September 06, 2006

Rawlins County Jr/Sr High School

History of Rawlins County Jr/Sr High School

The first high school in Atwood, a two-year high school, was established in 1896.  The first four year class graduate was in 1905.  In 1923 the high school building was torn down, and a new white brick building was erected, the main part of our current high school.  In the spring of 1950, a new addition to the building was completed, with the largest and best gymnasium in this area of Kansas.  Also in the 1950 addition were the vocational agriculture shop, band and music room, industrial arts, speech, social science, little theatre classroom, and both girl's and boy's locker rooms.

In the fall of 1962, an extensive remodeling program was undertaken for the purpose of adding language laboratory facilities, and additional English space, 50' x 80', music room and wrestling room, 40' x 70'.  These improved facilities made possible an expanded curriculum.  During 1967, additional remodeling was done.  The steps in front of the building were rebuilt, and art room constructed, and the library was completely remodeled.  In 1970 new wiring and remodeling of the home economics kitchen was completed.  In 1972, an adjacent classroom was added to the library and used for audio video storage and student typing.

In 1975 Mr. Keith Ross built the trophy case that now stands in the front gym hall and also in 1975 the Buffalo head was moved to the gym.  When the new vocational agriculture shop and bus shop were built in 1977, the woodshop room moved to the old ag shop, and the art room moved to the old woodshop.

In 1986, an addition was added to the vocational agriculture shop and this addition housed the woodshop classroom and work area.  The old woodshop area (east of the gym) was remodeled and added onto to make additional boy's and girl's locker rooms, public restrooms and offices for the coaches.  An elevator lift was added in 1988 for access to all three floors of the building.  Extensive remodeling of the science classrooms and laboratories was completed in 1989.

In 1988 a project was completed to stabilize the ground under the band room on the east side of the main building.  In 2003 the band room was declared unstable and removed.

Beginning with the 2002-03 school year, the 7th and 8th grades were moved to the high school and it became Atwood Jr/Sr High School.  Rooms were relocated to accommodate the two additional grades.

A greenhouse addition was added to the VoAg building in 2003.

It became Rawlins County Jr/Sr High School with the beginning of the 2004-05 school year following consolidation and the closing of Herndon High School.