Roxborough High School

The Academies at Roxborough High School (commonly referred to as Roxborough High School) is a public high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, operated by the School District of Philadelphia and servicing the Roxborough, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, Wissahickon, East Falls, Mt. Airy, and Germantown sections of Philadelphia. History Construction on Roxborough High School began in 1922. It was the first combination junior/senior high school in the city of Philadelphia. Students attended classes on the third floor while construction of the lower floors continued until the building's completion in 1924. The school cost more than $800,000 to build and an additional $80,000 to furnish. Its first graduating class was in 1927. Early clubs included the Penmanship Club, Basketry Club, Dressmaking Club, and the Sewing Circle Club. The school song, "Way Up on the Hill," was written by Charles “Chick” Galt, class of 1924. School plays began in 1925. The school library opened in 1927 and the band was organized in 1938. The school newspaper, The Ridge Record, was first published in November 1929. The school’s literary magazine,The Wissahickon, was first published in the 1920s and had been renamed Images by the 1990s. A new lunchroom was built in the 1960s. In the 1970s, female students were allowed to wear pants to school for the first time.