Pittsburg High School (Kansas)

Pittsburg High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is part of Pittsburg USD 250 public school district, is one of the schools in Pittsburg and is the largest high school in southeast Kansas. The school colors are purple and white and the school mascot is the Dragon.

Pittsburg High School
Pittsburg High School (2007)
Address
Map
1978 East 4th Street [1]

,
66762

United States
Coordinates37°24′33″N 94°40′21″W / 37.409280°N 94.672469°W / 37.409280; -94.672469
Information
School typePublic, High School
Established1887
School boardBoard Website
School districtPittsburg USD 250[2]
SuperintendentRichard Proffitt [4]
CEEB code172407 [3]
PrincipalKelynn K. Heardt
Athletic DirectorJeff Staley [5]
Teaching staff57.00 (FTE)[6]
Grades9 to 12
Gendercoed
Enrollment1,017 (2022-23)[6]
Student to teacher ratio17.84[6]
Campus typeRural
Color(s)  Purple
  White
AthleticsClass 5A [7]
District 4 [8]
Athletics conferenceSoutheast Kansas League[5]
MascotPurple Dragons
RivalFort Scott High School
NewspaperThe Booster Redux
Websitephs.usd250.org

History

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Pittsburg High School was established in 1887, making it one of the oldest high schools in the state of Kansas.[citation needed] Pittsburg High is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 5A division and are known as the "Dragons".

On March 6, 2017, the school district hired Amy Robertson as Pittsburg High School's principal. In preparing a feature introducing Robertson to the school community, the staff of the student newspaper were unable to find evidence that Robertson's university, Corllins University, was accredited. The student newspaper published an article questioning Robertson's credentials on March 31, 2017; on April 4, 2017, Robertson resigned.[9][10]

Extracurricular activities

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Non-athletic programs

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Student newspaper

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The Booster Redux made national news in April 2017 after student editors published an investigative story on the qualifications of a newly hired principal.[11] The principal resigned shortly thereafter.[9][12][13]

Scholars Bowl

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Pittsburg High School has won two state scholars bowl championships, in 2006 and 2007.

Forensics

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State Championships
Type Number of Championships Year
Humorous Interpretation 1 2008
Extemporaneous Speaking 3 2000, 2008, 2019
Total 4

Theatre

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In 2010, Pittsburg High School's fall play, Crimes of the Heart, tied for first place in a statewide theatre competition.[citation needed] The show was performed at the Kansas State Thespian Conference in January 2011.[citation needed] In 2018, their musical "Urinetown" was performed at both the Kansas State Thespian Festival in January 2018 and the International Thespian Festival in June 2018. In 2020, Pittsburg High School's Musical Repertory Theatre musical "Pippin", performed at the Kansas State Thespian Festival in January 2020.

In October 2021, Pittsburg High School was honored with the "Best Performing Arts High School in Kansas" award by the KSHSAA. This award was given based on excellence in theatre, drama, debate, vocal music, instrumental music, and technical direction. Pittsburg High is widely acclaimed across the state of Kansas for its excellence in theatre and performing arts, with various awards and honors received in past years.

Athletics

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Pittsburg High School offers many different sports and extracurricular programs for its students. Some of the programs include: football, basketball (men's and women's), volleyball, soccer, softball, baseball, wrestling, dance team, and cheer-leading. The Purple Dragons are classified as a 5A school according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association. Additionally, the Purple Dragons have won multiple district and state championships in both athletic and non-athletic programs.[citation needed]

Track and Field

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Track and Field was established at Pittsburg High shortly after the school was founded. Throughout the years, many students have won individual state titles and have set numerous school records.[citation needed]

Wrestling

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Wrestling is a sport offered at Pittsburg High. In 2007, Tyler Koehn won the state title in the 152 lb division.[14] Beau Bennett won the Class 5A state championship at 285 pounds in 2009. Broc Bennett won the 4A 285 pound state title in 2011.[15]

State championships

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State Championships[16]
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Football 4 1954, 1983, 1988, 1990
Total 4

National awards

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Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "GNIS Detail - Pittsburg High School". USGS.
  2. ^ "PITTSBURG COMMUNITY SCHOOLS USD250 - HOME". usd250.org.
  3. ^ SUNY. "High School CEEB Code Search - SUNY". suny.edu.
  4. ^ USD 250 Administration
  5. ^ a b "School Search - Pittsburg HS". Kansas State High School Activities Association. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Pittsburg High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  7. ^ KSHSAA School Classification List
  8. ^ KSHSAA School District List Archived 2010-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b Schmidt, Samantha (April 5, 2017). "These high school journalists investigated a new principal's credentials. Days later, she resigned". Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  10. ^ Williams, Mará Rose. "New Pittsburg, Kan., High School principal resigns after student journalists question her credentials". Kansas City Star. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Mathew, Gina; Poenitske, Kali; Baden, Maddie; Paul, Trina; Balthazor, Connor; Sullivan, Patrick (March 31, 2017). "District Hires New Principal - Background called into question after discrepinces arise". Booster Redux. No. 98–2. Pittsburg High School. pp. 1D–2D. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  12. ^ Chappell, Bill (April 5, 2017). "Student Newspaper's Fact-Check Results In New Principal's Resignation". NPR. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  13. ^ Mele, Christopher (5 April 2017). "High School Journalists Land a Scoop, and the Principal Resigns". The New York Times.
  14. ^ "Huskers Sign Five to 2008-09 Wrestling Squad" (English). Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  15. ^ "TOP 10 OF '10: Pittsburg High wrestling 8th at state tourney in 2010". Archived from the original (English) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  16. ^ "State Records & State Champions". Archived from the original (English) on 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  17. ^ NASA Press Release; 2000
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