Northview High School (Dothan, Alabama)

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Northview High School
Established 1978
School type Public Secondary
Principal Mr. Ron Snell
Location 3209 Reeves Street
Dothan, AL 36303
Phone (334) 794-1410
Enrollment 1,200
Faculty 104
Mascot Cougars
Colors Maroon and Gold
Website www.dothan.k12.al.us/nhs

Northview High School is a public co-educational institution encompassing 9th-12th grades. The high school is located in the southeastern portion of the state of Alabama in Dothan, Alabama and has the 36th largest high school student population in Alabama[1]. The school won two football state titles during the 1980s.

Contents

[edit] History

Dothan, Alabama features a local spring named Poplar Head that made it a popular pioneer settlement starting as far back as the late 1700's. The town was officially incorporated on November 10, 1885[2].

There are two public high schools to serve the current town population of 62,145 people; Northview and the more central Dothan High School. The two schools are academic and athletic rivals.

[edit] Zoning and Racial Makeup

In 2007-2008, the school had a racial balance (about 45% African American, 53% white) that did not reflect that of the city (30% African American, 67.33% white), a statistic that was due to a decades-old desegregation system. After the U.S. Supreme Court restricted school districts’ use of race in determining where students should attend school in June, 2007, a school rezoning plan was launched in Dothan to regroup school districts into geographic clusters. The intended result is to build up community by having students attend schools local to their residence[3].

[edit] School Threats

In 2007, in the wake of the shootings at Virginia Tech., Northview School authorities were alerted to threats against the school that had been published on social networking sites on the Internet that included talk of shootings and bombings. From the subsequent investigation, 4 juveniles were placed in custody and the threat deemed 'credible'. Security procedures at the school have since been heightened[4].

[edit] Athletics

The school colors are maroon and gold, their mascot is a cougar. The school includes football, baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, golf, and volleyball. Most are actively featured in the town newspapers and supported by the community[5].

[edit] Football

Northview is part of a very active football tradition in the community and a strong football rivalry with crosstown Dothan High School. This was highlighted in a commencement speech First Lady Laura Bush gave at nearby Enterprise High School on May 31, 2008, when she mentioned Northview and Dothan as significant victories for Enterprise[6]

In 2002, former University of Alabama head football coach Mike DuBose took over as head football coach at Northview High School. He had previously been named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year for the Crimson Tide before poor seasons and personal controversy caused his firing in 2000. Dothan City school board members voted to hire DuBose, who came in with a wave of publicity and high expectations. However, the Cougars finished with an 0-10 record for the season and DuBose was gone at the end of the year[7].

This was part of a tumultuous period for Northview football, which saw 39 consecutive losses from 2000-2004[8]. The team had won the Alabama State Playoff Championships in both 1981 and 1985, and made it to the playoffs 5 times during the 1990's.

[edit] Notable Alumni

  • Brandon Nall - baseball player (New York Mets)
  • Gabe Gross - baseball player (Tampa Bay Rays)
  • Larry Roberts - former NFL player, won state championships at Northview in 1981
  • Lawrence Dawsey - former NFL player, won state championships at Northview in 1985
  • Jamie Thomas - professional skateboarder and entrepreneur

[edit] Available courses

For a complete listing of courses offered, select the following hyperlink [1]

[edit] Clubs and Organization

Northview High School also offers a wide variety of clubs including, but no limited to:

  • First Priority
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
  • Interact
  • Interclub Council
  • Multicultural Club
  • Key Club
  • Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
  • Choral Officers & Reps
  • Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
  • Art Club
  • DECA
  • FCCLA
  • French Club
  • Future Teachers of America (FTA)
  • Government Club
  • ROTC
  • Spanish Club
  • Drama Club
  • National Honor Society
  • Junior Class
  • Senior Class
  • Chess Club
  • Student Government Association (SGA)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. "DUBOSE LANDS AT NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL", Associated Press, May 1, 2002. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. 
  2. ^ CIty of Dothan. History. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  3. ^ Cook, Jim. "New school zones changing racial makeups", Dothan Eagle, June 9, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. 
  4. ^ Keen, Judy. "Schools deal with threats in wake of Va. Tech", USA Today, 5/3/2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. 
  5. ^ You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  6. ^ Bush, Laura (2008-05-30). Mrs. Bush's Remarks in Enterprise High School Commencement Address (English). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  7. ^ Brasher, Bryan. "Starting again, former Tide coach DuBose vows to fight on.", Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, 19-OCT-02. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. 
  8. ^ ASHFHS.org. Alabama High School Football Historical Society. ASHFHS.org. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.