Wilkes Central High School

Wilkes Central High School
Wilkes Central Eagles
Location
Moravian Falls, North Carolina, USA
Information
Type	Public
Established	1953
Principal	Michelle Shepard
Grades	9–12
Color(s)	Forest Green and Gold
Mascot	Eagle
Yearbook	'The Golden Eagle'
Website	Wilkes Central High School

Wilkes Central High School is a public high school (grades 9-12) located in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. It is a part of the Wilkes County School System. The school's enrollment is typically around 1,000 students. The school's district includes the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro as well as the southern regions of Wilkes County. The current principal is Michelle Shepard. Wilkes Central has the largest enrollment of Wilkes County's five public high schools.

History

Wilkes Central High School was formed in 1953 from a merger of Wilkesboro High School and North Wilkesboro High School. The school's first campus was located on the banks of the Yadkin River in Wilkesboro, the county seat. In 1981 the school moved to a new campus in the community of Moravian Falls, located just south of Wilkesboro in the foothills of the Brushy Mountains. In 1964 Wilkes Central became the first high school in Wilkes County to be racially integrated; that year Wilkes County's all-black high school (called Lincoln Heights) closed and its students began attending Wilkes Central.

Academics

A normal school day consists of four 100-minute blocks with four 25 minute lunch periods in between the third and fourth block.

The school offers career prep classes and college prep classes. It offers Honors mathematics, English, and science courses. Wilkes Central also offers Advanced Placement courses in subjects such as History, Calculus and English. The language department offers courses in Spanish, Latin, and French. Wilkes Central is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, also known as SACS.

Athletics

Wilkes Central's sports mascot is the Eagle. Wilkes Central is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and is classified as a 2A school. The school is a member of the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference, which includes 1A and 2A schools from Wilkes County and neighboring counties in North Carolina. The school's colors are forest green and gold.

State Champions

• 2A Women's Tennis Team State Champions (2002)
• 2A Men's Soccer State Champions (2005)
• Many Individual Men and Women Cross Country and Track and Field State Champions

Recent athletic achievements since 2000 include conference championships in football, men's soccer, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's cross country, women's basketball, men's tennis, women's soccer, and men's swimming.

Notable alumni

• John Swofford, (born 1948), former Athletic Director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; since 1997 the Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), one of the premiere college sports conferences in the nation.
• William Oliver Swofford, (1945–2000), pop singer known as "Oliver", recorded two hit singles in 1969; "Good Morning Starshine" reached #3 on the billboard hit list, while "Jean" reached #2. "Good Morning Starshine" was featured in the Broadway musical Hair, while "Jean" was the theme song for the Oscar-winning film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. He was the older brother of John Swofford.
• Deneen Graham, (born 1964), the first black woman to be crowned Miss North Carolina (in 1983).
• Zach Galifianakis, (born 1969), a popular stand-up comedian and actor who has made frequent appearances on television programs such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the Comedy Central network. He co-stars in the 2009 film The Hangover.
• Larry Stone (born 1970), Executive Producer and Gameday Host, Tennessee Titans Radio Network
• Larry D. Stone (born 1951), Former CEO of Lowe's Companies.

See also

List of high schools in North Carolina

External links

• Official website