THS History

THS History

The first graduating class of Toronto High School was in 1889 with four students. In 1898 the first superintendent of schools, Mr. Abram Grove, organized what is known today as the Toronto Public School System. By 1905 Toronto High School was granted a charter as a First Grade High School and in 1918 the school was given membership in the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Our current Jr/Sr High School building, located on Dennis Way, opened to students in September of 2013. The $19 million, 84,000 square-foot structure was partially paid by funds received through the Ohio Facilities School Commission and the city taxpayers through a voter approved bond issue. This is the fourth high school building in the 134 year history of the school system. In January 2020, the district opened Toronto Elementary School. The $10 million, 42,281 square-foot structure contains 22 classrooms, a junior high gymnasium, a school office, and school-based health center. The building was partially paid by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and the district’s general fund. The other buildings were: Central Building located on Fifth Street from 1886-1900; The Roosevelt Building, located on Grant Street, from 1900-1925 and the Toronto High School building, located at the corner of Myers and Third Streets, from 1926-2013.

Colors:
The first graduating class of Toronto High School chose our school colors, red and white, in 1889. Not until 45 years later did our colors have a meaning. The graduating class of 1934 thought “red” should stand for loyalty and courage, while “white” was for purity and honesty.

Mascot/Name:
Our school name, Toronto Red Knights was dubbed upon us by a Herald Star news and sports writer, Bill Workman, in 1936, when Toronto was playing one of the first ever night games in the state of Ohio. The mascot is sometimes standing in full armor and at other times is atop a galloping stead challenging our honor in the field of battle.

School Emblem:
The Toronto High School seal, drawn by Edward Cox 1930, shows a balance between sports and education. The left side of the scale holds books and a bottle of ink with a quill pen. The right side holds a tennis racket and ball, a baseball and bat, a basketball and a football. This emblem appears as the insignia of Toronto High School.

The Torhisean:
The Senior Yearbook was originally named the “The Senior Annual”. The earliest copy we have is 1917-1918. The name was changed to the “Cauldron” in the next few years. The first issue of the TORontoHIghSEniorANnual (TORHISEAN) was published in 1922. Each class has provided an annual except for the classes of 1931 and 1935, due to the severe economic conditions in the county, and the class of 1942, due to World War II and rationing.

School Pledge:
The School pledge, which is used during the formal opening of assemblies, was originally formulated by the National Honor Society and adopted by the Student Senate and Student Body on May 4, 1933.

I will strive to do right
I will respect authority
I will be the best student my ability will permit
I will respect the opinions and beliefs of others
I will be modest in victory and calm in defeat
I will respect my opponent whether he be victor or vanquished
I will seek to do what is best for Toronto High School.

Alma Mater:
Nick Harvilak played clarinet in the Toronto High School band when the late D.W. Hoover was director in 1930. At that time, the band was made up entirely of boys, led by a drum major. Hoover was aware of Harvilak’s interest in writing, and in the fall of 1949 he asked him to write the words for an “Alma Mater” song to music already written. Harvilak, then a custodian at the high school, set the metrics of lyric poetry to the musical notes. The task was completed and submitted to the English department at the school for evaluation. It was favorably accepted and adopted as the school’s Alma Mater. It was chosen as the theme for the 1950 Torhisean annual. While only one verse and the Chorus are usually sung, the song has two more verses.