Rocky Mount High School
| Rocky Mount High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
1400 Bethlehem Road , 27803 | |
| Coordinates | 35°56′31″N 77°48′29″W / 35.9418213°N 77.8080346°W |
| Information | |
| Established | 1953 (S. Tillery Street) 2012 (Bethlehem Road) |
| School district | Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools |
| CEEB code | 343375 |
| Principal | Leondus Farrow |
| Teaching staff | 76.50 (FTE) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,310 (2013-14) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 17.12 |
| Color(s) | Navy blue and gold |
| Athletics conference | Big East 3-A Athletic |
| Nickname | Gryphons |
| Website | nrms |
| [1][2] | |
Rocky Mount High School is a public high school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Established in September 1953, the school is in Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools.
It is currently a member of the Big East 3-A Athletic Conference.
History
Public education in Rocky Mount began in 1901. High school programs were established in the following years, but did not have their own buildings until 1927 with the construction of Booker T. Washington High School for black students and Rocky Mount High School for white students. Voluntary integration began in 1963 when the first African-American students chose to attend Rocky Mount Senior High School under the Freedom of Choice law. A small black student population was maintained at Rocky Mount until the two schools were merged in 1969. The merger took place in enlarged facilities on the Rocky Mount Senior High campus; the old mascots, the Blackbirds and the Lions, were retired for a new, combined mascot of the Gryphon. The school officially returned to its older Rocky Mount High School name in 2004.[3]
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 1,310 students enrolled in 2013-14 was:
- Male - 48.1%
- Female - 51.9%
- Native American/Alaskan - 0.7%
- Asian/Pacific islanders - 1.4%
- Black - 71.8%
- Hispanic - 4.0 %
- White - 17.3%
- Multiracial - 4.8%
67.7% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.[2]
Campus
In February 2010, the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education and the Nash County Commissioners combined to fund the building of a new campus for Rocky Mount High School.
The 240,000 square foot, $32 million facility has been completed on a near 61-acre (250,000 m2) parcel on the north side of Bethlehem Road - between West Mount Drive and Old Mill Road. The school's address is 1400 Bethlehem Road.
The school officially moved to the new campus on July 10, 2012 and it will open for students in August.
For the first time ever, Rocky Mount High School will field all of its sports programs on-campus - including football, baseball, and track & field.
The school was previously located at 308 S. Tillery Street and was opened in September 1953. Set on just 24 acres (97,000 m2) of land, it was bordered by S. Tillery St. to the east, Hammond St. to the south and Nash St. to the north.
Curriculum
Rocky Mount High School offers the IB Diploma Programme which has been available to students since 1999 and also offers Advanced Placement courses.
Rocky Mount High School integrated technology into its common core curriculum during the 2013-2014 academic school year after implementing the one-to-one initiative. [4]
Extracurricular activities
Student groups and activities include American Field Service, art club, chess club, First Priority, French club, FBLA, international club, guitar club, key club, Model United Nations club, Quiz Bowl, science club, Students Against Destructive Decisions, student council association, and the Rocky Mount High School Band.
Athletics
Rocky Mount High has had several successful athletic teams and has won 13 NCHSAA state championships - the last one in 2015 (football).
This is a list of those titles:
1962 4-A Football. 1963 4-A Boys Basketball, 1963 4-A Baseball, 1963 4-A Football, 1967 4-A Baseball, 1973 4-A Baseball, 1978 4-A Boys Basketball, 1980 4-A Baseball, 1982 4-A Boys Basketball, 2008 3-A Baseball, 2010 3-A Boys Basketball, 2012 3-A Boys Basketball, 2015 3-A Football
The football team played its games at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex from 1988 until 2011.
Notable alumni
- Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems
- Mike Easley, former North Carolina governor [5]
- Phil Ford, UNC basketball All-America, former NBA player, N.C. Sports Hall of Famer
- Terrell Hudgins, NCAA record-setting receiver for Elon University
- Kaye Gibbons, award-winning novelist
- Buck Williams, Maryland basketball All-America, former NBA player, N.C. Sports Hall of Famer
- Jim Clack, NFL Football offensive lineman/won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, N.C. Sports Hall of Famer
- Danny Talbot, NC Sports Hall of Fame
References
- ^ "Rocky Mount High School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- ^ a b "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Rocky Mount High". ed.gov. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ Stephens, Spaine (2002-08-14). "School names get makeovers". Rocky Mount Telegram.
Rocky Mount Senior High will change over to Rocky Mount High School after the graduation of the class of 2004.
- ^ "Rocky Mount High School". International Baccalaureate Organization.
- ^ Bender, Jaime (2003-05-20). "Easley celebrates Nash Central". Rocky Mount Telegram.
Easley, a former Rocky Mount Senior High football player who grew up just outside the city...