Institute
Winona College
Winona College was a university college in Winona Lake, Indiana. It was founded somewhere between 1902-1905. It consisted of a Liberal Arts College and the Winona Agricultural and Technical Institute with the College and the Agricultural Institute at Winona Lake and the Winona Technical Institute...

 established the Winona Technical Institute at Indianapolis on the site, but was completely insolvent by 1910. At the time, the Indianapolis Public School system was in great need of a third high school. On September 12, 1912, Principal Milo H. Stuart, the principal of Manual Training High School
Emmerich Manual High School
Emmerich Manual High School is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It is one of five traditional high schools in the Indianapolis Public Schools district.-Establishment and History:...

 and also the first principal at Tech, opened Arsenal Technical High School on the grounds. Many of the buildings are original to the U.S. Army’s use of the site, while others were added to accommodate the school’s functions. For example, a massive shop building and Stuart Hall, and the stadium were added to the campus in the 1920s and 30s.

Specialized programs/magnets

There are three specialized magnet programs on campus, the Math/Science Magnet Academy, the Career Technology Magnet, and New Tech High. There are also four "small schools" which are default and comprise the general population. They are the freshman, sophmore, junior, and senior academies.

The Magnet Academy is a college prep school in which each student focuses on one of six areas of study: math, science, information technology, engineering, computer science, and medicine. In their senior year, students are encouraged to take part-time internships in their specialized area of study. With the highest GQE, PSAT, and SAT scores in any small schools in IPS, almost every senior receives a diploma each year from this school, and 95 percent of the graduating class attends college. Their classes are in the first two floors of Stuart Hall and they wear purple IDs.

The Career Technology Magnet is a vocational school providing students a chance to quickly go into the working world. The Career Technology Magnet encourages freshman to explore various career paths and the career opportunities that pique their interests. By the time these students are juniors they are receiving experience in their chosen career path. Education takes many forms from part-time jobs to internships to mentoring and more. Graduates go on to careers in the work force, the military, or two or four year degree programs. Classes are held in Morgan Hall and they wear black IDs.

New Tech High is a project-based learning school in a technology-driven, college prep environment. Using the tools made available from the New Tech Foundation, including the new, web-based PeBl learning system and the NT Grade Portal, students are provided with individual laptops and immersed in high-tech, critical thinking projects. The focus at New Tech High is on success in the real world as well as in the classroom. Students are encouraged to discover, think, collaborate, and lead themselves to a successful future. These classes are held exclusively in Lone Hall and the students wear yellow IDs.

The Arsenal Building

The main administrative building for the campus, it was the original arsenal building constructed in 1864 with its tower added in 1865. Its main central tower originally served as an elevator. Wagons could pull up under the tower and be hoisted up by a platform. Once in place, rifles, cannon, or other materiel was unloaded at the appropriate floor. This massive, monumental three-story building with full basement and its soft red-brick exterior and Vernon, Indiana, limestone trim looks very much as it did in the 1860s.

West Residence, the Barracks, and Allen Hall

These buildings from the school's arsenal days are all still very much intact. All of them are used for classes in some respect. The 1867 barracks is one of the earliest remaining buildings on campus and is located behind Stuart Hall. It once housed the detachment of fifty soldiers that staffed the Arsenal, but now houses the JROTC program. The West Residence, built in 1870, accommodated officers. It is now houses the Colonel's Cupboard, a restaurant run by students and open to the public. Allen Hall was the Arsenal's barn, but has been completely renovated and is now used for foreign language classes.

Magazine and the Guardhouse

Although still standing, these buildings are not used for classes. The guardhouse was the building guarding the main entrance to the Arsenal. The school's security personal now have there offices there. The magazine was used to store gunpowder and other volatile substances. It is now used as an auxiliary building for JROTC, although no weapons stored in it.

