Sumner Academy of Arts & Science
Encyclopedia
Sumner Academy of Arts and Science is a nationally ranked magnet school
in Kansas City, Kansas
which prepares students for high-level academic and creative pursuits. Named for abolitionist
Charles Sumner
, it started in 1905 during a period of racial tension as a segregated
school for black ("Negro
") students, emphasizing vocational training. Located at 1610 N. 8th Street, the current architecturally significant complex began with its Art Deco
core in 1937, but has been repeatedly expanded. The segregated Sumner High School closed in 1978, converting at that time to its present high-challenge magnet program. Sumner typically ranks high in national ratings of secondary schools.
The morning after the shooting, all African American students were blocked from entering the high schools by white students and white citizens. Many whites agitated for segregated schools. For some time, white students attended classes at Kansas City Kansas High School in the morning, while black students attended in the afternoon. In this desperate situation, some African American and white citizens eventually decided to petition the Kansas legislature to change the law prohibiting segregated high schools, requesting an allowance for a segregated high school in Kansas City, Kansas. On February 22, 1905 the Kansas Legislature passed such a bill, which was reluctantly signed by the governor.
In 1905 Sumner high school opened, the first de jure
segregated high school in the state of Kansas. Students moved from the old Kansas City High School and the old Central High School in Kansas City.
The original school was named Manual Training High School and built at the corner of 9th and Washington Boulevard. After objections to that name from the black community, the name of Sumner was chosen instead to honor Charles Sumner
(1811–1884), a member of the United States Senate
from 1851 to 1874. Charles Sumner had been very strong abolitionist
and a leader of the Radical Republicans who had fought for the rights of the black people during Reconstruction.
In 1932, a small plot on northwest corner of 8th and Oakland was purchased which now houses the current Sumner Academy. The current complex of buildings began in 1937.
In 1978 Sumner High School was officially closed as Sumner High School. Students were reassigned as part of court-ordered desegregation
mandating busing for African-American students to new schools, yet giving white students the option of whether or not to attend the new school. It was reopened as 'Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences', a magnet school for highly-motivated and academically-talented students.
In 2003, Sumner won a prestigious national award - Sumner Academy received the U.S. Dept of Education's NCLB - Blue Ribbon Schools Award for its scores on the Kansas state assessments, making it just one of four schools in Kansas to earn the distinction. In 2004, Sumner received a "Great IDEAS" grant (funded/sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Fund) for the 2004-05 school year, which encourages teachers in SLC (Small Learning Communities) to work together to develop innovative programs and projects to improve student learning. In the summer of 2005 (July 20–24), Sumner High School, later Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, celebrated its 100th Anniversary since students first walked through the doors at 9th and Washington Boulevard.
One factor responsible for Sumner Academy’s rigorous academic standing is its participation in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program which is based on a 5.0 scale. Sumner began offering students the opportunity to participate in the IB program in 1987. The academy offers 20 different IB classes and over one-third of the faculty have received extensive IB training. Although only juniors and seniors are eligible to take IB classes, the effect of the IB program permeates the Sumner Academy curriculum at all grade levels. It is not uncommon to hear eighth grade teachers explaining the importance of the IB curriculum to their students. Ninth and tenth graders often take pre-IB courses with the anticipation of enrolling in future IB work.
In the May 16, 2005 issue of Newsweek Magazine, Sumner Academy was named 75th in the "100 Best High Schools in America." This was the second time Sumner Academy was placed on the list. In 2004, Sumner Academy was listed in 99th place. As of 2008, Sumner Academy was named the 183rd best high school in America by Newsweek Magazine. As of December 2009 Sumner Academy was ranked the 62nd best high school in the nation, reported by US News and World Report, making Sumner the only high school in the state of Kansas to make the top 100 list.
to win the 4A state championship. In 2009, Christian Smith was recognized as the 5A state individual bowling champion.
The 2000 Boys basketball team won the State championship.
The 2009 boys' basketball team won the Kansas City Kansas League with an 8-0 record. They also won the Spring Hill and Blue Valley tournaments. In addition, the team won sub-state. In 2010 and 2011, the basketball team defeated Ottawa High School and won the state championship.
(NFL) National Speech and Debate Tournament
, which was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Entrance to the tournament was by invitation after winning their respective Eastern Kansas League National Qualifying Tournaments. Both students made it onto the Semi-Finals and were the highest finishers from Kansas City in tournament history.
