Golden Bear Luncheon honors first TPS tech school
Story and photos by Paula Wethington
TOLEDO – Woodward High School alumni, family and friends gathered at the school on Tuesday for the Golden Bear Luncheon to honor graduates and Toledo Public School’s first technical high school.
But none were more “golden” among the Woodward Polar Bears than Janet (Wozny Duszynski) Stoeckley, 100, who graduated in 1942 from the previous Woodward building in North Toledo.
Stoeckley was the oldest person in attendance, and one of multiple alumni across generations in her family who went to Woodward. One of those relatives is her daughter, Cathleen (Duszynski) Heidelberg, class of 1966, who accompanied her to the event.
Stoeckly’s sisters also went to Woodward, and “this is where we grew up,” Heidelberg said.
This was the second Polar Bear Golden Luncheon hosted by Woodward’s Alumni and Friends committee. Principal Jack Renz said anyone who graduated 50 years or more ago was invited.
“We celebrate them … we celebrate the school,” Renz emphasized.
More than 100 alumni made reservations for the event, ranging in graduation years from 1942 to 1979. For many of the golden alumni, this event served as an introduction to what’s new, as the old school building was replaced by the current facility in 2010.
Those attending the program had a chance to buy school spirit attire and tour the new building. The committee also reported on the results of their fundraising efforts, and TPS officials relayed stories from the history of the district.
Renz explained that Woodward High School’s origin was a vocational junior high school program for boys at the original Toledo Central High School campus. That site is now the location of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library downtown.
During the 1910s and 1920s, TPS opened a series of neighborhood high schools across the city. This was the era in which Woodward Technical High School opened in North Toledo and became a co-ed campus for grades 9-12.
With that, it was the first high school with a vocational curriculum in the city. Renz said the original building was near Wilson Park. The current building at 701 E. Central Ave. is on the other side of the park.
Woodward still offers what are now called Career Technology Education (CTE) programs. The CTE classes on site are diesel technology, graphic design and supply chain management. But it is primarily a comprehensive, neighborhood high school, with about 550 students in grades 9-12.
Heidelberg said the neighborhood connections remain strong, even as she has since moved to Columbus. Her mother was among the earliest members of the Woodward Hall of Fame project that started in 1980, which expanded its efforts to provide scholarships, field trip financial support and graduation gowns for students.
“We really want to support the kids in the neighborhood,” Heidelberg said.
Family ties also brought DeMita Baker, class of 1973, and her sister, Viveca Baker Crews, class of 1977, to the luncheon. Baker issued the invitation to her sister, and both wore spirit shirts in the school colors of blue and white.
“I liked music. I liked being in the choir and the orchestra,” Baker recalled from her high school years.
Crews said she participated on the track team and a future teacher’s club when she was in high school, later becoming a teacher. She remembered how the travel and opportunities as a student helped add to what she learned in class.
“I always took my students on field trips after that,” she said.
“It took them about six months to get organized and admit students,” added Robyn Hage, Bowsher High School choir director and TPS historian.
Several events, such as Woodward’s Golden Bear Luncheon, a classic car show at Beverly Elementary, a student reading challenge and a history lecture series hosted at the high school buildings, all have included an anniversary theme or presentation this year.
Toledo Public Schools formed on May 8, 1849 with the first classes taking place on Oct. 8, 1849. To learn more about the school’s history, go to woodwardhighschool.net.
