Conroe High School

Conroe High School is a secondary school in Conroe, Texas and is the flagship campus of Conroe ISD. The school is a part of the Conroe Independent School District and serves the CISD portion of the city of Conroe, Cut and Shoot, and River Plantation.

The campus was initially built in 1964 to replace the older Davy Crockett High School as Conroe's primary High School. The new campus was then named for the community it serves.

The school absorbs a diverse student body with a slim majority of Hispanics in addition to a sizable portion of whites and African Americans, among other races.^[1]

In 2006, a huge renovation and addition construction project was begun, adding a new wing to the main building, but also another building adjacent to the Rotunda on the western part of campus.

Also found at Conroe High School is the Academy for Science and Health Professions. In this magnet program, Academy students graduate from Conroe High School and Caney Creek High School.

Starting the 2013-14 School Year, Conroe High School's Freshmen Class will attend school at the new Conroe High School 9th Grade Campus (formerly John V. Peet Junior High School prior to occupying the new building on Longmire Rd.)

Demographics

As of the 2011-2012 school year, CHS had 3,109 students enrolled.^[1]

• 50.8% were Hispanic
• 36.1% were White
• 9.6% were African American
• 1.7% were Other
• 1.9% were part of Two or More races

Feeder patterns

The following elementary schools feed into Conroe High School :

• Anderson
• Armstrong
• Giesinger
• Houston
• Patterson
• Rice
• Runyan
• Reaves

Bozman, Cryar and Travis Intermediate Schools feed into Conroe High School, while Peet and Washington Junior High Schools also feed into Conroe High School as well.

Notable alumni

• Mark Altman, Leadership Speaker and Writer
• Andrew Darko, Texas A&M Basketball
• Kyle Bennett, Pro BMX and Olympian
• Jeromy Burnitz, former MLB outfielder for seven different teams^[2]
• Rock Cartwright, NFL running back for the Oakland Raiders
• Andrew Cashner, MLB pitcher for the San Diego Padres^[3]
• Colin Edwards, Motorcross Racer, World Superbike Champion, Current Moto GP Racer
• Wiley Feagin, NFL lineman for the original Baltimore Colts & Washington Redskins
• Roy Harris, Heavyweight boxer
• Will Metcalf (Class of 2002), investment banker and Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Conroe, beginning January 2015

The Cheryl Dee Fergeson case

On August 23, 1980, sixteen-year-old Cheryl Dee Fergeson, a volleyball player from a visiting high school, was raped and strangled in a Conroe High School restroom. After being reported missing, her body was found by two janitors, Clarence Brandley and Henry "Icky" Peace, in the auditorium sound room loft.^[4]

The victim was white, leading to a heated, racially-charged court case due to evidence that the accused, black janitor Clarence Brandley, was convicted and sentenced to death based exclusively on his race. After 9 years on Death Row, Brandley was exonerated and released. Even though there was evidence pointing to two white males, neither has ever been charged.^[5]

In 1991 British investigative journalist Nick Davies published "White Lies" - Rape, Murder, and Justice Texas Style.^[6] his investigation of the case. Clarence Brandley's story is also told in the movie Whitewash: The Clarence Bradley Story (2002)

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2011-12 Academic Excellence Indicator System Campus Reports". Texas Education Agency. Retrieved May 1, 2013. 
2. ↑ "Jeromy Burnitz Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2012. 
3. ↑ "Andrew Cashner Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2012. 
4. ↑ http://www.thejusticeproject.org/reports/clarence-brandleys-story/
5. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19871005&id=39UTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hwYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4798,1689369
6. ↑ Nick Davies (1991). White Lies: Rape, Murder, and Justice Texas Style. Pantheon. ISBN 978-0-679-40167-4. 

External links

• Conroe High School Profile
• Conroe Independent School District
• Conroe Alumni Website