In May 2006, The Sumner Academy Forensics Squad took third place in the 4A Kansas State Forensics Tournament. In June 2007, 5 members of the Sumner Academy Forensics Squad, Marcus Banks, Shahna Campbell, Colin Curtis, Katerra Shackleford, and Caleb Sisk, traveled to Wichita, Kansas
to compete in the National Forensics League National Tournament. In January 2008, 2 teams, Colin Curtis & Lonnell Tucker, Desmond Tallie & Donette Lowe, from Sumner Academy traveled to Garden City, Kansas
to compete in the Kansas State 2 Speaker Debate Tournament. Curtis & Tucker finished 9th in the tournament.
In March 2008, The Sumner Academy Forensics Squad competed in National Forensics League National Qualifier tournaments.
In May 2008, Sumner Academy Forensics Squad member, Colin Curtis, traveled to Salina, Kansas
to compete in the Kansas State Student Congress Tournament, Curtis finished 12th in the state, and was given an Outstanding Presiding Officer award.
In May 2008, the Sumner Academy Forensics Squad took third place in the 5A Kansas State Forensics Tournament.
In June 2008, 6 members of the Sumner Academy Forensics squad, (Marcus Banks, Colin Curtis, Khrystal Johnson, Alyssa Jones, Stephanie Pounds, and Rachel Marshall), traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada
to compete in the National Forensic League
National Tournament.
In 2010-2011 school year Sumner's Forensics Team had 14 students qualify for the National Catholic Forensic League's Grand National Tournament and 7 students qualified for the National Forensic League's National Tournament. This is the highest number of students qualifying for these prestigious tournaments in Sumner's history. The team's sponsors were Jamelle Brown and English teacher Dan Duncan.
deemed Sumner eligible for a New Deal
grant to construct a new building, eventually providing $378,000 for building and equipment. The school board selected Joseph W. Radotinsky of Kansas City to be the architect, and in 1938 issued $751,000 in bonds. The building was built 1938-1939 and dedicated in January 1940, with classes beginning January 2.
Radotinsky's design features the Art Deco
style in vogue at the time for federally sponsored public works. The most striking element is the central streamlined entrance tower, which provides visual focus while housing the heating units, air intake chambers and associated filters. The exterior consists of an articulated pattern of two tones of fire-clay brick accented by limestone trim. The growing impact of European modernism can be seen in the massing of the structure; David H. Sachs and George Ehrlich particularly cite the influence of Willem Marinus Dudok
, a Dutch architect best known for the Hilversum City Hall (Raadhuis, 1931). In turn, Dudok had borrowed extensively from Frank Lloyd Wright
and the Prairie School
, particularly in terms of brickwork and the massing of geometric forms.
Lyrics by Cathy Crispino
Sumner Sabres, blue and silver
We have pledged our hearts to thee
And we shall forge ahead in life
With truth and dignity.
Proudly facing each new day
We'll make our dreams a reality
And we'll remember all our lives
Our Sumner Academy.
To you we will be true.
We’ll stand and fight with all our might
For silver and blue.
All hail our Alma Mater.
Charge on to victory.
So fight, you mighty Sabres,
For our Sumner Academy.
State
Maps
Historical
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
in Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
which prepares students for high-level academic and creative pursuits. Named for abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
, it started in 1905 during a period of racial tension as a segregated
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
school for black ("Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
") students, emphasizing vocational training. Located at 1610 N. 8th Street, the current architecturally significant complex began with its Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
core in 1937, but has been repeatedly expanded. The segregated Sumner High School closed in 1978, converting at that time to its present high-challenge magnet program. Sumner typically ranks high in national ratings of secondary schools.
History
Sumner's origins can be traced to a death in a racially charged environment. On April 4, 1904, Roy Martin, a white student at Kansas City, Kansas High School was shot and killed at Kerr Park. An African American named Louis Gregory was accused and arrested. The night of his arrest, a lynch mob gathered, and a group of African American citizens prevented the mob from breaking into the jail to take Gregory from custody. Gregory was subsequently convicted of first degree murder.The morning after the shooting, all African American students were blocked from entering the high schools by white students and white citizens. Many whites agitated for segregated schools. For some time, white students attended classes at Kansas City Kansas High School in the morning, while black students attended in the afternoon. In this desperate situation, some African American and white citizens eventually decided to petition the Kansas legislature to change the law prohibiting segregated high schools, requesting an allowance for a segregated high school in Kansas City, Kansas. On February 22, 1905 the Kansas Legislature passed such a bill, which was reluctantly signed by the governor.
In 1905 Sumner high school opened, the first de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
segregated high school in the state of Kansas. Students moved from the old Kansas City High School and the old Central High School in Kansas City.
The original school was named Manual Training High School and built at the corner of 9th and Washington Boulevard. After objections to that name from the black community, the name of Sumner was chosen instead to honor Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
(1811–1884), a member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1851 to 1874. Charles Sumner had been very strong abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and a leader of the Radical Republicans who had fought for the rights of the black people during Reconstruction.
