Dobyns Bennett High School

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Location
Dobyns-Bennett High School

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield
Kingsport, Tennessee, United States
Information
School district	Kingsport City Schools
Principal	Earl Lovelace
Enrollment	1822
Type	Public
Mascot	Indian
Color(s)	Maroon and Grey
Established	1918
Homepage	www.k12k.com/db

Dobyns-Bennett High School is a high school (grades 9-12) in Kingsport, Tennessee. As of 2006 it had approximately 1,822 students. The school's principal is Earl Lovelace, a 1963 graduate of Dobyns-Bennett. The school's assistant principals are Jean Heise, Eric Lyons, Julie Peters, Mike Fulkerson, and Chris Hampton, with Athletic Director Cary Daniels^[1] rounding out the administration^[2].

As a part of Kingsport City Schools (the only high school, incidentally), students must be city residents paying city taxes to attend. Students that are not residents of the city may pay a tuition fee to attend. This tuition is considered by many to be of good value as Dobyns-Bennett features a variety of programs for students of all academic levels. The many classes offered cater to many types of students who may want to attend technical schools or universities across the nation.

Although Dobyns-Bennett has been frequently listed as one of America's Top High School, in 2003, Dobyns-Bennett was named a "target school" under the No Child Left Behind due to inadequate scores for economically disadvantaged students on English Gateway tests^[3]. While Dobyns-Bennett spent only one year on the target list, the school's relative strength has declined markedly, with its rank declining from 662nd in 2003, to 883rd in 2005, and all the way to 1191st in 2006^[4]. In particular, after a new administrative shift in 2003, the number of AP tests per student fell by over twelve percent.

Dobyns-Bennett Features the local landmark of the Buck Van Huss Dome. The largest non-industrial facility in Kingsport TN, and surrounding area. It is the Home of the Dobyns-Bennett Men's Basketball Team and the DB Lady Indians. The dome adjoined to Dobyns-Bennett and is used for sporting events, wellness classes, as well as student spirit events.

Local radio station 90.3 FM WCSK is broadcast from the Career and Technical Building at Dobyns-Bennett^[5].

The outside of Dobyns-Bennett High School in early autumn 2007.

1 School Clubs
2 History
3 Famous Alumni
4 Notes
5 External links
6 See also

[edit] School Clubs

The students of Dobyns-Bennett High School can choose from many clubs and organizations, including the following:

Junior Statesmen of America- JSA is a group of politically involved students that are very concerned over the welfare of their great country.

Band-The marching band program allows students the opportunity to take part in the performing arts. During the fall, students perform half-time shows during football games, attend marching band summer camp, marching rehearsals, and marching band competitions. Recognized nationally, the marching band has participated in major events such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Paradeat pen island and the annual parade at the Tournament of Roses Parade. It is estimated that band members comprise more than 25% of the school's population. The Dobyns Bennett High School Band was honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation with the Sudler Flag of Honor in 2004 to recognize its high standards of excellence in its concert activities over several years. On October 28, 2006, the Dobyns-Bennett Marching won the 45th Annual MTSU Contest of Champions marching band competition, naming the band the Tennessee State Champions. This is the first time in the band's history they have achieved this honor.^[6] The band is currently directed by Lafe Cook, who took over from Cuban-immigrant Tyler Fleming.Assistant band directors include Ryan Gilbert, Jason Walsh, and Phil Ledford.

Business Professionals of America- With business and computer skills, members compete at regional, state, and national competition levels. The 2005 E-commerce team placed ninth in the national level. In 2006, the Network Design team placed 4th in the nation. After the last school year the BPA state funds official ran out, so starting the 2007-2008 school schedule the club is now named FBLA(Future Business Leaders of America)

Dramahawks The Dramahawks are Dobyns-Bennett's resident actors and actresses. Members of the club participate in forensics (speech/drama) competitions throughout the year as well as perform two plays annually in the Nancy N. Pridemore Theatre.

Skills USA - Students taking Automotive, Criminal Justice, and Cosmetology classes compete at the Local, State, and National Levels.

Impressions- The students in this club put together a literary magazine to be printed for sale toward the end of each school year. Anyone in the student body may submit a piece; the magazine includes students' art, poetry, and short stories.

AFJROTC- Is the a class were you learn the Basics of Areospace Science and Leadership Education. This year we have AS1 ans AS2. The AS1 are the newer students of this class, and the AS2 are the returning students from last year. We have a Drill team, color guard team and maybe soon we will have a saber team. We have won some competetions this past year and are hoping to win more.

Dobyns-Bennett's Scholar's Bowl team won the 2006-07 state championship.

Other clubs, including but not limited to, are: Art Club, Beta Club, Chess Club, Cosmetology, DECA, Domestic Exchange, Dramahawks, Ebony Club, FCCLA (Early Childhood and Culinary Arts), FCA, Future Farmers of America, French Club, German Club, Graphic Arts Club, Health Occupations Students of America, Impressions, Junior Classical League, Key Club, Latin Club, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, Natural Helpers, Orchestra, Radio Club, Science Olympiad, Scholars Bowl, Skills USA, Spanish Club, Steppers United, Student Council, Teen Council, Libertarian Club, Teenage Republicans, and Young Democrats of America. ^[7]

[edit] History

Dobyns-Bennett High School was first organized as a regular standard high school in 1918-19. Before that date some high school work had been done as advanced work in the elementary schools. The high school was approved by the State Board of Education in 1919 and was accredited by the Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges in 1922.

The first organized high school was housed in a wooden building located where the First Presbyterian Church now stands. The Central High School building was completed in 1918 and was used until 1926 when the high school was moved to new quarters at the present John Sevier Middle School. To honor the first mayor of the city, J. W. Dobyns, and the first Chairman of the Board of Education, W. M. Bennett. The name was changed in 1926 to Dobyns-Bennett High School.

Because Dobyns-Bennett included both junior high school and high school, the building soon proved inadequate, and in 1934. the junior high was moved to Lincoln, and a new Lincoln School was built. In 1946-47 it became evident that Dobyns-Bennett was again being outgrown. Some of the freshmen had classes and home rooms at the junior high. In July, 1947, disaster struck Dobyns-Bennett when the auditorium burned, and the shops and home economics department were destroyed. A new auditorium and a cafeteria below it were completed in December, 1948. Construction also began on additions to the building in the fall of 1948, which were completed a year later. From the late 1920's until desegregation was achieved in 1966, Kingsport's Afro-American students attended Douglas School at the corner of Center Street and East Sevier Avenue. By 1958, D-B was beginning to outgrow its facilities again and, when one looked ahead, there was a need for a still larger, more comprehensive school structure.

In 1965 construction was begun on the new school. It was completed and in use by the fall of 1967. Since that time, both the curriculum and the student body have continued to grow. Highlights of the expansion included the new opening of the vocational wing in 1976, an event which introduced new shop programs to the D-B curricula.

At the same time, the ninth grade was added to the school for the first time in twenty-five years while Kingsport's two junior high schools were converted to middle schools. Presently Dobyns-Bennett serves all the students in the City of Kingsport grades nine through twelve.^[8]