E. L. Bowsher High School | |
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Address | |
2200 Arlington Avenue Toledo, Ohio, (Lucas County), 43614 United States |
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Information | |
Type | Public, Coeducational high school |
Opened | 1962 |
School district | Toledo City School District |
Superintendent | Dr. Jerome Pecko |
Principal | Linda Meyers[1] |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,400 |
Color(s) | Red & Columbia Blue [1] |
Athletics conference | Toledo City League[1] |
Mascot | Rowdy the Rebel |
Team name | Rebels[1] |
Accreditation(s) | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [2] |
Athletic Director | Terry Reeves[1] |
Website | http://www.tps.org |
E.L. Bowsher High School was constructed at the intersection of Glanzman and Detroit in Toledo, Ohio. It is part of the Toledo Public Schools.
Contents |
Bowsher High School's original building opened in September 1961 at 3548 S. Detroit Avenue, just north of Glanzman Road. It was named for Edward Leslie Bowsher (1890–1974), Superintendent of the Toledo Public Schools from the late 1930s[3] until his retirement in 1958.[4] A new structure was built as a replacement at the corner of Detroit and Arlington, about 1.5 miles north of the original location, opening for students at the start of the 2008/2009 school year. It is home to the Rebels and has about one thousand four hundred students.[5] The construction of the new school is part of Toledo Public Schools' "Building for Success" program, which aims to renovate the majority of Toledo Public's schools by 2010. The class of 2009 became the first graduating class of the new building. The current Athletic Stadium will stay and not be moved to the new location. As of October 2010 the student population of Bowsher is now at around 1,400 students, the jump in enrollment is mainly due to the closing of Libbey High School.
The name "Rebels" has an interesting backstory to it. The name was chosen based on the fact that the school's location is in South Toledo and the fact that the army of the Confederate States of America were called rebels. The mascot is a horseman named "Rowdy" and the school colors are red and Colombia blue. There was controversy over the mascot in the 1980s and into the early 1990s concerning race-based issues and crime rates. In 1992, support groups met to discuss the rebel flag and the school song, Dixie. Apparently, there was some controversy over the use of the flag and the song. The points agreed upon include the following: the name "Rebels" will be retained, the horseman will continue to be the mascot with a slight modification, the rebel flag will not be used in the school or in school events, and the colors will remain the same. In June 1993, a new fight song was adopted.
Bowsher High School is a member of the Toledo City League.
Bowsher High School's band is known as the Marching Rebels. They perform at the football games (pregame, halftime, and during the game), the basketball games, known as the Pep Band. Their uniform colors are the same of the school colors, red and Columbia blue. The colors changed slightly, putting the color black in the uniform. The Pep Band has been cancled due to the budget cuts from Toledo Public Schools.
The Bowsher Drama Department is now well-known all throughout the city of Toledo for their fantastic productions of Oklahoma! and last year's Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Oklahoma! was the first musical staged in the new auditorium and left audiences speechless as they exited the auditorium because of the caliber of the production as well as the facilities. Disney's Beauty and the Beast was the biggest show in Bowsher and Toledo Public Schools history selling over 2,000 tickets to one weekend. Because Bowsher has a reputation in the city of Toledo for providing quality productions numerous city council members, school leaders and even Mayor Mike Bell were in attendance for Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Disney's Beauty and the Beast even gained national attention when First Lady Michelle Obama commented on the great production. Karin Giffin is the producer/director for the musicals at Bowsher. As well as musicals the Bowsher Drama Department also stages plays in the fall. In November 2010, Chelsie Cree, a senior at Bowsher, and Erica Lockard, Alumni of Bowsher, wrote, directed, and produced the fall play, a Bowsher first. The play was entitled Falling. The whole production was coordinated by students.
For the Spring of 2011 Bowsher High School performed the classic, The Pajama Game on April 1 and 2. The Pajama Game was produced as a green production that used eco-friendly products and techniques to reduce theatre's carbon footprint. This green production was part of a groundbreaking partnership with the Broadway Green Alliance in New York City.
Bowsher offers several after school activities:Bible Study, Knitting club, Language clubs, dancing, etc. The school's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[6] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[7]
(years marked with an asterisk (*) denote a shared title)