Hiawatha, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Hiawatha is the largest city and county seat of Brown County
, Kansas
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,172. It is the largest city on U.S. Route 36
between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Denver, Colorado
.
Hiawatha is named after a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
called The Song of Hiawatha
. In the poem is legendary Onondaga
and Mohawk
Indian leader Hiawatha
. Adjacent to the former Ioway-Sac reservation and the present-day Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Hiawatha is called Hári Wáta in Ioway
, meaning "I am looking far away". This name may be the result of choosing Ioway words that sound like the English name. It has nothing to do with the Onondaga-Mohawk leader.
Hiawatha is nicknamed the "City of Beautiful Maple
s" because of its countless trees that produce delightful colors in the fall season. The city also claims to have the oldest Halloween
parade in the nation, starting in 1914.
's poem, The Song of Hiawatha
. Hiawatha became the Brown County Seat in 1858, and the first school opened in 1870.
The main street was designated Oregon Street after the Oregon Trail
. Parallel streets north of it were named after Indian tribes north of the Trail, and streets south carried tribal names of those south of the Trail.
, the city has a total area of 5.8 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi), all land.
of 2000, there were 3,417 people, 1,466 households, and 914 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,529.2 people per square mile (591.6/km²). There were 1,646 housing units at an average density of 736.7 per square mile (285.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.43% White, 2.78% African American, 2.19% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 1.20% from other races
, and 2.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.99% of the population.
There were 1,466 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,854, and the median income for a family was $46,310. Males had a median income of $31,843 versus $20,385 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,981. About 8.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
The Davis Memorial is a monument
in the Mount Hope Cemetery, built by John Milburn Davis in honor of his wife Sarah after her death. Begun soon after her death in 1930 and completed in 1934, the monument consists of statues of the couple and a small shelter, carved from Italian marble
. Its cost (approximately $200,000) led many in the community to criticize Davis for his free spending during the Great Depression
. Today, the monument benefits the community financially because of the thousands of tourists who visit it. The memorial was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
City clock
701 Oregon Street; downtown area
This is the only such clock between Indianapolis
and Denver on U.S. Route 36. It was built in 1891 as part of the First National Bank building and is listed on the Kansas Register.
Brown County Historical Museum
611 Utah Street, South of Brown County Courthouse Square
It is owned and operated by the Brown County Historical Society. This building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
Brown County Ag Museum
301 E. Iowa Street, West of Davis Memorial
It resembles a 1900 farmstead with a paved windmill
trail for sightseers and joggers to use and enjoy. There is a log cabin replica that is the office, wash house, barn, brooder house, corn crib, cabinet shop, horse drawn implement building, antique tractor building and many windmills and wind chargers.
HHS is an accredited Class 4A school known for its proficient learning and great academic environment. The campus lies on the far east side of Hiawatha. The architecture is in rather circular form, with a domed circular gym nicknamed "The Roundhouse." The classrooms are connected in "pods."
HHS has an extended business department and has (relatively) current technology. Hiawatha has one of the largest bands around, which travels to a music festival every three or four years. Previous trips have been Orlando, Florida
and San Antonio, Texas
. HHS has a talented vocal music program.
"West Campus" is a separate set of buildings for agricultural and industrial arts
classes. Memorial Stadium
lies just north of the school and a prairie
trail area and practice field is east of the main school.
In athletics
, Hiawatha has won two girls' basketball
State championships in 1978 and 1979 and a State football
championship
in 1980. The Hiawatha Red Hawks are a member of the Big 7 League, with a total of eight teams in northeast Kansas
. Athletics include football, volleyball
, boys' and girls' cross country running
, boys' and girls' basketball
, wrestling
, boys' and girls' track and field
, boys' and girl's tennis
, softball
, boys' golf
, and Scholar's Bowl.
Other activities and organizations include Cheerleading
, Color Guard, Dance Team, Journalism
, Yearbook
, Gifted-Talented Program, National Honor Society
, Red Hawk Club, Kansas Association for Youth, International Club, Student Council
, Red Hawk Reader's Club, Biology
Club (travels to the Bahamas annually), National FFA Organization
, Business Professionals of America
, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes
. The school has a new greenhouse at West Campus and a newly expanded weightroom. Also, more SmartBoards will be added the classrooms. Hiawatha High School gives away the most scholarships around to graduating seniors.
