Myers Park High School
| Myers Park High School | |
|---|---|
|
A World of Difference | |
| Location | |
|
Charlotte, North Carolina United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1951 |
| School district | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools |
| Principal | Mr. Mark Bosco |
| Faculty | 162 |
| Enrollment | 2863[1] |
| Color(s) | Kelly green and white |
| Mascot | Mustang |
| Information | (980) 343-5800 |
| Website |
schools |
Myers Park High School is a secondary school in Charlotte, North Carolina.
History
The school opened its doors in 1951.
Rankings
The Newsweek Magazine has ranked Myers Park in the Top 40 Best High Schools in the United States, for three consecutive years. Most notably, in 2003, Myers Park was ranked the 7th best high school in the country by Newsweek. The Ranking of America's High Schools takes place every year among 1,950 high schools in the United States.[2]
- In 2007 Myers Park was ranked the 27th best high school in the country.
- In 2008 Myers Park was ranked the 33rd best high school in the country.
- In 2009 Myers Park was ranked the 39th best high school in the country.
Campus
Myers Park High School is located at 2400 Colony Road in the Myers Park neighborhood. Two entrances are on Colony Road; a third is on Runnymede Lane. The front circle of the school contains a garden housing a brick wall in the shape of a pentagon. In the middle of the front circle stand two marble statues as a monument to the World Trade Center Towers, dedicated in 2002 by Senator Elizabeth Dole.
The campus is centered around a quadrangle, commonly known as "the quad". The Student Center (SC), Math Building, Social Studies Building, Auditorium, and Language Arts Building (LA) all open onto this large grassy area where seniors are allowed to eat lunch. Due to a littering problem, underclassmen are barred from doing so. Behind the LA building are science and vocation buildings, as well as mobile classrooms. The campus was built in the collegiate mold, with the entire campus revolving around an open quad area. The campus is about 62 acres (250,000 m2) with 13 individual buildings. Unique to high schools in the region, Myers Park has a stand-alone auto-tech building.
Students
The class of 2004 received over $4.2 million in scholarships and the class of 2005 received over $4.9 million. In 2005, 90% of graduating seniors pursued further education after high school. 93% went to a four-year college and 7% went to a community or technical college.
Clubs and activities
The debate team won the State Championship eight out of the last eleven years.
The Myers Park Hoofprint, the student paper, was named a First Place newspaper by the American Scholastic Press Association in 2008. The ASPA also named one of the Hoofprint's front pages a First Place Front Page, one of only six pages in the nation to be so honored.[3]
The yearbook, the Myers Park Mustang, was named a First Place Yearbook by the American Scholastic Press Association in 2009.
The Myers Park Pegasus is the school's literary-art magazine. The 2008–2009 edition of the magazine earned various awards: the highest award ranking from the National Council of Teachers of English, the gold medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the first place award from the American Scholastic Press Association, an award of distinction from the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association and the first place prize from the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association.
Myers Park has a history of success in the world Odyssey of the Mind creativity competition, winning World Championships on multiple occasions.[4]
Athletics
Myers Park has 30 junior varsity and varsity sports for males and females. In 2008 the Men's soccer team completed an undefeated season winning the state title while climbing to number 3 in the country (as ranked by ESPN) and in 2010 the Men's Lacrosse team won the state title by defeating Apex High School 15–11 at the Durham Athletic Park. Myers Park is also home to four club sports, Women's Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Rugby, and Ultimate Frisbee. Myers Park has developed an intense rivalry with nearby school South Mecklenburg this rivalry is biggest in football and basketball, the mustangs were victorious in 2010 with a 31–29 victory in football, while splitting basketball contest at 1–1.
In 2010, The Myers Park Mustangs Varsity Men's Lacrosse won the Inaugural North Carolina 4A State Lacrosse Championship.
In 2008, The Myers Park Mustangs Varsity Soccer team won the North Carolina 4A State Soccer Championship.
In 2008, the Myers Park Mustangs Women's Varsity Tennis team won the North Carolina 4A State Championship.
In 2011, the Myers Park Mustangs Varsity Football team finished 9-5, finishing in the western regional semifinals.
In 2011-2012 the Myers Park Mustangs Girls Basketball team, went 31-1, climbing to first in the Charlotte Observer sweet 16 poll.
Curriculum
The curriculum provides for different levels of instruction: Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and honors courses.
In the news
Allegations of coerced dropouts
During March 2007, allegations were made that Myers Park was coercing low-performing students to drop out in an effort to boost test scores. A Time Magazine article cited claims of students who stated that they were told that they would not be allowed to return to Myers Park.[5]
A subsequent Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools investigation[6] found no evidence that the Myers Park administration attempted to coerce students to drop out, or to falsify data to reduce dropout statistics. A number of students with large numbers of absences were dropped from enrollment on the basis of attendance, which is an incorrect procedure.[7]
Myers Park: the Musical
During the 2011-2012 school year, senior Nicholas de la Canal wrote the two act show Myers Park: the Musical. The show gave a satirical depiction of the school and its staff.[8] Then Vice Principal Dr. Kristin Lanier sent a message to de la Canal the day before auditions were to take place notifying that the show had been barred from being performed on campus. Dr. Lanier only cited general inappropriateness as reason to censor the musical. De la Canal argued the show fell into the definition of an extra-curicular activity, and could only be banned if proven it would cause a physical disruption to school activities.[9] In spring 2013, de la Canal was suspended for attempting to move the production along. Later, then Principal Dr. Thomas Spivey repealed the suspension.
Notable alumni
- Graham Tillett Allison, Jr. (born 1940), American political scientist and professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
- Seth Avett, musician, The Avett Brothers
- Ben Browder, actor, television series Farscape and Stargate SG-1.
- Walter E. Dellinger III (born 1941) Professor of Law at Duke University; head of the appellate practice at O’Melveny & Myers in Washington, D.C.
- Omar Gaither, Carolina Panthers linebacker and special teams player
- Haywoode Workman, former Indiana Pacers guard, current National Basketball Association referee
- Richard Hudson (U.S. politician), United States Representative for North Carolina's 8th congressional district
- Anna Kooiman, News personality (reporter) Fox News
References
- ↑ School Profile – School Level. Ncreportcards.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ↑ Myers Park – Ranking America's High Schools 2011 – The Washington Post. Apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ↑ American Scholastic Press Association. Asan.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ↑ Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Retrieved on 2015-04-08.
- ↑ "Is a Top School Forcing Out Low-Performing Students?". Time.com (2007-03-14). Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ↑ Welcome to My CMS. Extranet.cms.k12.nc.us (1996-11-12). Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ↑
- ↑ Doss, Ann (2011-06-17). "Grad's 'moon' brings lifetime ban | Education". NewsObserver.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
- ↑ "Myers Park: the Musical". Myersparkmusical.yolasite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
External links
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Coordinates: 35°10′21″N 80°49′54″W / 35.172371°N 80.831752°W