Great Bend High School
Encyclopedia
Great Bend High School is a public high school
located in Great Bend, Kansas
, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is in the Unified School District No. 428. The athletic teams are known as the Panthers and all athletic programs compete in the 5A division according to the KSHSAA
.
and is classified as a 5A school, the second-largest division in Kansas. Throughout the school's history, the Panthers have won several state championships and have produced Division I, Division II, and Division III athletes. The football games are played at Great Bend High School Memorial Stadium
. Soccer games are played at the Jean Cavanaugh Soccer Complex.
.
Jeff Langrehr was the first basketball
coach
in Great Bend High School history to help the team win back-to-back state championships.
The girls basketball team was the state runner up in 2009 coached by Jason Tatkenhorst.
The Great Bend High School Marching Band
is under the direction of Mark DeWald. The band averages between 150 - 200 students every year. The band won1 ratings in the Hutchinson, Kansas
State Parade, WAC Marching Festival in Garden City, Kansas
, and High Plains Marching Festival at Fort Hays State University
in 2005 and 2006. During Labor Day
, the band dedicates its time to perform a parade in Hoisington, Kansas
, where they are met with other performers. Ronald D. Mink was the first Band Director to start the American Heritage Concerts era and the first to take the band to major national competitions every four years.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is in the Unified School District No. 428. The athletic teams are known as the Panthers and all athletic programs compete in the 5A division according to the KSHSAA
Kansas State High School Activities Association
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.The KSHSAA was...
.
History
Great Bend High School was established early in 20th century in order to help educate the growing population of Great Bend, Kansas. Shortly after the school was founded, the Panther was chosen as the official school mascot and students voted to implement red and black as the school colors. As the years progressed, Great Bend established many programs, both athletic and non-athletic.Extracurricular activities
The school is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities AssociationKansas State High School Activities Association
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.The KSHSAA was...
and is classified as a 5A school, the second-largest division in Kansas. Throughout the school's history, the Panthers have won several state championships and have produced Division I, Division II, and Division III athletes. The football games are played at Great Bend High School Memorial Stadium
Great Bend High School Memorial Stadium
Great Bend High School Memorial Stadium is a sport stadium in Great Bend, Kansas. The facility is primarily used by the Great Bend High School football and track & field teams...
. Soccer games are played at the Jean Cavanaugh Soccer Complex.
Danceline
Great Bend High School's danceline performs new dances at football and basketball games during halftime. The 2011-2012 season consists of 18 dancers ranging from freshmen to seniors.Basketball
During the years of 2005 and 2006, Great Bend High School won two state championships in basketball. The boys basketball team was able to win two state championships back to back in Topeka, KansasTopeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
.
Jeff Langrehr was the first basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
in Great Bend High School history to help the team win back-to-back state championships.
The girls basketball team was the state runner up in 2009 coached by Jason Tatkenhorst.
State Championships
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Tennis, Girls Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
1 | 1998 |
| Cross Country, Boys Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
3 | 1999, 2000, 2001 | |
| Cross Country, Girls Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
2 | 2000, 2001 | |
| Winter | Basketball, Girls Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
1 | 1980 |
| Basketball, Boys Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
2 | 2005, 2006 | |
| Indoor Track & Field, Girls Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... |
1 | 1977 | |
| Spring | Golf, Girls Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
2 | 1973, 1974 |
| Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
3 | 1955, 1995, 1998 | |
| Track & Field, Girls Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... |
5 | 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 2007 | |
| Track & Field, Boys Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... |
2 | 1970, 1972 | |
| Total | 22 | ||
Great Bend High School Marching Band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
is under the direction of Mark DeWald. The band averages between 150 - 200 students every year. The band won1 ratings in the Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
State Parade, WAC Marching Festival in Garden City, Kansas
Garden City, Kansas
Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.-History:In February 1878, James...
, and High Plains Marching Festival at Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
in 2005 and 2006. During Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, the band dedicates its time to perform a parade in Hoisington, Kansas
Hoisington, Kansas
Hoisington is a city in Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,706.-History:In 1886, a group of Barton County businessmen formed the Central Kansas Town Company and founded the town of Hoisington to attract the Kansas and Colorado Railroad to the...
, where they are met with other performers. Ronald D. Mink was the first Band Director to start the American Heritage Concerts era and the first to take the band to major national competitions every four years.
Notable alumni
- Jack KilbyJack KilbyJack St. Clair Kilby was an American physicist who took part in the invention of the integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments in 1958. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2000. He is credited with the invention of the integrated circuit or microchip...
, inventor of the integrated circuit. The Commons Area at Great Bend High School is named The Jack Kilby Commons Area