HMS is a recently erected school in 2000 after moving from Robinson Middle School in Robinson, Kansas. The school lies on the east side of Hiawatha, just south of the high school. The school is divided into 4 sections, by grade level. HMS has an advanced Life Skills technology classroom and a modern gym. There is a Gifted-Talented program along with Title Math and Reading. There is a softball field to the south of the school and a practice field and track west of the school. The Hiawatha Hawks are a member of the Big 7 League, with a total of six teams in northeast Kansas. Athletics include football, volleyball, wrestling, boys' and girls' basketball, and track and field. Scholars' Bowl and gymnastics
are also available.
HES is located in north central Hiawatha and has been for many years. The school starts kids out in Kindergarten
and graduates them after 4th grade. The school is divided into halls for each grade level. HES has many school programs including Title Reading, Speech, Gifted-Talented, and Extended Learning. The playground
is modern with new fitness
equipment for children.
mascots from the schools. The high school had the nickname 'Redskins', similar to 'Indians' when the school was in its early years. The middle school was the 'Warriors' and the elementary school, the 'Braves'.
The District received much praise for its transition, including the National Congress of American Indians
and organizations as far away as Washington, D.C.
After narrowing down many potential new nicknames, the high school decided to retain its red pride, renaming itself the 'Red Hawks'. The middle school obtained the name 'Hawks' and the elementary school, 'Junior Hawks'. Hiawatha avoided potential lawsuits and controversy by making a quick move to a nickname from which racism
cannot be inferred.
Brown County, Kansas
Brown County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,984. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,172. It is the largest city on U.S. Route 36
U.S. Route 36
U.S. Route 36 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, where it meets U.S. Route 34. Its eastern...
between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Hiawatha is named after a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
called The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem, in trochaic tetrameter, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, featuring an Indian hero and loosely based on legends and ethnography of the Ojibwe and other Native American peoples contained in Algic Researches and additional writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft...
. In the poem is legendary Onondaga
Onondaga (tribe)
The Onondaga are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Their traditional homeland is in and around Onondaga County, New York...
and Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
Indian leader Hiawatha
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois confederacy...
. Adjacent to the former Ioway-Sac reservation and the present-day Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Hiawatha is called Hári Wáta in Ioway
Chiwere language
Chiwere is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, Otoe, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the midwest and plains. The language is closely related to Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago...
, meaning "I am looking far away". This name may be the result of choosing Ioway words that sound like the English name. It has nothing to do with the Onondaga-Mohawk leader.
Hiawatha is nicknamed the "City of Beautiful Maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s" because of its countless trees that produce delightful colors in the fall season. The city also claims to have the oldest Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
parade in the nation, starting in 1914.
History
Hiawatha was founded in 1857. John M. Coe, John P. Wheller, and Thomas J. Drummond were instrumental in organizing the city, and the site was staked out February 17, 1857. B.L. Rider reportedly was responsible for naming Hiawatha, taking the young Indian's name from Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's poem, The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem, in trochaic tetrameter, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, featuring an Indian hero and loosely based on legends and ethnography of the Ojibwe and other Native American peoples contained in Algic Researches and additional writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft...
. Hiawatha became the Brown County Seat in 1858, and the first school opened in 1870.
The main street was designated Oregon Street after the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
. Parallel streets north of it were named after Indian tribes north of the Trail, and streets south carried tribal names of those south of the Trail.
Geography
Hiawatha is located at 39°51′9"N 95°32′11"W (39.852530, -95.536429). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 5.8 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,417 people, 1,466 households, and 914 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,529.2 people per square mile (591.6/km²). There were 1,646 housing units at an average density of 736.7 per square mile (285.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.43% White, 2.78% African American, 2.19% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 1.20% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.99% of the population.
