E.L. Bowsher High School was constructed in the early 1960s at the intersection of Glanzman and Detroit in Toledo, Ohio. Its replacement is at the corner of Arlington and Detroit, north of the original site. It is part of the Toledo Public Schools.
Background
Bowsher High School's original building opened in September 1962 at 3548 S. Detroit Avenue, just north of Glanzman Road. It was named for Edward Leslie Bowsher, Superintendent of the Toledo Public Schools from the late 1930s until his retirement in 1958. 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. 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.
Marching Rebels
Bowsher High School's band is known as the Marching Rebels. They perform at the football games, 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 canceled due to the budget cuts from Toledo Public Schools.
Drama Department
The Bowsher Drama Department has been well known for decades throughout the city of Toledo for the fantastic productions, building on the earlier Rebelees sellouts and current efforts, such as 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 the new school, selling over 2,000 tickets in 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 for the new school, preceded decades before, by the Rebelees. The play was entitled Falling. The whole production was coordinated by students. For the spring of 2011 Bowsher High School performed 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 High School Productions will be performing the Elvis Presley musical entitled, "All Shook Up" March 29–31 at 7:30pm in the Bowsher High School Auditorium. For more information visit Facebook. These accomplishments were preceded by the Rebelees productions of the late 1960s and 1970s at the original facility. They were entirely student-written and produced original musical comedies, with a wide range of talents acts. From performances by blind guitarists to orchestral solos, the galas were standing room only during their Spring runs for decades, selling thousands of tickets every season. Many of the producers and performers of these revues are today valued professional performers and craftsmen in the entertainment industry.
Clubs and activities
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 The school's German Club, run by teacher Anthony Dodge, has been a wide growing part of the school. The program has been involved in school events such as the Homecoming parade, Homecoming week etc. The main focus of the program is an international partnership with Toledo's sister city Delmenhorst, Germany. Every year during October German students will come to the school, and see some of the United States. During the following summer, students from both the program and the German classes will visit Delmenhorst. and National Junior Classical League.
