Broad Ripple school ends 13-decade run
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Thursday was the last day of school at Broad Ripple High School, after 132 years of educating students.
Indianapolis Public Schools said it plans to close and sell the building. A Thursday night commencement graduated 126 students.
The historic school is the alma mater of longtime talk show host and IndyCar owner David Letterman and NBA player George Hill, who is currently in the NBA Finals.
Salutatorian Jasmine Murphy said the list of notable alumni isn’t done growing.
“I still want to make the legacy live on. Make people never forget about it,” Murphy said. “Go out and be successful and say, ‘Yes I came from Broad Ripple.’”
Murphy will move on to Colorado University after she graduates with her classmates Thursday night.
Among the school’s successful graduates are former NFL player Rosevelt Colvin and former Indianapolis mayor Stephen Goldsmith.
“That was a place that cultivated that kind of talent,” said James Turner, 1994 Broad Ripple High School graduate.
Turner’s teenage daughter will now transfer from Broad Ripple to Shortridge High School. Turner was a star athlete during his time at the school.
“It’s a sad day for me and my family,” Turner said. “Ripple has such a rich heritage. Such a foundation. You hate to see something like that go.”
The school was founded in 1886, when Broad Ripple was still its own town, rather than an Indianapolis enclave.
IPS would not go into details on Thursday about plans for the property, but a spokesperson said the district wants to sell the building for “fair market value.”
A nonprofit called the Him By Her Foundation has expressed interest in opening a charter school on the property.
“I hope it becomes another educational building,” Turner said.
News 8 photographer Ron Nakasone contributed to this report.
