Raleigh Charter High School
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| Raleigh Charter High School | |
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| Established | 1998 |
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| School type | Secondary Charter (High School) |
| Locale | Urban community |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Principal | Dr. Thomas E. Humble |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
| Students | 521 |
| Mascot | Phoenix |
| Address: | 1111 Haynes Street Raleigh, NC 27604 (919)715-1155 |
| Website | www.raleighcharterhs.org/ |
Raleigh Charter High School is a free, independent public school chartered by the North Carolina State Board of Education.
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[edit] History
In the summer 1998, some parents of 8th graders at The Magellan Charter School decided to establish a new charter high school so that their students could continue to learn in a nurturing and academically rich environment. Before opening, the school was to be named Interconnections (originally spelled "InterK'nections")[citation needed] Charter School, but was eventually renamed Raleigh Charter.
[edit] Pilot Mill
Today Raleigh Charter occupies three levels of the historic Pilot Mill just north of downtown Raleigh. Originally built between 1892 and 1910, Pilot Mill served as a textile mill until the late 1970s. At its peak, Pilot Mill housed 425 looms, 11,000 spindles, and 300 workers that transformed 5,000 bales of cotton into 8 million yards of cloth per year. After production ended in the late 1970s Pilot Mill served as a warehouse but soon began to significantly deteriorate. Pilot Mill has since been restored after the City of Raleigh threatened condemnation in 1997. When the buildings were restored in the late 1990s, all salvagable materials were used. When these materials were not available they were either custom-made or salvaged from a similar mill in South Carolina. The restoration of the Pilot Mill was part of a larger plan by the City of Raleigh to revitalize an unsafe public housing project and other neighborhoods nearby.
Today the Pilot Mill serves several tenants and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Currently, Raleigh Charter is interested in relocating, possibly to land that currently houses the Dorothea Dix Mental Hospital in downtown Raleigh, when their lease with the Pilot Mill expires.
[edit] Basic Information
Currently Raleigh Charter occupies three levels of the historic Pilot Mill, where they continue to teach highly motivated students in a college preparatory atmosphere. Raleigh Charter is interested in possibly relocating after their lease with the Pilot Mill is up. Raleigh Charter is attended by about 500 students and the average class size is 20. The student to faculty ratio is 10:1. Raleigh Charter is located at 1111 Haynes Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. The Raleigh Charter mascot is the Phoenix. The school newspaper is titled The Flame. School hours are currently from 9:00 AM until 2:40 PM with a traditional six period school day, but students can also choose to take an optional 7th period class starting at 8:10 AM, though only some classes are offered.
[edit] Mission Statement
"To graduate citizens of the world by creating an interconnected learning environment that combines a demanding college-preparatory education with a curriculum that teaches and models citizenship skills. We will involve the students in the many resources of downtown Raleigh - the government, performing arts, social services and the international community. RCHS will be a place of opportunity for highly motivated students and actively involved parents."
[edit] Honors and Awards
In 2005 Raleigh Charter High School was named the ninth best public high school in the nation by Newsweek magazine based on the number of students taking Advanced Placement tests.[1] In 2003, 99 percent of tenth grade students at Raleigh Charter High School met or exceeded the requirements of the North Carolina End-of-Course Tests. For five years Raleigh Charter's students have led the state's high schools in EOC scores. In addition, everyone in the senior class of 2004 was accepted into college.[2]
In the College Board's AP Report for 2005, Raleigh Charter High School had the highest percentage of students scoring a 3 or above on the Environmental Science AP Test for medium-sized schools in the world.[3]
[edit] Athletics
Raleigh Charter High School is the home to the first high school rowing team in the state of North Carolina. They practice on Lake Wheeler in the fall and spring after school. Raleigh Charter also offers other sports including basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, swimming, track and field, cross country, and a non-school sponsored roller hockey team. They notably do not offer a football team or cheerleading squad, but pickup football is common. In 2006, Raleigh Charter was entered in the Mid State 2A/1A conference with other high schools including, Cardinal Gibbons, Cummings, Graham, Northwood, Cedar Ridge, Durham School of the Arts, North Carolina School of Science and Math, and Orange.
In 2005-06 the Raleigh Charter women's swimming team finished state runners-up for the 2A/1A classification.
The mens tennis team at Raleigh Charter has found tremendous success in the past couple of years. The 2005 team finished with an undefeated 14-0 and the 2006 team finished in the top four in the North Carolina state tournament, losing to Mount Airy High School in the semifinals.
The Raleigh Charter women's soccer team, the Lady Phoenix, has done well in recent years. They finished as the state 1A champions in 2006 and were also ranked 6th in the 2A state rankings by coaches from around North Carolina. In 2006 the team was runner-up in the Saint Mary's School Shootout, an invitational tournament.
[edit] Further information
- Raleigh Charter hosts Flex-days and Ex-days multiple times each year for its students. Flex-days are two consecutive Fridays on which all regular classes are canceled. Instead, students participate in activities - many of which take place off campus - relating either to community values or the subjects they are currently studying. Ex-days are a Thursday and Friday on which the length of each class period is doubled. Students attend class periods one, three and five on Thursday, and two, four and six on Friday.
- Beginning in the 2005-2006 school year, students participate in a Citizenship day where they give a full day of work to the community once a semester.
- Though the school has no gymnasium, students use the nearby Halifax Community Center for P.E. classes. Several sports teams including swimming and tennis use Peace College's facilities.
- Raleigh Charter has no cafeteria or vending machines. Students may bring their lunches to school or purchase the food (Sub sandwiches, hot dogs, burritos, pizza or Chick-fil-a) sold every day in varying locations throughout the school. Lunch is eaten either outside on the patio, or in Designated Lunch Areas (DLAs), which are the vast majority of classrooms throughout the school.
- Raleigh Charter does not supply transportation to or from school. They do encourage carpooling and keep a database to make it easier for parents to find one.
- Clubs at Raleigh Charter include: Amnesty International, Classical Society (Latin club), Chess Club, Guitar Club, Key Club, RCCF (Raleigh Charter Christian Fellowship), Spanish, French and German clubs, Melting Pot (in support of diversity), Fencing Club, Math Club, GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance), Brain Game and Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, Art Club, Improv Club, International Thespian Society (Drama Honor Society), Drama club, Student Government, Jewish Cultural club, Social Justice club, Women's Issues club, Teens for Life (Pro-life), Film Club, Gaelic Society, Student Legislative Assembly, Web Design Club, Prom Committee, and many others. Most clubs meet either during lunch once a week or after school. There is also a Pre-calculus Club (which meets daily at lunch), for students interested in taking that class in addition to their current course load.
- Raleigh Charter's Quiz Bowl team, run by Eric Grunden and Betsy Newmark, is known throughout North Carolina and the southeastern United States for its dominating performances in tournaments and has won the North Carolina Academic Team Association (NCATA) championship four years running. In 2006 the team won its first PACE National Scholastic Championship.
