Northwestern High School (Indiana)

Northwestern High School is a public high school located approximately 4.5 miles northwest of the city limits of Kokomo, Indiana, United States. The building houses grades 9–12 and also functions as the primary athletic building.

Northwestern High School
Address
3431 North County Road 400 West

Kokomo
,
Howard County
,
Indiana
46901

United States
Coordinates40°31′31″N 86°12′11″W
Information
TypePublic high school
School districtNorthwestern School Corporation
Faculty33.58 FTE
Grades9-12
Enrollment562[1] (2016-17)
Color(s)   
AthleticsIndiana High School Athletic Association
Athletics conferenceHoosier Athletic Conference
Team nameTigers
WebsiteSchool website

History

Northwestern High School was founded in 1948 as the result of a merge between Clay, Ervin, and Howard High Schools,[2][3] during a period known as the "Consolidation Boom" when many other schools were also being consolidated.[4] The Clay High School sign still stands outside the main entrance to the school.[3] The school received its name because of its geographic location within Howard County,[4] but the founders of the school also deliberately modeled the school after Northwestern University because of the university's reputation for scholastic excellence.[4] Northwestern High School's school colors of purple and white and the school fight song "Go You Northwestern" were both directly adopted from Northwestern University.[4] The school faced difficulties early in its history because it is located in a remote, rural area[4] and there were no cities or towns included within its boundaries.[4] Dayton Merrell, who graduated from the school in 1955 and has continued to live in the area ever since, remarked in an interview in 2017, "Sixty-eight years ago, that was a big deal... We had nothing but cornfields."[4] The class of 1949, the first class to graduate from Northwestern, contained only forty-two students.[5]

For the first seven years of its history, Northwestern did not have a gymnasium of any kind,[4] so the school could only compete against other schools that would let them use their gymnasiums.[4] As a result of this, for two years, Northwestern was the only school in the state that would compete against Crispus Attucks High School, an all-black high school in Indianapolis.[4] Originally, basketball, baseball, and track were the only sports that Northwestern offered.[4] Northwestern eventually became the first consolidated school to win the Kokomo Sectional against a top ten team in boys' basketball,[4] a feat which the school replicated in both 1981 and 1982.[4]

In 2006, the school added a new auditorium to its main campus.[3] The addition was controversial at the time,[3] but the superintendent Ryan Snoddy affirmed in 2017 that he still thought it was the best decision.[3] In June 2012, the school installed a wind turbine, making it the first school in the county to attempt to harness wind energy.[6][7] The school paid roughly $2.5 million on the windmill, with most of the interest being covered by the federal government.[6][7] At the time, school officials expected that the windmill would probably result in around seven million dollars worth in energy savings over the course of its projected twenty-five-year lifespan.[6][7] In 2013, the school corporation adopted iPads for all students.[8]

Extracurricular activities

Northwestern competes in the Hoosier Athletic Conference,[9] In 2007, the Northwestern Boys' Basketball team won the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament.[10] In 2018, the Northwestern Girls' Basketball team won the Class 3A state title in the Indiana High School Girls Basketball Tournament.[10][11][12]

In January 2018, Northwestern High School's State Competition Cast, Troupe 3924, earned highest distinction at the Indiana Thespian State Conference with their show Waylen[13][14] and was selected as the Indiana Thespiana Chapter Select to compete at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in June of that year.[13][14]

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "Northwestern Senior High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. Goad, Jenn (23 March 2017). "Howard Elementary Centennial Celebration: School building turned 100 on Sept. 7". The Kokomo Herald. Kokomo, Indiana: The Kokomo Herald. The Kokomo Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Pemberton, Caele (11 December 2017). "Northwestern superintendent recognized for two decades of service". Kokomo Tribune. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Hockney, Dean (23 March 2017). "An original Purple Tiger: Dayton Merrell looks back on the founding of Northwestern and his contributions". The Kokomo Herald. Kokomo, Indiana: The Kokomo Herald. The Kokomo Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. "Senior Class History". Northwestern High School PANORAMA 1949. Kokomo, Indiana: Northwestern High School. 1 January 1949. p. 61.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  6. Ziliak, Lindey (10 June 2012). "Northwestern tapping into wind energy". Kokomo Tribune. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  7. Ziliak, Lindey (20 October 2012). "Northwestern educates students about new wind turbine". Kokomo Tribune. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  8. Fitch, Lauren (16 December 2013). "Unlocking creativity with technology in Howard County". Indiana Economic Digest. Indiana Economic Digest. Indiana Economic Digest.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2014-05-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Hoosier Conference to add 4 schools » Sports » Kokomo Tribune; Kokomo, Indiana
  10. IHSAA. "IHSAA State Championships by School". ihsaa.org. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  11. Bagley, Lewis (24 February 2018). "IHSAA girls basketball: Northwestern's dominance culminates with Class 3A state title". IndyStar. USA Today Network. IndyStar. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  12. Kokomo Tribune staff writers (6 March 2018). "Lawmakers honor Northwestern girls basketball champs at Statehouse". Kokomo Tribune. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  13. Goad, Jenn (1 February 2018). "Northwestern wins state title". The Kokomo Herald. Kokomo, Indiana: The Kokomo Herald. The Kokomo Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  14. "Northwestern High School Theatre ONLINE". Northwestern High School. Retrieved 22 May 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  15. Gaskins, Bryan (July 22, 2008). "Braves sign NW's Brandon Beachy". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  16. https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Austin-Parkinson/Summary/5229
  17. https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2018/03/14/iupui-womens-coach-austin-parkinson-knows-purdue-well/423982002/
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