Olathe East High School
Encyclopedia
Olathe East High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Olathe, Kansas
, USA
, serving students in grades 9-12. Olathe East is one of four public high schools located within the city limits of Olathe, KS, and it is the largest of the four, and also the largest in the state. The school colors are orange and navy blue, and the school's mascot is the Hawk. Olathe East was recognized as a National School of Excellence in 1998 by the U.S. Department of Education. The school has also received the President's National Service Award every year since 2003.
The school opened in the fall of 1992 in order to help educate the rapidly increasing population of Olathe. Olathe East 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 "Hawks". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. Notable alumni of the school include Danielle McCray
, WNBA player for the Connecticut Sun
.
score of 23.8, beating the national average of 21.2. On the SAT
, the average score was a 604 on the Critical Reading section and a 614 on the Math section. These scores were also much higher than the national average of 503 on the Critical Reading and 518 on the Mathematics section. Olathe East also offers a variety of high level AP and Honors courses including AP English
, AP American History, AP Government, AP Chemistry
, AP Biology
, AP Statistics, College Physics, and Honors Calculus
.
. The school's features were designed to be both attractive and functional. There are 99 classrooms, numerous computer labs including an international language lab, a satellite communication lab, and a writing center. Other features include an 890 seat auditorium
and a 280 seat theatre
; media center; publications/journalism center; video production lab; three gymnasiums; a weight room; and a Lifetime Fitness training room. The School's 80 acres (323,748.8 m²), tree encircled hilltop site also features a pond which allows for on-site research and field activities for its biology, student naturalist and physical education classes.
. Throughout its history, Olathe East has won 32 state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in Division I, Division II, and Division III athletics.
, since when the school opened in 1992.
in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, there was a one point difference between Shawnee Mission East and Olathe East.
in January 2007, and has received three straight "I" ratings for the second consecutive year. The Olathe East Band has also received many accomplishments such as receiving all "I" ratings at the area music festival in March 2007. The band performed at Avery Fisher Hall
in New York City in spring 2009. In fall of 2010, the band had its first undefeated season in the school's history. The band took first place in the 6A division at KU's Heart Of American Marching Festival, and first in their division at Missouri Western's marching competition. The OE Choir has sent several students to Northeast KMEA All-District Music Festival along with all the other performing groups at East. Olathe East's drama department has also been very successful, winning various awards and has performed at both the International Thespian Conference and Kansas State Thespian Conference, having taken their fall play Almost, Maine there in January, 2010.
which allows students to access assignments from any computer including computers outside of the school network. The Science and Mathematics departments each have classroom sets of laptops. In addition, Olathe East has several computer labs for added integration of technology into the high school curriculum.
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, serving students in grades 9-12. Olathe East is one of four public high schools located within the city limits of Olathe, KS, and it is the largest of the four, and also the largest in the state. The school colors are orange and navy blue, and the school's mascot is the Hawk. Olathe East was recognized as a National School of Excellence in 1998 by the U.S. Department of Education. The school has also received the President's National Service Award every year since 2003.
The school opened in the fall of 1992 in order to help educate the rapidly increasing population of Olathe. Olathe East is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association
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...
and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 6A division and are known as the "Hawks". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. Notable alumni of the school include Danielle McCray
Danielle McCray
Danielle McCray is a forward for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. McCray was born November 8, 1987 in Boynton Beach, Florida. McCray was selected 7th overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft. She played collegiately for the Kansas Jayhawks where she was named a second-team All-American during her senior season...
, WNBA player for the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
.
Academics
Olathe East has continuously had the highest composite standardized test scores in the district. In the 2006-2007 school year, East had a composite ACTACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
score of 23.8, beating the national average of 21.2. On the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
, the average score was a 604 on the Critical Reading section and a 614 on the Math section. These scores were also much higher than the national average of 503 on the Critical Reading and 518 on the Mathematics section. Olathe East also offers a variety of high level AP and Honors courses including AP English
AP English
AP English can stand for two distinct Advanced Placement Programs provided by the College Board:*AP English Language and Composition*AP English Literature and Composition...
