West Charlotte High School

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West Charlotte High School
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
2219 Senior Drive

Charlotte
,
North Carolina
28216

United States
Coordinates35°15′58″N 80°51′34″W / 35.266006°N 80.8593223°W / 35.266006; -80.8593223Coordinates: 35°15′58″N 80°51′34″W / 35.266006°N 80.8593223°W / 35.266006; -80.8593223
Information
TypePublic
Established1938 (83 years ago) (1938)
School districtCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
CEEB code340700
PrincipalDonevin Hoskins
Teaching staff129
Grades9–12
Number of students1,330 (2018–19)[1]
Color(s)Maroon and gold
  
NicknameMighty Lions
Websiteschools.cms.k12.nc.us/westcharlotteHS/Pages/Default.aspx

West Charlotte High School (also called Dub-C or WC) is a comprehensive high school in west Charlotte, near Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is state-funded.

History[]

West Charlotte High School was founded in 1938 and had a sprawling campus soon after. During the next three decades, the school became the pride of the community, and students won statewide competitions, with a strong connection between students and parents.

Beginning in the late 1960s, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ruled that cities had to desegregate their schools through busing, which created riots at many schools in the district, including at West Charlotte, as students from West Mecklenburg, Harding, Garinger, North Mecklenburg and Myers Park were bused to the school, starting in the fall of 1970. Over time, though, the school became nationally recognized as a model for student integration, with students and teachers coming from as far as Boston to view the success of the school. For the next 20 years, West Charlotte remained integrated until a series of court decisions stated that integration in Charlotte was a success and that busing was no longer needed.[2]

IB Diploma Programme[]

Since April 2005, West Charlotte has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the IB Diploma Programme.[citation needed]

The IB Diploma Programme is an academically challenging and balanced program of education with final examinations that prepares students, ages 16 to 19, for higher education and life beyond. The program is taught over two years and has gained recognition from universities worldwide.[3]

IB Diploma Programme students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students select one subject from each of the following groups:

  • Group 1: Language A1
  • Group 2: Second Language
  • Group 3: Individuals and societies
  • Group 4: Experimental sciences
  • Group 5: Mathematics and computer science
  • Group 6: The arts

Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE)[]

In 1989, a West Charlotte student named Alex Orange was killed while trying to break up a fight at a party. His grieving classmates gathered and vowed to organize against violence in Alex's memory. The group formed Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), with the vision that all students would be able to attend a school that is safe, secure, free of fear, and conducive to learning. Their signature color is orange, a reflection of Alex's surname.

SAVE members participated in local non-violence marches and the . During the school year, they visit elementary and junior high school, as well as television and radio shows, to perform skits showing how to act out non-violent solutions to problems.

Due to SAVE's efforts, there was a decrease in the number of violent incidents, weapons found in the school and the expulsion rate of students. This sparked an increase of chapters being started at other local high schools.

In 1992, SAVE received the 875th Daily Point of Light award by President George H.W. Bush. The award honors individuals and volunteer groups that have made a commitment to connect Americans through service to help meet critical needs in their communities.[4]

Over almost 30 years, SAVE has grown from one chapter in Charlotte, North Carolina, to over 1,800 SAVE chapters with more than 200,000 members across the U.S. Today, SAVE serves youth in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and community youth-serving organizations in 46 states and several other countries. SAVE is coordinated by a North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere, and it is still led by students, for students.[5]

Performance[]

Due to low scores on standardized testing, it was feared the school would be closed. During the 2006–2007 school year, WC had the third worst performance in Mecklenburg County—surpassed only by Harding and Independence. The school has remained open, in part because of the response of its active alumni.[6]

In 2007, pastors in the Charlotte area, officials at Johnson C. Smith University, and city council member and future Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx formed the West Charlotte Mentoring Coalition, a collaborative effort to eliminate the 50% drop-out rate by providing mentoring and tutoring support for ninth graders at West Charlotte High School.

The group placed each of the 550 incoming freshmen with a mentor. West Charlotte principal Shelton Jeffries said the graduation rate at his school is a serious concern. He believes the work of the coalition will be powerful in reversing those trends by positively influencing the lives of young people.[7]

Extracurricular activities[]

West Charlotte offers many extracurricular activities to encourage students' involvement in the school's community outside of the normal classroom setting. Those activities include:

Arts[]

  • Band
  • Chorus
  • Dance
  • Drawing/Painting
  • Photography

Sports[]

  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Cheerleading
  • Football
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Volleyball
  • Wrestling

Athletics[]

West Charlotte is known throughout the Charlotte area for its athletic programs. The marching band is one of the best known extracurricular activities at West Charlotte. They have performed at a bowl game every year since 2004, when they debuted at the Sugar Bowl. WC's stadium is called Jack Martin Stadium.

West Charlotte's main rivals are Independence High School and Harding University High School.

State 4-A Championships[]

  • Men's Basketball 1966,1986, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2011
  • Football 1954, 1995
  • Men's Track 1995, 1999, 2003
  • Men's Indoor Track 1999
  • Volleyball 1997, 2000
  • Women's Basketball 2009

Notable alumni[]

References[]

  1. ^ "West Charlotte High" (PDF). Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  2. ^ Rab, Lisa (September 2014). "The Fall of the Lions". Charlotte Magazine. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  3. ^ "The IBDP – Info from". www.ibo.org. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  4. ^ "Points of Light history – Info from". www.pointsoflight.org. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  5. ^ "SAVE history – Info from". www.nationalsave.org. 2004-06-28. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  6. ^ West Charlotte High School – Info from www.charlotte.com
  7. ^ "West Charlotte Mentoring Coalition – Info from". www.thecharlottepost.com. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  8. ^ About - Kelly Alexander. votekellyalexander.com. Retrieved Dec 22, 2019.
  9. ^ A 20-year look back in time: 1998 4A Football. carolinapreps.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Isaiah Blackmon - Men's Basketball - Saint Francis University. Retrieved Aug 25, 2020
  11. ^ From Boxer to Businessman. Inside UNC Charlotte. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  12. ^ Price-Patterson, C. (2014). Charlotte public health nursing pioneer tells her story. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  13. ^ "The Official Website of the Chicago Bears". Chicagobears.com. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  14. ^ The Houston Brothers: An Interview with Matt and Justin Faircloth. creampuffrecords.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  15. ^ Morrill, Jim. (May 3, 2020). Floods, hurricanes and now a pandemic: Meet Mike Sprayberry, leader in the eye of N.C. storms. Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Saker, A. (2019). "Steering Procter & Gamble through a time of change". Duke Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. ^ Morrill, J. (2019). Ex-prosecutor Anne Tompkins flips sides in defending man at center of NC bribery case. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
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