Westport High School (Missouri)

Westport High School was a public high school located at 315 East 39th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. It was part of the Kansas City, Missouri School District. A trowel was used to lay the cornerstone 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 in 2015.

Westport High School
Address
315 East 39th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111

United States
Coordinates39.055923°N 94.582019°W / 39.055923; -94.582019 (Westport High School)
Information
TypePublic
Motto"Where Education Is Our Priority"
Established1907
Closed2010
School districtKCMSD
SuperintendentJohn Covington
Grades9-12
Color(s)Blue and Gold    
AthleticsFootball
Basketball
Volleyball
Cross Country
Track and Field
NicknameTigers
RivalCentral High School
NewspaperThe Crier
YearbookThe Herald

History

The school was established in the 1800s, 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.[1]

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. Westport is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that was originally its own town. It was annexed by Kansas City in 1897.[2] Today, it is one of Kansas City's main entertainment districts. 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.[3]

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.[4]

After Westport closed in 2010, Southwest Early College Campus took the attendance zone of Westport.[5][6]

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

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, FBLA, and FCCLA. April 28, 2007 marked the first community service project for Westport and Herndon Career Center from Raytown, Missouri.[7][8] 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

References
  1. "A Brief History of Westport High School". Westport High School. 1997-04-14. Archived from the original on 1997-04-14. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  2. History of Westport
  3. Local History - Kansas City Public Library
  4. Robertson, Joe (2018-06-19). "KC district aims to halt revolving door of principals". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  5. "NEW school boundaries for 2010-2011 School Year." Kansas City, Missouri School District. Retrieved on January 20, 2011. "Southwest Early College Campus – (Assumes Westport High boundaries)"
  6. "Kansas City Missouri School District 2010/2011 Southwest High School Boundary. Kansas City, Missouri School District. Retrieved on January 20, 2011.
  7. Tankard, Frank (April 29, 2007). "Students offer time to improve school: Volunteers spend the day - and elbow grease - to make repairs at Westport High School". The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO). Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  8. Blocher, Fred (2007-04-29). "Monchelle Wright (top) and Natausha Bowie were among about 100 area students sprucing up Westport High School on Saturday". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  9. Lee Shippey, Luckiest Man Alive, Los Angeles, Westernlore Press (1959), page 34
  10. http://midtownkcpost.com/first-woman-baseball-commentator-lives-in-the-plaza/
  11. https://kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory%3A128258?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=54d8df03734ff90408fd&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=7&search=freleng
  12. Pace, Eric (August 2, 1993). "Ewing M. Kauffman, 76, Owner Of Kansas City Baseball Team". The New York Times.
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