Stuart Memorial Hall and The Stadium

Stuart Memorial Hall was built in 1939. It houses the Math/Science Academy on the first and second floors, with the general population on the third. It also includes the Forum, the school's secondary, smaller auditorium. In the front of the building is a large atrium, which includes wall artwork and stain glass depicting the Tech campus and various scenes from history. Also in the atrium is a bust depicting the building's namesake, Principal Milo H. Stuart.
The Stadium is where the school's football team has its games and where the marching band, track and field, and cross country teams practice. It includes a running track which circumscribes it, as well as stone bleachers on each side. It is going to be resurfaced with FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...

 after the 2012 Superbowl.
These building were originally constructed during the depression using New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...

 funds.

Treadwell Hall and Lone Hall

Usually considered to be the main classroom building and having about half the classroom space, Treadwell Hall was constructed in 1921 and was the second building addition to the new school, and the only one still standing. The original officer's East Residence was demolished in 1929 after two wings were added to the building in 1928.
Also built in 1922, Lone Hall was originally known as the Power and Shop Building. It housed the school's power plant and vocational classes.

Morgan Hall

When it was built in the 1950s, Morgan Hall was considered the "new" shop building, because it took over some of the duty from Lone Hall.

Moon Hall, the Gymnasiums, and Anderson Auditorium

Built in 1965, the music hall houses the kitchen and cafeteria as well as the music department and the commercial foods track for CTM.
Constructed in 1977, this auditorium is the school's main auditorium and is where the schools plays and special classes, such as set design, are held.
The West Gym was constructed in 1929 and known as the Boy's Gym, with the Girl's Gym being in Lone Hall. It was renovated in the 1970s as the new East Gym/Natatorium was being built next to it. These facilities are mainly used for swimming, volleyball, conditioning, and basketball. They also hold physical education classes during the day.

Media center

The media center houses the school's library, computer labs, resource rooms, and a bookstore. There is also an outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the outside of the building.

Legacy Center

As part of the Indianapolis' 2012 Super Bowl bid, they agreed to create a practice facility on the campus. Although that fell through, the school was promised a community center which is now being built. It will house multiple basketball courts, tutoring rooms, a kitchen, and a community garden.

Music Department

Arsenal Technical High School is very well known for its music department at the campus. The music programs are in the "Music Hall", formally known as William F. Moon Hall. Tech offers many different programs as follows:
Group Director/Leader Notes
Beginning choir Cindy Hartshorn
Technicians Cindy Hartshorn school's show choir
Show choir
A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...

Barbershop Quartets Kandis Brown
Techromatics Kandis Brown All boys singing group
Techniques Kandis Brown All girls singing group
Techoir Kandis Brown Oldest and most notable singing group at the school
Bell choir Beth Meyer
Orchestra Beth Meyer all string ensemble
Jazz Band Gary Doherty
Pep Band Gary Doherty plays at basketball games
Marching Band Gary Doherty plays at football games and competes in marching band competitions throughout the fall.
Concert Band Gary Doherty


The Music Hall is very well known for its annual All-School Musical, for which everyone in the school is allowed to audition.
  • 2006-2007: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
    Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
    Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...

  • 2007-2008: Beauty and the Beast
    Beauty and the Beast (musical)
    Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...

  • 2008-2009: Cinderella
  • 2009-2010: The Wizard of Oz
  • 2010-2011: Footloose
    Footloose (musical)
    Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...


Band

Ever since Gary Doherty took over as the head of the school's band program in early 2009, the band program has grown over 800%, while adding numerous groups to the school's music department. He received the National Band Director of the Year award in the 2010-2011 season, for his tireless work with the program. The award was given at the 2011 All-American Bowl.

Notable alumni

  • Howard H. Aiken (1919), a Father of the Computer Age
  • Howard Garns
    Howard Garns
    Howard Garns was an American architect who gained fame only after his death as the creator of Number Place, the number puzzle that became a worldwide phenomenon under the name Sudoku.-Invention of Number Place:...

     (1922), Creator of Sudoku
    Sudoku
    is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...

