School type Public, High School School board boe.usd259.org CEEB code 173209 Phone +1 316-973-3600 Principal Joel Hudson | Established 1953 Superintendent John Allison Grades 9 to 12 District Wichita School District Colors Maroon, Gold | |
Address 820 S Osage St, Wichita, KS 67213, USA Profiles | ||
Wichita west high school vs junction city high school
Wichita West High School, known locally as West, is a fully accredited high school located in Wichita, Kansas, serving students in grades 9-12. The high school is located close to downtown Wichita, and is near U.S. Route 54. The current principal is Joel Hudson.
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Wichita west high school fall winter highlights montage
History
In September 1953, Wichita West High School opened. The West Wichita Community Council started campaigning for a high school west of the Arkansas River in 1925. Twenty years elapsed before plans for a vocational-technical school started. Development of these plans resulted in an academic school now classified as a comprehensive high school by the North Central Association.
The school was designed by architects Glen H. Thomas and A.B. Harris, which served as the prototype for the later construction of Wichita High Schools South and Southeast. By the third year of operation, West added 25 classrooms and in 1971, the building was surrounded by 24 portable units. The enrollment totaled to nearly 2,000 students by 1959, which meant that the faculty had to be doubled. A new library media center was added in 1976 and the existing library was renovated. In 1979 Wichita High School Northwest opened which caused the enrollment at West to decrease.
The first graduating class erected a memorial to the Pioneers of the West. In 1969, a group of art students and their instructor created a sculptured relief mural in fired clay, 20 feet long and 15 feet high, outside the school office. The cast bronze-effect mural illustrates mathematics, art, music, drama, social studies, science, industrial arts, language arts, home economics and business curricular areas.
In 1988 and 1989, alterations were made to the cafeteria and several classrooms. In the fall of 1988, all ninth graders were moved to high schools. The enrollment has leveled to an average of 1,500 students.