Ken Spurgeon

Mr. Spurgeon was born and raised in Wichita. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s from Wichita State University in History while additionally compiling hours in Secondary Education: Social Studies.

He previously worked at the Wichita Eagle in the Sports Department from 1993-2000. In 1998, he began teaching classes at Butler Community College and Cowley Community College and served full time at Cowley as the Director of Instruction and Director of Social and Behavioral Sciences from 2002-2007. He began teaching at Northfield in 2007 and currently teaches Capstone U.S. History: American National Government, and Roman/Christian History, in addition to coaching Girls Basketball and Cross Country.

In 2004, he founded Lone Chimney Films, Inc., a not-for-profit documentary film company dedicated to films about the Midwest. He has written (with Jonathon Goering) and produced two documentaries dealing with the Kansas-Missouri area during the Civil War: Touched by Fire: Bleeding Kansas, 1854-1861 and Bloody Dawn: The Lawrence Massacre, which he also directed. Both films have aired on PBS networks.

Mr. Spurgeon is married and has four children ranging from 10 to 21 years old. He enjoys sports, traveling, dancing, and participating in living history activities such as Civil War reenacting.

Grammar School II: Roman/Christian History

This class introduces students to the history and culture of Roman Civilization and early Christianity. The Roman experience is divided into a study of the Age of Kings; the Roman Republic; and the Roman Empire. Students will understand through this course why Rome and early Christianity exercised a great influence upon nearly all modern nations. (5 credits)

United States History

This class surveys U.S. History from the origin of native tribes to the present day. Students explore primary documents and learn critical thinking skills as applied to questions of our nation’s development. (5 credits)

Great Books

This class examines sources—both fiction and non-fiction—that shaped American life. The readings are a reflection of different eras in U.S. History and help students to understand and put into context the information learned in American History class. (5 credits)