- Garden City High School (known locally as GC) is a fully-accredited high school, serving students in grades 9-12, located in Garden City, Kansas, USA. The current principal is James Mireles and the assistant principals are Tracy Newell, Janet Reed, Mark Ronn, and Bill Weatherly. Garden City High School (GCHS) is the only high school within the city limits of Garden City, KS. The school colors are brown and white, although gold is generally considered a third official color. The enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year was approximately 2,000 students.
- Garden City High was founded in 1910 on the site that is now Sabine Hall in order to help educate the increasing population of Garden City. In 1917, a new high school was constructed at the site that is now known as Calkins Hall and two years later, the school was renamed "Sequoayah High School". In 1954, the school moved to its current location, and on November 4, 2008, a bond issue for a new $97,500,000 high school was passed. The last class to graduate from the current high school will be the class of 2011.
- Garden City is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 6A division and are known as the "Buffaloes". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. Despite rapidly rising numbers of English as a Second Language students, Garden City High School has raised student achievement in reading, mathematics and science. Notable alumni of the school include Mark Fox, head men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia.
- History
- Early beginnings
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- Garden City High School was established in 1910 on the location that is now Sabine Hall with an enrollment of 979 students. A new high school was constructed in 1954, with the auditorium being completed the following year. The graduation credit limit was increased further to 19 credits in 1958. Garden City High School experienced many changes in 1959, including the creation of the counseling and honors. Another major change was the introduction of school uniforms.
- '60s, '70s, and '80s
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In 1961, the main gymnasium (referred to as "The Garden") was completed. The football stadium was also constructed in 1961 which was one of the largest stadiums in western Kansas at the time. Three years later, Garden City finally experienced unification as Garden City District No. 1 became Unified School District No. 457. During this same year, the football stadium was renamed "Memorial Stadium". As interest in athletics grew throughout Garden City, so did the athletic departments. Cross-country was introduced in 1966 and the men's basketball team won their first state championship.
- Progress in the 1990s
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The 1990s began well, with the Buffaloes winning state championships in wrestling in 1990 and the following three years.
- Sabine Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, with the alternative name Garden City High School.
- Recent years
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The high school has struggled in recent years. The men's basketball team advanced to the state semi-final in 2003 with the help of several future college athletes. The following year, artificial turf was installed at Memorial Stadium. The Garden City Public Schools Foundation was founded in 2004. To increase space for activities and seating, the open-air courtyard was enclosed in 2006 and replaced with an atrium. A new pressbox and visitor stands were constructed in 2007.
- Academics
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Garden City High School operates on an 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. schedule, which includes eight periods and a break for off-campus lunch during which upperclassmen may leave campus to eat lunch. Class scheduling is organized into a block schedule. There are eight available periods. Students attend half of their classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and their remaining classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Fridays, students alternate which classes they take.
- Despite rapidly rising numbers of English as a Second Language students, Garden City High School has raised student achievement in reading, mathematics and science. Even with a more rigorous curriculum and higher graduation requirements, the dropout rate fell from 15 percent in 1993-1994 to 3.4 percent in 2003-2004 and the attendance rate rose from 89 percent to 96 percent.
- In 2009, 18 students earned top rankings in the Spanish National Exams sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
- School layout
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Garden City High School consists of several halls. The main hall is the longest hall in the school and consists of several classrooms. It is attached to the main entrance on the west and meets the trophy room on the east. The John D. Adams Vocational Technology building stands by itself next to the main building. There are two gymnasiums on campus. The main gym is often referred to as "The Garden" and accommodates approximately 2,000 people. There are also 8 trailers located on the north side of the school to help provide additional classrooms. These trailers are used largely for English and History classes. Many students also attend classes at Garden City Community College.
- GCHS underwent a major remodeling project during the 2005-2006 school year. An open courtyard had previously existed in the central section of the school which had gone largely unused. School officials met and decided to enclose the courtyard and transform the space into a multi-purpose atrium tetrastylum. After nearly a year, construction was completed. The new multi-purpose area is being used for additional seating during lunchtime, as well as conferences, banquets, and additional uses. The atrium features a projection screen, a flat-screen HDTV, additional storage closets, a small elevated stage area, several unique design features, and additional entrances/exits to classrooms. This renovation is now largely regarded by students and residents of Garden City as a waste of resources, owing to the construction of a brand new high school which is supposed to begin soon. One of the main reasons for the enclosure of the courtyard was so that the school could actually house most of its students in a lunchroom of some sort. However, at the time the high school espoused an open lunch policy, and consequently a majority of its close to 2,000 students left campus for lunch. Administrators responded to this in the 2007-2008 school year by closing lunch to freshmen, and the following year by closing lunch to sophomores who do not have special identification cards.
- Beginning in 2011, students will attend the new high school which is currently being constructed. The new high school will have 123 classrooms with the capacity of holding approximately 2,100 students. It will also have a 750-seat auditorium with lots of natural light. Additionally, the new high school will contain four small "learning communities" consisting of a ninth grade center, education and finance, information technology, and agri-science and manufacturing. This new concept is intended to better place students where their interests lie.
