Westport High School was a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located at 315 East 39th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. It was part of the

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

. A

trowel A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel. A power trowel is a much larger gas ...

was used to lay the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

of the school on June 8, 1907. The Class of 1957 presented a frame with the exact trowel on October 6, 2007 to coincide with their 50th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the school. Westport closed in 2010; its building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2015.

History

The school was established in the 19th-century, moving into its own building in 1891 with an 1897 addition coming subsequently, and joining the Kansas City school system in 1898 as Westport was annexed to Kansas City. The high school was across the street from Westport Middle School and it opened in the fall of 1908. It was considered the finest school in Kansas City and among the finest in the county, at a cost of nearly $500,000, and built of stone and vitrified brick. Westport High School was the last school to become ''Achievement First'' in 2009-2010. The purpose was to prepare students for post-secondary education and high-quality careers.

School closing

Westport High closed on June 3, 2010, because of school district Superintendent John Covington's right-sizing plan to close almost 30 schools. Mr. Harold Hawkins was the last principal of Westport High due to the school closing. He was called out of retirement to become principal on April 7, 2009. After Westport closed in 2010, Southwest Early College Campus took the attendance zone of Westport.

Yearbook

''The Herald'' was the name of the school yearbook. The 2007-2008 yearbook was the first yearbook to be a DVD. The 2008-2009 yearbook was the second yearbook to be a DVD and the first in HD.

Newspaper

''The Weekly Crier'' was the name of the school newspaper.

Student activities

* Student Council * National Honor Society *

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...

Drill Team A drill team can be one of four different entities: # A military drill team is a marching unit that performs routines based on military foot or exhibition drills. Military drill teams perform either armed or unarmed. # A dance drill team crea ...

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

Debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

Cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

Tutoring Tutoring is private academic support, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides ...

* ''Various stage activities'' Westport's last ROTC programs or drill teams were in the mid to late 1940s. There was a chapter of the Future Teachers of America.

Principal

Partners in community service

Westport High School and Herndon Career Center were partners in community service with

SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occu ...

FBLA The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA"), Middle Level ("FBLA ...

, and FCCLA. April 28, 2007 marked the first community service project for Westport and Herndon Career Center from Raytown, Missouri. The theme was "Restoring Westport High". April 19, 2008 marked the second community service project for both schools. The theme was "Schools Helping Schools."

Notable alumni

* Sumner Blossom, editor of ''

American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...

Lee Shippey Henry Lee Shippey (February 26, 1884 – December 30, 1969), who wrote under the name Lee Shippey, was an American author and journalist whose romance with a French woman during World War I caused a sensation in the United States as a "famous w ...

, ''Luckiest Man Alive,'' Los Angeles, Westernlore Press (1959), page 34 * Walt Bodine, Kansas City broadcaster * Betty Caywood, 1948, one of first female MLB radio commentators when she was at the mike for

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 sea ...

broadcasts in 1964 * Friz Freleng, 1923, animator and film director for Warner Bros. Cartoons and others * Hugh Harman, 1922, animator, film director, and producer. Created Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. *

Ewing Kauffman Ewing Marion Kauffman (September 21, 1916 August 1, 1993) was an American pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner. Early life and education Ewing Kauffman was born on September 21, 1916, on a farm near Gar ...

, 1934, pharmaceutical executive and owner of Kansas City Royals *

Bob O'Brien Robert Allen O'Brien (born April 23, 1949) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in 14 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1971 season, including four starts and one shutout. He played college ball at three different ...

, professional basketball player * Bruce Pickens, former professional American football player, NFL Draft 1991 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 *

Brandon Rush Brandon Leray Rush (born July 7, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after pla ...

, NBA guard for Golden State Warriors

References

External links

*
Westport High School History
- Kansas City Library
Class of 1957 ReunionClass of 1958
{{authority control High schools in Kansas City, Missouri 1891 establishments in Missouri Public high schools in Missouri School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Kansas City, Missouri