Howard Schools

West Elk USD 282

West Elk Public Schools is located just outside the city limits of Howard, Kansas. The district includes the communities of Elk Falls, Howard, Moline, Severy and several townships encompassing 540 square miles. West Elk is a 2A school with 346 students in pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade. In addition to the core subjects, West Elk offers art, vocal and band to represent Fine Arts. The vocational programs available are Family and Consumer Science, Business, Woodworking and Vocational Agriculture.

Junior High students may participate on numerous athletic teams at West Elk Schools. Those include football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and track. High school students also have cross country, softball and baseball in which to be involved.

West Elk also has several activities and clubs to give young people an opportunity to become well rounded students. This includes the Fall Play, FCCLA, FFA, Forensics, Math Team, Scholars Bowl, FBLA/SkillsUSA and Student Government.

(Source-USD 282-westelk.us)

Howard Lifestyle

Howard is home to 633 (2013) residents. Howard enjoys a small town atmosphere with several outdoor attractions. Surrounding cities like Augusta and Independence offer a variety of attractions.

Howard Transportation

Howard is located west of highway KS-99. Independence, Augusta, and Winfield are all under an hour from Howard.

Howard Local Attractions/Activities

Howard is home to Poplar Pizza and Toots Drive-In. Howard has three churches; The Flints Hills Assembly of God, First Baptist Church and Howard United Methodist Church. Howard also offers Polk Daniels Lake and three city parks for the family to spend the day outdoors.

Howard –History

Named for Gen. Oliver Otis Howard (1830-1909), a career army officer who commanded Union forces at the first and second battles of Bull Run and at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. After the war, he served as head of the Freedman's Bureau, and was later in the Indian campaigns. Howard was a moral crusader, insisting his troops attend prayer and temperance meetings, and he championed the freedom and equality of former slaves, helping to found what became Howard University in Washington, D.C. Howard County was composed of lands acquired from the Great and Little Osage Indians by the U.S. government via treaty in the late 1860s.

Howard County was first established as Godfrey County, and in 1861 became Seward County. Howard County was established on Feb. 26, 1867. A long-running dispute over the location of the county seat between Elk Falls, Howard City, Boston, Peru, and Langdon resulted in the use of the Kansas militia to keep the peace. In 1875, Howard County was divided lengthwise into Elk and Chautauqua counties, primarily to settle the county seat feud.

(Source- Kansas Historical Society-www.kshs.org)