, AP American History, AP Government, AP Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, AP Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, AP Statistics, College Physics, and Honors Calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
.
School Layout
Olathe East is located in Olathe, KansasOlathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
. The school's features were designed to be both attractive and functional. There are 99 classrooms, numerous computer labs including an international language lab, a satellite communication lab, and a writing center. Other features include an 890 seat auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
and a 280 seat theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
; media center; publications/journalism center; video production lab; three gymnasiums; a weight room; and a Lifetime Fitness training room. The School's 80 acres (323,748.8 m²), tree encircled hilltop site also features a pond which allows for on-site research and field activities for its biology, student naturalist and physical education classes.
Library Media Center
The Olathe East Library Media Center offers a variety of print and electronic materials to meet curricular needs of students and staff. Librarians provide ongoing library media instruction aligned with state standards and planned collaboratively with teaching staff. Instruction is delivered in the library and online, via the library's home page http://teachers.olathe.k12.ks.us/~lfranklinoe/. Library staff members provide technology support throughout the school. A rich selection of online subscription database products, including eBooks, are available to students, faculty and community members.Extracurricular activities
The Hawks compete in the Sunflower League and are classified as a 6A school, the largest classification in Kansas according to 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...
. Throughout its history, Olathe East has won 32 state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in Division I, Division II, and Division III athletics.
Football
Football has been a recent success at Olathe East, the varsity team going to the KSHSAA 6A state playoffs every year since 2002. In that period of 9 years, the Olathe East varsity football team has won more games than any other Kansas City Metro area school. The Hawks have made it to the state title game once, in 2005, where they lost to Hutchinson. The Hawks have been coached by Jeff Meyers, who is also the mayor of the city of Shawnee, KansasShawnee, Kansas
Shawnee is a city located in northwest Johnson County, Kansas, United States and is a western suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 62,209. Shawnee's fur trading and pioneering heritage blends histories of these Kansas Territory townships: Monticello and...
, since when the school opened in 1992.
Soccer
One of the most popular athletic programs offered at Olathe East is soccer. Throughout the school's history, the boys' team has won two state championships, occurring in 1996 and 2005, and the girls' team has won three state championships, occurring in 2001, 2004, and 2008.Boys' Swimming & Diving
The Olathe East boys' swimming & diving team won the state championship in 2009 after placing second to Shawnee Mission East High SchoolShawnee Mission East High School
Shawnee Mission East High School is a public secondary school in Prairie Village, Kansas, USA for grades 9–12. It is one of five schools operated by Unified School District 512....
in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, there was a one point difference between Shawnee Mission East and Olathe East.
Softball
The Hawks have consistently been one of the best softball teams in Kansas, winning state championships in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2007, the Hawks set a new KSHSAA record for most consecutive state championships won in softball.Track and Field
The Olathe East track and field team has one six state championships since 2007, including 2 for boys in 2007 and 2010, and four consecutive state championships for girls from 2008-2011.State Championships
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Gymnastics, Girls 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... |
4 | 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008 |
| Soccer, Boys | 2 | 1996, 2005 | |
| Soccer, Girls | 3 | 2001, 2004, 2008 | |
| 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... |
3 | 2006, 2009, 2010 | |
| Winter | Swimming and Diving, Boys Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
1 | 2009 |
| Swimming and Diving, Girls Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
2 | 2002, 2003 | |
| 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... |
1 | 1998 | |
| Bowling, Boys Bowling Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule... |
1 | 2011 | |
| Bowling, Girls Bowling Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule... |
1 | 2011 | |
| Spring | Golf, Boys 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 | 2000, 2002 |
| 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... |
2 | 1997, 2002 | |
| 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... |
6 | 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 | |
| Track & Field, Boys | 2 | 2007, 2010 | |
| Track & Field, Girls | 4 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 | |
| Total | 34 | ||
Performing arts
The Olathe East Orchestra has performed at the KMEA music festival several times and performed at Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in January 2007, and has received three straight "I" ratings for the second consecutive year. The Olathe East Band has also received many accomplishments such as receiving all "I" ratings at the area music festival in March 2007. The band performed at Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
in New York City in spring 2009. In fall of 2010, the band had its first undefeated season in the school's history. The band took first place in the 6A division at KU's Heart Of American Marching Festival, and first in their division at Missouri Western's marching competition. The OE Choir has sent several students to Northeast KMEA All-District Music Festival along with all the other performing groups at East. Olathe East's drama department has also been very successful, winning various awards and has performed at both the International Thespian Conference and Kansas State Thespian Conference, having taken their fall play Almost, Maine there in January, 2010.
