About Winnetonka

Grades 9-12
Established 1970-71
Mascot: Griffin
Colors: Cardinal Red and Gold

School Hours:  7:43 a.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Thursday Late Start: 8:28 a.m.)
Half-Day Release is 11:01 a.m.

Check out the 2018 Winnetonka High School Profile!

The mission of Winnetonka High School is to:

• Educate responsively,
• Embrace fully, and
• Prepare holistically

So students can fulfill their unique purpose as they navigate and change the world.

Our vision for of Winnetonka High School is:

A community where students explore their possibilities, where relationships are a priority, and where students are celebrated for their unique purpose.

The Griffin is a legendary creature of old Greek mythology which portrays the combined features of a being with the head, talons, and wings of an eagle, the body of a lion, and a feathered back. The animal-like ears are usually shown in the forward position denoting alertness and acute hearing. Griffins sat at the feet of Apollo, held a paw on the zodiac and emitted light. The Griffin was generally believed to be a ferocious monster of enormous size - so large that drinking cups could be made from its claws. Griffins are considered to be symbols of strength and vigilance. In classic mythology Griffins were guardians of gold and godly treasures. They built their nests from gold which made their nests very tempting to hunters. Griffins were then forced to keep vigilant guard over their nests. Therefore, the Griffin is usually associated with acting as a guardian of treasures or of something to be valued.

More than 40 years ago, a $6 million dollar project bond issue made it possible for a new school to be built in North Kansas City Schools. The building at 48th Street and North Topping was estimated to cost 4.7 million dollars and would hold 2,000 students. Yet, long before any of that could become a reality, a few visionaries had to set the wheels in motion.

It was January 1913 when Miss Mary Winn realized the importance of having better transportation in the area. Miss Winn donated land for the Interurban line that ran nearby the future school's location. Children, in those days, came to school on foot because there were no sidewalks and few of the streets were dirt. The men who built the line camped on her land and stored their equipment there. When it came time to name the stop at the present I-35 and Brighton exit, the construction superintendent invited Miss Winn to help name the stop. The men had already decided to name it in her honor and wanted her approval. Many names beginning with Winn were mentioned, but when Winnetonka was suggested, everyone immediately agreed this should be the name.

Finally in 1968 it came time to name the new high school located in this area. Dr. R.B. Doolin, Superintendent, selected a committee consisting of Dr. Dan Kahler, Oak Park High School principal; Dr. Robert C. Howe, North Kansas City High School principal; and Student Council presidents Jack Beers of Oak Park and Mark Faln of North Kansas City. Names considered by the committee were Royalview, Hilltop, Hilldale and Winnetonka. Winnetonka was favored because of the romantic Indian sound and the positive beginning of the name, WINN-etonka. In October it was officially announced as Winnetonka.

Winnetonka High School—home of the Griffins— was established in 1970. During the fall semester of the 1970-71 school year, Dr. Dan Kahler, Principal of Oak Park High School, invited Winnetonka students and staff to share space with Oak Park while Winnetonka’s building was in its final phases of construction. However, on March 1, 1971, 34 teachers, two administrators, four secretaries, a school nurse, and 600 eager sophomores walked through the doors of Winnetonka High School to begin a journey that has resulted in decades of traditions built, thousands of students served, and a long-lasting legacy of continued success.”