Kearney High School (Kearney, Nebraska)

Kearney High School
Address
2702 W. 11th Street Kearney , Nebraska 68845 United States
Information
School type	Public, high school
School district	Kearney Public Schools
Superintendent	Jason Mundorf
Principal	Jeff Ganz
Staff	91.74 (FTE) [1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,654 (2023–2024) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	18.03 [1]
Color(s)	Blue and gold
Athletics conference	Heartland Athletic Conference (HAC)
Nickname	Bearcats
Website	www.kearneycats.com

Kearney High School is a public high school in Kearney, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney Public Schools district. It is one of two high schools in Kearney (the other being Kearney Catholic High School).

Buildings

The original school was built in 1879 and was named Whittier School. It was used for grades K-12 until a new high school, Longfellow High School, was built in 1890. This was used until 1960 when the new high school was ready, and was later demolished. The school experienced several major additions. The original 1960 building featured an auditorium, band room, shared vocal/chorus room, cafeteria, offices, gym, library, and a lowered garden atrium. Since then, major additions included the vocational wing in 1981, the 400 Hallway in 1988, and the "Commons", 600 Hallway and North Gym in 1995.

In September 2013, Kearney voters approved a $75 million bond to build a new Kearney High School, ^[2] in southwest Kearney; the building is located at 2702 West 11th Street. The new building is a third larger than its predecessor. Construction was finished in the fall of 2016. ^[3] The old building was put up for auction, and the winning bid came from First Baptist Church of Kearney. The bid was $260,000. ^[4]

Sports

State championships

State championships [5]
Season	Sport	Number of championships	Year
Fall	Football	1	2006
	Cross country, boys'	6	2011, 2003, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1977
	Volleyball, girls'	1	1978
	Golf, girls'	4	1997, 1995, 1994, 1992
	Tennis, boys'	3	1976, 1985, 1986
Winter	Wrestling	1	1998
	Basketball, girls'	1	1982
Spring	Track and field, boys'	17	2024, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2009, 2008, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994
	Track and field, girls'	4	2016, 1996, 1995, 1972
	Soccer, boys'	1	2018

Notable alumni

• Drew Anderson, professional baseball player ^[6]
• George A. Beecher (1868–1951), bishop of Western Nebraska ^[7]
• Jon Bokenkamp, writer and producer ^[8]
• Leslie Easterbrook, actress; best known for her role as Debbie Callahan in the Police Academy series ^[9]
• Alva R. Fitch, lieutenant general in the United States Army ^[10]
• Kyle Larson, professional football player ^[11]
• Brett Maher, professional football player ^[12]
• Peter George Peterson, United States Secretary of Commerce 1972–73; senior chairman of Blackstone Group ^{[13] [14]}
• Isaiah Stalbird, professional football player ^[15]
• Charlie Tuna, Los Angeles radio and TV personality ^[16]

References

1. "KEARNEY HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
2. Editor, JESSICA KOKESH Hub Regional (September 11, 2013). "Voters approve $75M propositions to build new high school, swimming pool".{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
3. Writer, JOSH MOODY Hub Staff (January 14, 2014). "School will expand by 38 percent to 320,000 square feet".
4. Writer, AUSTIN KOELLER Hub Staff. "First Baptist Church works to finalize purchase of old KHS". Kearney Hub. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
5. "Nebraska School Activities Association" . Retrieved June 26, 2012.
6. "Drew Anderson - Baseball 2001". University of Nebraska - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
7. "Bishop beecher is Dead; Served Here". The Sidney Telegraph. June 19, 1951. p. 15. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. Communications, U. N. K. (May 2, 2019). "'The Blacklist' creator Jon Bokenkamp began exploring filmmaking career at UNK". Kearney Hub. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
9. Entertainment.ie. "Leslie Easterbrook - About". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
10. "Memorial for LTG Alva R. Fitch". Cullum No. 8879. Arlington, VA: Arlington National Cemetery. November 25, 1989. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
11. "Kyle Larson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
12. Edwards, Ryan. "Brett Maher's journey: Former Kearney High kicker makes NFL roster". Kearney Hub. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
13. "Peterson shows it takes effort to make good with your life". Kearney Hub. May 22, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
14. Speirs, Dan. "Ask Pete about his fat calves". Kearney Hub. April 12, 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
15. Slepicka, Justin (December 2, 2022). "Former KHS standout Stalbird has championship hopes on No. 1 South Dakota State". Kearney Hub .
16. "reunion (5) - Kearney High School Class of 1963 - theatre". doczz.net. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

External links

• Official school website
• Kearney Public Schools