A.H. Parker High School is a four-year public high school in Birmingham, Alabama. It is one of seven high schools in the Birmingham City School System and is named for longtime Birmingham educator Arthur Harold Parker. School colors are purple and white, and the mascot is the Bison (the 'Thundering Herd'). Parker competes in AHSAA Class 5A athletics.HistoryOriginally known as Negro High School, Parker opened as a high school for African-American children in the fall of 1900 with a freshman class of 19 students and one teacher. The school's first graduation was June 3, 1904 at the 16th Street Baptist Church, where 15 students received diplomas. Its founding was spearheaded by pastor and banker William R. Pettiford, and Arthur H. Parker was its first principal.In September 1910 the school moved to a temporary location - the Lane Auditorium - and began offering skills for women such as sewing, knitting, and child care. By that time the enrollment was about 100 students. Construction of a permanent facility began in 1923, and by 1929 the school had an industrial building, a library and a gymnasium.In 1937 the school had an enrollment of over 2,700, and in 1939, A.H. Parker retired as principal and the school was subsequently renamed in his honor.The school continued to grow steadily to 3,761 students in 1946. Because of that large number, the school soon became known as the largest high school for Negroes in the world. In 1953, the school was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an accreditation it has kept ever since.
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