Topeka High School

Topeka High School
Address
800 SW 10th Street Topeka, Kansas, 66612 United States
Information
School type	Public high school
Established	1871 (1931 at current site)
School district	USD 501
Principal	Linda Wiley
Grades	9 to 12
Enrollment	2,000
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Black      Gold
Mascot	Trojans
Rival	Topeka West High School
Newspaper	The World
Website	School Website

Topeka High School (THS) is a fully accredited high school, serving students in grades 9-12, located in Topeka, Kansas. It is one of four high schools within Topeka Public Schools. The school colors are black and gold. The enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is approximately 2,000 students.^{[citation needed]}

Topeka High was established in 1871 on the northwest and southwest corners of 8th and Harrison. In 1931, Topeka High School moved to its current location at 800 SW 10th Ave. At the time, the school was among the first million dollar high schools built west of the Mississippi River.

Topeka High is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 6A division and are known as the "Trojans". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. The school newspaper is The World. Notable alumni of the school include Charles Curtis, 31st Vice President of the United States.

History

The current structure was designed by architects Thomas Williamson (THS 1907) and Ted Greist. In 2005, the 20-yard swimming pool located underneath the gym was converted into Laney Gym, named after former swim coach Chet Laney, for P.E. classes and wrestling. An additional gym was constructed on the soccer field located on the northwest side of the school where JV basketball games and volleyball games are played. Varsity basketball continues to be played in the "Dungeon." The school celebrated its 75th Anniversary at its current site on September 17, 2006.

Academics

Topeka High utilizes the modified block schedule, which includes seven classes on alternating days plus "Trojan Time", on Thursdays, which allows students to sign out to specific locations for further help from teachers or just stay in their current class and study. Six percent of Topeka High's enrollment come as transfer students. Students outside the attendance zone come to the school for its strong fine arts program - including a music program (jazz band, drumline,wind ensembles,orchestra, and concert choirs), its forensic and debate teams, as well as its foreign language program (offering languages Spanish, German, Mandarin, and French). Also, THS also supports a Marine Corps JROTC drill team (1999–present). The school newspaper, The World, is a member of the High School National Ad Network. The school yearbook is "The Sunflower". Both publications are members of JEA and NSPA. Topeka High, under the former direction of Richard Green, has also built up its broadcast journalism program. The Newsdesk a bi-monthly news broadcast showcasing student news and feature packages. Under the direction of Green, The Newsdesk has won multiple state-wide broadcasting awards. "The Newsdesk" is filmed on campus in "The Tom Browne Memorial News Room".

Campus

Topeka High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	800 SW 10th Street Topeka, Kansas
Coordinates:	39°2′57″N 95°41′8″W
Built:	1870
Architect:	Leeper, John M.
Architectural style:	Late Gothic Revival
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	5000550
Added to NRHP:	January 9, 2005

The tall bell tower is the most visible aspect of Topeka High School's architecture. Other notable details include Hoehner Auditorium, site of at least one inauguration of a Kansas Governor. The library was modeled after Hampton Court Palace. Much of the wood shelving in the library is hand-carved, and about half of the ceiling is hand-painted. The original chairs, which are now 75 years old, still remain in the library and efforts are being made to refinish them by the Topeka High School Historical Society.^{[citation needed]}

Students

Topeka High has an average student population of around 2,000. However, more than 1,700 students attended Topeka High in the 2006-2007 school year. Students arrive from Robinson, Jardine and Landon Middle Schools, as well as from Eisenhower and Chase Middle Schools. Six percent transfer into THS from outside the Topeka Public Schools district. The senior class of 2007 had 337 students. More than 80% of THS graduates enroll in some kind of post secondary education. More than $1.2 million in scholarships were awarded to Topeka High seniors in 2005. Scholarships were awarded from such schools as Stanford, Vassar College, Vanderbilt, Georgetown and Brandeis.

