Among Wichita High School East’s architectural details is stained glass.
Courtesy photo
Wichita High School East, the city’s oldest high school, is celebrating a big anniversary in October.
Though it opened as Wichita High School in 1873, the anniversary celebrates the 100th year the school opened in its current building at Douglas and Grove.
Here are photos from our archives of the home of the Blue Aces.
The Wichita High School East anthem. Courtesy photo
A view of Wichita High School East from the northwest soon after its construction was finished in 1923. Courtesy photo
The hall of flags at East High represents some of the different countries that have associations with the school either through alumni connections of foreign exchange students. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
East High School in Wichita Wichita Eagle File photo
An aerial side view of Wichita High School East around the time it opened in 1923. The school is celebrating its 100th anniversary next month. Courtesy photo
Through the years, the heart of East has been the school’s auditorium with its Tudor-style proscenium and seating for 2,200. Skylights let in a bit of light — and unwanted water when it rains — and stained glass windows grace its second floor. Courtesy photo
Among Wichita High School East’s architectural details is stained glass. Courtesy photo
Wichita High School East, which is known for its modified Collegiate Gothic style, has a number of architectural details that seem more fitting for a college than a high school. Courtesy photo
An insert in the Wichita Eagle on Oct. 7, 1923 celebrating the opening of Wichita’s new “million dollar high school.” File The Wichita Eagle
Graduates have memories of East that students of today find hard to believe, such as the old swimming pool. “It was a pretty disgusting thing,” said Brian Rhodes, a ’73 grad. “It looked like a bad, dirty bathtub with a shimmering scum across the top of it.” Courtesy photo
Wichita East High School students take part in their “Aces in the Community” service event on April 2022. The school partnered with Numana to package meals for the hungry in Wichita. Students put together meal packages of simple ingredients. Numana is an international hunger relief organization based in El Dorado. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
East High School in Wichita File photo
East High School, along with most other Wichita public high schools, held drive-up, socially distanced graduation ceremonies in July 2020. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
East High student Melian Miller works on a chalk drawing commemorating the 100th anniversary of the school’s opening. The school, which officially opened on October 8, 1923, is planning a number of events around the anniversary for current students, alumni and the community. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
