East Topeka Junior High

That was one of the encouraging chants students and cheerleaders shouted courtside as the Bulldogs played many of their basketball games. In the 1940’s Topeka Highs black basketball team known as The Ramblers had home games and practices in the East Topeka Jr High gym. The Ramblers and future basketball teams that played were very talented and successful.

Staff at ETJH were caring, creative, and genuinely wanted students there to succeed. “People don’t realize how amazing some of these teachers were. I hesitate to say they were all saints, but by God, they believed in what they did. I miss that a lot these days,” said Vernon McFalls who attended from ’67 to ’70. Mr. Otto Bodenhausen known by some as Bud, had an extensive academic teaching background being principal at Sumner Elementary earlier in his career and principal at East Topeka Jr. High later. He loved teaching and finding new and innovative ways to improve the education system. He shortened class periods to allow students to add an elective and created a Boys Food course which quickly gained popularity. “He was a fun person, Bud was known as a sort of a matchmaker and would set new teachers up with meet and greets when the school year started. He was responsible for a number of weddings among his young teachers,” said Elizabeth Svercl. Malcolm Smith was a vice principal, coach, and math teacher in his 26-year career at ETJH 1954-1980 when the school closed. “Malcolm Smith was a great man first, a great math teacher, and a great basketball coach. The best coach in the city at the time in my opinion. Soft-spoken, he worked us hard!” said former student Vernon Mcfalls. After talking with his children and former students I could tell how much he cared about his job and how much he cared about his students. “I have great memories of East Topeka Junior High School during my dad’s teaching years. Although I never attended the school I spent a lot of time there because my dad, Malcolm Smith, was a math teacher there. He coached different sports at East Topeka including basketball and track. On weekends he would take my brothers and I with him and we would play basketball in the gym while he worked.  My brothers and I were also given jobs moving books from classrooms to the auditorium after school ended and then from the auditorium back to the classrooms before school started.” said Brice Smith, son of Mr. Smith.

The community within East Topeka Jr. High and around it were welcoming and embraced each other. In 1970, East Topeka United Methodist Church sponsored a teenage drop-in center every school day from 3:30 pm-5 pm because they had noticed students standing around looking bored after classes. “We are very tight, we’re all still friends to this day. I think the schools’ infrastructure helped all of us accept one another in our diversity. The three years I went there were some of my best memories,” said Melody Oxy a former cheerleader at ETJH. Former classmates continue to embrace each other 40 years after the school’s closing holding yearly reunions and some still talking on a regular basis.

Closing

Even though the Brown V. Board verdict was announced 26 years earlier racial bias was still active in Topeka schools. Busing for integration had not been used and allowed for students to attend schools of their choice causing an imbalance in minority and white students. East Topeka Jr. High had a minority enrollment of 71%, and most white students had transferred to other schools while minority students oftentimes did not have the transportation to move schools. The school district put in place a long-range plan designed to partially solve the racial imbalance particularly at the junior high level, ETJH was one of 5 junior highs closing, starting in 1980-81 school year students would go to one of the 4 remaining jr highs and two additional ones.

The school was privately sold to a couple for a measly $50,000  in 1987, unfortunately, it was discovered that it had asbestos and due to the hazmat conditions for removal it would cost too much for them to remove the asbestos and make repairs to the school. It was re-visioned in an East Topeka Neighborhood Revitalization Plan in April of 2002 as a housing complex for seniors. An article dated September 21, 2005 addresses that gang activity in the area made it unsafe for the planned senior housing complex that would reside in the East Topeka Jr. High. A subcommittee, therefore, rejected a proposal for the city to condemn the school and turn it over to a local developer, Pioneer Group Inc. “They’re going to be right in the line of fire,” councilwoman Sylvia Ortiz said.

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