Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences
Location
8301 Germantown Ave. Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°04′30″N 75°12′12″W
Information
Type	Public
Established	1923
Principal	Corinne Scioli
Grades	K–8
Enrollment	600
Color(s)	blue and gold
Mascot	Jaguars
Affiliation	School District of Philadelphia
Website	John Story Jenks
John Story Jenks School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
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Built	1922
Built by	Cramp & Co.
Architect	Irwin T. Catharine
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival, Tudor Revival
MPS	Philadelphia Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.	88002286[1]
Added to NRHP	November 18, 1988

Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences is a public K-8 school in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is part of the School District of Philadelphia. Jenks serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade and has a student population of about 600. There are two classes in each grade as well as specialized programs for life skills, inclusion/learning support and gifted support. Jenks students are required to wear school uniforms.[2]

History

The school from Germantown Avenue

The school was built in 1922 as the John Story Jenks School. It was built in Tudor Revival/Late Gothic Revival style and designed by Irwin T. Catharine, longtime architect for the school district. The building is yellow brick and is relatively ornate with a parapet and stylized Flemish gable at the top of the building. It was built by Cramp & Co. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]

Jenks was named after John Story Jenks (1839-1923), the merchant, of Randolph and Jenks, who was also a director of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia Trust Company, Western Savings Fund, Western National Bank and the Insurance Company of North America. He was a member of the Union League, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Philosophical Society. His home, Inglewood Cottage, designed by Cope & Stewardson, is also located in Chestnut Hill.[3] He served on the Philadelphia Board of Education and was an avid collector and numismatist. He believed coin collecting was “instructive to any young girl or boy” for learning geography, history and languages.[3]

In 2014, the school was renamed to Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences. The change came because of an increased focus on the STEM fields.[4]

Notable alumni

• Samantha Johnson - Miss Pennsylvania USA 2007[5]

Feeder patterns

Residents zoned to Jenks are zoned to Roxborough High School.[6]

Residents zoned to Jenks were zoned to Germantown High School prior to Germantown's closure.[7][8]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. J. S. Jenks policies
3. Neipold, Andrea (November 4, 2015). "Discovering Chestnut Hill: Who was John Story Jenks". Chestnut Hill Local. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
4. Dicciani, Kevin (August 13, 2014). "Jenks to reopen with a new name". Chestnut Hill Local. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
5. Pazulski, Kristin (January 25, 2007). "Miss Pennsylvania comes home to J.S. Jenks". The Chestnut Hill Local. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
6. "High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 57/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
7. "A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Accessed November 6, 2008.
8. "Germantown High School Geographic Boundaries" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 29, 2015.

External links

• Official website
  • Jenks School (webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/schools/j/jsjenks/) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
• "John S. Jenks Elementary School Geographic Boundaries" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia.