Saint Thomas Aquinas High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The current co-chaplains are Fr. Andrew Gaffney and Fr. Brent Stull; the president is Brian Schenck, and the principal is Craig Moss; vice-principles are Kara DiCarlo, and Lori Greeson. Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of several private high schools located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The school colors are navy blue and old gold.
The school was established in 1988 in order to accommodate the growing Roman Catholic population in south Johnson County. It is the successor to St. Joseph/Aquinas High School, which was located in the present-day Saint Joseph Early Education Center in Shawnee, Kansas.
Saint Thomas Aquinas is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 5A division (Football competed in 4A for the 22-23 season) and are known as the "Saints". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs.
History
St. Joseph and Aquinas High School
St. Joseph high school opened in 1931 (first graduating class in 1934) as a co-educational parish high school for St. Joseph Roman Catholic parish in Shawnee, Kansas. In 1980, responsibility for the high school was expanded from just St. Joseph parish to the entire Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. To reflect this, the name was changed to "Aquinas High School," after Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of Catholic schools. The Shawnee campus could accommodate about two hundred students.
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
The Archdiocese takeover included plans to open a new larger building on land adjacent to Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, about 6.5 miles south and one mile west of the Shawnee campus. The new building, which could accommodate more than one thousand students, was open for the 1988-89 school year. The name was expanded from "Aquinas High School" to "Saint Thomas Aquinas High School" at the new building, as well as a new athletic nickname: "The Saints."
The Shawnee high school building was returned to St. Joseph parish, which uses the gymnasium and stadium for its primary school and for CYO competitions, and operates the St. Joseph Early Education Center in other parts of the building.
Major expansions to the current campus began in 1991 with the addition of a stadium, theater and performing arts wing, air conditioning in classrooms, and a second classroom building. The second building was originally referred to as "SMC" because it housed the Johnson County offices of Saint Mary College, which held classes in the building at night.
In 2002 an "Auxiliary Gym" was added to the main building to allow more athletic practices and events to occur simultaneously.
The new Innovation Lab makerspace/classroom and an adjacent hallway attaching the former SMC building to the main building were added in 2017, along with a new strength and training facility, and better access to the Auxiliary Gym via a new hallway.
Academics
In 2012, Saint Thomas Aquinas was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in education by the US Department of Education. For the 2008–09 and 2009-2010 school years, Saint Thomas Aquinas was recognized by the Kansas State Board of Education for achieving excellence in reading, writing and mathematics.
For classes beginning in 2011, 27 credits are required for graduation.
Extracurricular activities
Non-athletic programs
Choir Program
Saint Thomas Aquinas has a total of five choirs. The Swingin' Saints (Mixed Show Choir), Saintsations (Girls Show Choir), girls chorale, concert choir, and chamber choir. Concert choir, chamber, and chorale have received multiple "One" ratings at the KSHSAA Large Group Contest. The two show choirs compete at competitions in Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Debate/Forensics
The school offers debate and forensics programs for students. The debate program has won several state championships in its history.
The debate team won KSHSAA state championships in 2006, 2008 and 2011.