How Rebecca Morrisey found her tradition in 7 years as Topeka High principal
It makes the heart of a historian and the soul of a sportswoman in Rebecca Morrisey happy to know that she, for the past seven years, has been principal No. 24 — the same number she wore as a high school and college athlete — in Topeka High School history.
Morrisey, originally from the small town of Atwood in far northwestern Kansas, could have scarcely thought she’d one day lead a school with classes of students bigger than all of Atwood High School put together.
But after she graduated with her degrees in history and mathematics and began teaching, a trusted mentor convinced her she could affect hundreds, if not thousands, of more students’ lives as a school administrator.
The rest was, well, history.
Morrisey will retire at the end of the month after 40 years in education, the past 14 of which have been in Topeka USD 501.
And as she prepares to leave the halls of Troy one final time, she said she’s hopeful she’s left the school in a place where it can continue to build on its history of tradition and diversity.
Rebecca Morrisey was drawn to Topeka High's tradition and diversity
It was tradition that first brought Morrisey to Topeka High, and it’s what kept her and brought her back.
Morrisey had reluctantly left the classroom in the 1990s, when her then-principal at Leavenworth High, Jim Vanmaanen, saw promise in her and encouraged her to become one of his assistant principals.
Even then, Vanmaanen knew that Morrisey would be a special force in education.
“She has always had a genuine love and concern for kids,” Vanmaanen said. “She put them first and was always willing to do most anything to help any young person.”
Throughout that time, Morrisey had also maintained her love for athletics. A product of Title IX’s sweeping changes in scholastic sports, Morrisey fought hard for and coached girls’ teams to success. In 2001, Morrisey left high school to be the head women’s basketball coach at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, ultimately serving as senior women administrator, assistant athletic director and interim athletic director in eight years at the school.
She missed K-12 education, though, and in 2009, she came to Topeka High School as an assistant principal for a couple of years, before being promoted to principal at Eisenhower Middle School in 2011.
After former Topeka High principal Linda Wiley retired in 2016, Morrisey applied for that position and was hired to succeed Wiley.
“High school has definitely been my favorite,” Morrisey said. “Topeka High has been a special place. There’s something about the tradition of spirit and diversity at Topeka High that is unique. I’ve been some pretty cool places, but there’s just some extra oomph of history and a real value for differences (at Topeka High).”
The school, in all of its architectural and historical glory, has been a special place for Morrisey. It’s a strange mix of students from all types of backgrounds, perspective and socioeconomic classes that you can’t quite find in any other school in Kansas, or the U.S. for that matter, Morrisey said.
Sure, the school deals with any of the same types of social issues as any other school — bullying, particularly on social media, continues to be an increasing concern. But Topeka High has better mechanisms and relationships among its students to deal with that than any other school Morrisey has seen, she said.
“Students from different walks of life, they find that they have similarities and find connections,” Morrisey said. “I wish our country could do more of that. Our kids really do a better job of disagreeing agreeably or having conversations about tough topics. They do a far better job than our country is doing right now. They model that far better.”
That kind of community, Morrisey said, is special, and it reaches far beyond graduation and Kansas.
“We’re steeped in tradition,” she said. “It’s a place that’s more like a college, in that people feel a sense of loyalty to it. You run into people from all over the country who wear THS gear on, and I’ve never seen that from a high school in quite the same way. Once a Trojan, always a Trojan. People will tell you how much they loved being here, and the place in their hearts they hold for Topeka High.”
How school changed in Rebecca Morrisey's 40 years of education
In the decades since Morrisey first became a school leader, schools have changed in that they’re now on constant alert for threats and crises.
She had been an assistant principal at Leavenworth High School for only a few years before the Columbine massacre occurred. It’s a scene that’s continued to play out in dozens of schools around the country, and one Morrisey has had on the back of her mind ever since.
“When a school shooting or crisis happens, you think, ‘There, but for the grace of God, go I,’” Morrisey said. “And even though our job, on the surface, is to teach students and make sure they have a litany of academic stuff and a diploma when they walk out the door, the most important thing we do every single day is bring them here, take care of them and send them home safely to their parents.
“That’s been the biggest challenge in front of us lately, and it’s certainly changed from when I started 40 years ago.”
Most recently, Morrisey had to help lead Topeka High as it faced one of the biggest disruptions in its history in the form of the COVID pandemic, and the constantly changing definitions, mitigation strategies and education formats students, families and teachers had to undergo.
Even though this year has been as “normal” as any, Topeka High is still struggling with figuring out how to re-engage students in their learning, as are many other schools. Students are often mentally and emotionally drained from high expectations, even if they become good at “playing school.”
But there was at least a small silver lining.
“Students have a greater degree of self-determination,” Morrisey said. “They know how to study and do things on their own, compared to most other generations, since they had to do that to succeed. We have more students who have been a part of the workforce, and they will know how to deal with it once they’re adults."
“It’s also been a benefit for staff,” she added. “We haven’t been able to do things for or to students. It’s all been with them, and that’s powerful. It’s helped us become better educators in many ways.”
The one thing that hasn’t changed during Morrisey’s long career is her focus on first doing what is best for students, and then worrying about all else. It’s a philosophy she gleaned during her time with her mentor Jim Vanmaanen, and it’s one they continue to share as friends.
“There are times that educational systems exist for adults,” Morrisey said. "We make decisions that are easier or better for adults, and when we do that, we sometimes forget kids. If we can do what’s best for adults and still do what’s best for kids, that’s great. But if push comes to serve and we need to either serve adults or kids, we have to remember to serve kids first.
“We need to sacrifice on behalf of kids, if that’s required to help them be successful.”
Rebecca Morrisey's last days in the great halls of Troy
Morrisey leaves Topeka High in as good a shape as ever. Enrollment is at least steady, while other schools and districts have seen declines. The school still has scores of students who win state and national awards and attend Ivy League colleges after graduation.
But just as important have been the successes of the students who struggled. Alongside an increase in graduation rates among the general student body and elsewhere in the district, Topeka High has had great success in getting English language learners and special education students “across the finish line” under Morrisey’s tenure.
“That’s important, that we help kids get there, especially for students and families who didn’t think they could,” Morrisey. “It’s been a group effort — from secretaries, to custodians, to cafeteria workers to social workers — to make an individual difference for every student, and to make sure every student had a mentor who stood alongside them as they got to the finish line.”
Ever the historian, Morrisey will let others decide her legacy at the school. She surmises that many might look at how she and the school responded to the most disruptive event on modern education.
But if she could have any say in what historians record, she hopes that they would write that she kept students first in all things.
“(I would hope they write) that I stood up for students and students’ rights,” she said. “I think I’d want to be described as a strong leader. I always knew what would make me leave a place, and that was a place that would not take care of kids. I would hope that’s what they write — she wanted to do what was best for students. Obviously, no decision is best for every single person, but you do what’s best for the majority of students.”
More: Topeka USD 501 rebounds to seemingly historic graduation rates after pandemic dip
In retirement, Morrisey will spend more time with family — perhaps first catching up on a few years of missed sleep — and potentially, in a few months, return to the classroom as a substitute teacher or to a gym as a referee.
That remains to be seen, though, Morrisey said with a sly grin.
In the meantime, Morrisey is rounding out her last days in a small office at the foot of the school tower, preparing the building and schedule for the next crop of students and principal to have on their first day of school. A search committee will look for her replacement over the summer.
She walks the great halls of Troy — for now empty of students but never of tradition.
“It’s been a blessing to have been a part of Topeka High and its history,” she said. “It’s been an honor to serve at Topeka High School, and that will never escape me.”
Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at 785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka High School principal Rebecca Morrisey retires