National merit scholars (1999-2005)

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a college scholarship competition that includes taking the PSAT/NMSQT. The school has had 19 Semi-finalists, 35 Commended Scholars, 7 National Achievement Scholars, 3 Corporate Sponsor Merit Scholars, and 3 Hispanic Scholars.^{[citation needed]}

Foreign exchange programs

Ten to fifteen students per year attend THS from countries such as Belgium, Turkmenistan, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland. Students are sponsored by the following exchange programs: AFS, AIFS, ASSE, CHI, AYUSA, ERDT, WISE, ISE, and Share.^{[citation needed]}

Traditions

• Running of the halls: During first period of days that THS has a home football game, the students gather in the halls of Troy, cheerleaders and the drill team, flag team, and marching band march through the halls to promote school spirit. Due to inappropriate actions by students and lack of participation, this tradition was discontinued in recent years, but was brought back during the 2006-2007 school year. The Topeka High Marching Trojans have been a part of the school for years. They travel the country regularly and have been on a national stage on multiple occasions, including the Disney Music Days Parade every other year in Orlando, Florida, as well as the Cotton Bowl Classic Parade in Dallas, Texas in 1988.^{[citation needed]}

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Trojans are classified as a 6A school, the largest classification in Kansas according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association. Throughout its history, Topeka has won 28 state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in Division I, Division II, and Division III athletics.

Boys' Basketball

An important part of the school's men's basketball history was the 1949 separation of the basketball teams between black and white players.. White basketball players were on the Trojan team, and black athletes were on the Rambler basketball team. There were two different cheer-leading teams. While classes were integrated, blacks didn't have equal representation on the student council and separate school parties were held for black couples and white couples. The first black Topeka High basketball team, the Cardinals, started in 1929, and the Ramblers started in 1935.^{[citation needed]} In 2009 the school looked back at the historic separation of the teams. Former UNC coach Dean Smith came back with a number of others that were associated with the Ramblers to discuss the team's history. There is no separation of the teams now, and is currently one of the most diverse basketball teams in Topeka.^{[citation needed]} In the 2009-10 basketball season they were shown to be a lot stronger than past seasons after beating cross-town rival, Highland Park High School, the defending state champions for the past three years. The 2009-10 team is coached by Pat Denney.^{[citation needed]}

State Championships

State Championships
Season	Sport	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Cross Country, Boys	3	1950, 1952, 1953
	Soccer, Boys	1	1997
Winter	Basketball, Boys	3	1932, 1973, 1986
	Basketball, Girls	2	1981, 1982
Spring	Golf, Boys	2	1949, 1961
	Baseball	1	1947
	Track and Field, Boys	5	1916, 1948, 1956, 1963, 1973
	Track and Field, Girls	2	1974, 1975
	Tennis, Boys	9	1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1943, 1976, 1977, 1989
Total		28

^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

• Nancy Kassebaum Baker, United States Senator, 1978–1996
• Bill Bunten, current mayor of Topeka
• Charles Curtis, 31st Vice President of the United States
• Aaron Douglas, artist during the Harlem Renaissance
• Coleman Hawkins, prominent jazz tenor saxophonist
• Gordon Jump, actor
• Ben Lerner, poet
• Kirke Mechem, class of 1943, Composer, Tartuffe and other works
• William C. Menninger, co-founder of the Menninger Foundation
• Karl Menninger, co-founder of the Menninger Foundation
• Travis Schuldt, actor on Scrubs and Passions
• Brig Gen Howard S. Searle, responsible for rebuilding the Kansas Army National Guard after World War II
• Dean Smith, Head Coach, University of North Carolina basketball, 1961–1997
• Mike Torrez, retired Major League Baseball pitcher
• Thomas Williamson, class of 1907, architect
• Max Yoho, class of 1953, Kansas author
• Rich Davis, Class of 1944, founder of KC Masterpiece Barbecue sauce

Bibliography

• United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places submission for Topeka High School, Shawnee County, Kansas, (22 April 2005)

External links

• Topeka High School
• Topeka High School's newspaper