There were 1,466 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,854, and the median income for a family was $46,310. Males had a median income of $31,843 versus $20,385 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,981. About 8.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Tourist attractions
Davis MemorialThe Davis Memorial is a monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
in the Mount Hope Cemetery, built by John Milburn Davis in honor of his wife Sarah after her death. Begun soon after her death in 1930 and completed in 1934, the monument consists of statues of the couple and a small shelter, carved from Italian marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
. Its cost (approximately $200,000) led many in the community to criticize Davis for his free spending during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Today, the monument benefits the community financially because of the thousands of tourists who visit it. The memorial was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977.
City clock
701 Oregon Street; downtown area
This is the only such clock between Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and Denver on U.S. Route 36. It was built in 1891 as part of the First National Bank building and is listed on the Kansas Register.
Brown County Historical Museum
611 Utah Street, South of Brown County Courthouse Square
It is owned and operated by the Brown County Historical Society. This building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Brown County Ag Museum
301 E. Iowa Street, West of Davis Memorial
It resembles a 1900 farmstead with a paved windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
trail for sightseers and joggers to use and enjoy. There is a log cabin replica that is the office, wash house, barn, brooder house, corn crib, cabinet shop, horse drawn implement building, antique tractor building and many windmills and wind chargers.
Leisure
Baseball and softball parks- Bruning Park, located in west Hiawatha has 3 main fields; 2 for baseballBaseballBaseball 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...
, 1 for softballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. Other fields are available, but are not managed. Bruning Park also has a concession standConcession standA concession stand , snack kiosk or snack bar is the term used to refer to a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, fair, stadium, or other entertainment venue. Some events or venues contract out the right to sell food to third parties...
and a small playground. The park is also home to soccerFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. - Noble Park is a recent addition in Hiawatha that lies just south of the aquatic park. Deemed as one of the most premier Legion fields in the state, Hiawatha has been host to Zone and State Legion baseball tournaments. This is American LegionAmerican LegionThe American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
Post #66's home field. The park has a concession standConcession standA concession stand , snack kiosk or snack bar is the term used to refer to a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, fair, stadium, or other entertainment venue. Some events or venues contract out the right to sell food to third parties...
, batting cage, and playground. Every year the Leo Tritsch Memorial Tournament is held at Noble Park. - The Hiawatha Middle School softball field is home to Hiawatha High School softball practices and some games. The field lies between the middle school and the Fisher Community Center.
Government
The city is governed by a 5-member commission.- Mayor: Crosby Gernon
- City Administrator: Lynne Ladner
Hiawatha High School
Hiawatha High School (HHS) teaches grades 9-12. It's at 600 Red Hawk Drive. Their mascot is the Red Hawks (changed from Redskins after 2000), and the school colors are red and blue.HHS is an accredited Class 4A school known for its proficient learning and great academic environment. The campus lies on the far east side of Hiawatha. The architecture is in rather circular form, with a domed circular gym nicknamed "The Roundhouse." The classrooms are connected in "pods."
HHS has an extended business department and has (relatively) current technology. Hiawatha has one of the largest bands around, which travels to a music festival every three or four years. Previous trips have been Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. HHS has a talented vocal music program.
"West Campus" is a separate set of buildings for agricultural and industrial arts
Industrial arts
Industrial Arts is an umbrella term originally conceived in the late 19th century to describe educational programs which featured fabrication of objects in wood and/or metal using a variety of hand, power, or machine tools...
classes. Memorial Stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
lies just north of the school and a prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
trail area and practice field is east of the main school.
In athletics
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, Hiawatha has won two girls' 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...
State championships in 1978 and 1979 and a State football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
in 1980. The Hiawatha Red Hawks are a member of the Big 7 League, with a total of eight teams in northeast Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Athletics include football, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, boys' and girls' cross country running
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...
, boys' and girls' 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...
, wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, boys' and girls' track and field
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...
, boys' and girl's tennis
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...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, boys' golf
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....
, and Scholar's Bowl.
Other activities and organizations include Cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, Color Guard, Dance Team, Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, Yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
, Gifted-Talented Program, National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, Red Hawk Club, Kansas Association for Youth, International Club, Student Council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, Red Hawk Reader's Club, Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
Club (travels to the Bahamas annually), National FFA Organization
National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is an American youth organization known as a Career and Technical Student Organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education...
, Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America is a career and technical student organization that is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. BPA aims to develop leadership, academic, and technological skills in the workplace among students and leaders within the community...
, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
. The school has a new greenhouse at West Campus and a newly expanded weightroom. Also, more SmartBoards will be added the classrooms. Hiawatha High School gives away the most scholarships around to graduating seniors.
Hiawatha Middle School
- Grades 5-8
- Located at 307 S. Morrill Avenue
- Mascot: Hawks (changed from Warriors after 2000)
- Colors: Red & Blue (changed from Burgundy & White after 2008)
HMS is a recently erected school in 2000 after moving from Robinson Middle School in Robinson, Kansas. The school lies on the east side of Hiawatha, just south of the high school. The school is divided into 4 sections, by grade level. HMS has an advanced Life Skills technology classroom and a modern gym. There is a Gifted-Talented program along with Title Math and Reading. There is a softball field to the south of the school and a practice field and track west of the school. The Hiawatha Hawks are a member of the Big 7 League, with a total of six teams in northeast Kansas. Athletics include football, volleyball, wrestling, boys' and girls' basketball, and track and field. Scholars' Bowl and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
are also available.
Hiawatha Elementary School
- Grades K-4
- Located at 600 Miami Street
- Mascot: Junior Hawks (Changed from Braves after 2000)
HES is located in north central Hiawatha and has been for many years. The school starts kids out in Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and graduates them after 4th grade. The school is divided into halls for each grade level. HES has many school programs including Title Reading, Speech, Gifted-Talented, and Extended Learning. The playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
is modern with new fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
equipment for children.
Mascot
In December 2000, the Hiawatha USD 415 School District voted 4-3 to eliminate the American IndianNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
mascots from the schools. The high school had the nickname 'Redskins', similar to 'Indians' when the school was in its early years. The middle school was the 'Warriors' and the elementary school, the 'Braves'.
The District received much praise for its transition, including the National Congress of American Indians
National Congress of American Indians
The National Congress of American Indians is a American Indian and Alaska Native indigenous rights organization. It was founded in 1944 in response to termination and assimilation policies that the U.S. government forced upon the tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and...
and organizations as far away as Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
After narrowing down many potential new nicknames, the high school decided to retain its red pride, renaming itself the 'Red Hawks'. The middle school obtained the name 'Hawks' and the elementary school, 'Junior Hawks'. Hiawatha avoided potential lawsuits and controversy by making a quick move to a nickname from which racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
cannot be inferred.
Communications
- KNZAKNZAKNZA is a commercial FM radio station in Hiawatha, Kansas, operating on 103.9 MHz. The station broadcasts with 35,000 watts from a 584 foot tower giving it a strong signal throughout Northeast Kansas.-History:...
- FM station with a country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
radio formatRadio formatA radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve... - Hiawatha World - bi-weekly newspaper, the official newspaper of Brown County, KS
- Penny Press - newspaper classifieds publication
Notable people
- Bion BarnettBion BarnettBion Hall Barnett was an American banker. In 1877 he co-founded Barnett Bank, known as "Florida's Bank", the largest in the U.S. state of Florida at the time of its acquisition by NationsBank in 1997.-Early years:...
- banker - Al BuellAl BuellAlfred Leslie Buell was an American painter of pin-up art. He was born in Hiawatha, Kansas in 1910, and grew up in Cushing, Oklahoma...
- Pinup artist - Bill Martin, Jr.Bill Martin, Jr.William Ivan Martin, was an educator, publishing executive, and author of more than 300 children's books including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?, and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What...
- Children's book author - Homer A. McCrereyHomer A. McCrereyHomer Alex McCrerey became U.S. Navy Meteorologist and oceanographer for CINCPACFLT until 1972.He was born in Hiawatha, Kansas. During 1941 he graduated from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas with a mathematics degree. Homer was commissioned at the US Naval Academy in 1942. He completed...
- Commissioned US Naval Academy officer and bioengineering oceanographer - John McLendonJohn McLendonJohn B. McLendon, Jr. was a pioneering American basketball coach who is recognized as the first African American basketball coach at a predominantly white university. He was a major contributor to the development of modern basketball and coached on both the college and professional levels during...
- Inducted into Basketball Hall of FameBasketball Hall of FameThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
in 1979
Further reading
- History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
- Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)