The Barstow School
Encyclopedia
The Barstow School, founded in 1884 by Mary Louise Barstow, is a nonsectarian
, coeducation
al, independent
preparatory school in southern Kansas City, Missouri
, USA
.
The Barstow School enrolls approximately 650 students from Preschool through Grade 12. The school has a strong academic
tradition and matriculates all of its graduates to four-year college
s.
Teaching children the importance of leadership and community service is a mainstay at Barstow. They grow the leader in each child by encouraging students to form and run their own organizations and seek out service learning experiences that match their interests. The class of 2010 included two Eagle Scouts and two Congressional Gold Medal winners. These service awards are among the most prestigious in the country.
The Barstow School values the visual and performing arts. All of their arts teachers are performing artists, and the students receive artistic accolades as well. Barstow’s theatre department was one of only 30 in the US to be selected for participation in the 2010 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The athletic program is competitive while simultaneously balancing the importance of affording all athletes an opportunity to participate. Beginning in the sixth grade, they have 41 athletic teams across 12 different sports.
Tuition for the 2010-2011 school year, ranges from $11,605 for 5 whole day Preschool to $16,000+ for grades 9-12.
. With the support of several notable families in the rapidly growing city, the two Wellesley College graduates founded The Barstow School at 12th Street and Broadway on Quality Hill
in Downtown Kansas City
.
As both the school and the city grew and prospered, the school moved several times: first to near Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, then to 15th Street and Westport Avenue, then to 4950 Cherry Street in the Brookside
neighborhood, and finally to 115th Street and State Line Road in 1962, where it remains today. Although originally coeducational, in 1924 Barstow became an all-girls school except at the preschool level. The school resumed coeducation when it moved to its current location. The mission of the school, as originally stated by Mary Louise Barstow, remains "to promote sound scholarship and to give symmetrical development to mind, body and character."
In 1960, boys were admitted to the first grade, and Barstow became coeducational one grade and one year at a time, until its first coed graduating class in 1972. Although its class sizes often were under ten, Barstow had two very famous alumni during its early days: movie star Jean Harlow
and future First Lady
Bess Truman
. Since Barstow moved to its current location, it has seen Kansas City expand
southward. Today, it hopes to grow further: in 2003, Barstow built a new Lower School. Recently, the Barstow School has expanded even more.
, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
, the Educational Records Bureau, the National and Missouri Associations for College Admission Counseling, the College Board and the Cum Laude Society
.
In the fall, teams include girls' tennis, boys' soccer, girls' volleyball, girls' golf, and girls' and boys' cross-country and boys' swimming. The girls' golf team participated in the State Golf Tournament October 18–19, 2010 and the girls' tennis team will be represented at the State Tennis Tournament the end of October.
Winter sports at Barstow are girls' basketball, boys' basketball, girls' swimming, cheerleading, and the "Knight Starz" (sic) dance team. The Knights cheerleading squad has won the class 2 State Cheerleading Competition twice, in 2005 and 2007. The Knight Starz dance team took home a 3rd place finish at the 2009 state dance competition.
In the spring, teams include boys' tennis, boys' baseball, girls' soccer, boys' golf, girls' softball, and boys and girls track and field. The boys baseball team placed 2nd in state (with no prior appearances in such a large game) in the 2007-2008 season.
In the spring of 2010, Barstow's Academic Team won the Missouri Class 2 State Championship. All four team members earned All-District Honors and three members earned All-State honors.
Nonsectarian
Nonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations either not affiliated with or not restricted to a particular religious denomination though the organization...
, coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al, independent
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
preparatory school in southern Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Barstow School enrolls approximately 650 students from Preschool through Grade 12. The school has a strong academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
tradition and matriculates all of its graduates to four-year college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s.
Teaching children the importance of leadership and community service is a mainstay at Barstow. They grow the leader in each child by encouraging students to form and run their own organizations and seek out service learning experiences that match their interests. The class of 2010 included two Eagle Scouts and two Congressional Gold Medal winners. These service awards are among the most prestigious in the country.
The Barstow School values the visual and performing arts. All of their arts teachers are performing artists, and the students receive artistic accolades as well. Barstow’s theatre department was one of only 30 in the US to be selected for participation in the 2010 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The athletic program is competitive while simultaneously balancing the importance of affording all athletes an opportunity to participate. Beginning in the sixth grade, they have 41 athletic teams across 12 different sports.
Tuition for the 2010-2011 school year, ranges from $11,605 for 5 whole day Preschool to $16,000+ for grades 9-12.
