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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

The Barstow School
The Barstow School, previously called Miss Barstow’s School 1884 known as oldest independent school west of the Mississippi, is a secular, coeducational, independent preparatory school in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It was co-founded in 1884 by Mary Louise Barstow and Ada Brann.

The Barstow School enrolls 750 students from preschool through grade 12.

History

Mary Louise Barstow and Ada Brann, both graduates of Wellesley College, came to Kansas City in 1884, responding to the need to establish a local school comparable to the outstanding independent schools on the East Coast. With the support of several notable families in the rapidly growing city, they 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 on Quality Hill, then to 40th Street and Westport Avenue, then to 4950 Cherry Street in the Brookside neighborhood, and finally in 1962 to 115th Street and State Line Road, a location then on the far outskirts of the city but today well within Kansas City's suburban sprawl. 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.

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 famous alumnae during its early days: movie star Jean Harlow and First Lady Bess Truman.

In 2003, Barstow built a new lower school.

In 2018, Barstow purchased a former Hy-Vee building, opening the Dan and Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space in 2022.

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.

In the fall, teams are 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 in 2010.

Winter sports at Barstow include girls' basketball, boys' basketball, girls' swimming, cheerleading, and the "Knight Starz" 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 are boys' tennis, boys' baseball, girls' soccer, boys' golf, girls' softball, and boys' and girls' track and field. The boys' baseball team placed second in state in the 2007-2008 season.

In spring 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. Also in spring 2010, the varsity girls' soccer team advanced to the Class 1 State Tournament for the first time in school history.

In the spring of 2014, the Barstow boys golf team captured its first Class 2 state title. The team went back to back by winning again in 2015, with three players earning All-State honors. Head coach Joe Taylor was named Missouri Class 2 Golf Coach of the Year both years. In 2016, the team extended its five year run as district champions.

Sports

For boys, Barstow offers:

Fall Winter Spring
Cross Country (6/7/8, V) Basketball (6, 7/8, JV, V) Baseball (V)
Soccer (6/7/8, JV, V) Cheerleading (V) Golf (V)
Volleyball (6, 7/8) Dance Team (V) Tennis (6/7/8, JV, V)
Track and Field (V)

For girls, Barstow offers:

Fall Winter Spring
Cross Country (6/7/8, V) Basketball (6/7/8, JV, V) Soccer (6/7/8, V)
Golf (V) Swimming (V) Track and Field (V)
Tennis (6/7/8, JV, V) Cheerleading (V)
Volleyball (6, 7/8/, JV, V) Dance Team (V)

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "Miss Barstow's School". kchistory.org. Kansas City Public Library. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  2. ^ "NAIS - Shut the Front Door, Twice!". www.nais.org. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  3. ^ "The Barstow School at a Glance". Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  4. ^ Williams, Mará Rose (July 19, 2018). "Barstow, KC's oldest co-ed private school, is moving into Leawood". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Upper School Athletics" (English). Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  6. ^ "Barstow team tops in cheers", Kansas City Star, November 30, 2005. Accessed November 27, 2007.
  7. ^ "Golf are District Champions". Barstow School. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  8. ^ "Athletics The Barstow School". www.barstowschool.org. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
  9. ^ Jean Harlow Biographical Info, accessed November 20, 2006
  10. ^ Nozicka, Luke. "Professor from Kansas City who posed as Black resigns from George Washington University." Kansas City Star, The (MO), September 9, 2020. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.dartmouth.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/17D67E5633A924B8.
  11. ^ "KC's finest." Kansas City Star, The (MO), April 14, 2004: D6. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.dartmouth.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/101FA1B49615CA77.
  12. ^ "Alumni in Residence The Barstow School". www.barstowschool.org. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  13. ^ "Why we love the Chiefs: Famous Kansas Citians share their passion". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "Interview with Marc Solomon '85". Barstow School. 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  15. ^ Bess Truman from Encyclopædia Britannica, accessed November 20, 2006
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