Established September 6, 1927 Grades 9–12 Founded 1927 | Superintendent Kelvin Adams Phone +1 314-533-9487 Number of students 818 (2009–2010) | |
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School district St. Louis Public Schools Principal Kelvin Carter (10 - 12 Principal)Brenda M. Smith (9th Grade Principal) Address 3035 Cass Ave, St. Louis, MO 63106, USA | ||
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Vashon High School is a public high school located in St. Louis, Missouri that is part of the St. Louis Public Schools. When it opened in 1927, it was the second high school for black students in St. Louis. Since 1934, the school has won 14 state basketball championships – eight as a member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association and six as a member of the Missouri Negro Interscholastic Athletic Association.
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History
Designed by Rockwell M. Milligan, the school opened on September 11, 1927, and it was named in honor of two African-American educators: George Boyer Vashon, the first black graduate of Oberlin College, and his son, John Boyer Vashon. Located at 3026 Laclede Avenue, construction costs were slightly less than $1.2 million. Vashon was the second high school built for black students in the St. Louis Public Schools, after Sumner High School.
While at the Laclede Avenue location, Vashon's boys basketball program won six state titles as part of the Missouri Negro Interscholastic Athletic Association, in 1935, 1936, 1944, 1947, 1948, and 1949. Vashon was barred from joining the Missouri State High School Activities Association until 1949, and between 1949 and 1954, it was prohibited from participating in both MNIAA tournaments and MSHSAA state tournaments.
In June 1963, the school relocated to the Hadley Vocational-Technical High School building at 3405 Bell Avenue, and the original building became part of Harris–Stowe State University. The Bell Avenue building had been constructed in the early 1930s with large shop classrooms that were subsequently divided into classrooms and offices with partition walls, causing noise problems throughout the school. Its architectural design also strongly resembled a factory, and according to a local newspaper report, "the main school building, gym and auditorium make one think the people inside might be manufacturing cars or widgets." The move was accompanied by protests in the local community and a student march against the transfer.
After the transfer, Vashon students were offered more vocational classes, including auto repair, fashion design, cosmetology, dry cleaning, woodworking, shoe repair, drafting, and commercial cooking. From 1974 to 2006, Vashon's boys basketball team was coached by Floyd Irons, a Vashon alumnus, who would become one of the winningest basketball coaches in Missouri history. Irons went on to coach the team through four state championships in the 1980s.
In 1990, the Board of Education considered several options to deal with both noise problems and facilities issues at Vashon; among the options were closure of Vashon, partial renovation, full renovation, or complete demolition and replacement. Ultimately the Board decided against closure and opted for partial renovation of the building; support from the school's alumni and the school's strong boys basketball program played a role in the decision to keep the school open. In 1994, the Vashon boys basketball team won another state championship under Irons.
In August 2002, Vashon moved again, to a new building at 3035 Cass Avenue designed by Kennedy and Associates and built at a cost of $47.3 million. The boys basketball team also saw a series of state championship victories in the 2000s, including wins in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2006. In 2005, the school's boys basketball program was ranked as the top program in the United States by USA Today.
In 2006, the Riverfront Times, a local newspaper, published an investigative report that detailed extensive allegations of misconduct by Floyd Irons as coach at Vashon. The allegations eventually led the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) to strip Vashon of its 2001, 2002, and 2006 titles due to violations of MSHSAA rules on recruiting and eligibility. In July 2006, Irons was dismissed as coach and administrator at Vashon, and he was replaced as head coach by Anthony Bonner, a retired NBA player and Vashon alumnus. Bonner himself resigned in 2009.
Activities
For the 2011–2012 school year, the school offered 18 activities approved by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA): baseball, boys and girls basketball, cheerleading, boys and girls cross country, football, music activities, boys and girls soccer, softball, speech and debate, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls track and field, girls volleyball, and wrestling. In addition to its current activities, its students have won several state championships:
The school also has produced one individual wrestling state champion.