Berkmar High School
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| Berkmar High School | |
| "Nobody Does It Better" | |
| School type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1966 |
| District | Gwinnett County Public Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Principal | Kendall Johnson |
| Students | Approximately 3000 |
| Colors | Red, White and Blue |
| Mascot | Patriot |
| Accreditation | SACS |
| Region | 8A in Class AAAAA (GHSA) |
| Location | 405 Pleasant Hill Road Lilburn, GA 30047 |
| Information | 770-921-3636 |
| Website | [1] |
Berkmar High School is a high school located in Lilburn, Georgia in Gwinnett County. It is the home of the "Patriots." It holds the largest campus for any public school in Georgia with over 470,000 sq. feet. It is also one of the most heavily populated high schools in Georgia with nearly 3,000 students and over 400 faculty members. Berkmar is the second most diversified school in Georgia, second only to nearby Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia. There is no one majority at this school over a 10% margin.
[edit] Notable Berkmar Information
Berkmar opened its doors in 1966 to help overcrowding at nearby schools due to the overwhelming growth of Gwinnett County.
During the 2006-2007 school year, Berkmar is celebrating its 40th anniversary with many alumni gathering events and community celebrations. For Homecoming, the school invited alumni of every graduating class from 1966 to the most recent 2006 to march onto the field before the game and be recognized. It was a huge success, and Berkmar won the game against region competitor Shiloh High School 42-6.
Berkmar is led by Principal Kendall Johnson, now in his 9th year at the school and his 4th as principal. He replaced Jim Markham during the 2003-2004 school year so Markham could open and take over the new Mill Creek High School in northern Gwinnett County.
[edit] Berkmar Athletics
Berkmar competes in Region 8-AAAAA. AAAAA is the highest classification for Georgia high schools. Region 8 also includes athletic powerhouses Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia and rival Parkview High School, also located in Lilburn.
Berkmar athletics are run by first year athletics director Glenn Wilson. He replaced Jeff White, who took a teaching-only position at Shiloh High School. White had been a teacher at Berkmar for over 20 years, and was AD for his last 2.
Berkmar football has long been considered a doormat in Gwinnett County and Region 8-AAAAA, but since Wendell Early took over the program in 2003, the Patriots have been to the state playoffs twice in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Berkmar came one game shy of going to the playoffs a school-record 3 straight times. Early was hired in Spring 2003 out of Florida to replace Robert Hill, who had resigned to take his former position of offensive coordinator for Parkview High School. Hill had little success with the program, and it was necessary for the school and him to part ways so the program could start in a new direction. Since then, Early has established a once awful program into a great success. Early was voted Coach of the Year in Gwinnett County in 2004 after his team went 6-4 in the regular season to earn its first state playoff trip in school history.
In 2004-2005, Berkmar was the only school in Gwinnett County to have both is football and basketball teams go on to the state playoffs.
Cross country runner Girma Mecheso finished ninth at the High School Footlocker National race in 2006[2]. This represents the best finish by any runner from Georgia at the Footlocker meet[3].
[edit] Berkmar Now
Berkmar serves a very transient and diversified community. Unlike many high schools in Gwinnett County, Berkmar is surrouded by many shopping plazas, restaurants, and other commercial markets. Most high schools in Gwinnett County are hidden in residential areas. In 2002, Berkmar received a much-needed "extreme makeover" with a whole new front entrance to the school, a new state-of-the-art gym, a new 2-story building to hold offices, classrooms, and a media center, and an improved parking lot. Many people say with the new addition, the school looks like a smaller college rather than a big high school. Berkmar has 3 different buildings to hold classrooms, along with two gyms, a theatre, and a small number of portable classrooms. Berkmar also has the largest football stadium (capacity-wise) in Gwinnett County with stands on both sides of the field to hold upwards of 10,000 people. Adjacent to the football field is a baseball field, hitting facility, softball field, and practice field.