- Exracurricular activities
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The extracurricular activities offered at Garden City High School are many and varied due to the school's large size. The Buffaloes compete in the Western Athletic Conference and are classified as a 6A school, the largest classification in Kansas according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association. Throughout its history, Garden City has won 13 state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in Division I, Division II, and Division III athletics. Garden City High School athletes are able to compete in some of the top facilities in western Kansas. The football, soccer, and track & field teams compete at Memorial Stadium. Basketball, intramural basketball, volleyball, and wrestling take place in "The Garden", Garden City's main gymnasium. The men's and women's golf programs compete at Southwind Country Club and Buffalo Dunes Golf Course. The tennis programs compete at the Dennis Perryman Complex. The varsity baseball program competes at Clint Lightner Field.
- Athletics
- Football
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The GCHS football team has consistently competed at a high level in football. Garden City High School won the 6A state championship in football in 1999 and finished runner-up in 1971, 1990, 1991 and 1998.
- Garden City has seen several improvements in its football facilities in recent years. FieldTurf was installed in the summer of 2004 to better accommodate the multiple uses of the field. Additionally, the visitor stands were greatly expanded in the summer of 2008 to accommodate visiting fans. A second pressbox was also installed to provide more accessibility for coaches and coordinators during games.
- Basketball
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Another storied program at Garden City High School is the men's basketball program. The Buffaloes won the state championship in 1966 and were sub-state champions in 2003.
- Wrestling
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The most storied and tradition-rich athletic program at GCHS is wrestling. Since Garden City High School was established, it has won 7 state championships in wrestling, occurring in 1971, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, and 1999 and runner-up in 2003.
- Golf
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The men's golf program has established itself as one of the top athletic programs at GCHS. The Buffaloes won state championships in 1977 and 1998. Cole Wasinger won the individual state championship in 1995, the only individual state championship in the program's history.
- Tennis
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The men's tennis program has also had many successful years. The Buffs have been one of the more competitive tennis teams in the WAC for nearly a decade. Garden City won 10 consecutive WAC championships from 1994-2003. In 1999, former head coach Bob Krug was named NFCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year.
- Track and Field
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The Buffalo track and field program has had several successes throughout its history. The Buffaloes won the state championship in 1945 and 1946, but in more recent years results have been variable. The track & field program finished runner-up in the 2006 state championship, falling to Lawrence High School by a 1/2 point. Garden City has produced numerous notable athletes, including 1995 Track and Field Gatorade Player of the Year Jason Archibald,
- State Championships
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Garden City High School offers the following sports:- Fall
- Football
- Volleyball
- Boys Cross-Country
- Girls Cross-Country
- Girls Golf
- Boys Soccer
- Girls Tennis
- Cheerleading
- Winter
- Boys Basketball
- Girls Basketball
- Wrestling
- Boys Bowling
- Girls Bowling
- Winter Cheerleading
- Spring
- Baseball
- Boys Golf
- Boys Tennis
- Girls Soccer
- Girls Swimming/Diving
- Softball
- Boys Track and Field
- Girls Track and Field
- Music
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Garden City High School offers many music-related clubs and organizations. Garden City offers marching band, pep band, orchestra, choir, and show choir in addition to many other groups. The Garden City Municipal Band, the longest continual band located west of the Mississippi, also rehearses at Garden City High School each week.
- Band
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The first unofficial band was organized in 1915. Since then, the Garden City band program has steadily grown into one of the most widely-acclaimed bands in the state. The Garden City Marching Band is often referred to as the "Marching Herd". Each year, the marching band performs during halftime of football games and the pep band plays during basketball games. Additionally, at the conclusion of the football season, the marching band competes in the WAC Band Festival to determine the top marching band in the area.
- Debate/Forensics
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The Garden City High Debate and Forensics teams have been ranked among the top schools in the nation by number of state appearances by the National Forensics League. Garden City High has competed at the state in all the NFL events and at the national level in many of the events. It is one of the largest teams by members in the state. The debate team won the state championships in 1959, 1961, and 1971 (two-speaker).
- Fight song
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Hail to the Buffaloes.
Cheer them along their way.
Onward to victory,
May they win again today.
We'll give a cheer for the Buffaloes,
Long may they reign supreme.
Shout 'till the echoes ring.
For the glory of our team.
- Alma mater
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Hail to the Brown.
Hail to the White.
Hail Alma Mater
For Whom We Fight.
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We Love No Other.
So Let Our Motto Be
Victory Garden High
Varsity!
- Notable alumni
- Mark Fox, head men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia
- Harold "Prince Hal" Patterson – former University of Kansas basketball player and member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
- Brandy Perryman, University of Texas’ all-time leader in free throw shooting and fourth-best three-point shooter
- Megan Price, Miss Kansas Teen USA 2003
- Chuck Reed, mayor of San Jose, California, 2007–
- Roy Romer, former governor of Colorado, 1987–1999
- External links
- School Website
- Miscellaneous
- Garden City High School Scores/Ratings from Greatschools.net
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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