Marvin Ridge High School

Marvin Ridge High School
Location
2825 Crane Road Waxhaw, North Carolina United States
Coordinates	34°58′27″N 80°47′47″W / 34.9743°N 80.7964°W / 34.9743; -80.7964Coordinates: 34°58′27″N 80°47′47″W / 34.9743°N 80.7964°W / 34.9743; -80.7964
Information
Type	Public
Motto	"Passport to the World"
Established	2007
School district	Union County Public Schools
Principal	Tim Conner
Grades	9 to 12
Enrollment	1,200
Color(s)	Orange and Royal Blue
Mascot	Maverick
Nickname	Mavericks
Team name	Marvin Ridge Mavericks
Website	Home Page

Marvin Ridge High School (commonly Marvin, Marvin Ridge, or MRHS) is a public secondary school in Waxhaw, North Carolina, USA serving students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Union County Public School system. The School occupies a two story building with a full auditorium and fully air-conditioned gym. Admission is based primarily on the location of students’ homes and district lines. Marvin Ridge High was No. 1 among the 300-399 cohort size for having a 99.3 percent graduation rate in North Carolina.^[1]

History

The school was founded in 2007^[2])^[3] to reduce overcrowding in the neighboring Weddington high school, transferring about half of the student body to the new school.^[4] The school currently has approximately 1200 students with class sizes that average from about 18 to 31 students.^[3]

The school serves neighborhoods in the Marvin, NC and Waxhaw, NC areas. Three elementary schools, Rea View Elementary, Marvin Elementary, and Sandy Ridge Elementary, feed into the school, as does Marvin Ridge Middle School.

The school's teams are known as the Marvin Ridge Mavericks with school colors orange and blue,

Diversity

The school is ranked a ten out of ten on the “Great Schools” website^[5] However, the diversity rates tend to be less than the state average for every ethnicity with the exception of white/caucasian. There are 84% White students, 10% Black, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian or Pacific Islander, and less than 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native.^[5]

Expenditure

The district in which the school lies subsides the budget, $6,953, which is $1,000 less than the state average. About 65% of the budget is spent for instructional purposes, 9% for student and staff support, 8% for administration, and 18% for other expenditures.^[5]

Academics

Marvin Ridge was named a North Carolina Honor School of Excellence with High Growth in 2009-2010. The school has a college preparatory orientation, offering a variety of Honors and Advanced Placement classes as well the only International Baccalaureate Diploma program in the Union County schools.^[3] The school offers nineteen Advanced Placement courses, five foreign languages (Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Latin). The Distance Learning Program is also offered through the internet through Odyssey-ware.^[6] EOC results for the senior class of 2010 for Marvin Ridge was above district and state averages in every subject. The school actually had a 100% passing rate in Biology, Civics and Economics, U.S. History, and English 101.^[7] The school was named the Honor School of Excellence for 2008–2009 and 2009-2010 by the State Department of Education for having a 91.3% or higher average on EOC tests. Thus far the school has also met all Adequate Yearly Progress goals under the No Child Left Behind guidelines. It has the Highest English II Writing Scores in 2008-2009 in Union County

Extra Curricular Activities

Athletics

Cross Country and Track
Cross Country and Track have earned twelve Union County Championships, twelve Conference Championships, four Regional Championships, and one State Championship.

The girls cross country team has won Conference Championships in 2007 and 2009, been regional runner-up in 2008 and 2009, and finished within in top ten at the NCHSAA State Championship Meet 3 times and even finishing in 3rd place finish in 2009. The boys cross country team has won Union County Championships in 2008 and 2009, Conference Championships in 2008 and 2009, and Regional Championships in 2008 and 2009. On the State level, the boys team finished 3rd at the NCHSAA 3A State Championship meet in 2008 and 4th in 2009.^[8]

In 2010-2011 the Girls Indoor Track finished as the runners-up at the N.C. 1A/2A/3A girls’ track championships by just two points.^[9]

Cheer-leading
In the 2009-2010 school year the Maverick Cheerleaders won the State Championship, and again in the 2011-2012 school year. This program has the most state championships of any other sport in the school, with 2.^[6]

Women's Soccer

The school's Women's Soccer team has won the conference championship four years in a row. They have also been named as the State Championship Runner-ups twice.^[10] In 2010 the team finished their season with a perfect score of 24-0 winning the NCHSSA women’s soccer title. The team only allowed 4 goals all season.^[11] They were only overshadowed by the accomplishments of the men's soccer team who, led by Superstars Matt Risher, Kole Patterson, Cleo Kontulas, Michael Patetta, Kyle Parker, Nick Mills, and Alex Stephenson dominated North Carolina soccer and captured a state championship and several conference titles.

Wachovia Cup

In 2008, the school won the conference Wachovia Cup. In 2009 it won the cup for 3-A schools, but placed fourth in the final standings; it had the same result in 2010. In 2011 it again won the cup for 3-A schools, but placed third in the final standings.^[12]

Clubs

There are over forty active clubs at Marvin Ridge.

Deca

The MRHS Deca chapter is the largest chapter in North Carolina.

Speech and Debate

In 2011 the Marvin Ridge Speech and Debate team kept their title for Dramatic Interpretation Champions for the second year in a row, placing as the second best Speech and Debate team in the state.^[13] In 2010 there were six qualifiers for the National Forensics League^[14]

Marching Band

The MRHS Marching Mavericks have enjoyed great success and have traveled across the country competing in numerous competitions. The band also traveled to Ireland in the Spring of 2012 to perform in the Dublin Saint Patrick's Day Parade.

Theatre

The school's Theatre Arts program s offers experience in acting, directing, playwrighting, technical theatre, and dramaturgy. The school has put on a four or five productions each year^[15]

For the past two years the school has participated in the North Carolina Theatre Conference where theatre groups come from around the state to compete at local colleges. In 2010 Marvin Ridge entered this contest for the first time with “Once Upon a Playground” earning the award for “Excellence in Ensemble”. After competing a second time in 2011 with “The Cave” the Performers came back with a reward for “Excellence in Design and Use of Masks”. The play featured Jack Edward Bermes, who has gone on to other major plays. (http://www.nctc.org/events/hs_festival.php)

The school also has an improvisational group, “Check”. This improvisation troupe entered the Olympics in Rock Hill on March 19, 2011 and won first place.^[15]

Choir

The school's Choir, led by Deborah Lutz, performed at the Carnegie Hall in the spring of 2011.^[16]

Administration

David Dahari, a teacher of chemistry and physics at the school, was named as Union County’s 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year.^[17] On December 18, 2009, Dahari was chosen as the 2010 Southwest Regional Teacher of the Year.^[18]

Ray Fumo is the Head Men’s and Women’s soccer coach. He has had 20 years of coaching experience for men and 13 for women. His overall Men’s head coach record is 288-123-36 and his overall Women’s head coach record is 201-58-18. He has been named Men’s Conference Coach of the Year eight times and women’s nine times, as well as being named Regional coach of the year twice for men, and six times for women. He has also been named as the women’s North Carolina State Coach of the Year once as well ad the Head Women’s Coach of the East/West All Star Game.^[10])

Cameron Starr is the head coach of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He has been named Conference Coach of the Year six times, twice for track and field and four times in cross country. The Charlotte Observer also named him the All-Piedmont Girl's Cross Country coach in 2008-2009.^[8]

References