St. Louis Public Radio
Robin Witherspoon holds up her Sumner High School senior yearbook from 1981. Alumni like Witherspoon are fighting to keep the historic school open.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, a few dozen alumni gathered at the base of the steps to Sumner High School, on St. Louis’ north side, clad in the school’s maroon and white. Many had their class year bedazzled on sweatshirts and letterman jackets.
They were there to show more than the usual school pride. The alumni are rooting to keep the historic high school open for the next generation after St. Louis Public Schools put Sumner on a closure list, along with a dozen other school buildings this winter, part of a district-wide consolidation plan.