History
Mary Barstow and Ada Brann came to Kansas City in 1884, responding to the need to establish a local school comparable to the outstanding independent schools on the east coastEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. With the support of several notable families in the rapidly growing city, the two Wellesley College graduates founded The Barstow School at 12th Street and Broadway on Quality Hill
Quality Hill
Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, situated on a 200-foot-high bluff which overlooks the confluence of the Kansas River and Missouri River in the West Bottoms below....
in Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
.
As both the school and the city grew and prospered, the school moved several times: first to near Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, then to 15th Street and Westport Avenue, then to 4950 Cherry Street in the Brookside
Brookside (Kansas City)
Brookside is a neighborhood located in Kansas City, Missouri around the area from 62nd Terrace to Meyer Boulevard on the North/South and Wornall Road to Main Street on the West/East. The neighborhood itself varies, but it is centered around the Brookside Shopping District...
neighborhood, and finally to 115th Street and State Line Road in 1962, where it remains today. Although originally coeducational, in 1924 Barstow became an all-girls school except at the preschool level. The school resumed coeducation when it moved to its current location. The mission of the school, as originally stated by Mary Louise Barstow, remains "to promote sound scholarship and to give symmetrical development to mind, body and character."
In 1960, boys were admitted to the first grade, and Barstow became coeducational one grade and one year at a time, until its first coed graduating class in 1972. Although its class sizes often were under ten, Barstow had two very famous alumni during its early days: movie star Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
and future First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Bess Truman
Bess Truman
Bess Truman , was the wife of Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953.-Early life:...
. Since Barstow moved to its current location, it has seen Kansas City expand
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
southward. Today, it hopes to grow further: in 2003, Barstow built a new Lower School. Recently, the Barstow School has expanded even more.
Accreditation and memberships
Barstow holds membership in the National Association of Independent SchoolsNational Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
, the Educational Records Bureau, the National and Missouri Associations for College Admission Counseling, the College Board and the Cum Laude Society
Cum Laude Society
The Cum Laude Society is an organization that honors scholastic achievement at secondary institutions, similar to the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which honors scholastic achievements at the university level. It was founded in 1906 as the Alpha Delta Tau fraternity and changed its name in the 1950s...
.
Athletics
The athletic teams are known as The Barstow Knights, and the school colors are green, black and white. Starting with the 2010-2011 school year, the head coach for the Knights basketball team is Billy Thomas, a well known former KU player.In the fall, teams include girls' tennis, boys' soccer, girls' volleyball, girls' golf, and girls' and boys' cross-country and boys' swimming. The girls' golf team participated in the State Golf Tournament October 18–19, 2010 and the girls' tennis team will be represented at the State Tennis Tournament the end of October.
Winter sports at Barstow are girls' basketball, boys' basketball, girls' swimming, cheerleading, and the "Knight Starz" (sic) dance team. The Knights cheerleading squad has won the class 2 State Cheerleading Competition twice, in 2005 and 2007. The Knight Starz dance team took home a 3rd place finish at the 2009 state dance competition.
In the spring, teams include boys' tennis, boys' baseball, girls' soccer, boys' golf, girls' softball, and boys and girls track and field. The boys baseball team placed 2nd in state (with no prior appearances in such a large game) in the 2007-2008 season.
In the spring of 2010, Barstow's Academic Team won the Missouri Class 2 State Championship. All four team members earned All-District Honors and three members earned All-State honors.
Notable alumni
- Eldar DjangirovEldar DjangirovEldar E. Djangirov, most commonly known only as Eldar, is a jazz pianist. He was born on January 28, 1987 in Kyrgyzstan and then moved to Kansas, United States. He currently resides in New York City.-Early years:...
, jazz pianist - Jean HarlowJean HarlowJean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
, filmFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actress and top sex symbolSex symbolA sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
of the 1930s, known as the Platinum Blonde - Jamie MetzlJamie MetzlJamie Frederic Metzl is a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society and was formally the Asia Society’s Executive Vice President. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the institution's strategic directions and overall program activities globally...
, politician and national security expert. - Margot PeetMargot PeetMarguerite Munger Peet was an American painter. She did not have a far-reaching artistic reputation during her lifetime as she did not often exhibit her work in public. Her family found over 430 of her paintings after her death, and she has been the subject of three major retrospectives in the...
, artist. - Bess TrumanBess TrumanBess Truman , was the wife of Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953.-Early life:...
, the wife of Harry S Truman and First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
from 1945 to 1953.
External links
- The Barstow School
- Profile from the school's website
- Barstow School at the National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...