Garinger High School
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| Established | 1959 |
|---|---|
| Type of institution | Public |
| Principal | Jo Ella Ferrell |
| Enrollment | 1673 |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina, US |
| Colors | Blue and Gray |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Information | (980) 343-6450 |
| Website | http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/Garinger/index.htm |
Corey Garinger High School (or simply, Garinger, G-Code, or The G) is a high school located in the Shamrock area of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1959, it is one of the oldest remaining schools in Charlotte. Garinger is in essence the relocation of Central High School, Charlotte's first high school. Central Piedmont Community College now stands where Central High once stood; one of CPCC's main buildings is known as the Central High building (and was formerly called the Garinger building).
Garinger High's ethnic makeup is 69% Black, 15% Hispanic, 10% White, 6% Asian, and less than 1% other. [1]
In early 2006 the school found itself threatened with closure by the State of North Carolina, but has received backing from the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
Garinger's feeder schools are Briarwood Elementary, Devonshire Elementary, Hickory Grove Elementary, Merry Oaks Elementary, Shamrock Gardens Elementary, Windsor Park Elementary, and Winterfield Elementary. [2] The corresponding middle schools are Cochrane Middle School, and some students from Eastway Middle School and Northridge Middle School. [3]
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[edit] Campus
Garinger is located in northeast Charlotte at 1100 Eastway Drive. The campus can also be accessed from Shamrock Drive or East Sugar Creek Road.
Garinger's campus was designed by AG Odell, Jr., and Associates, who also designed several other famous buildings in Charlotte. The campus covers roughly 63 acres and consists of several detached buildings, many of which have interior courtyards. Near the center of campus sits a unique round building with a conical roof, which served as the original library. It has since been converted into classroom space and much of the interior integrity has been lost. A new two-story library was added in the 1970s.
The campus was considered state-of-the-art when it first opened, winning many architectural awards for its unique modern buildings. Garinger was even featured in a 1962 edition of National Geographic as Charlotte-Mecklenburg's showplace high school.
[edit] Traditions
Garinger has many long standing traditions. There have been teams that wear blue and gray and called themselves wildcats in Charlotte since 1909, the year that original Charlotte High School was founded. This school later became Central High School in 1923, and Garinger High School in 1959
[edit] Alma Mater
Garinger's alma mater is sung to the tune of Das Lied der Deutschen more commonly known as the current national anthem of Germany. The music was written by Joseph Haydn in 1797. Words are as follows:
Far above the toil and tumult of our cities growing might,
Proudly stands our Alma Mater, shining brightly in the light.
Crowned in knowledge, honor, glory..boldly let her praises ring!
Hail to thee, our Alma mater
Hail to Garinger High we sing
Hail to thee, our Alma mater
Hail to great Garinger High we sing.
[edit] Fight Song
Garinger's fight song is based on The Washington and Lee Swing
[edit] Willow Tree
The official symbol of Garinger High School is the weeping willow tree. The school's annual literary magazine is called Under the Willow Tree
[edit] Snips and Cuts
Snips and Cuts is the GHS yearbook. It has been published since Charlotte High School's original founding in 1909. There are archived copies in the school library going back to this date.
[edit] The Rambler
The Rambler is the school newspaper. It can also trace it's history back to the school's founding.
[edit] Programs
Garinger has six magnet programs:
- The Academy of Communications Arts
- The Academy of Finance
- The Academy of Medical Sciences
- The Academy of Computer Engineering
- The Academy of JROTC Military
- Honors College Academy
[edit] Problems
[edit] Biggest problems
Like many inner-city schools in the US today, GHS has many obstacles to overcome. Among these are inexperienced teachers, an aging and outdated physical plant and poor student achievement.
Garinger serves a generally low-income and transient population (More than 70% of the student body lives in rental housing) As a result, some in Charlotte have observed that the school gets the "short end of the stick" in the CMS pecking order. While there is no deliberate attempt by the powers that be in the district to undermine Garinger, it can certainly be said that the nature of the population at the school makes success very hard to achieve.
At one point Garinger found itself unable to employ an entire full-time teaching staff and relied on a revolving door of substitutes to fill the void. The full-time teachers usually find themselves having to pay their own money for classroom supplies. This is a problem that plagues many school districts all over the country.
Garinger's aging physical plant has been a source of problems. Despite a rennovation in 1997-1998, the plumbing and HVAC systems can be unreliable. There have been cases where the entire school had no central heat. This has been alleviated somewhat when the district started a prevenative-maintenance program.
As Garinger has a somewhat smaller enrollment than many CMS high schools, it was one of the lowest funded high schools in Charlotte. Until recently, many classrooms were extremely overcrowded, sometimes at a rate of 40 students to a teacher. Currently, overcrowding remains an issue, but to a lesser extent, due to overall enrollment dropping as a result of the CMS school choice plan implemented in 2002.
[edit] Student behavior
Student behavior problems are typical of an inner-city school.
The school has seen cases of students possessing weapons while on school grounds, though the number of incedents is not the highest in the district. In the 2004-2005 annual student survey given by CMS, only 41% of Garinger students indicated that they felt safe at school, and 26% believed that students were well-behaved. [6]
[edit] Sports
Garinger's mascot is a wildcat, and the school colors are royal blue and gray. These traditions harken back to the Charlotte High School days. The School competes in the Queen City 3A/4A conference as part of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA)
The Football, Soccer, Tennis, Track, Cross Country, and Baseball teams has struggled greatly in recent years.
Garinger's most competitive sports are Men's and Women's Basketball. The small 600-seat gymnasium at the school is often packed to the rafters when the Wildcats take on traditional rivals West Charlotte HS and Independence HS.
Garinger does manage to field competitive teams in other sports such as golf.
Some of Garinger's biggest rivals are Independence High School, West Charlotte High School, E. E. Waddell High School , David W. Butler High School, and Phillip O. Berry High School .
Garinger won the 1989 state title in men's basketball
[edit] References
- ↑ Garinger High School at Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
- ↑ About Garinger at Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools website
[edit] External links
- History of Garinger High School from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
