North Kansas City High School

North Kansas City High School
Location
North Kansas City, Missouri
Information
Type	Public
Motto	Purple Pride Equals Golden Rewards
School district	North Kansas City School District
Principal	Dr. Dan Wartick
Faculty	211
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1700+
Color(s)	Purple and Gold
Mascot	Hornet
Nickname	Northtown
Rivals	Winnetonka High School ;Oak Park High School
Newspaper	The Buzz
Broadcast	NTV News
Website	School Website

North Kansas City High School, also known as "NKCHS," "NKC," and "Northtown," is a high school in North Kansas City, Missouri with 1700+ students, ranging from freshmen to seniors. The first graduating class found of record was in 1917 with three known graduates. The school began as an all-white school, due to the inhabitants of the community, and is now one the most diverse and integrated schools in the nation.

Overview

The school colors are purple and gold. The school's mission statement is "The North Kansas City High School community strives to provide a safe and respectful environment in which all students can reach academic and personal potential through acceptance of responsibility and respect for self and others." Its motto is "Purple Pride Equals Golden Rewards." Since July 2001, Northtown has been an International Baccalaureate World School with Dr. Jane Reed as the program coordinator.

History

Throughout the school's history, several buildings have been built and torn down. Currently standing are the three-story Main building featuring the original theatre, Fieldhouse, Business Technology building, and Norclay (formerly used as an elementary school). Other buildings in use on the campus are the "Academy" and the North Kansas City Public Library and Media Center.^[1] Northtown prides itself on its unique opportunity both as one of the only local schools to have an open campus but also as the only school in the state of Missouri to allow open lunch to all students.

The current main building was contracted to be built the first of March, 1925 as documented in the 1925 NKCHS Owl Yearbook for a total cost of $190,000. The contract was awarded to Fritzlen & Hufford Construction in Liberty, Missouri. The 1926 NKCHS Owl yearbook describes the opening and dedication of the new building on Sunday afternoon, January 24, 1926 by Missouri Governor Baker.

One of the most beloved buildings where classes were held, was the Hiram McElroy Dagg building.^[2]

Mascot

The mascot is the Hornet. Although many have thought the original mascot was an owl, no evidence of that exists in published NKCHS yearbooks that we have found. There is; however, evidence of the Hornet mascot in the 1929 yearbook. The confusion comes with the name of the yearbook from 1924 through 1950; which was "The Owl" yearbook. High school jewelry like pins, etc. also bore the image of an owl; however, there is no evidence that the owl was the school's "mascot". The evidence is even stronger when you read in the 1929 Owl yearbook where the Pep Squad states, "All right, let's everybody give fifteen big "Rahs" for the "Hornets". Again in the 1930 NKCHS Owl yearbook you can see the Hornet on the Basketball player's shirts.^[3]

Yearbook

The Owl yearbook was printed from 1924 through 1949. No yearbook was printed in 1933, 1932 or 1927 for reasons unknown. The school adopted a new name for the yearbook in 1950... the Purgold.^[4]

Role in history

The stone wall around the football field was created as a work project during the Great Depression.^[5] It has been ranked the Most Interesting High School Football Field in the Kansas City area by the Kansas City Star, and has been used for local commercials, including Metro Sports.

Alumni

The Alumni Association of North Kansas City High School has sponsored an all school website that went live in January, 2010. Additionally, the alumni have recruited Henry Hornet on Facebook a retired mascot to pull all students, teachers, alumni and friends together for easy communication.^[6]

Websites

• School Website
• District Website
• Alumni Sponsored Website
• North Kansas City Schools on Facebook
• Beloved Mascot, Henry Hornet on Facebook

Athletics

Competitive Teams Include:

Men's and Women's teams Soccer Swimming and Diving Tennis Golf Track and Field Cross Country

Men's only Baseball Football Wrestling

Women's only Softball Cheerleading Pom/Dance Squad

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Clubs

• Student Council
• Investment Club (IVC)

International Thespian Society Troupe 2191

• National Theatre Association
• Quizbowl
• Science Olympiad
• Robotics Club
• Foreign Language Club (German Club, French Club, Spanish Club)
• Arrested Development Fan Club
• Frisbee Golf Club
• Northtown Forensics League
• National Honors Society
• Republican Hornets Club
• Young Democrats Club
• American Field Service
• Marching band
• Concert band
• Freshman Orchestra
• Varsity Orchestra
• Color Guard
• Guitar Club