Technology
The school now has wi-fi access located all throughout the campus. All classrooms at OE are equipped with multipurpose projectors which allows teachers to project movies and images from their computer. Classrooms are equipped with Smartboard technology. Many teachers take advantage of software called BlackboardBlackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. is an enterprise software company with its corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. and is primarily known as a developer of education software, in particular learning management systems. Blackboard was founded by CEO Michael Chasen and chairman Matthew Pittinsky in 1997 and...
which allows students to access assignments from any computer including computers outside of the school network. The Science and Mathematics departments each have classroom sets of laptops. In addition, Olathe East has several computer labs for added integration of technology into the high school curriculum.
Notable alumni
- Stevie CaseStevie CaseStevana "Stevie" Case is a recognized figure from the video game industry. She is noted for being one of the first well-known female gamers...
, one of the first well-known female gamers. - Peter Nyarol Dut (Class of 2003), One of the Lost Boys of SudanLost Boys of SudanThe Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given to the groups of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War , about 2.5 million killed and millions were displaced...
Featured in Megan Mylan film Lost Boys of SudanLost Boys of Sudan (film)Lost Boys of Sudan is a documentary film by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk about two Dinka boys from Sudan, Santino Majok Chuor and Peter Nyarol Dut, who reached the United States after fleeing the civil war in their country...
. - Danielle McCrayDanielle McCrayDanielle McCray is a forward for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. McCray was born November 8, 1987 in Boynton Beach, Florida. McCray was selected 7th overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft. She played collegiately for the Kansas Jayhawks where she was named a second-team All-American during her senior season...
, WNBA player for the Connecticut SunConnecticut SunThe Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
, former player for the Kansas Jayhawks women's basketballKansas Jayhawks women's basketballThe Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team represents the University of Kansas and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.-History:Kansas first fielded a women's team during the 1968-1969 season...
team. - Colton MurrayColton MurrayColton Murray is a right-handed relief pitcher for the MLB's Philadelphia Phillies Class A affiliate, the Williamsport Crosscutters. Murray signed with the team after being selected in the 13th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.-High school career:...
, MLB player for the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
class A team, the Williamsport CrosscuttersWilliamsport CrosscuttersThe Williamsport Crosscutters are a Short-Season A classification minor league baseball team based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, former player for the Kansas Jayhawks baseballKansas Jayhawks baseballThe Kansas Jayhawks baseball team represents the University of Kansas and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.-History:Baseball has been played at the University of Kansas since 1880 and for a total of 118 seasons. The Jayhawks had a 1621-1550-16 all-time record entering the 2009...
team. - Scott Vermillion (Class of 1995), former Kansas City WizardsKansas City WizardsSporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
soccer player.
See also
- Olathe Unified School District
- Other Olathe High Schools:
- Olathe North High SchoolOlathe North High SchoolOlathe North High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of four public high schools in the Olathe School District. The school colors are red and royal blue and the mascot is the Eagle...
- Olathe Northwest High SchoolOlathe Northwest High SchoolOlathe Northwest High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of four high schools in the Olathe School District. The school colors are blue, black, and white, and the school mascot is the Raven...
- Olathe South High SchoolOlathe South High SchoolOlathe South High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of four high schools in the Olathe Unified School District . Olathe South High School was recognized as a National School of Excellence for the...
- Olathe North High School