Each graduate from East High School has walked the same hallways and sat in the same auditorium seats in Kansas City as the first group of students did when they attended in 1926.
Dr. Bryan VanOsdale, the school’s principal, said memories flood the minds of alumni when they visit East High now.
“I just think that is so amazing. It's just so amazing that the spirit of everyone that attended East High School is still here,” VanOsdale said.
Families, staff and alumni poured into the school on Saturday to celebrate East High’s centennial anniversary by walking through its halls, grabbing snacks from different vendors and exploring the school’s museum containing decades of photos, yearbooks and trophies.
Juan Jaimes, a senior at East High, said it’s “weird” knowing his school has been around so long, but that celebrating its 100th year feels special.
“It holds a lot of memories for me since freshman year,” Jaimes said. “It's a place where I'd never want to leave.”
Alumni walking the school’s halls on Saturday pointed out what’s changed since they attended — and what hasn’t in the decades since — like the staircases, mahogany trophy cases and the auditorium stage.
Karen Cline, who graduated from East High in 1963, now lives in Michigan. She’s one of the coordinators of a committee that organizes class reunions, and she described the environment as “wholesome” when she was a student there.
“Everybody got along pretty well. I mean, I felt so comfortable. This was my home,” Cline said. “I loved East High School, and I got a good education from it.”
A long history
VanOsdale, who has researched East High’s 100-year history, said it was originally an all-white school, and the neighborhood around it was primarily made up of working-class families from central and eastern Europe.
After Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 found that segregation in schools was unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ordered all public districts in the United States to desegregate, "with all deliberate speed."
In practice, many public school systems still didn’t fully integrate, including in Kansas City.
VanOsdale said East High was likely one of the district’s last schools to integrate because there weren’t many families of color in its boundaries. That started changing as more Hispanic and then Black families moved into the neighborhood.
The percentage of students of color and white students was split by the 1980s, and more immigrant and refugee families began moving into the area in the ’90s, according to VanOsdale.
In the late 1990s, the high school closed for a few years for renovations and then reopened as an elementary school. It was reestablished as a secondary school in 2008.
VanOsdale said large numbers of refugee and immigrant families continued moving into the area into the 2010s, transforming East High into what he calls now a “United Nations” school with students from countries all over the globe.
It’s now one of Kansas City’s most diverse schools with more than 40 languages and countries represented. VanOsdale said students are welcoming of one another’s backgrounds, and students from different countries sit together at the same cafeteria table.
“I wish the rest of the Kansas City community, the state of Missouri, the country could follow the example that our students follow and how we just have truly come together,” VanOsdale said.
Students also cite East High’s diversity as one of their favorite parts of the school. That includes Asjah Rouse-Coleman, a senior who is student council president and a cheerleader.
She said everyone has the same opportunity to learn and there are many different clubs to welcome students in.
“Doesn't matter where you come from, what language you speak, you're welcome here,” she said. “We welcome everyone.”
VanOsdale said the high school partners with Jewish Vocational Services and other groups to support refugee and immigrant families with acclimating to life in Kansas City by offering tutoring and language programs.
Teachers and staff also work to learn about students’ backgrounds, VanOsdale said.
“When you can show that you have kind of learned about them, that makes the students and their families feel accepted and cared about and respected and loved,” VanOsdale said.
Students also say the long list of programs that the school has to offer sets it apart. That includes its unique urban agriculture program that’s believed to be the only program of its kind in a Missouri public school.
The whole school celebrated when its soccer team made history just three years ago by winning East High’s first state title in soccer.
A school full of support
Justin Brooks, a junior, participates in many activities including — but not limited to — the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, student council and yearbook.
He said the staff at East High takes “a lot of care” of their students and ensures they feel comfortable trying different things.
“They'll push you to be your best, but they're not going to overextend you to something that you cannot do,” Brooks said. “And they're always going to be providing that support that you need.”
Changes will come soon to the school as part of Kansas City Public Schools’ historic bond passage aimed at improving its aging buildings. VanOsdale said the school will receive a new building that will serve as a basketball arena.
Students can also expect a new cafeteria, fitness center and locker rooms, according to VanOsdale. The cafeteria’s current spot on the building’s fifth floor will be transformed into a center for the school’s art classes.
Whatever changes might come, Rouse-Coleman said she wants people to know “it's still East.” For Jaimes, that means a vibe that sets East High apart from other schools.
“This school isn't just another high school that everybody has to attend just to graduate. This school is something different,” Jaimes said. “It's something special, something special where people have to come here and attend the school to get that special feeling.”
VanOsdale hopes that feeling can continue for students for another 100 years, and that it’s still a place where students can feel safe to be their authentic selves and find their life’s path.
“I want young people to realize that whomever they are, it's OK,” VanOsdale said. “We're going to love you, accept you, support you, encourage you, respect you here in East High School.”
