Southwest High School - Sachem Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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ships, and many students have year after year won other valu- able scholarship to colleges in many parts of the United States. Uutstanding alumni are hon- ored by election to the Southwest Hall of Fame. Among those hon- ored have been two Rhodes Scholars, two national oratorical contest winners, a national boyis tennis champion, a student repre- sentative to the First Disarma- ment Congress at Ceneva in 1932, who represented the Eng- lish speaking college students of the United States, Creat Britain, and Canada, and four alumni who had won recognition from the United States government for meritorious service during World War 11. Our school early reached prom- inence through its oratorical con- test winners, and, because of its two national awards and its sev- eral city and state awards, became known as the school of oratorsf' Few years have gone by in which Southwest has not placed in the Sons of the American Revolu- tion Essay Contest and in many other contests in the fields of literature, music, art, crafts, and science. The large number of scholarships won and the many other honors that Southwest stu- dents have earned are convincing proof of our school's excellent standards. We can all feel a just pride in our two Southwest publications, the Trail and the Sachem, which have been published regularly from the first year of Southwest and have aided in perpetuating Southwest traditions. Since Southwest is located on the Santa Fe Trail, our newspaper was named the Trail. The name of the Saclzem was chosen by the students through a homeroom election. Three names were sug- gested, Roundup, Savant, and Saclfzem. ln choosing the name Saclfiem the students helped to introduce the lndian idea to the school. ORTHVVHILE curricular and extra-curricular achieve- ments have been fostered by a variety of organizations. South- west supports a chapter of the National Honor Society, founded in 1928, the A. 13. MacDonald chapter of Quill and Scroll, founded in 1935, and the mother chapter of the National Arr Honor Society, founded in 1933. The last named organization now

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have gone this way before us. Let us, therefore, for a moment lay aside thoughts of present in- terests and present achievements and review briefly what they have contributed for the good and the fame of Southwest. Let us here pay tribute to that master city planner, Mr. C. Nichols, to whose vision and judgment we owe the beautiful district in which we live. Mr. Nichols passed away on Febru- ary sixteenth of this year after a life full of service to his com- munity and to his nation. His loss is felt by many friends and associates, but by none of these more than by the residents of the Country Club District, in whose interests he took his first steps to the fame which he achieved and which he justly deserved. During the early years of the 1920's the need was felt for a high school to serve this rapidly growing district. Consequently, early in 1925 the ground was broken on a portion of the old Armour farm, and Southwest be- gan to take its shape. In the fall the first students entered the sweltering, newlv-built and, as yet, far from hallowed halls of Southwest High School in search of education and good times. The teachers and alumni who can look back to it remember that year well. The building consisted of only that portion of the present building that faces Wornall Road, exclusive of the north wing, and possessed few of the advantages we know today. When assemblies were held, the students sat on the floor of the make-shift gymnasium on the site of the present auditorium. There was no cafeteria, and tables were set up in the fourth floor hall. Throughout the fall, classes were conducted to the ac- companiment of the buzzing of saws and the pounding of ham- mers. CHOLASTIC, athletic, and social activities have flourished from the very beginning. Scho- lastically Southwest' has always ranked high among the high schools of our city. Approximate- ly eight-five per cent of its gradu- ates apply for transcripts to col- lege after graduation. Among these, Southwest has had more than its share of scholarship win- ners. In the spring of 1946, Southwest girls won five of the prized Scvcn College scholar-

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W By 1927 the original unit of Southwest had proved inadequate. Here We see the two entrances of the north wing, which-with the exception of the nine rooms above the shop, added in 1935 -was then constructed. At the same time, the auditorium, the main part of the cafeteria, and the north gym- nasium were provided. 3 W1 315'-W , V' if V 4 ' wwf , .H