In 1932, a small plot on northwest corner of 8th and Oakland was purchased which now houses the current Sumner Academy. The current complex of buildings began in 1937.
In 1978 Sumner High School was officially closed as Sumner High School. Students were reassigned as part of court-ordered desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
mandating busing for African-American students to new schools, yet giving white students the option of whether or not to attend the new school. It was reopened as 'Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences', a magnet school for highly-motivated and academically-talented students.
In 2003, Sumner won a prestigious national award - Sumner Academy received the U.S. Dept of Education's NCLB - Blue Ribbon Schools Award for its scores on the Kansas state assessments, making it just one of four schools in Kansas to earn the distinction. In 2004, Sumner received a "Great IDEAS" grant (funded/sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Fund) for the 2004-05 school year, which encourages teachers in SLC (Small Learning Communities) to work together to develop innovative programs and projects to improve student learning. In the summer of 2005 (July 20–24), Sumner High School, later Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, celebrated its 100th Anniversary since students first walked through the doors at 9th and Washington Boulevard.
Academics
Sumner Academy maintains high behavioral and academic standards for its students. Students must receive a letter of acceptance before enrolling at Sumner Academy and once enrolled are required to maintain GPA of 2.5 or higher to continue to attend.One factor responsible for Sumner Academy’s rigorous academic standing is its participation in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program which is based on a 5.0 scale. Sumner began offering students the opportunity to participate in the IB program in 1987. The academy offers 20 different IB classes and over one-third of the faculty have received extensive IB training. Although only juniors and seniors are eligible to take IB classes, the effect of the IB program permeates the Sumner Academy curriculum at all grade levels. It is not uncommon to hear eighth grade teachers explaining the importance of the IB curriculum to their students. Ninth and tenth graders often take pre-IB courses with the anticipation of enrolling in future IB work.
In the May 16, 2005 issue of Newsweek Magazine, Sumner Academy was named 75th in the "100 Best High Schools in America." This was the second time Sumner Academy was placed on the list. In 2004, Sumner Academy was listed in 99th place. As of 2008, Sumner Academy was named the 183rd best high school in America by Newsweek Magazine. As of December 2009 Sumner Academy was ranked the 62nd best high school in the nation, reported by US News and World Report, making Sumner the only high school in the state of Kansas to make the top 100 list.
Extracurricular activities
The extracurricular activities offered at Sumner Academy are fairly small and limited due to the school's small size. As of the 2009/2010 school year, the Sabres and Lady Sabres are classified as a 5A school, according to the KSHAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association). Throughout its history, Sumner Academy has won a few state championships in various sports. Sumner offers both athletic and non-athletic activities.Football
In November 2008, the Sumner Academy football team made it to the Kansas State playoffs for the first time in a decade. In 2010, Sumner Academy recorded its best record in school history at 9-2, as it made the Kansas State playoffs for the second consecutive time and won the Kansas City, Kansas League Championship for the first time in 20 years. In 2009, Sumner Academy won back to back KCK League Championship titles, appeared in the Kansas State playoffs, and finished with a record of 6-4.Wrestling
In February 2008, Sumner Academy senior wrestlers Jerry Cox and Malcolm Sharp placed at state. In 2009, the wrestling team were recognized as league champions.Bowling
In March 2007, the Lady Sabres bowling team defeated Bishop Carroll Catholic High SchoolBishop Carroll Catholic High School
Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, sometimes called Carroll or BC, is a private high school located in Wichita, Kansas. Along with Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School, it is one of two Catholic high schools in the city. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Bishop Carroll graduates...
to win the 4A state championship. In 2009, Christian Smith was recognized as the 5A state individual bowling champion.
Boys' Basketball
The 1998 The Boy Basketball Team won the Huron League Championship and also won the State Championship.The 2000 Boys basketball team won the State championship.
The 2009 boys' basketball team won the Kansas City Kansas League with an 8-0 record. They also won the Spring Hill and Blue Valley tournaments. In addition, the team won sub-state. In 2010 and 2011, the basketball team defeated Ottawa High School and won the state championship.
Forensics
In May 2002 Aaron C. Johnson and Brandon T. Mitchell represented Sumner Academy in the National Forensics LeagueNational Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
(NFL) National Speech and Debate Tournament
National Speech and Debate Tournament
The National Speech and Debate Tournament is a week-long high school championship forensics competition hosted by the National Forensic League...
, which was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Entrance to the tournament was by invitation after winning their respective Eastern Kansas League National Qualifying Tournaments. Both students made it onto the Semi-Finals and were the highest finishers from Kansas City in tournament history.
