The last day of classes at Wichita’s Southeast High School is tomorrow, and there’s nostalgia in the air as teachers pack up and prepare to move from the current school at Edgemoor & Lincoln to their new building in east Wichita.
History and government teacher Eric Hammond says Southeast is a busy place.
"There's boxes galore," he says. "Boxes everywhere."
He, along with other staff and students, are moving. Hammond has been teaching at Southeast High School for six years.
"This is my first job in teaching and it’s been a great place. You can feel the pride and tradition here," he says. "This school has been around for 60 years and, you know, [you feel] the tradition of the golden buffaloes and how much of an honor it is to teach here. You have great staff great alumni. It’s been a pleasant experience."
The school opened in 1957. Alumni include actress Kirstie Alley, USA Today’s Susan Page and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. Hammond says the school pride is obvious when he walks the halls and sees students' work displayed in the building and what the alumni have supported. He says he'll miss everyday life at the school.
"Knowing where the students may hide out if they are getting out of class, you know, just the familiarity, knowing where things are at, just the tradition here overall is just marvelous," Hammond says.
Part of that tradition is Southeast superfan Robert "Buffalo Bob" McFarland, who has been present at thousands of Southeast games. Hammond says staff still share stories of Buffalo Bob. "We got a great group, a great staff here, and they enjoy teaching," he says.
Hammond, who is also the sophomore boys' basketball coach, says he’ll miss working with players in the gym at Southeast.
"This school has got a unique history to it," he says. "What Coach [Carl] Taylor built there was quite legendary, and that legacy will live on."
It's a Golden Buffalo legacy that runs deep at the school.
"You can see it at our athletic contests, our assemblies, our buffalo call that our students lead or our student athletes do after games," Hammond says. "That’s a tradition that was built here and that will carry over to the new building."
A new building where Hammond says state-of-the art technology awaits the tech savvy students--and where there are new opportunities for staff members to explore. School will start at the new Southeast High School building in August.
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Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.
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