Turpin High School


Turpin High School is a public high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that serves grades nine through twelve. The school is part of the Forest Hills Local School District and serves the suburb of Anderson Township; admission is based primarily on the location of a student's home. Turpin is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education and the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Turpin is a member of the Ohio Association of College Admissions Counselors and of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. Turpin has a strong history of academic achievement, and placed in the top 5 high schools in the state of Ohio on the recently released state report card, as well as in Newsweek's list of top 500 high schools in the nation.

History

Turpin High School is the tenth school in the Forest Hills School District to be dedicated. As early as 1826 the township trustees made an attempt to systematically divide the township into twelve school districts. This distributed the school population more evenly and served the area for many years. Most of these schools were one-room, one-teacher type. Several had two rooms, one teacher with a classroom downstairs, the other with a class on the second level.
A number of schools were located in the area now served by Turpin High School. Union Bridge or Uniontown School was constructed in 1826 on Beechmont Avenue near the flood plains. In 1882, it was replaced by a school built on Clough Pike near the intersection of today's State Route 32. Additional schools included Newtown School, erected on Debolt Road in 1861, District Nine School on Little Dry Run, District Eight on Clough opposite Wanninger Lane, and District Seven School, also on Clough near State Road. Later this school was moved to Clough Pike opposite Berkshire.
Other schools constructed in the area include; Number Thirteen on Beechmont opposite Salem, and more recently Mercer, Wilson, and Sherwood Elementaries. The latest addition, Turpin Middle School, was dedicated on April 21, 1974. The Turpin campus is located on land purchased by Ichabod Benton Miller in 1796. Miller built a log dwelling which still stands on Clough and Bartels Roads and is now operated by the Anderson Township Historical Society.
Phillip Turpin was the first resident owner of the entire Crittenden Survey of. His two sons, Ebenezer Smith Turpin and Edward Johnson Turpin, added to these acres by purchasing additional land in the surrounding surveys. Much of this land is in the same survey in which the school is located. In a document relating to District Ten School, eight of the sixteen signatures are Turpin by either birth or marriage.
The need for a new high school in the school district to alleviate the overcrowded conditions of Anderson High School became apparent in the early 1970s. A bond issue was placed on the ballot in November 1973. Upon passage of this 5.7 mill issue, architects Thomas J. McClorey and Associates were retained to design a functional school for the district. Ground was broken on the Turpin campus on November 28, 1974.
Turpin High School, a multi-level, semi-open building containing three major wings, has of space. Much of this brick facility was constructed using pre-cast concrete frames. This helped expedite construction and at the same time kept the cost of the building to a minimum.
Total cost of Turpin High is approximately 6.5 million dollars. Outstanding features of the building include a media center with a capacity of 15,000 volumes and seating for 200, large laboratories, shops, and classrooms. The heat source is water heated in an electric boiler. Zone air-conditioning is utilized throughout most of the structure. The gymnasium/ pool complex also includes a small indoor running track on the balcony. Seating capacities are 1,500 for basketball contests and 275 for swimming events. Outdoor facilities include tennis courts, practice fields, a baseball diamond, and parking lots.
Conservation of energy was given a high priority when Turpin High School was designed. As a result, there is very little glass in the building. In addition, insulation has been placed between the brick and block of all exterior walls to insure a minimum of temperature change.
Turpin's first graduating class was in 1978, consisting of students who had been moved from Anderson High School to the new school as juniors for the 1976-77 school year. Turpin's overall student body consists of approximately 1,200 students for 2015-2016 school year .

Campus

The original building was constructed and finished in 1976, but its original design was scaled back and the auditorium was not built. The construction of the auditorium was resumed and completed in 1999. The campus also includes athletic facilities which include a uniquely shaped baseball stadium which has undergone several major improvements and renovations in recent years. The campus also includes tennis courts, practice fields, softball fields, weight lifting facilities, and track and field areas.

Academics

Turpin offers twenty three Advanced Placement courses.

Extracurricular activities

Turpin has a wide variety of athletic and non-athletic extracurriculars. There are chapters of national organizations such as the Key Club and National Honor Society.

Athletics

Turpin High School is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and participates in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. Turpin's athletic programs include, for boys and girls, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, basketball, bowling, diving, swimming, and track and field. Boys may also participate in lacrosse, baseball, football and wrestling. Girls may also participate in volleyball and softball.
Marching band, cheerleading, dance team, and academic quiz team are also offered at various times throughout the school year.

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

Turpin has won the following state championships: