User:Eddstanley/North Surry High School

North Surry High School
North Surry High School
Address
	2440 W. Pine St.; Mount Airy, North Carolina 27030; United States
Coordinates	36°30′18″N 80°40′50″W / 36.50494°N 80.68052°W
Information
Type	Public high school
Motto	Home of the Greyhounds
Established	1958
Oversight	Surry County School System
CEEB code	342782
NCES School ID	370441001754
Principal	Paige Badgett
Faculty	56
Grades	9 to 12
Enrollment	878 (2019–20)
Student to teacher ratio	16:1
Campus	Rural, 41.5 acres (0.1679 km2)
Color(s)	Blue; Grey
Mascot	Greyhounds
Rival	Mount Airy High School
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
ACT average	16.6
Newspaper	The Bark
Yearbook	Ann'yul
Website	www.surry.k12.nc.us/nsh

North Surry High School (NSHS) is a public high school in Mount Airy, North Carolina, United States which opened in 1958. It serves the northern third of Surry County excluding the city limits of Mount Airy. In the 2019-2020 school year, North Surry had an enrollment of 878 students.

The school offers many extracurricular activities, including 72 clubs, 11 academic teams, and various services clubs. Some other activities meet as elective classes such as musical groups, drama, and art. These classes are supplemented by after-school rehearsals, meetings, and outside concerts. Students may also compete in the school's 42 varsity, junior varsity, and freshman athletic programs.

North Surry is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and Region 2A Western Piedmont Athletic for athletic competition, as of the 2019-2020 academic year. The school's mascot is the Greyhound, and the school colors are blue and grey. North Surry offers 16 different sports, comprising 23 varsity level teams. Eight of the North Surry Greyhound teams have won state championships, totaling 20 overall. The most championships won by a single team is seven, accomplished by the girls' gymnastics program.

History[edit]

The building housing the original RHS campus was used as an alternative high school up until 2013 and is currently still used as a teaching museum for northern Fulton county schools.

The former gymnasium in Roswell High's second campus (1954–1990) was converted into lofts in the 1990s.

North Surry High School first opened in 1958, and is the second oldest high school in Surry County north of the Yadkin River. In 1896, the city council and mayor were authorized by the state to issue $5,000 in bonds to build a new school building.

Construction began nearby on Alpharetta Highway near the present-day Roswell City Hall on a new campus. That facility opened in the fall of 1954 and allowed the high school (grades 8–12) to physically separate from the elementary school (grades 1–7). North Surry High's second campus was designed by the architecture firm Stevens & Wilkinson, which innovated school designs and utilized a "finger plan" to improve functionality of the school. It had a capacity of 400 students and had facilities for industrial arts, a shop, music halls, science labs, an art room, an indoor gymnasium, athletic fields, a football stadium, and a track. The School started getting crowded in the early 70s. This forced Fulton county to establish Crestwood High School to relieve it. The School also relieved similar overcrowding at North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences. The primary school remained in the Mimosa Boulevard building as Roswell Elementary. As of 2007, the brick elementary building is part of an expanded structure still owned by the Fulton County School System, and it housed the Crossroads Second Chance North Alternative School until 2013 and still serves as the Teaching Museum North.

Students and faculty[edit]

In the 2019–2020 school year, North Surry's enrollment was 878. In that year, the student population was 77% white, 4% African American, 16% Hispanic, and 3% Multiracial. North Surry has a relatively large immigrant population, including students from Mexico and other Latin American Countries. According to 2007 statistics, <100 percent of the school's graduates go on to colleges and universities across the United States. As of 2019, North Surry's faculty had 56.25 full-time teachers, with <100% holding an advanced degree. North Surry High School is the highest-level school in Surry County's North Cluster. The schools that feed into North Surry include Franklin, Flat Rock, Cedar Ridge , and White Plains Elementary Schools. The middle schools that feed into North Surry are J Sam Gentry Middle School and Meadowview Magnet Middle School.

Academics[edit]

NSHS is a part of the Surry County School System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the North Carolina Department of Education.North Surry is ranked #362 in the best high schools in North Carolina.^[3]

North Surry has not been named a National Blue Ribbon School since 1958 by the United States Department of Education. It also has not been designated a North Carolina School of Excellence since 1958.

26 Advanced Placement Program (AP) classes are offered, and SAT as well as ACT scores rarely exceed the national and state average. The North Carolina state average was 1477, while the national average was 1518. Less than 477 students took AP exams in 2005, with less than 84% receiving the necessary score (3 or higher) to earn college credit. Nationally, only 60% score high enough to earn college credits.

North Surry's academic success has not brought national recognition. In 2006, the school was unranked in Newsweek magazine's top 1,200 schools. North Surry offers a curriculum with many electives similar to those offered elsewhere in the county. U.S. News & World Report has not ranked North Surry High in its list of best high schools for the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) .

Career Tech[edit]

The Career Tech department at North Surry High is made up of Broadcast and Video Production, Cosmetology, Family and Consumer Sciences, Diversified Technology, Pre-Engineering, Business Education, and JROTC. Through this department, students may take three consecutive years of one of the branches to obtain a Career Technology High School Diploma in place of a College Prep Diploma. Courses cover diverse topics such as culinary arts, business, computers, interior design, and introduction to education and early childhood care.

Broadcast and Video Production[edit]

The Broadcast and Video Production department is designed to teach students about the television industry. Using a hands-on method, students learn about all aspects of television from pre-production to production to post-production. The facility is made up of a working television studio, a large control room, six edit rooms (each equipped with both linear and non-linear editing systems), a radio station, and a normal classroom. Students in the program learn to produce everything from commercials and PSAs to dramas, news shows, and sporting events. The advanced classes produce a weekly news show, the Morning Buzz, which airs at the beginning of the day. The Broadcast and Video department supports the student-run radio station WRHS the Hive, the film club, and the yearly School House Rock concert.

JROTC[edit]

North Surry High School offers a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. This helps students improve their grades, be more responsible, and hone leadership skills. The program at North Surry High School also offers extracurricular activities, including Drill Team, Raider Team, and Rifle Team.

The Drill Team provides students in the JROTC program the opportunity to learn how to properly follow orders by executing various complex series of commands given by the team's captain. The sabre and color guards are a part of the drill team and present the colors (national and state flags) at various school and community events, or honor people of great importance. The Drill Team also represents the school in competitions.

The Raider Team is intended to improve the physical fitness of cadets; they go through many exercises included in physical training, such as push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, flexed arm hang, crunches, the one-mile (1.6 km) run, and litter carry. The Raider Team enters various competitions, and won a championship in 2006–2007. The Rifle Team is jointly run by the JROTC program and the Athletics Department, and represents the school in the Olympic sport of riflery. The team won the Region 6 championship six straight years between 1996 and 2001. The team finished second in the state in 2000 finishing with a score of 1142. State champion East Coweta High School finished with a score of 1150.

Fine arts[edit]

North Surry High School offers fine arts opportunities in art, band, chorus, drama, and orchestra. The groups meet throughout the year as elective classes and extracurricular activities, and hold many events. These include performances at football games, murals painted in the school's halls, concerts, plays, and a spring musical jointly put on by the drama and choral departments.

The drama department annually hosts Short Attention Span Theatre, featuring plays, shorts, and monologues which are written, cast, directed, and produced by RHS students.

Chorus[edit]

North Surry Choruses have performed on numerous occasions for the North Carolina Music Educator's Association and sang at the 2003 Southern Division of the Music Educator's National Conference in Savannah, North Carolina. The Singing Greyhounds have performed concerts at Notre Dame, St. Peter's Basilica, Carnegie Hall, and Disney World. They have performed with professional orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and Orchestra Atlanta. Each year, the North Surry Choral Music Program receives invitations for students to participate in the North Carolina All-State Chorus and the Governor's Honors Program. Ensembles include the Chamber Singers, Vocal Jazz, Advanced Women's, and Advanced Men's Choirs.

Band[edit]

The North Surry High School band department contains the marching band, wind ensemble, symphonic band, pep band, jazz band, and percussion ensemble. The marching band performs for all varsity football games and has competitions throughout the fall, as well as parade appearances. The marching band competes in Class AAA and in 2008 placed third overall in the North Carolina Invitational Band Championship. In 2009 the wind ensemble, which was one of only three selected, took part in the Honor Bands of North Carolina program hosted at Columbus State University in Columbus, North Carolina. The program is an educational opportunity for the bands participating and is meant to further music education in the state.

Greyhound Advisory Program[edit]

The Greyhound Advisory Program aims to help freshmen adjust to high school life. It brings together faculty advisers, academic counselors, and upperclassmen students to act as mentors to freshmen and acclimate them to North Surry High School. The program meets with students three times a week. However, the school no longer has a Greyhound Advisory Program. The existence of such a program is a topic of debate among students currently enrolled.

Extracurricular activities[edit]

North Surry High School offers students a variety of options to get involved in the school. North Surry sponsors sports teams in fifteen different sports as well as several club sports. Students can also participate in service clubs, academic clubs, and general interests clubs for a variety of tastes and preferences.

Athletics[edit]

The North Surry High mascot is the Greyhound, and the school colors are blue and grey. The Greyhounds compete in 18 sports at the varsity level, with additional teams competing at the junior varsity and 9th grade level. 11 sports are available to boys, 10 are for girls, and 2 are co-ed. Overall, 23 teams compete at varsity level, with 43 total.

The Greyhounds have won multiple state titles in athletics, including three each in football and baseball, and two in boys' basketball. In total the North Surry Greyhounds have won 1 team state championship titles in the school's 18 sports.

Since its inception, North Surry's traditional rival has been Mount Airy High School, the oldest high school in Surry County. The North Surry/Mount Airy series is the most-played high school football rivalry in metro Surry County, with the 2019 game marking the sixtieth meeting between the schools. The two have competed since 1950 in every sport the two schools offer. In 1963 a fight broke out between the fans of the schools at a football game and the series was banned for several years. Since 1950, North Surry has held a 34–21–1 advantage over their archrival in football, including winning seven straight from 2001-2007. The 2008 meeting was won by Mount Airy, 20-19. North Surry won a series record 14 straight games from 1983–1995. North Surry's very first football game was against Mount Airy, a 14-0 win on September 22, 1950. The largest margin of victory in the series also belongs to North Surry, a 45-0 victory on October 26, 2007.

Charles Atkins Stadium is home to the football, soccer, and track and field programs.

North Surry has also developed a strong rivalry with East Surry High School, the county's other public high school, in which the two teams play for the North Surry Cup in football, the series starting in 2000. In soccer, Centennial is the bigger rival than Mount Airy. North Surry Football holds a 9–2 record over East Surry. On the soccer pitch, North Surry girls have a 3–3 record with the Knights since 2004, while the boys hold a 1–5 record during that time period.

As of the 2014-2015 season, North Surry varsity teams compete in the eight team Region 6A Western Piedmont Athletic. The current members of Western Piedmont Athletic include rivals Atkins, Carver, Forbush, North Forsyth, Surry Central, Walkertown, and West Stokes.^[4]

North Surry offers all NCHSAA sponsored sports. Various programs offer teams at the varsity, JV, and freshman levels. Such sports for boys include football, baseball, and basketball. Girls' teams with all three levels are basketball and volleyball. Sports offering varsity and JV teams include cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field for both genders. Softball and lacrosse are such programs for girls while wrestling is such a program for boys. Swimming & diving is only varsity for both genders, while gymnastics is offered at the varsity level for girls. North Surry offers two co-ed sports, competition cheerleading and riflery; both are solely varsity teams.

Traditions[edit]

Every fall students are encouraged to wear their class colors on football game day Fridays to show their school spirit. The days of Homecoming Week are themed, and students dress up to win spirit points for their class, culminating in the Friday class color day and pep rally. On Wednesday or Thursday night of Homecoming Week, students decorate the halls of the school by class to reflect the theme of the dance. Each hall is judged, with the winning class receiving spirit points. On game days, the North Surry Marching Band plays the school's fight song as they march through the halls. North Surry's fight song is a version of the "Washington and Lee Swing." Seniors dress up in camouflage every Friday for school and for the football games.

The senior class of 2010 brought the "Flour Toss" tradition to North Surry. At every kickoff of the Friday football games, students anticipate the kick, each holding fistfuls of white flour. As soon as the player kicks the ball, hands go up in the air, releasing the flour, creating a cloud of white to welcome the opposing team.

Football[edit]

North Surry's football team has not won State Championships since 1958. Since 2004 North Surry has a combined record of 89-93.^[5] North Surry football history started in 1950 when a spring practice and game was held. During the fall of that year, North Surry posted a 4–2 record, including two wins over archrival Mount Airy.

North Surry's coach with the best record is Carl Sanders, who was head coach for seasons.^[6] and had a record of 000–000–0.

The North Surry Greyhounds began the 2007 season ranked #1 in Class AAAAA and nationally ranked by three publications, including a #8 ranking by Rivals.com. The Greyhounds finished 2007 with a 10–3 record. Of the three losses Walton made the state semifinals and Lowndes became state champions. The Greyhounds finished the season ranked #6 in the state by the AJC and #5 by the AP. Eight members of the 2007 football team received collegiate scholarships, and six of those signees will attend Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

As of the 2019 season, Patrick Taylor is the current head football coach at NSHS.

Gymnastics[edit]

North Surry's gymnastics program has won a total of seven state championships since 1997, including four straight from 2000–2003. North Surry's seven state titles is second in the sports history behind only Lakeside, Dekalb's nine. The 2006 team finished third in the state, and in 2007 Roswell won their seventh state championship in the sport on April 27 at Westminster, defeating archrival Milton by only 1.55 points despite having no gymnasts winning an individual championship. The 2007 team, however, placed at least one gymnast in the top six of each apparatus, including Annie Turner, who placed second in the All-Around, third on vault and bars, and fifth on floor. Two North Surry gymnasts finished second and sixth on the balance beam.> In 2008 the Greyhounds finished fourth in the state.

Baseball[edit]

The Greyhound baseball program has not won any state titles. The team has not been a state playoff participant and has not been ranked nationally by such sources as USA Today Top 100 and Baseball America. For the 2007 season, North Surry's team was not ranked in the pre-season nationally.

Golf[edit]

North Surry's boys' golf team has one state title, taking first place in 1990. In 2006, North Surry finished second when rain canceled the second of the two-round tournament. Coach Tim McFarlin led the 2006 State Runner-Up team just seven months before taking the football team to the 2006 State Championship.

Track and Field[edit]

North Surry's track & field program has won two boys' state championships in 1959 and in 1961. The 1959 State Championship in track was the school's first state championship in any sport. The program hosts the annual North Surry Relays track meet and the Region 2A Track Championships. The cross country program saw the girls' team finish eighth in the state in 2007. North Surry also won a Track and Field State Championship in 1961. The track team partners annually with the Rotary Club of Roswell to hold the Roswell Rotary Relays.

Basketball[edit]

North Surry won the state championship in boys basketball in 1989 at the Dean E Smith Center in Chapel Hill under the coaching leadership of Ron King.

Clubs[edit]

As of the 2012-2013 academic year, NSHS offers students many extracurricular activities catering to the school's diverse interests, including 72 clubs, 11 academic teams, and service clubs.

Clubs include academic honor societies, political interests, service clubs, social/general interest clubs, and non-varsity sport clubs. Service clubs include Key Club, Anchor Club, Animal Rescue Club, and the Habitat For Humanity Club, which raises funds and builds houses in conjunction with the local Habitat chapter. Academic clubs include Art Club, Art National Honor Society, Beta Club, and National Honor Society. Political interest clubs are the Peace Activists Club, Young Democrats, Young Republicans, and Shanti, which attempts to eliminate teenage apathy. Competitive clubs include the two-time state champion Fencing Team, Roswell Ice Hockey Club, Ultimate Frisbee Club, Policy Debate Team, Breakdance Team, Unique Dance team, and the Robotics Team. The robotics team hosts the oldest active FRC team in Georgia (Team 832).

General interest clubs include the Medical Club for students interested in medical careers, Chess Club, Cycling Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Fly Fishing Club, International Club Latino Club, Russian Club, Video Game Club, Writing Club, and Friends Club, which brings students with disabilities and regular education students together.

The school is served by the elected Student Council.

Publications and media outlets[edit]

Established in 1983, The Bark is the school's official student newspaper and is a member of the Georgia Scholastic Press Association. The monthly publication has been recognized on multiple occasions by the GSPA and the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. The newspaper features news, editorials, opinions, features, entertainment, and sports. The staff also maintains the paper's related website.

The student literary magazine the Helicon is produced by the school's literary magazine staff. The magazine is published once each semester and features student-created poetry, short stories, essays, photos, and artwork. The Helicon has also received multiple awards from the GSPA.

The student-published yearbook is the Ann-yul, and the student-run radio station is WNHS The Doghouse.

Notable people[edit]

Coach Bill Yoast, featured in the movie Remember the Titans, was a Roswell High football coach from 1954–1960 before leaving for Virginia. Game footage from Roswell is used in several scenes in the movie.