  • Bruce Charles Savage
    Bruce Charles Savage
    Bruce Charles Savage was the United States Public Housing Authority Commissioner under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, serving from 1960 to 1961. A moderate-progressive Rockefeller Republican, he sought to expand the services of national public housing at a time when public housing was limited in...

     (ca. 1924), U.S. Public Housing Commissioner (now HUD)
  • Durward Kirby
    Durward Kirby
    Homer Durward Kirby , known professionally as Durward Kirby , was an American television host and announcer...

     (1930), Television Host and Announcer and sidekick on The Garry Moore Show
    The Garry Moore Show
    The Garry Moore Show is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer, Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talents, such as Don Adams, George Gobel, Carol Burnett, Don...

  • William "Bill" Peed Peet
    Bill Peet
    Bill Peet , was an American children's book illustrator and a story writer for Disney Studios...

     (1933), Disney Artist and Writer
  • Leroy Edwards
    LeRoy Edwards
    Leroy Edwards , nicknamed "Cowboy" and "Lefty", was one of the greatest basketball players of his era. He was an NCAA All-American at the University of Kentucky and also one of the most lauded professional players in the United States' National Basketball League's history.-High school:Edwards was...

     (1933), professional basketball player
  • Jay Stewart Fix
    Jay Stewart
    Jay Fix , known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. One of his longest-lasting roles was as the announcer on the game show Let's Make a Deal, which he announced throughout the 1960s and 1970s...

     (1934), Radio and Television Announcer for Let's Make a Deal
    Let's Make a Deal
    Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...

    and other game shows
  • Freddie Hubbard
    Freddie Hubbard
    Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...

     (b. 1938), Famous Jazz Trumpeter
  • Robert Clark Indiana
    Robert Indiana
    Robert Indiana is an American artist associated with the Pop Art movement.-Life and work:Robert Indiana was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana. His family relocated to Indianapolis, where he graduated from Arsenal Technical High School...

     (1946), Love
    LOVE (Sculpture)
    LOVE is a sculpture by American artist Robert Indiana. It consists of the letters LO over the letters VE.The image was originally designed as a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964...

    artwork series
  • Peter Lupus
    Peter Lupus
    Peter Lupus is an American bodybuilder and actor of Syrian ancestry. He attended the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University, where he also played football and basketball, graduating in 1954...

     (1950), Actor in the Mission: Impossible
    Mission: Impossible
    Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...

    Television series
  • Joe Sexson
    Joe Sexson
    Joe Sexson was an American college basketball coach. He was he men's head coach at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1978 to 1989...

     (1952), Indiana Mr. Basketball;basketball and baseball player, coach; Purdue University
    Purdue University
    Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

    , Butler University
    Butler University
    Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...

  • Sylvia Likens
    Sylvia Likens
    Sylvia Marie Likens was an American murder victim from Indiana. She was tortured to death by Gertrude Baniszewski , Gertrude's children, and other young people from their neighborhood...

     (attended ca. 1965), Victim of Gertrude Baniszewski
    Gertrude Baniszewski
    Gertrude Nadine Baniszewski , also known as Gertrude Wright and Nadine van Fossan, was an Indiana divorcée who, with the aid of most of her own children and neighborhood children, such as Ricky Hobbs and Coy Hubbard, oversaw and facilitated the prolonged torture, mutilation, and eventual murder of...

  • Frank Kendrick
    Frank Kendrick
    Frank Edward Kendrick is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA.-College career:...

     (1970), NBA Basketball Player
  • Mike Epps
    Mike Epps
    Michael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...

     (ca. 1988), Comedian and Actor
  • Andre Carson
    André Carson
    André D. Carson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 2008. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

     (ca. 1992), current United States Congress Representative
  • Enoch DeMar
    Enoch DeMar
    Enoch DeMar is a former professional American football offensive lineman who played two seasons for the Cleveland Browns....

     (ca. 1998), Professional Football Player (NFL)

External links

Official Websites

Other Websites
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