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Shawnee Heights High School

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Coordinates: 38°59′24″N 95°33′45″W / 38.990087°N 95.562490°W / 38.990087; -95.562490
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shawnee Heights High School
Address
Map
4201 S.E. Shawnee Heights Road [1]

Tecumseh
,
Kansas
66542

United States
Coordinates38°59′24″N 95°33′45″W / 38.990087°N 95.562490°W / 38.990087; -95.562490
Information
School typePublic, High School
MottoSmall School Feel with Big School Opportunities
Established1962
School boardhttps://www.usd450.net
School districtShawnee Heights USD 450[2]
SuperintendentTim Hallacy [2]
CEEB code172883 [3]
PrincipalEd West [4]
Athletic DirectorDavid Wonnell [4]
Teaching staff68.30 (FTE)[5]
Grades9 to 12
Gendercoed
Enrollment1,293 (2022-23)[5]
Student to teacher ratio18.93[5]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)  Red
  White
  Turquoise
AthleticsClass 5A [6]
Athletics conferenceUnited Kansas Conference
MascotThunderbird
RivalWashburn Rural High School
NewspaperThe Totem
WebsiteSchool website

Shawnee Heights High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Tecumseh, Kansas, east of Topeka, Kansas. The school colors are red, white and turquoise and the school mascot is the Thunderbird. The average annual enrollment is approximately 1,200 students.

Shawnee Heights is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 5A division and are known as the "Thunderbirds". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. The school is a member of the United Kansas Conference.

History

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In 1960, when Highland Park High School was annexed into the City of Topeka, the city was in need of a for the Tecumseh students. For two years the students of Tecumseh were transported to Highland Park while a three-member board was formed to investigate the potential of building a High School in that area. In June 1960, the committee outlined the need for the school and recommended that it be a joint venture between Tecumseh (formerly district 10) and Berryton-Richland (formerly District 1). The two communities consolidated, and a decision was made to build the new high school on the 47 acres of purchased land. A principal was hired to help with the planning, and in 1962 Shawnee Heights High School (named as the result of a contest between eighth-grade students of the three attendance centers) was opened. Enrollment in the first year was 260 students in the building constructed to accommodate 400 students.[7]

n 1970 a new junior high school was built for grades 7-9. In 1979 another new building was added. At that time, grades 7-8 were housed in the original high school, grades 9-10 in the 1970 building, and grades 11-12 in the 1979 building. The three buildings created a triangle on the corner of 45th Street and Shawnee Heights Road. In 2004, the 1970 and the 1979 buildings were combined by adding an addition between the two to create one building. Currently, this building houses 9-12 grades.[7]

Extracurricular activities

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The Thunderbirds compete in the United Kansas Conference and are classified as a Class 5A school, the second-largest classification in Kansas according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association. Throughout its history, Shawnee Heights has won numerous state championships. Many graduates have gone on to participate in collegiate athletics.

Athletics

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Baseball

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Shawnee Heights has experienced a large amount of success throughout its history. The program has made numerous trips to the Kansas State Baseball Tournament, winning the state championship four times, occurring in 1994, 1999, 2001, 2011. In the 2010–2011 season they managed to go 25–0, in large part because of their 11 seniors.

Basketball

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The Shawnee Heights boys' basketball program was one of the top programs in the state in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. During that span, the team won four state championships, occurring in 1988, 1989, 2000, and 2002, adding an additional championship in 2017. The Thunderbirds also won several Centennial League titles. The girls' programs has also won state championships in 1977 and 1986.

Softball

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Shawnee Heights has a rich history of softball excellence. This was never more evident than in the 2017 season, in which the Lady T-Birds were undefeated in the regular season and postseason. They capped off a perfect 24–0 season by capturing the 5A State Championship. Shawnee Heights turned in one of the most dominating performances ever seen in the state softball tournament, as they outscored their opponents by a total of 30–2 over the 3 games.

Track & Field

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Shawnee Heights perennially has one of the strongest track and field programs in the state for both boys and girls. The boys' program has won state championships in 1989, 2007, and 2015. The 1989 team was led by future All-American Marcel Carter. Carter became the first male athlete in Kansas history to win four consecutive state championships in the 200m dash, winning from 1986 to 1989.[8] The girls' program won state championships in 1974, 1993, and 2009. The most notable female track and field athlete is Trisa Nickoley who attended the school from 2000 to 2004. In track, she won the state championship in three individual events all four years – 400m (56.10), 800m (2:06.67) and 1600m (5:04.71). She was also state champion in the 4 × 400 m relay. She earned Track & Field News All-American recognition during her final two years and was named the Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year three times.[8]

State championships

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State Championships[9]
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Volleyball 3 1999, 2000, 2016
Cheerleading 3 2017, 2018, 2019
Winter Basketball, Boys 5 1988, 1989, 2000, 2002, 2017
Basketball, Girls 2 1977, 1986
Bowling, Girls 1 2010
Spring Baseball 4 1994, 1999, 2001, 2011
Track and Field, Boys 3 1989, 2007, 2015
Track and Field, Girls 3 1974, 1993, 2009
Soccer, Girls 1 2004
Softball 3 2017, 2018, 2019
Total 26

Shawnee Heights High School offers the following sports:

Construction project

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In the summer of 2006 the school received a remodeling and a new construction project after the passage of a bond issue in 2005. This project was completed in the summer of 2007.

This project enclosed the walkway once separating the 9-10 building (now the North Wing) and the 11-12 building (now the South Wing).

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ GNIS for Shawnee Heights High School; USGS; November 3, 2008.
  2. ^ a b USD 450
  3. ^ High School CEEB Code Search
  4. ^ a b "School Search - Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights HS". Kansas State High School Activities Association. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "Shawnee Heights High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  6. ^ KSHSAA School Classification List
  7. ^ a b "Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450". www.usd450.net. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  8. ^ a b "Hall of Famers: KSHSAA" (English). Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  9. ^ "State Records & State Champions". Archived from the original (English) on 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
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