Myers Park High School

Myers Park High School

MPHS logo
A World of Difference
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina
United States
Information
Type Public
Established 1951
School district Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Principal Mark Bosco
Faculty 162
Enrollment 2863[1]
Color(s) Kelly green, gray, black and white
Mascot Mustang
Information (980) 343-5800
Website schools.cms.k12.nc.us/myersparkHS/

Myers Park High School is a High 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]

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.

In the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years, the Myers Park Mustangs Girls Varsity Basketball team went on to win the NCHSAA State Championship

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 2011–12 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 extracurricular 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.

Other

Myers Park tradition dictates that the first Friday in May is "Jorts Day," with students wearing cut-off jean shorts. This tradition was created by the class or 2009 lead by Yates Marr.

The Mustang Roundup and Stampede are both annual club registration events that occur on campus for rising and currently enrolled students, respectively.

The Myers Park Band Program has earned consistent superior ratings for its Marching Band and Wind Ensemble. The Marching Mustangs are remembered for their many Grand Champion placements and exciting halftime shows. The Band room is well known for its musical timeline mural on the back wall of the band room. The mural features a picture of composer Ludwig Beethoven, who some students say looks a lot like former Band Director Duke Johns.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ School Profile – School Level. Ncreportcards.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
  2. ↑ Myers Park – Ranking America's High Schools 2011 – The Washington Post. Apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
  3. ↑ American Scholastic Press Association. Asan.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
  4. ↑ Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Retrieved on 2015-04-08.
  5. ↑ "Is a Top School Forcing Out Low-Performing Students?". Time.com (2007-03-14). Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
  6. ↑ Welcome to My CMS. Extranet.cms.k12.nc.us (1996-11-12). Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Doss, Ann (2011-06-17). "Grad's 'moon' brings lifetime ban | Education". NewsObserver.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  9. ↑ "Myers Park: the Musical". Myersparkmusical.yolasite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.

External links

Coordinates: 35°10′21″N 80°49′54″W / 35.172371°N 80.831752°W / 35.172371; -80.831752

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