Alan C. Pope High School

Alan C. Pope High School
Location
3001 Hembree Rd. Marietta, Georgia,, United States
Coordinates	34°01′26″N 84°27′09″W
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1987
Principal	Richard Beaulieu
Faculty	131 teachers
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,885
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Carolina blue, navy blue, and white
Mascot	Greyhound
Newspaper	'The Greyhound Tracks'
Yearbook	'Panache'
Website	www.popehigh.com

Alan C. Pope High School is a public high school located north of Atlanta in East Cobb, Georgia, within unincorporated Cobb County. The school was founded in 1987 and serves approximately 1,888 students in grades 9-12. The school mascot is the greyhound, and the school colors are Carolina blue, navy blue, and gray.

History

Alan C. Pope was an honor student and athlete in the Cobb County school system who later returned to nearby Sprayberry High School as a coach and teacher himself. He was killed along with his wife and infant son in an automobile accident on November 30, 1975. Twelve years later, the school board named its newest high school in his honor. [1]

The school has seen much growth over the years, including the addition of baseball and softball fields, an additional student parking lot, a dedicated marching band practice field, a greenhouse, and several additions to the main school building itself. In latest year the school grounds have gone through a paint job, and minor construction which lead to the creation of the schools culinary wing of the building.

Flooding

In 2009 Pope High school was affected by the 2009 Atlanta floods. Students and teachers were unable to leave due to the mud and quickly rising waters. Fortunately, the students were able to leave on time. There were no major injuries, and students returned to school within two days. The damage was downplayed. The creek water rose 2 feet above the main entrance and in areas through the parking lot and collapsed the left side road looking out of pope. Only a few areas inside the building had water damage.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Pope's athletic teams are known as the Greyhounds (or Lady Greyhounds in the case of female teams). Their athletic rivals include Walton and Lassiter high schools. Pope is home of the 8-time Girl's Slow-pitch softball State Champions in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, 4-time AAAAA Girls Soccer Champions in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 seasons, state AAAA Girls Basketball Champions, 2000 state AAAA Cross Country Champions, 2000 boys state swimming champions, and the 2009 state AAAAA baseball champions. In 2009 Pope's Volleyball team won the state AAAAA championship, and in 2010 the volleyball team won the AAAA Championship (Pope was re-classed into 4A in 2010 due to enrollment numbers). Former baseball standout, Brandon Boggs currently plays for the Texas Rangers. Former Pope basketball standout, Marc Reece, was featured on BET's Hit Reality Tevlevision Series College Hill. Former Pope quarterback, T.J Yates played football at North Carolina where he set numerous passing records. Yates was drafted in the fifth round (pick 152) of the 2011 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. He is currently the starter as Matt Leinart and Matt Schaub are injured.

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cheerleading/Spirit and Competition
• Cross country
• Fast-pitch softball
• Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Hockey/Ice and Roller
• Lacrosse
• Rugby - a club sport not recognized by GHSA
• Slow-pitch and Fast-pitch softball
• Soccer
• Swimming (sport) and Diving
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Music

Pope's Choral Department supports three different choirs that frequently merge on various occasions. The choirs consist of the Regular Mixed (Camerata), Intermediate Woman (Bel Canto) and Advanced mixed choir (Chamber) They regularly sing in locations around Atlanta. In 2001, the Pope Chorus performed at Carnegie Hall.

The Pope Orchestra consists of intermediate and advanced ensembles led by Mr. Eric Gray. Members are encouraged to participate in local community ensembles and state-wide competitions.

Pope's Band consists of several different award winning symphonic bands, as well as a marching band that has competed in such notorious competitions like Bands of America. The band program has been under the direction of Mr. Gary Gribble since the school was formed in 1987. Assistant band director is former Pope Alumnus Josh Rudolph.

Drama

The Pope Drama Department is divided into five distinct areas: Drama I, Drama II, Musical Theater, Play Production, and Drama Club.

In Drama I, students learn basic acting and technical skills. Drama II students learn advanced skills and techniques. In Spring semester of 2006, the class put on Chicago: A Musical Revue. Musical Theater class is for those who love to sing, act, and dance; often at the same time. This class is offered only in the Spring semester. Most recently, Musical Theater put on the 1975 Broadway musical, A Chorus Line.

Play Production is the most advanced theatrical class offered at Pope High School. They've competed in One-Act Competitions, earning second place in the 2003 and 2004 competitions. The class puts on at least two productions throughout the year. Most recently, the Play Production class did Dracula: A Comedy. In Spring 2007, Play Production put up the classic comedy Harvey.

After both productions had been completed in Spring 07, students were seen putting up independent shows, such as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and the black-box theater comedy The Foreigner.

It has been said that the auditorium at Pope High School is haunted by a spirit of an old pizza delivery boy.

Clubs and organizations

A comprehensive list of clubs and organizations [2] is too numerous to list here, but some of the more recognizable organizations include:

• Academic Bowl Team
• Ambassadors, Juniors and Seniors who guide Freshman through their first year of high school.
• Arrive Alive, which promotes awareness of the risks of drunk driving
• Beta Club, an honor society for juniors and seniors
• Book Club, for students who want to enrich their literary experience
• Chess Club
• Young Republicans, for students who wish to be active participants in the democratic process.
• Speech and Debate Team, a highly successful academic club that regularly places highly in tournaments across the state and even at national levels.
• Fencing Club
• Young Democrats, for students who wish to be more active in the local democratic scene.
• Drama Club, for students interested in drama and theatre production. Drama Club is responsible for putting up shows for students who are not in a Drama class to participate in.
• Foreign Languages of Pope (FLOP) Combines all the various languages taught at the school into one 'super club'
• Math Team and Mu Alpha Theta, which promote interest and participation in math-related games and activities
• Future Business Leaders of America
• Habitat for Humanity
• Interact
• Philosophy Club
• Model UN
• National Honor Society
• French Honor Society
• Spanish Honor Society
• Student Government Association, a.k.a. Greyhound Connection
• Odyssey of the Mind The Pope Odyssey of the Mind Team has been to World finals every year since its inception in 2001. They have won 6 State Titles including a recent victory in the Ancient Egypt problem. [3]
• Greyhound Rugby Football Club Won the 2006 Georgia High School Rugby State Championship, came 5th in the 2006 South High School Championships, and placed 4th in state in the 2008 season. The 8-pack consisting of super powered front row, Drew Rollins, Britt Bowen, and Sleepy was one of the most notable 8 packs of the south. website
• Just Friends, for students who want to help with Special Education and Special Olympics

Feeder schools

All or some students from the following schools eventually find their way to Pope High School due to local district boundaries.

• Dodgen Middle School
• Hightower Trail Middle School
• Mountain View Elementary School
• Murdock Elementary School
• Shallowford Falls Elementary School
• Timber Ridge Elementary School
• Tritt Elementary School

External links

• Home Page