In May 2006, The Sumner Academy Forensics Squad took third place in the 4A Kansas State Forensics Tournament. In June 2007, 5 members of the Sumner Academy Forensics Squad, Marcus Banks, Shahna Campbell, Colin Curtis, Katerra Shackleford, and Caleb Sisk, traveled to Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
to compete in the National Forensics League National Tournament. In January 2008, 2 teams, Colin Curtis & Lonnell Tucker, Desmond Tallie & Donette Lowe, from Sumner Academy traveled to 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...
to compete in the Kansas State 2 Speaker Debate Tournament. Curtis & Tucker finished 9th in the tournament.
In March 2008, The Sumner Academy Forensics Squad competed in National Forensics League National Qualifier tournaments.
In May 2008, Sumner Academy Forensics Squad member, Colin Curtis, traveled to Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
to compete in the Kansas State Student Congress Tournament, Curtis finished 12th in the state, and was given an Outstanding Presiding Officer award.
In May 2008, the Sumner Academy Forensics Squad took third place in the 5A Kansas State Forensics Tournament.
In June 2008, 6 members of the Sumner Academy Forensics squad, (Marcus Banks, Colin Curtis, Khrystal Johnson, Alyssa Jones, Stephanie Pounds, and Rachel Marshall), traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to compete in the National Forensic League
National Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
National Tournament.
In 2010-2011 school year Sumner's Forensics Team had 14 students qualify for the National Catholic Forensic League's Grand National Tournament and 7 students qualified for the National Forensic League's National Tournament. This is the highest number of students qualifying for these prestigious tournaments in Sumner's history. The team's sponsors were Jamelle Brown and English teacher Dan Duncan.
Track & Field
The Track Team won back to back Championships in the 1998 & 1999.Original Art Deco Building
By 1937 Sumner had outgrown its previous facilities at Ninth and Washington and was using every inch of available space for classes. That year the federal Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
deemed Sumner eligible for a New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
grant to construct a new building, eventually providing $378,000 for building and equipment. The school board selected Joseph W. Radotinsky of Kansas City to be the architect, and in 1938 issued $751,000 in bonds. The building was built 1938-1939 and dedicated in January 1940, with classes beginning January 2.
Radotinsky's design features the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style in vogue at the time for federally sponsored public works. The most striking element is the central streamlined entrance tower, which provides visual focus while housing the heating units, air intake chambers and associated filters. The exterior consists of an articulated pattern of two tones of fire-clay brick accented by limestone trim. The growing impact of European modernism can be seen in the massing of the structure; David H. Sachs and George Ehrlich particularly cite the influence of Willem Marinus Dudok
Willem Marinus Dudok
Willem Marinus Dudok , was a Dutch modernist architect, best known for the brick Hilversum City Hall....
, a Dutch architect best known for the Hilversum City Hall (Raadhuis, 1931). In turn, Dudok had borrowed extensively from Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
and the Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
, particularly in terms of brickwork and the massing of geometric forms.
Subsequent Expansion
There have been a number of expansions to the campus complex since this original elegant building was erected:- In 1964 the field house athletic field added.
- In 1975 the new gymnasium, cafeteria and student center were added.
- In 1978, when the school was officially closed as Sumner High School, there was extensive renovation of classrooms, library and science rooms.
- In 1985, the library was expanded, although the Sumner Courtyard decreased in size in order for the academic expansion of the student population.
- In 2002, voters approved a proposed $120 million bond issue at the Municipal Election Tuesday (April 3, 2001) to air-condition schools, improve technology, and make other upgrades to schools and public libraries. Sumner was part of Phase II, which was completed in the summer of 2002.
- In 2005, Sumner was named to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and the Register of Historic Kansas Places.
The West Wing (New Building)
In 2010, a new wing was added to include all new technology. The addition was built over the west parking lot, and replaced the old temporary classroom units. The rooms are spacious, with carpeted floors, and can hold up to 40 student desks. The west wing also has new lockers and bathrooms and is equipped with the some of the very latest in classroom technology.Alma mater
Music by Martin DunlapLyrics by Cathy Crispino
Sumner Sabres, blue and silver
We have pledged our hearts to thee
And we shall forge ahead in life
With truth and dignity.
Proudly facing each new day
We'll make our dreams a reality
And we'll remember all our lives
Our Sumner Academy.
Fight song
We are the Sumner Sabres.To you we will be true.
We’ll stand and fight with all our might
For silver and blue.
All hail our Alma Mater.
Charge on to victory.
So fight, you mighty Sabres,
For our Sumner Academy.
External links
State
Maps
Historical