Oak Park High School (Missouri)

Last updated
Oak Park High School
Location
Oak Park High School (Missouri)
825 N.E. 79th Terr.

64118

United States
Coordinates 39°14′13″N94°34′11″W / 39.236986°N 94.569794°W / 39.236986; -94.569794
Information
Type Public
MottoFor The Family Engage. Explore. Empower.
Established1965
School district North Kansas City School District
PrincipalMolly Smith
Staff90.95 (FTE) [1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,536 (2018–19) [1]
Student to teacher ratio16.89 [1]
Color(s)Navy, Columbia blue, white, silver
     [2]
MascotNorthmen [2]
Website Oak Park High School

Oak Park High School is a high school in the North Kansas City School District in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The student body is composed of ninth through twelfth grade students, with a 2017 enrollment of 1,549. The school's mascot is "Norman the Northman", a lumberjack character. The school is adjacent to Oak Grove Park in Gladstone, Missouri. The school's current principal is Dr. Molly Smith. [3]

Contents

Its boundary includes the majority of Gladstone (sections north of NW Englewood Road). The boundary also includes Oaks, Oakview, Oakwood, and Oakwood Park. [4] [5]

History

When Oak Park High School opened in 1965, it was the only North Kansas City high school with air conditioning. It also featured a theater in the round, bookstore and four outdoor courtyards. [6]

Dr. Dan Kahler was the school's original principal. The first Oak Park students graduated in 1966. Formerly, students attended North Kansas City High School located in North Kansas City, Missouri. Before being transferred to Oak Park, these students chose the school's colors, mascot, and wrote its alma mater. [3]

Past Oak Park High School principals:

In 2015 the student body elected a transgender girl as its Homecoming queen. In response to this, the Westboro Baptist Church protested the school. [7]

Awards

Oak Park was named a 2018 National Model High School by the International Center for Leadership in Education. [ citation needed ] They are one of only eight high schools in the nation to receive this distinction. Specifically, they were chosen for their high expectations for all students. Oak Park received a score of 99.6% in 2015-2016 from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on their annual performance review. [ citation needed ]

Mascot

Oak Park students chose Northmen as their mascot as the northernmost high school in Kansas City at the time of the school's opening. The school's mascot was named "Norman the Northman", a lumberjack, embracing a tree theme fitting Oak Park and neighboring Oak Grove Park. The original newspaper was called "The Northman's Log" and the yearbook named the "Cambia", a reference to vascular cambium which makeup the rings of a tree that can be counted to tell its age.

Athletics

Oak Park has seven state championships in wrestling, six in baseball, and three in cheerleading. [8]

The varsity football team plays its home games at the North Kansas City District Activities Complex on the Staley High School campus. Prior to that, they played at North Kansas City High School's football stadium. But in the fall of 2021, the varsity team will have its own stadium due to the passing of a $155 million bond in June 2020. [9] The concession stand will also serve nearby Oak Grove Park in Gladstone, Missouri.[ citation needed ]

Competitive teams include:

Men's and women's teams

  • Soccer (men in fall/women in spring)
  • Swimming and diving (men in fall/women in winter)
  • Tennis (women in fall/men in spring)
  • Golf (women in fall/men in spring)
  • Track and field (spring)
  • Cross country (fall)
  • Basketball (winter)
  • Wrestling (winter)
  • Cheerleading (year round)

Men's only

  • Baseball (spring)
  • Football (fall)

Women's only

  • Softball (fall)
  • Pom/dance squad (year-round)
  • Volleyball (fall)

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay County, Missouri</span> County in Missouri, United States

Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later a member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladstone, Missouri</span> City in Missouri, United States

Gladstone is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States and a suburb of Kansas City. The City of Gladstone is located about 10–20 minutes from downtown Kansas City, and about 10–20 minutes from Kansas City International Airport. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 27,063. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakwood, Missouri</span> Village in Missouri, United States

Oakwood is a village in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was 198 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakwood Park, Missouri</span> Village in Missouri, United States

Oakwood Park is a village in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was 189 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Missouri–Kansas City</span> Public research university in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.

The University of Missouri–Kansas City is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and has a medical school. As of 2020, the university's enrollment exceeded 16,000 students. It is the largest university and third largest college in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockhurst University</span> Private university in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.

Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019.

Shawnee Mission USD 512 is a public unified school district headquartered in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, United States. As of 2018, the district comprises five high schools, five middle schools, 34 elementary schools, and six instructional centers. In the 2022–2023 school year, district enrollment is approximately 26,500 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kansas City High School</span> Public school in North Kansas City, Missouri

North Kansas City High School is a high school in North Kansas City, Missouri, United States, with over 1,900 students enrolled. It is a part of the North Kansas City School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Community College (Missouri)</span>

Metropolitan Community College (MCC) is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Missouri. The system consists of five separate campuses in Kansas City, Independence, and Lee's Summit. The campuses had a total enrollment of 15,770 in 2019. Their athletic teams are known as the Wolves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atascocita High School</span> Public school in Humble, Harris County, Texas, United States

Atascocita High School is a secondary school located in Atascocita CDP, a community housed in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States. AHS is a part of Humble Independent School District and serves the eastern part of the district and small portions of the city of Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Phillips High School</span> American public high school

Dr. Phillips High School is a public high school in Dr. Phillips, Florida, United States, near Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawnee Mission North High School</span> High school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States

Shawnee Mission North High School is a public secondary school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, for grades 9–12. It is one of five high schools operated by Shawnee Mission USD 512 school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Hill South High School</span> Public high school in Riverside, Missouri, United States

Park Hill South High School is the second established high school in the Park Hill School District, located on the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri in Riverside, Missouri, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City Public Schools</span> School district in Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Kansas City 33 School District, operating as Kansas City Public Schools or KCPS, is a school district headquartered at 2901 Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.

Winnetonka High School is a high school in the North Kansas City School District.

Staley High School is a public high school in Kansas City, Missouri. It is one of the four high schools in the North Kansas City School District along with North Kansas City High School, Oak Park High School, and Winnetonka High School. The school was named after the nearby Staley Farms and the road of the same name. The school opened in the 2008–09 school year with an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students from Oak Park High School. It is the first Green school in Missouri; however, other schools are in the process of being built and/or planned. The school's mascot is the Falcons, and the school's colors are green, black, and silver. Staley's original principal, Clark Mershon, retired in June 2017, and was replaced by the current principal Dr. Larry Smith.

New Prairie United School Corporation operates five schools in Indiana.

North Kansas City School District 74 or NKC Schools is a school district headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "OAK PARK HIGH". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Oak Park High School". Missouri State High School Activities Association. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  3. 1 2 "About Oak Park / About Oak Park". www.nkcschools.org. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  4. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Clay County, MO" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved 2022-09-09. - Compare with the boundary map
  5. "District Attendance Areas" (PDF). North Kansas City School District . Retrieved 2022-09-09. - Compare with the census map.
  6. "About Oak Park / About Oak Park". www.nkcschools.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-10.
  7. "Church leaves when community showed support".
  8. "Men's Basketball All-Time Records - Oak Park High School".
  9. "Voters approved 9 school bond issues Tuesday night". 3 June 2020.
  10. Richardson, Bill (2 March 1990). "Oak Park grad stalled by lockout". The Kansas City Star . p. 4. Retrieved 20 March 2024.