Since it first opened in 1965, Inglemoor High School has gone through a rollercoaster of events. From public streaking incidents to a Christina Aguilera concert, there have been numerous changes and big events that have made Inglemoor the school it is today.
Inglemoor’s name derives from the nearby neighborhood names of Inglewood and Moorlands. Inglemoor adopted the Viking as their mascot due to the heritage of the largely Scandinavian student population.
In fact, there used to be a “Viking ship” in the courtyard, it was a rowboat painted black and yellow. The ship, however, met its fate when it was burned down by rival Bothell High School students in the 1980s.
In the ‘90s, the school underwent a remodel. The campus used to be dirt and gravel, compared to the cement walkways there are now. Other changes included the roof over the outside hallways, protecting students from the rain. Artificial turf was added to the football field.
On one Viking Day in the late 1990s, two students decided to strip and run on the roof during the yearbook advisor’s speech.
“These guys put on their sneakers and nothing else and took off across the top of the breezeway,” IB English teacher Sean Burrus recalled.
They ran around campus and had a getaway vehicle available, but they were thwarted when the yearbook advisor grabbed them before they could get away. They were watched by the crowd as the principal suspended them.
In 1997, Inglemoor was certified as an International Baccalaureate school, which is an advanced academic program. Its first graduating class had only 23 IB students.
“We have beaten the international average in most every discipline every single year since 2000,” said Burrus, who has been teaching at Inglemoor since 1985.
“There was a lot of nervousness, unsureness about this program that came in. Only I would say within a year or two, everybody was on board with it,” said David Allemeier, who currently teaches Finance and Food and Nutrition. “[IB] was looked upon highly because it challenged a group of students.”
A week before winning her first Grammy, Christina Aguilera performed a private concert at Inglemoor after students set records with donations for a canned food drive. Students managed to collect 450,000 cans, enough to fill a semi-truck.
In 2000, Charissa Thompson graduated with the goal of appearing on TV. About 6 years later, she started her career as a sports broadcaster for Fox Sports Net and ESPN.
“Her ambition in those days was to interview Michael Stringham, the famous football player,” Burrus said. “A few years later, she had a television show where they were co-hosts.”
Other notable alumni include short-term attorney general Zoe Baird, news anchor Tatevik Aprikyan, and author Kiki Hughes.
