This history of Edward S. Ingraham High School is taken from the second edition of Building for Learning: Seattle Public School Histories, which includes histories of every school building used by the district since its formation around 1862. The original essay was written for the 2002 first edition by Nile Thompson and Carolyn J. Marr, and updated for the 2024 edition by HistoryLink contributor Casey McNerthney.
High School for the North End
When the city annexed a 10-square-mile area north of N 85th Street in 1954, the Seattle School District incorporated five elementary schools and Jane Addams Junior High School from the Shoreline School District. Subsequently, planning began for a new high school in the north end. A 25-acre site was included in the annexed land, and in 1956 federal funds were sought for a school. In 1958, an agreement between the Seattle School District and the parks department was adopted for the exchange and joint use of adjacent properties in the Haller Lake neighborhood.
The proposed North End High School got its permanent name after the circulation of a list of possible names (including Marcus Whitman and Nathan Hale, which were later used for other schools) among principals and PTA presidents at nearby junior high schools. When no clear-cut favorite emerged, the school board voted to adopt the name Edward S. Ingraham, which was not on the original list. The choice was apt, however, because it honored a notable leader and innovator in local education. Major Edward Sturgis Ingraham became the first superintendent of Seattle Public Schools in 1882, having served as King County Superintendent of Schools from 1876. Ingraham was an avid mountaineer (successfully climbing Mount Rainier 11 times), so students chose the nickname “The Mountaineers,” with the “Ram” as their mascot. The schnewspaper became the Cascade and the yearbook, the Glacier. The school colors of blue, white, and gray symbolize snow-capped mountains on a blue horizon. When the building was officially dedicated on April 29, 1960, Kenneth Ingraham, a relative of the Major, attended the ceremony. The design for the new high school included a distinctive oval dome auditorium, which seated 1,200 in amphitheater style. The auditorium was considered an acoustical masterpiece. Also included were a lunchroom, gymnasium, industrial arts building, and science-arts-business wing.
Growing Pains
The 1,000 students attending the inaugural year in 1959-1960 at first endured a number of problems as construction was far from complete. In the streets, sewer pipes awaited installation. Mud covered the access route to the building when it rained, and when the weather was dry, dust was a problem. Enrollment increased to 1,565 with the addition of the 12th grade, and by 1963, more than 2,200 students attended the school.
Music became one of Ingraham’s early strengths. The concert choir went on a 28-day tour of Japan in 1964, the first American high school singing group to tour Japan after World War II. The original tour was planned after 40 high school students from Kobe, Japan, came to Ingraham to sing and stayed in the homes of choir members. In 1991, under the baton of conductor Wallace Goleeke, about 40 members of that original 52-voice group performed again at a free public concert in the school’s auditorium. The choir members performed “with the same speeches and welcome and the same songs, announcing them in Japanese as we did then,” Goleeke said.
The Rams achieved notable success during the 1960s and early 1970s in athletics. The football team under coaching legend Tony Gasparovich won three Metro League titles and compiled a 109-37-3 record from 1960-76. The Rams’ 21-0 shutout of Kentwood in the 1988 state title game made Ingraham the last Seattle Public School to win a state football championship through the 2021-2022 school year.
The Rams won the 1965 state track title, volleyball state titles in 1973 and ’74, and a boy’s golf state title in 1972. Ingraham’s most celebrated team was the 1968-1969 boys basketball team that went undefeated in 23 games and topped Hoquiam 39-38 in the large-school title game for the Rams’ first state basketball championship. When the team visited the state Capitol after winning the title, forward Mike Kroeger recalls captain Jay Inslee saying that he would someday be governor. During Inslee’s three terms as Governor of Washington, that team picture was on a shelf of memorabilia in the governor’s office. That unbeaten team was led by longtime Seattle Public Schools coach Walt Milroy, who started as basketball coach in Ingraham’s inaugural year and remained until 1980. When the school dedicated “Walt Milroy Court” on February 3, 2017, Inslee and his surviving teammates returned to honor their then-97-year-old coach.
Ingraham’s school paper, the Cascade, received several state and national awards. In 1973, students from Ingraham won the local “Quizathon” for the third time in a row.
Freshmen Added
In 1981, Ingraham added 9th graders. Curriculum highlights in the early 2000s included a special 9th grade orientation program, career training, automotive repair, and advanced computer technology. Its school-to-career programs, such as Microsoft AATP, Cisco Networking Academy, and Electric Car and Bicycle, were leaders in the district.
Redevelopment of athletic fields throughout the district began in 2000. At Ingraham, the site was completely reconfigured into the Northwest Athletic Complex, including a regulation synthetic football field, soccer field, and practice rubberized track, as well as stadium seating for 1,000, concession and restrooms. A large multipurpose synthetic field can accommodate two regulation soccer fields or a baseball/soccer field. A six-court lighted tennis facility with seating was constructed to handle high school tennis tournaments along with storage and support buildings. Lighting for the turf football field was added in 2003.
In 2003, one-story additions to the library and science lab were constructed to support the school’s application to offer the International Baccalaureate Program. The library was significantly modernized and enlarged, and five science labs were renovated. Part of the project involved eliminating the “tiered” floors that existed to create flat floors to improve accessibility in the science labs. Additionally, a new greenhouse was built as part of this project. Ingraham became an International Baccalaureate (IB) school in 2004, and as of 2022 the college-prep program was one of only 13 offered in Washington. The IB program takes a renaissance approach to education, seeking to develop well-rounded, productive members of society. Students learn how to critically analyze, thoughtfully question, and carefully reach conclusions about cultures, languages, literature, mathematics, and the natural world. Ingraham also had the Community Based Training Program, giving students with disabilities a wide range of real-world experiences, vocational instruction, and social skills training to prepare for life after high school.
New Addition
Following the 2009 school year, Ingraham students and staff prepared for construction on a new two-story, 22,000-square-foot building addition, street improvements, and an indoor air quality remodel. The School Design Team chose a design for the addition connecting to the west side of the existing building, where there is a naturally occurring slope. The new addition added 12 new classrooms and an enclosed atrium. The project created easier access to the main building’s library, lunchroom, and auditorium; developed a pedestrian connection between the school and neighboring Helene Madison Pool; and expanded on-site parking for events. The school remained open during construction and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the finished project on January 19, 2012.
The project did experience one significant hurdle. After multiple legal hearings, the hearing examiner declared that a tree grove that would have been impacted by the original design of the addition was a significant habitat for wildlife and needed protection. The district was required to redesign and move the addition in order to save the trees.
In 2011, Ingraham was selected as one of four schools to receive an athletic facility renovation, which was featured on the second episode of the ESPN original series RISE UP. The school did not apply for the contest, but was selected for its need and school spirit. ESPN paid for the materials and labor to refinish the gym floor, update lighting, repair the bleachers, and modernize the weight room and locker rooms. ESPN worked with Greg Root, an Ingraham alum and president of a local visual communications company to help with graphics for the makeover.
In 2016, the Friends of Ingraham launched the Bright Futures program. Not only does this program support the Ingraham counseling team, but it also works to normalize the high school experience for all students by funding basic needs such as food, clothing, toiletries, and shoes; academic needs such as study workbooks and computers; and experiential needs such as club activity fees and uniforms. Initial funds were used to set up a ‘Pride Closet,’ a place where students can access basic items necessary for success, such as school supplies, clothes, food, hygiene products, and more.
Landmark Status
On October 4, 2017, the City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board approved designation of a portion of Ingraham as a city landmark saying, “it embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style or period or method of construction.” The designation covers the exterior of the gymnasium and the exterior of the auditorium and its associated foyer and lobby wing.
Due to enrollment growth at the high school level, an additional expansion was needed for increased capacity. In 2018, a new, two-story classroom addition was constructed and connected to the north side of Ingraham’s core building, known as building 100. Portions of building 100 were remodeled, and earthquake safety improvements were made to the original gymnasium, among other improvements. Construction occurred while the school remained open to students. The 46,000-square-foot addition increased Ingraham’s total school square footage to 236,000, added 18 classrooms, increased capacity for up to 500 additional students, and provided a new front entrance to the school, though the school address remained the same. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held August 29, 2019.
Notable alumni of Ingraham include chef Kathy Casey, programmer and author of 86 DOS Tim Paterson, professional baseball players Bob Reynolds and Ken Phelps, tennis coach Lisa Moldrem, and Pulitzer Prize-wi ning editorial cartoonist David Horsey.
History
Edward S. Ingraham High School
Location: 1819 N 135th Street
Building: 56-room concrete
Architect: Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson
Site: 28.92 acres
1959: Named on June 3; opened on September 9
2000: Northwest Athletic Complex construction – Waldron Akira Architects / DA Hogan and Associates field designer
2004: Auditorium modernized; Library and science wing modifications (Rolluda + Scott Architects)
2011: ESPN Extreme Makeover, Gy
2012: Addition (Integrus Architects)
2019: Renovation and addition (Integrus Architects)
Edward S. Ingraham High in 2023
Enrollment: 1,483
Address: 1819 N 135th Street
Nickname: Rams
Configuration: 9-12
Colors: Blue, white and gray
Newspaper: Cascade
Yearbook: Glacier
