Oak Park High School (Kansas City, Missouri)

Oak Park High School is a high school in the North Kansas City School District in Kansas City, Missouri. The student body is composed of ninth through twelfth grade students, with a 2017 enrollment of 1,549. The school's mascot is "Norman the Northman", a lumberjack character. The school is adjacent to Oak Grove Park in Gladstone, Missouri. The school's current principal is Dr. Chris Sartain.^[1]

History

The first Oak Park students graduated in 1966. Formerly, students attended North Kansas City High School located in North Kansas City, Missouri. Before being transferred to Oak Park, these students chose the school's colors, mascot, and wrote its alma mater.^[2]

In 2015 the student body elected a transgender girl as its Homecoming queen. In response to this, the Westboro Baptist Church protested the school. ^[3] This didn't go unnoticed, many national news outlets picked up this story.

Awards

Oak Park was named a 2018 National Model High School by the International Center for Leadership in Education. They are one of only eight high schools in the nation to receive this distinction. Specifically, they were chosen for their high expectations for all students. Oak Park received a score of 99.6% in 2015-2016 from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on their annual performance review.

Athletics

Oak Park has seven state championships in wrestling, six in baseball, and three in cheerleading. Recently, they have received attention for having one of the best high school boys basketball programs in the Kansas City metro and in the state.

Notable alumni

• Victor S. Hulbert - Clay County Auditor (2018-present), Class of 2006
• Ryan Silvey - Missouri legislator (2012–present)
• Jessica Harp - country music recording artist, class of 2000.
• Jason Russell - [The KC BadAss] Professional MMA Fighter SFC Light Heavyweight, Class of 1995.
• Rick Parker - retired MLB player (San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Chris Stigall - KCMO 710 radio personality, class of 1995.
• Kevin Ellis - MLS soccer player
• Jason Johnson - former Indianapolis Colts player
• Orie Agbaji - D1 Volleyball Player at the University of Texas, 2015 Evelyn Gates Winner
• Ochai Agbaji - D1 Basketball Player at Kansas, 2018 DiRenna Award Winner and KC Metro Player of the Year
• Casey Vokolek - Activities Director at Oak Park High School
• Daniel Wartick - Principal of North Kansas City High School

References

External links

• Oak Park High School web site
• Oak Park High School Image Archive