Woodrow Wilson School was built in 1917 as the new junior high school for the Fargo Public Schools. As soon as it opened up, rather than becoming the new junior high school, Woodrow Wilson became the new home for Fargo High School, as in 1917, the Fargo Central High School burned down. Until 1921, Woodrow Wilson was the only high school for the city of Fargo. In the fall of 1921, the new Fargo Central was reopened on the old site, (the site of the Cass county Annex). At this time, Woodrow Wilson became the newest elementary school in Fargo. It remained an elementary school until the mid 1970’s when the neighborhood population declined to such a point that it was no longer able to maintain an elementary school program. Woodrow, during this transition from an elementary school to what it is today, became home for the trainable mentally handicapped students as well as the newly developed Alternative High School.
The Alternative High School began as an evening adult education high school program during the 1973-74 school years in which the Emerson Smith School granted high school credits for scores on the general Equivalency Diploma exam. With his or her scores on the GED test a student could receive high school credit towards graduation. A student could also receive credit for “knowledge skill or competency” for an equivalent course offered by the Fargo Public Schools. This was only one of the unique ways students were able to receive credit for high school work. Another way students received high school credit was for prior service in the United States Military. One needs to remember that this was in the mid-1970 and the Vietnam War was coming to a conclusion; hence a number of veterans were looking at completing their high school education. Also, students were able to pick up high school credit when they had completed a vocational learning experience or a Federal Trade Apprenticeship program. The school at this time was an adult evening high school where one would not find 16-18 year old students completing apprenticeship programs or being eligible to take the GED exam nor would they have been in the military and completed their tour of duty. The option of granting high school credit by way of the GED was only given to students who were nineteen years of age and older.
By 1974 the first graduation class ceremony was held in the School Board Room of the district Office at Emerson Smith School and consisted of six graduates. The individuals responsible in the Fargo Public schools for starting the Adult Evening High School were Dr, Vern Bennett, Supt. Of Schools; Dr. Glenn Melvey, Assist. Supt. of Instruction; Roger Olson and Lyle Sorum, directors of Vocational and Adult Education; Leonard Hanson, Adult Educational Coordinator; and Jerry Hasche, Vocational Career Counselor.
During early 1974 an organization called F-M Alternatives led by Nancy Burns was urging Fargo-Moorhead to look at establishing an alternative school for high school age youth. By the fall of 1974, 16-18 year old students were allowed to attend the Adult Evening High School. The name was changed to the Adult Community High School and moved over to Woodrow Wilson School. Students that were eligible to enroll in the Adult High School were those who were not enrolled in a traditional day program and had not been enrolled in school for three months. Exceptions to these rules were only allowed by the Superintendent of Schools.
The period from 1974-75, 1975-76 marked a major transition in the school population. The number of community high school adults who were taking high school credits were declining while more and more high school age (16-18) youth were enrolling the Adult Community High School. These students were those that had dropped out of North or South High School and those who had been out of school for three months or more and wanted to return to school.
During the first few years, the school ran both day and evening programs. It was estimated that ninety students would enroll in the fall of 1973 in the Adult Evening High School. By the fall of 1976, there were seventy-two high school students in a day program; fifty students in the evening program, and because of a limited staff, there were thirty students on a waiting list. When students completed school or were dropped, the students on the waiting list enrolled in the high school. The staff at that time consisted of five teachers in the morning, two in the afternoon and two in the evening. These students left North and South High Schools for varied reasons such as a dislike of their school experience, poor pupil-staff relationships, or economic reasons.
Students were referred to the high school from the other high schools in Fargo and most all agencies in Fargo that worked with youth. However, it was felt that the largest number of students who came to the Adult Community High School came here as a result of being encouraged to enroll by other students who were attending Woodrow Wilson.
In February 1977, a major grant was received by the school to assist the Fargo Public Schools in expanding the Adult Community High School to lower the dropout rate in the Fargo community. This grant was in effect from February 1977 to May of 1979. During this time students were enrolled in four classes per day with no set time to work on specific classes, in other words students could work on any class at any time during the day. At that time the school day was from 8:30 – 11:30 and from 12:00 – 3:00. The evening session ran from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
The rules that were organized for the day to day operation of the school were all the ideas of the students; these rules are still fundamental to the operation of the school. The primary rule and the one that the school has always centered around is the time clock and the students’ time cards. Students punch in and out on a time card to keep track of their attendance and number of days in class. The length of time on a time card and the number of hours of absences has varied, but the process has always remained the same, as well as the penalty. The penalty for excessive absences (a drop from school called a termination.) has not changed over the years, but the length of time out of school has varied.