In popular culture

In 2006 Marty Wolff, one of the school's theater teachers was chosen to represent the state of Missouri on the NBC weight-loss game show The Biggest Loser. He made it to the ninth of eleven weeks, and was the second-to-last to be voted off. At one point, he came to the school with a film crew to film a segment for the show involving a group of his students. After the show, he quit his teaching position at the school, left his wife for a fellow cast member, and moved to Chicago.^[7]

Notable alumni

• Class of 1938 Robert Dixon Scharz, Mayor of North Kansas City, Missouri (1953–1962); State of Missouri Insurance Commissioner; Instrumental in the planning of North Kansas City Hospital & the Paseo Bridge.^{[8][9][10][11]}
• Class of 1939 Robert Kenneth Elliott, Served as a judge in Division II of the 7th Judicial Circuit Court of Clay County, Missouri for 33 years (from 1958–1991). The R. Kenneth Elliott Children's Justice Center in Clay County, Missouri was constructed in his honor. He led the drive in the 1970s to acquire the first Clay County juvenile facility to keep young people separate from adult detainees.^[12]
• Class of 1950 Benjamin L. Aaron, M.D., Saved the life of President Ronald Reagan following the assassination attempt on March 30, 1981^[13][14][15]
• Class of 1956 Charlie Broomfield, Missouri Democratic politician^[16]
• Class of 1956 Phil Snowden, former University of Missouri quarterback and Missouri Democratic state senator^[17][18]
• Class of 1958 Bill Kelso, Major League Baseball player and scout, owner of Kelso's Pizza restaurants^[19]
• Class of 1964 Katheryn Shields, Jackson County executive, Missouri Democratic politician^[20][21]
• Class of 1967 Dick Wilson, Kansas City, Missouri radio and television personality^[22]
• Class of 1970 Rick Scott, Governor of Florida^[23]
• Class of 1970 Robin Wayne Bailey, a.k.a. Robert Bailey, Author^{[24][25][26][27]}
• Class of 1971 Phil Deibler, political cartoonist^[28]
• Class of 1976 Connie Dover, singer, Emmy Award-winning producer and composer^[29]
• Class of 1990 Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes, actor & author.,^{[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]}
• School Counselor Loman D. Cansler, Missouri folk song and folklore collection^{[40][41][42][43]}

