Charles A. Sprague High School, known as Sprague High School, is a high school in the Sunnyslope neighborhood of Salem, Oregon, United States. The school is named after Charles A. Sprague, who served as Oregon's governor from 1939 to 1943.
Academics
2017 OSAA Choir Championships 1st Place Performance - Sprague HS - Sprague High School Concert Choir in Salem Oregon. Directed by Dr. David Brown.
In the 2007-2008 school year, 95.4% of Sprague's seniors received a high school diploma, compared to a statewide rate of 84.0%. Of 389 students, 371 graduated and 18 dropped out.
In 2008-2009, 92% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 398 students, 365 graduated, 16 dropped out, one received a modified diploma, and 16 were still in high school the following year.
Music activities
Grammy Signature School recognition
Sprague has been recognized as a Grammy Signature School in many years. This program is designed to honor exceptional public high school music programs across the country.
- 2009: GRAMMY Signature Schools
- 2008: GRAMMY Signature Schools
- 2001: GRAMMY Signature Schools
- 2000: National GRAMMY Signature School
- 1999: GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold
Orchestra
Since the orchestral program was created in 1986, Sprague's Camerata Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra have won a combined 25 Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) State Championships. In addition, Sprague is the only high school in Oregon to have won state championships in all four OSAA music categories (String Orchestra, Full Orchestra, Choir, and Band) in a single year (1998). Beginning in 1993, and every fourth year since (1997, 2001, 2005), Sprague's Orchestra Program has traveled to Austria, where the Camerata has been named the "Top High School String Orchestra in the World" on multiple occasions after winning the Vienna Youth and Music Festival in 1997 and 2005.
Choir
Choir director Russ Christensen was named the 2006-2007 Oregon Music Educator of the year. The choir placed or tied for first in OSAA state choir championships in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2017. The choir is now directed by Dr. Robert David Brown.
Bands
Sprague High School Marching Band and Color Guard won the Oregon state championship in 1984, 1985, and 1986. They won the Kelso Highlander Marching band competition in 1983. The marching band competed in the California state championships in San Jose in 1984, coming in second place by only 3/4 of a point. They also took first place at the Marching Bands of America regional championship in Moscow, Idaho in 1985. The color guard, named the Starlighters Winterguard, won the Western Dream Pageant Scholastic division with the highest score up to that point in 1986, having an undefeated season.
The band is a member of Northwest Association of Performing Artists and Oregon School Activities Association.
Sprague has hosted the Pacific Coast Invitational, a marching band competition, since 1982.
Concert Band
Sprague band has participated in many Heritage Festivals in Anaheim and San Francisco, California over the years. Below is list of the accomplishments by participation year:
Marching band accolades
The first two months of each school year is marching band season. To start the season off, two weeks in August are devoted to marching band camp. Members of Sprague Band assemble with the Color Guard practice drills, straighten lines and create a show for competition with other high school marching bands within Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho. Most are members of the Northwest Association of Performing Artists.
Athletics
Sprague has won ten state championships in various sports, including six Directors Cup trophies for league standings in all sports throughout a school year.
During the 2004-2005 school year, Sprague won both the football and baseball state championships, marking the first time since 1998 that a major Oregon high school was a state champion in two of the "Big 3" (football, basketball, and baseball) in the same year. Sprague has also had a very successful tennis program. Between 2006 and 2009, the boys' tennis team won the team state championship and had a player in the singles final in three out of four years (2006, 2007, 2009).
State Championships
- Football: 2004
- Boys' tennis: 1977, 1993, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2009
- Baseball: 1995, 2005
- Softball: 2003
- Racquetball: 2010 (club sport)
National Champions
- Racquetball: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 (club sport)
Notable alumni
- Joey Wong, baseball player
- Bill Swancutt, NFL player
- Ryan "The Niz" Neighbors
References