During this same time, the school went through another name change from the Adult Community high School to the Community High School. This was to better reflect the population in the school. During the year 1987-88, the name was changed again. This time the name was changed; first, to stop the confusion between Fargo and West Fargo’s Community High School; second, to give Woodrow Wilson Community High School a name that would reflect where we were located in the school community; and third, to call ourselves what we were begin referred to by in the community and by the students.
Woodrow Wilson Community High has reflected society and became very aware of the dangers of smoking. When the school first opened and for a number of years afterward, students were allowed to smoke in the classroom, not in the hallways, bathrooms, nor during the mid-morning break or the mid-afternoon break. The reason for this was it was felt that students were being monitored by the staff at the time they were allowed to smoke. As health issues became more and more important, restrictions on smoking increased. Next, smoking was allowed only in one room, and this was only during students break time when they were being supervised by a teacher. Currently, no smoking is allowed in the building or on school property.
By 1980, students who were enrolling in four classes a day were now enrolled in two classes a day, working on one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This assisted the students in budgeting their time and assisted them in getting more credits during a school year by making them more accountable to their teacher.
Curriculum changes have also reflected the alternative school evolution. At first, a number of courses developed by the Division of Independent Study were used. Next, the staff developed courses that were self-contained, teacher-made and/or published materials to meet individual needs of the students. In early 1980’s the curriculum was changed to reflect the curriculum at North and South high schools, in many cases even using the same textbook. This is true today.
Highlights of the school during the past twenty-five years have been many, beginning with a major grant from the North Dakota department of Education, which assisted the Fargo school district in getting the school started. It also provided for a counselor and remedial reading teachers. This grant provided the school with the financial support to make the transition from primarily an adult program to one of high school age youth.
In 1978-79 Woodrow Wilson was able to purchase a number of books from the American Association of University Women, followed by donation of books from the used book dealers in Fargo, which helped start the school library. Now the library is a part of the Fargo school Library and students are connected via computer to the other libraries in the Fargo School System so that books in one library can be borrowed and read by students in other schools.
In 1993-94 school years, Woodrow Wilson School received a grant from U.S. West to purchase a number of computers to be used by the students. This assisted Woodrow in providing the latest in technology to the students who are enrolled here. We were also the first school in the Fargo Public Schools to provide Internet access to all high school age students in each classroom.
In the fall of 1996 the English Department was able to purchase the Accelerated Reader Program. This has enabled the school to keep students reading beyond the textbook. Students are now reading six books in an average English class whereas before they were reading only one book on the average per class.
More and more students who are enrolled at Woodrow Wilson School are participating in the extracurricular activities at North and South High Schools. When Woodrow Wilson School began twenty-five years ago, the one thing that the students had in common was that students did not participate in extracurricular activities in their home school. In the past few years, this seems to have changed. Two years ago, a halfback on the North High State Championship football team was attending Woodrow Wilson School, as was a member of the defensive line. That same year another Woodrow students was a starting skater on the North High hockey team which won the state championship. This past year (1997-98) two state wrestlers attended Woodrow Wilson School, one transferred in the middle of the year to North High where he went on to win the state class A high school wrestling championship. Another student won in his weight class for Fargo South, while attending Woodrow Wilson School.
While much can be made on the school and how it functions and the equipment that make up the school, it would not be a success if it were not for the students who attend school. Throughout the years it has remained fairly constant that of the over 2500 students that have enrolled, (40%) have graduated, (20%) have transferred, and (40%) have dropped out of school or gone on to get their high school equivalency diploma. This school is not for all students. While many view taking two classes at a time as easier than at the traditional school, they do not realize that instead of eighteen weeks to finish a class at the traditional school, students have only five weeks at Woodrow Wilson School. Along with that is the self discipline needed to handle the freedom and the responsibility of the time clock.
Of the over 1200 graduates from Woodrow Wilson School most of them have gone on to become a part of the community in Fargo. They are in all types of professions from medical to law enforcement, from the business community to music. Woodrow Wilson in 1997 had the distinct privilege of having a former graduate receive a $300,000 scholarship to go to medical school. This is believed the largest single scholarship ever received by a Fargo Public School graduate.
In conclusion, Woodrow Wilson has gone from a program that primarily worked with adults to a program that now works exclusively with high school age youth. The school has also gone from a program that was a day as well as an evening program to a day only program. Originally, the curriculum was developed to meet the individual educational needs of the students that went to school here. Now the curriculum for the most part, reflects the curriculum that is presented at North and South High Schools. Since Woodrow Wilson School has met the standards in curriculum and in other areas, the school has become North Central Association accredited, which means the school has a set of standards that other schools and colleges understand.