References

1. ^ "North Kansas City Public Library | A welcoming doorway to a world of information". Northkclibrary.org. October 13, 2011. http://www.northkclibrary.org/. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
2. ^ "McElroy Dagg School". North Kansas City High School. http://www.northkansascityhighschool.com/Dagg.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
3. ^ "Hi! I'm Henry Hornet Mascot of North Kansas City High School (retired)". Northkansascityhighschool.com. April 28, 2010. http://www.northkansascityhighschool.com/Mascot.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
4. ^ "Yearbooks". North Kansas City High School. http://www.northkansascityhighschool.com/Yearbooks.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
5. ^ "Best of Kansas City 2001 | Sports & Recreation | Best High School Football Stadium". The Pitch. http://www.pitch.com/bestof/2001/award/best-high-school-football-stadium-15658/. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
6. ^ "North Kansas City High School Alumni Go Hornets". Northkansascityhighschool.com. http://www.northkansascityhighschool.com/. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
7. ^ "Reality Wellness – Marty Wolff". Realitywellnessinc.com. January 16, 2006. http://www.realitywellnessinc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=28. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
8. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
9. ^ http://www.nkch.org/_FileLibrary/FileImage/YourHealthSpring_2008.pdf
10. ^ "414 F2d 359 City of North Kansas City Missouri v. P Sharp". OpenJurist. http://openjurist.org/414/f2d/359/city-of-north-kansas-city-missouri-v-p-sharp. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
11. ^ "Opinion No. 286-67". Ago.mo.gov. September 5, 1967. http://ago.mo.gov/opinions/1967/286-67.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
12. ^ "UMKC School of Law / University of Missouri – Kansas City". Law.umkc.edu. http://www.law.umkc.edu/alumni/inmemoriam.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
13. ^ Benjamin L. Aaron, MD; S. David Rockoff, MD. "The Attempted Assassination of President Reagan, December 7, 1994, Aaron and Rockoff 272 (21): 1689 – JAMA". Jama.ama-assn.org. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/272/21/1689. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
14. ^ "Health Care, the Media, and Attempted Assassination of a Head of State: A Perspective on the Attempted Assassination of President Reagan, 25 Years Later: An Interview with Dr. Dennis O’Leary*". Semp.us. http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=344. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
15. ^ Posted by scordova (October 12, 2006). "Bergman’s Dissent from Darwin List at 3,000–10,000". Uncommon Descent. http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/bergmans-dissent-from-darwin-list-at-3000-10000/. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
16. ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum. "Index to Politicians: Brooks-bittings to Brougham". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/brookshire-brough.html#BROOMFIELD. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
17. ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum. "Index to Politicians: Snowbarger to Snure". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/snowbarger-snowfield.html. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
18. ^ "Gov.-elect Nixon Names More than 100 Missourians to Serve as Citizen Transition Advisers". Governor.mo.gov. December 5, 2008. http://governor.mo.gov/newsroom/2008/nixon_names_citizen_advisers. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
19. ^ http://www.kelsosnorthtown.com/
20. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
21. ^ POSTED: 1:20 pm CST January 4, 2007 (January 4, 2007). "Katheryn Shields Indicted On Federal Charges – Kansas City News Story – KMBC Kansas City". Kmbc.com. http://www.kmbc.com/news/10671828/detail.html. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
22. ^ "Dick Wilson's Page". 949kcmo.com. June 15, 2011. http://www.949kcmo.com/DickWilson/DickWilsonPage/tabid/424/Default.aspx. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
23. ^ "Florida Governor Rick Scott – The Office of the 45th Governor of Florida". Flgov.com. http://www.flgov.com/. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
24. ^ "robin wayne bailey: Books". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=robin+wayne+bailey&x=17&y=14. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
25. ^ "Robin Wayne Bailey, Fantasy and Science Fiction Author". Robinwaynebailey.net. March 15, 2009. http://www.robinwaynebailey.net. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
26. ^ "Barnes, Jim | Missouri Center for the Book". Books.missouri.org. June 19, 2011. http://books.missouri.org/node/70. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
27. ^ "Class of 1970". North Kansas City High School. http://www.NorthKansasCityHighSchool.com/Classes/1970.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
28. ^ "Phil Deibler". Kcactive.com. http://www.kcactive.com/edge/phillers/phild/index.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
29. ^ "Connie Dover Official Home Page". Conniedover.com. February 19, 2009. http://www.conniedover.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
30. ^ "Home". Rudy Reyes. http://www.RudyReyes.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
31. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2674478/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2674478/
32. ^ http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/893 http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/893 http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/893
33. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995832/
34. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294194/
35. ^ "The Way of the Warrior". In Their Boots. http://intheirboots.com/itb/shows/operation-in-their-boots/the-way-of-the-warrior.html. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
36. ^ "Marine Recon Rudy Reyes in "The Way of the Warrior" Documentary from "In Their Boots"". Healing Combat Trauma. January 13, 2011. http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2011/01/marine-recon-rudy-reyes-in-the-way-of-the-warrior-documentary-from-in-their-boots.html. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
37. ^ "Marine Rudy Reyes: The Apocalypse Man – Thaindian News". Thaindian.com. January 7, 2010. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/marine-rudy-reyes-the-apocalypse-man_100300498.html. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
38. ^ Randolph, Dave. "Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power (9780451228109): Rudy Reyes, Evan Wright: Books". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Living-Strides-Awaken-Infinite/dp/0451228103. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
39. ^ "Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken ... – Rudy Reyes, Angela Smith, Evan Wright – Google Books". Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=zqJh3C1M7kMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22hero+living%22+%22rudy+Reyes%22&source=bl&ots=BIQEiaiePF&sig=TTy6AwfQxSpRgKfw7Zeemc2PRkI&hl=en&ei=8D5pTYPXPIrZgQft7NzLCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
40. ^ "Smithsonian Folkways – Missouri Folk Songs – Loman Cansler". Folkways.si.edu. http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=984. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
41. ^ "OzarksWatch". Thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org. http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow402n.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
42. ^ http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladIndex.html
43. ^ "The State Historical Society of Missouri-Cansler, Loman D. (1924–1992) and Laura M. (1931–2007), Collection, 1820-2005-(C4018)- INVENTORY". Whmc.umsystem.edu. http://whmc.umsystem.edu/invent/4018.html. Retrieved October 18, 2011.