Orange High School (North Carolina)

Orange High School
Orange High School in March 2017
Address
500 Orange High School Road Hillsborough , North Carolina United States
Information
Type	Public
Established	1963
School district	Orange Public Schools
Superintendent	Todd Wirt
Principal	Eric Yarbrough
Enrollment	1300
Color(s)	Orange   and Black
Song	Washington and Lee Swing, performed by the OHS panther regiment marching band
Mascot	Panther
Nickname	Orange Panther
Website	http://www.orangecountyfirst.com/ohs/

Orange High School is a high school in the northern area of Orange County, North Carolina.

Students and faculty

Founded in 1963, Orange High School educates 1274 students from the area around Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Orange High is one of two high schools in the Orange County Schools, the other being Cedar Ridge High School. Like most high schools, Orange High serves grades 9 through 12 offering academic, co-curricular, career and technical, and extracurricular opportunities. The student-teacher ratio is 3333333:3:0

The faculty for the North Carolina school includes 75 licensed classroom teachers, four school counselors, one career development coordinator, one media specialist, one instructional technology resource teacher, two associate principals, one principal, one AIG Resource Teacher, one social worker, one school psychologist, and one school nurse. Nine of the teachers National Board Certified Teachers, and 32 (over 50 percent) hold master degrees.

In Spring of 2007, it was announced that Jeff Dishmon would not be returning as principal of Orange High for the 2007-2008 school year, where he would be moved to a Central Office position. Roy Winslow became principal, until January 2010 when it was announced that he would be moving to a school in Granville County. Stephen Scroggs, a former Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Assistant Superintendent, was assigned the position of interim principal until a new principal was found. One of the assistant principals, Armond Hankins, was selected for the position, effective July 1, 2010. Hankins was demoted in 2012, and former Gravelly Hill Middle School principal Jason Johnson replaced him.

Athletics

The Cross Country team has made it to state championships with both girls and boys for six consecutive years, starting in 2006. In 2011, the Cross Country team also got fourth in the 3A state championships for boys and sixth for girls. In 2012, Orange's men's team placed 7th in the state at the 3A state championships, and also sent 2 girls individually; Indy Reid-Shaw and Devon Allen. The unofficial (due to it not being a school-endorsed event) 5k record for the school was set in 1997, with Bradsher Wilkins running a 15:19, winning the Foot Locker South Regional. The official school record is held by Will Henderson, who ran a 16:24 at the 2012 adidas Cross Country Challenge, placing 33rd.

The Men's Tennis Team in 2006 got to the 2A State Dual team playoffs and made it to the second round. This was further than ever before in Panthers history.

In 2005 the wrestling team won the 3A state title. Orange pulled off back to back state championships in winning both the Dual Meet and Individual titles in 2008 as well as in 2009. In 2008, senior, Nick Walters, won the state 145 weight division state championship. Coach Bobby Shriner earned his 400th career win as Orange defeated Newton-Conover in the final round of the 2009 state duals. Orange had three individual state champions in 2009. Chris Johnson, James Norman and Remington Jarrett earned state titles at the 125, 130 and 145 pound respective weight classes. In 2010, seniors Chris Intehar (189) and Chris Johnson(130) won the individual state championships for their weight classes. In 2012, senior Zachary Rimmer won the individual championship for the 152 weight class. In 2011 and 2012 the team won the duel-team state championships consecutively (something their mothers are very proud of).

The baseball team finished the 2008 season as 2A state champions with a record of 27-3.

The school's athletic director is Earnie Price, former C.W. Stanford middle school athletic director.

2006 school shooting

On August 30, 2006, former student 18-year-old Alvaro Rafael Castillo murdered his father, Rafael Castillo, and then drove the family minivan to Orange High School, where he set off a cherry bomb and then opened fire. When his gun jammed he was apprehended by a deputy sheriff (Officer London Ivy) assigned to the school and a retired highway patrol officer who taught driver's education. Two students were injured in the attack but none were killed.

Later that day it was discovered that Castillo had killed his father to "put him out of his misery." He also made the statement "Columbine, remember Columbine," while entering a patrol car., referring to the attack at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999. He sent a written letter and videotape to the Chapel Hill News prior to the shooting, that made reference to school shootings. He also sent an e-mail to the principal of Columbine High School saying "Dear Principal, In a few hours you will probably hear about a school shooting in North Carolina. I am responsible for it. I remember Columbine. It is time the world remembered it. I am sorry. Goodbye.”

Castillo entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Psychologist James Hilkey testified that Castillo suffered from schizotypal and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, as well as major depressive disorder and was not in touch with reality at the time of the shooting. On August 21, 2009, Alvaro Castillo was found guilty in Orange County Superior Court following a trial that lasted three weeks. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.