Wichita High School East
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Coordinates: 37°41′5″N 97°18′32″W / 37.68472°N 97.30889°W
| Wichita High School East | |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| 2301 E. Douglas Ave. Wichita, KS, USA |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Established | 1878 |
| Principal | Ken Thiessen |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,264 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Navy Blue, White, and Columbia Blue
|
| Mascot | Flying Aces |
| Rival | Wichita High School Southeast |
| Newspaper | The Messenger |
| Information | 316-973-7200 |
| Website | School Website |
Wichita High School East is a public, co-educational secondary school located near the center of Wichita, Kansas. It is the largest high school in Kansas with a population of 2,300 students.[1] Originally known as Wichita High School, East was the first of eight traditional public high schools to be built in USD 259, Wichita's Unified School District. In 1929, when Wichita North High School was completed, the school's name was changed to Wichita High School East. The school's 44-acre (180,000 m2) campus and the building's Collegiate Gothic styling make it an urban landmark.
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[edit] History
Wichita East traces its roots back to 1878, although the current building wasn't completed until 1923. Originally built on a campus shared with Roosevelt Junior High School, the high school's growing enrollment forced the conversion of the junior high school into a second wing of the high school. The junior high school and high school were joined by a third structure in 1979, a library and cafeteria that connects the second floor of the two buildings. The most recent renovations were completed in 2004, in a construction project that added a new gymnasium, additional science classrooms, and air conditioning to the building. The campus is also home to the Wichita Area Technical College.
[edit] Academics
Wichita High School East is regionally recognized for both academic and athletic success. The school offers both the Wichita Public Schools diploma and the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a magnet diploma that attracts students from all around the Wichita metro area. East consistently leads Wichita-area schools in academic awards. The high school newspaper is The Messenger, a member of the High School National Ad Network.
East is known for its band, orchestra, and drama programs. East has a large and successful debate and forensics squad and consistently qualifies students for the national tournament. In June 2007, East hosted the debate portion of NFL Nationals.[2]
[edit] Extracurricular Activities
[edit] Athletics
Athletically, East is home to a consistently competitive basketball program that has 6 state championships and the 1931 national championship to its credit. In addition, the Blue Aces football team has been increasingly successful in recent years due to leadership changes as well as two highly acclaimed and heavily recruited brothers, Arthur (Class of 2008) and Bryce Brown (Class of 2009). East athletics compete in the Greater Wichita Athletic League against the city's seven largest public high schools and two Catholic high schools. East is a 6A school, the largest size recognized by the Kansas High School Athletics Association. Since 1928, East High teams have been known as the Blue Aces, and the school is represented by its mascot, Max, a World War I flying ace with an oversized head and a pronounced cleft chin. The schools colors are Navy Blue and White with Columbia Blue as a third color.
[edit] State Championships
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Football | 2 | 1982, 1983 |
| Cross Country, Boys | 5 | 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1964, | |
| Winter | Swimming and Diving, Boys | 13 | 1931, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| Basketball, Boys | 5 | 1931, 1972, 1992, 2002, 2005 | |
| Wrestling | 10 | 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950 | |
| Spring | Baseball | 6 | 1945, 1946, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957 |
| Total | 41 | ||
[edit] Notable alumni
- Class of 1946: Elmer Curtis "Curt" Kennedy, All-State Football Player, WWII Veteran, Winner of 13 major AAU Boxing Championships including the National AAU Championship in 1947, Fought Joe Louis in an exhibition match in K.C.. Owned by and ranked in the Top Ten Heavyweights of the IBC during the early 1950s. The Chickasaw Nations most prolific Boxing Champion.[citation needed]
- Class of 1951: Darryl Starbird, custom car and hot rod designer and builder
- Class of 1957: Philip Anschutz, billionaire
- Class of 1959: Diane Bish, organist, composer, PBS television hostess
- Class of 1959: George Tiller, physician
- Class of 1961: Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, former CIA director and president of Texas A&M University
- Class of 1965: Jim Ryun, a former US Representative from Kansas and a world record mile runner
- Class of 1970: Charles "Chuck" Jones, an American Astronaut, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane that hit the World Trade Center
- Class of 1971: Clay Lacy, multiple world record holding air pilot and motion picture aerial coordinator[citation needed]
- Class of 1978: Kevin Kastning, composer and recording artist for Greydisc Records[citation needed]
- Class of 1982: Kym Carter received 10th place in the heptathlon at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona; won the bronze medal in the five-event pentathlon, at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
- Class of 1989: Chris Wimmer, member of the U.S. Olympic baseball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
- Class of 1992: Adrian Griffin, NBA player[citation needed]
- Class of 2000: Stephanie Grissom, award winning math educator through VISTA program and Nobel recognized advocate for tolerance amongst Latin American youths[citation needed]
- Class of 2002: Taj Gray, professional basketball player
- Class of 2008: Arthur Brown, Miami Hurricanes linebacker
- Class of 2009: Bryce Brown, Rivals.com 2009 No. 1 recruit in the country
