Jay M. Robinson High School

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Jay M. Robinson High School

Established 2001
School type public school
Principal Todd Smith
Location Concord, N.C.
Enrollment 1,600
Athletic Conference ME-CA 7 4A
Colors Maroon, Gray, Gold
Nickname Bulldogs
Rival Schools Central Cabarrus, Northwest Cabarrus
Homepage Official Site

Jay M. Robinson High School, often referred to as Robinson or JRob by students, is a comprehensive public high school located in Concord, North Carolina. It is the fifth high school of the Cabarrus County Schools system, opening its doors in August of 2001. With an enrollment of approximately 1,800 students in grades 9-12 (built for 1400), it is the largest high school in Cabarrus County. The school's enrollment dropped in the fall of 2007 with the opening of Hickory Ridge High School in nearby Harrisburg.

The school was constructed under the name Southwest Cabarrus High School, but was renamed in 2001 after the death of Dr. Jay Robinson, Chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education and former Cabarrus County Schools administrator.

Contents

[edit] Campus and Facilities

The main entrance to Robinson High School
The main entrance to Robinson High School

Robinson sits in the southwest sector of Cabarrus County, one mile (1.6 km) northeast of Lowe's Motor Speedway. Designed by Yates-Chreitzberg-Hughes Architects, The single-floor school is constructed around two central courtyards that can only be accessed from the interior of the school. At over 270,000 square feet (25,000 m²), it is the largest school building in the county and one of the largest Public buildings in the county. Robinson is locally characteristic for its distinctive architecture, 20-foot (6 m) wide hallways, and massive commons areas near the front of the school.

David S. Wright Auditorium, named for Robinson's first principal, hosts numerous functions throughout the year including concerts by high school and college groups and assemblies for community groups such as churches. Due to its large size, the school system often uses it for meetings for large numbers of staff members.

Athletic facilities located on the campus include Bulldog Stadium (football, soccer, and athletics), a large gymnasium (basketball, volleyball, wrestling) and adjoining practice gymnasium, and a baseball/softball complex.

[edit] Academics

A photograph of the Jay M. Robinson High School campus from the Southeast.
A photograph of the Jay M. Robinson High School campus from the Southeast.

Robinson offers a full range of classes in all subjects required under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Advanced Placement courses are offered in U.S. History, European History, American Government, Calculus BC, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Music Theory, Studio Art, English Grammar and Compsition, and English Literature. In 2006 Robinson added an on-campus AFJROTC program. The school also hosts broadcasting classes, with a 6-minute show airing each day. The Marching Band, known as the "Pride of Robinson", is one of the most successful marching bands in the state of North Carolina, winning over 30 awards in 2006.

Robinson was recognized by DPI as a "School of Distinction" under the state's ABC standards for public education for the 2005-06 school year.

Its high school newspaper is the Paw Print, which is a member of the High School National Ad Network.

[edit] Academic Clubs

Robinson offers a wide range of academics-related extracurricular activities, with clubs for nearly every academic department. The Beta Club serves as the school's honors society. In academic competition, Robinson's quiz bowl team has consistently been among North Carolina's top teams in the past several years and participated in the PACE National Scholastics Championship in June of 2007 at the University of Michigan. The school also hosts a small number of other extracurricular clubs such as the Film Society (Film Critics), Advanced Gaming (Video Games), French Club, Chess Club, and the Thespian Society (Theatre). The Junior Engineering Technological Society (JETS) has attained its highest membership in four years. At a recent competition hosted at UNC Charlotte, the JETS teams placed second overall.

[edit] Athletics

Robinson's athletic teams are known as the "Bulldogs". The school is a member of the 4A division of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and competes in the ME-CA 7 Conference (ME-CA stands for "Mecklenburg" and "Cabarrus", the two counties represented in the league. The school sponsors interscholastic football, cross country (boys and girls), volleyball, basketball (boys and girls), wrestling, swimming (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls), track and field (boys and girls), golf, baseball, and softball. The wrestling team is the best sport Robinson has they currently have won the MECA confrence the last two years.

Robinson has several local rivals, but the two largest are with Northwest Cabarrus and Central Cabarrus, the two schools that contributed a vast majority of the students when Robinson opened.

In 2007 Robinson won its first state championship, when senior Jake Wainwright finished first in the high jump at the NCHSAA 4A Track and Field championships.

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] Principals

  • David Wright (2000-2003)
  • Jane Rollins (2003-2005)
  • Todd Smith (2005-present)
  • Beverly Mack (effective July 1, 2008)

[edit] Partial List of Assistant Principals

  • Kim Morgado (2000-2002, 2003-2005)
  • Julia Smith (2000)
  • Gerry Knorr (2001-2003)
  • Doug Doby (2002-2003)
  • Bill Kinsey (2002-2003)
  • Ken Cartrett (2003)
  • Ron Violette (2003)
  • Tony Paroli (2003-2005)
  • Brian Hamilton (2004-2007)
  • Gloria Hawks (2004-2006)
  • John Lentz (2005)
  • Michael Collins (2005-2007)
  • Beverly Mack (2005-2008)
  • Kevin Blackburn (2006-present)
  • Brad Hinson (2007-present)
  • Stacey Douglas (2007-present)
  • Julia Erdie (2007-2008)

[edit] External links