History
Public secondary education began in Columbia during the 1880s with the founding of Columbia High School in 1889 at the intersection of Eighth Street and Rogers. As many high schools were at this point in history, CHS offered a two-year course of study. In 1895, it was increased to three, and again in 1896 to four. Extracurricular activities in 1898 included a literary society, choral union, orchestra, and debate team. Sports teams were present, but were not yet funded by the district. Overcrowding caused the demolition of the old school and the construction of a new three-story structure at the same site. The new building included the district's first gymnasium, and the first athletics and music teacher were hired. 1912 saw the first edition of the school yearbook, the Cresset. The school mascot, the Kewpie, appeared for the first time in the Cresset associated with the basketball team "...whose loyalty to the school and to the Kewpie motto, ‘Keep Smiling,’ has won the State Championship." The school suffered through World War I as students were excused to work as part of the war effort, and the German Club was removed the extracurricular offerings. In the 1920s, Columbia was suffering continued growth, and the district decided to build a new high school on the edge of town on the newly built U.S. Route 40. David Henry Hickman donated part of his estate which had formerly held grandstands and a track for horse racing. David H. Hickman High School opened in 1927. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused the school district to operate with a deficit for the first time; however, the high school building was expanded using loans and the Works Progress Administration. In this decade, the school's wrestlers captured three state championships, and Hickman created a marching band. The 1940s and World War II brought a new level of international awareness to Hickman, and classes in international relations, aeronautics, and home nursing were added. In 1944, the operetta "Tune In" was performed, and there have been yearly musical productions since. In 1948, the tradition of requiring sophomores to wear beanies was restored.
The 1950s saw the end of racial segregation in Columbia, and Hickman was integrated with Fredrick Douglas High School. The influx of students saw a building boom, and class rooms for special education, adult classes, vocational work, and laboratories were built. A new gymnasium as well as a swimming pool were built in 1955. In 1961, the tradition of sophomore beanies was ended. David Wheeler became Hickman's first presidential scholar in 1964, the first year of the program. Hickman saw four state championships in three sports in the 1960s.
Rock Bridge High School was opened in 1973 as the second high school in Columbia, and competitive women's sports were offered for the first time 1970s. The 1980s saw much national recognition; Hickman was given the Blue Ribbon Award for 1984–85, President Ronald Reagan visited the school in 1987, and Hickman filled Missouri's quota of Presidential Scholars in 1988. In 1994–95, Hickman was once again given the Blue Ribbon Award, and four additional Presidential Scholars were named in the decade; Hickman now had a total of 12 Presidential Scholars, more than any public school in Missouri. Computer labs were created in the late 1980s, and the Columbia Aeronautics Space Association (CASA), a realistic space simulation program, was founded. In the 1990s, Hickman won state championships in baseball, women's swimming, men's track, men's cross country, and men's tennis.
The new millennium saw a presidential scholar each of the first four years and the development of a master plan for Hickman's campus. A bond-issue was passed, and the renovations repairing the oldest parts of the school occurred. A large commons space, a main office, and language labs were added in 2003. In 2005, the oldest part of the building including the auditorium was restored, and the remainder of the school air-conditioned. State championships in football, baseball, and track were won in 2005.
Read more about this topic: David H. Hickman High School
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