West Charlotte High School (also called Dub-C or WC) is a comprehensive high school in west Charlotte, near Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte, North Carolina The school is state funded.
| West Charlotte High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 2219 Senior Drive Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1938 |
| School district | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools |
| Principal | Mr. Shelton Jefferies |
| Teaching staff | 129 |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Number of students | 1780 |
| School Color(s) | Maroon and Gold |
| Mascot | Lions |
| Information | (980) 343-6060 |
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The marching band is one of the best known extracurricular activities at West Charlotte. They have performed at a bowl game every year since 2004, when they debuted at the Sugar Bowl.
Since April 2005, West Charlotte has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the IB Diploma Programme.[1]
The IB Diploma Programme is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, aged 16 to 19, for higher education and life beyond. The programme is taught over two years and has gained recognition from universities world-wide.[2]
IB Diploma Programme students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students select one subject from each of the following groups:
In 1989, a West Charlotte student named Alex Orange was killed while trying to break up a fight at a party. His grieving classmates gathered and vowed to organize against violence in Alex's memory. The group formed Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), with the vision that all students will be able to attend a school that is safe, secure, free of fear, and conducive to learning. Their signature color is orange, a reflection of Alex's surname.
SAVE members participated in local non-violence marches and the Carolina Carrousel Parade. During the school year, they would visit elementary and junior high schools, as well as, television and radio shows to perform skits showing how to act out non-violence solutions to problems.
Due to SAVE’s efforts, there was a decrease in the number of violent incidents, weapons found in the school and the excursion rate of students. This sparked an increase of chapters being started at other local high schools.
In 1992, SAVE received the 875th Daily Point of Light award by President George H.W. Bush. The award honors individuals and volunteer groups that have made a commitment to connect Americans through service to help meet critical needs in their communities.[3]
Over the past 20 years, SAVE has grown from one chapter in Charlotte, North Carolina, to over 1,800 SAVE chapters with more than 200,000 members across the U.S. Today, SAVE serves youth in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and community youth-serving organizations in 46 states and several foreign countries. SAVE is coordinated by a North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere, but it is still led by students, for students.[4]
Due to low test scores on standardized testing, it was feared the school would be closed. During the 2006-2007 school year, WC had the third worst performance in the Mecklenburg county—surpassed only by Harding and Independence. The school has remained open, in part because of the response of its active alumni.[5]
In 2007, Local pastors in the Charlotte area, officials at Johnson C. Smith University, and city council member and future Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx formed the West Charlotte Mentoring Coalition, a collaborative effort to eliminate the 50 percent drop-out rate by providing mentoring and tutoring support for ninth graders at West Charlotte High School.
The group placed each of the 550 incoming freshman with a mentor. West Charlotte principal Shelton Jeffries said the graduation rate at his school is a serious concern. He believes the work of the coalition will be powerful in reversing those trends by positively influencing the lives of young people. [6]
West Charlotte offers many extracurricular activities to encourage students involvement in the school’s community outside of the normal classroom setting. Those activities include:
Arts
Languages
Sports
Other Special Interests Programs
West Charlotte is known throughout the Charlotte area for its athletic programs. The marching band is one of the best known extracurricular activities at West Charlotte. They have performed at a bowl game every year since 2004, when they debuted at the Sugar Bowl. WC's stadium is called Jack Martin Stadium.
West Charlotte's main rivals are Independence High School and Harding University High School.
State 4-A Championships
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