Topeka High School

Topeka High School and Manual Training School at 8th and Harrison, c. 1905-1930

The Topeka Board of Education established Topeka High School in 1871, and the first classes were held on the 3rd floor of Lincoln College (now Washburn University) at the time located where the GAR Memorial Hall is currently. Over the next 10 years, the school was moved to various locations, including the Washburn Building at 10th and Jackson, and a room situated above the Topeka YMCA and Daily Capital newspaper.[7] In 1882, the first black student graduated from Topeka High.[8] Attendance continued to outgrow the capacity of the school facilities, and in 1894, a new school was completed on the northwest corner of 8th and Harrison, at a cost of $85,000.[7] Topeka High School's student population had reached 1,000 by 1903, and a decision was made to construct a Manual Training High School across the street on the southwest corner of 8th and Harrison, at a cost of $100,000. One third of the new building would be for manual training, and the remainder used for academic classes.[7]

In 1915, an auditorium and cafeteria were added to the north school, and the old auditorium was converted to classes. Soon after, a portable frame building was constructed to serve as a study hall and library, and in 1923, an administration building known as 'The Annex' was added to the west side of the south building.[7] In 1921, Topeka High's cafeteria cook Ida M. Moyer was declared "Champion Pie Baker of the World". It was calculated that over the previous 6 years, Moyer had baked 37,248 pies.[9]

Overcrowding persisted at the new facility, made worse in 1924 when Topeka's Fire Marshall closed the school's 4th floor, calling it "the biggest fire trap in the city".[7] A committee planning the construction of a new high school recommended that one large school be built, and that it occupy an entire city block. They wished it to be "an addition to the City's public buildings, and not just another building".[7] Bishop James Wise offered to sell the grounds of Bethany College and other church property for a price of $142,000, and in 1928, Topeka voters approved issuing bonds of $1.1 million (=$14 million in 2014 adjusted for inflation) to finance construction of the new Topeka High School.[7] Thomas Williamson (an alumnus from 1907) and Ted Griest were selected as architects, and Linus Burr Smith as designer.[7] Construction of the new school took 18 months, and the total cost was $1.8 million. The school opened in September 1931, and there were 2000 students enrolled by the following year.[7]

This granite monument inscribed "Topeka High School" is located on the lawn near 10th Avenue, and was a gift from the class of 1959

A spar from the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") was acquired with the assistance of Vice President Curtis, and mounted on a nautical base in the plaza to serve as a flagpole. It was dedicated in October 1931. After years of wear, a replacement spar, also from the USS Constitution, was installed in 2004.[10] Topeka High's 'Hoehner Auditorium' was selected as the site for the inauguration of Kansas Governor Payne Ratner, on January 9, 1939.[11][12] In 1957, Time and Newsweek listed Topeka High among the 38 best schools in the nation.[7]

Two new high schools helped ease the crowded conditions at Topeka High: Highland Park High School was annexed into Topeka in 1958, and Topeka West High School was completed in 1961. Restructuring of the district curriculum meant that in 1980, students in the 9th grade would begin attending high school. In 1984, Topeka High installed a computer-assisted automated dialing device which called home each time a student was truant. Principal Ned Nusbaum commented, "It's been a very effective tool for getting kids into class".[13] The US Dept of Education recognized Topeka High as a "School of Excellence" in 1989.[7]

In 2001, Topeka High awarded an honorary diploma to the Honorable Eric S. Rosen, Justice, Kansas Supreme Court—a longtime supporter of the school.[14] The school celebrated its 75th Anniversary at its current site on September 17, 2006.[15] In 2007, Topeka High School was ordered to stop providing free condoms to students, as it was contrary to school district policy.[16] The annual Martin Luther King event, sponsored by the state of Kansas, took place in Hoehner Auditorium in 2012. Topeka High is located near the Statehouse, and the governor's celebration at the new venue was well received.[17]

The school newspaper, The World,[21] 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 statewide broadcasting awards. "The Newsdesk" is filmed on campus in "The Tom Browne Memorial News Room".

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.

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

The school teams are known as the "Trojans", and 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 30 state championships in various sports.[23] Many graduates have gone on to participate in collegiate athletics.

An important part of the school's men's basketball history was the 1949 separation of the basketball teams between black and white players.[24] 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. 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. 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.