Asheville High School
Encyclopedia
Asheville High School in Asheville
, North Carolina
, United States
, is one of two secondary schools in the Asheville City Schools
system. It is located at 419 McDowell Street, in a building designed by Douglas Ellington
. Construction of the original building was begun in 1927 and completed in 1929. A modern addition was built in 1970, and in 2006 a new cafeteria was finished. There is also a school located in the basement of Asheville High School, called the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA).
The population of Asheville continued to grow in the late 1920s. By 1926 the school board agreed that “a large, central high school plant” was needed. A committee formed to locate a suitable location reported that it found “only one site within the City of sufficient size, and of reasonable price … this tract of land lies between Victoria Road and the new McDowell Street.” Out of seven architects submitting proposals for the new high school, Douglas D. Ellington
was selected by majority vote. In addition Dr. Nickolaus Louis Englehardt of Columbia University
was hired as an advisor to the architect. Dr. Englehardt had worked a great deal in school planning and design on a national level. Ellington and Englehardt's collaboration made the new Asheville High a model facility in terms of architecture and educational offerings. The former Asheville High School was renamed David Millard Junior High School and, together with Hall Fletcher, served as the city’s junior high schools for a time.
Asheville High School opened on February 5, 1929, with a dedication ceremony in the auditorium including as speakers the Mayor of Asheville, the superintendent of Asheville City Schools, Douglas Ellington
, Lee H. Edwards, the president of the PTA, the Headmaster of the Asheville School
and the president of Duke University
. When first opened, Asheville High had a wide variety of vocational programs including automotive mechanics, full print shops (all yearbooks, newspapers, and magazines were printed on-campus), mechanical drawing, and photography, including a darkroom.
When the stock market crashed in September 1929, it took Asheville by surprise. This forced the programming for the schools, and indeed the city’s economic well-being, to hit rock bottom. For a time, Asheville High was closed, and students were removed to David Millard and Hall Fletcher. All extras were cut for a time, including much of the school's technical curriculum. In 1935 the school was renamed Lee H. Edwards High School in honor of Principal Edwards, who died unexpectedly that year.
In 1949, another vocational facility (known today as the ROTC building) was created across from the original shop wing. This facility was built by students in the vocational program, as a real-world example of construction. In 1968, another larger vocational building was built. In the early 1970s, a media center addition was added to the main building. In 1973, a new gym and athletic facility was attached to the old vocational building. In the early 1990s, a cultural arts building was built. Finally, in 2006, a new cafeteria was added to the campus.
On October 5, 2008, then Senator Barack Obama
visited Asheville High School in his race for the White House. Over 25,000 people showed up at the Football Stadium to see Obama deliver his rally speech.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is one of two secondary schools in the Asheville City Schools
Asheville City Schools
Asheville City Schools is the name of the government body which oversees all public schools in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1887, the current superintendent is Allen Johnson.Schools:*Asheville High School...
system. It is located at 419 McDowell Street, in a building designed by Douglas Ellington
Douglas Ellington
Douglas D. Ellington was an American architect who is noted for his work in the Art Deco style.Ellington studied architecture at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Ellington was the first American to win the Rougevin prize...
. Construction of the original building was begun in 1927 and completed in 1929. A modern addition was built in 1970, and in 2006 a new cafeteria was finished. There is also a school located in the basement of Asheville High School, called the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA).
History
The railroad reached Asheville in 1881, and between the 1880 and 1890 censuses the population of the City grew from 2,000 to 10,000. In response to this population influx the City began a Public School System in 1888. The System originally consisted of a high school and three elementary schools. The elementary schools were Orange Street School (site currently occupied by NC DOT offices), Queen Carson Elementary School (corner of Haywood Street and Park Avenue, currently occupied by the City bus garage) and Montford Avenue School, in the old Asheville Military Academy, which structure was replaced by the current William Randolph Elementary in the early 1950s. The high school was located at the corner of Broadway and Woodfin Street, in what had been the private home of Nicholas Woodfin. After use for educational purposes ceased about 1923 this structure was the downtown YMCA until a new structure was built further east on Woodfin about 1970, and the old building torn down. The former high school campus is currently occupied by a bank. The City of Asheville built two structures in the early 1920s, Hall Fletcher in West Asheville and David Millard, on Oak Street, adjacent to First Baptist Church, which, together, were known as Asheville High School. The David Millard Campus occupied a portion of the grounds of a former girl's school, with the balance of the former school grounds covered by the Church. Athletic teams and extracurricular clubs were drawn from both campuses. The former site of David Millard is currently covered by One Oak Plaza and the extension of Charlotte Street, and the West Asheville campus is currently occupied by a new Hall Fletcher Elementary School. The current University of North Carolina - Asheville began in 1927 as a two-year college, known as Asheville-Biltmore College, using classrooms on the ground floor of David Millard.The population of Asheville continued to grow in the late 1920s. By 1926 the school board agreed that “a large, central high school plant” was needed. A committee formed to locate a suitable location reported that it found “only one site within the City of sufficient size, and of reasonable price … this tract of land lies between Victoria Road and the new McDowell Street.” Out of seven architects submitting proposals for the new high school, Douglas D. Ellington
Douglas Ellington
Douglas D. Ellington was an American architect who is noted for his work in the Art Deco style.Ellington studied architecture at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Ellington was the first American to win the Rougevin prize...
was selected by majority vote. In addition Dr. Nickolaus Louis Englehardt of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
was hired as an advisor to the architect. Dr. Englehardt had worked a great deal in school planning and design on a national level. Ellington and Englehardt's collaboration made the new Asheville High a model facility in terms of architecture and educational offerings. The former Asheville High School was renamed David Millard Junior High School and, together with Hall Fletcher, served as the city’s junior high schools for a time.
Asheville High School opened on February 5, 1929, with a dedication ceremony in the auditorium including as speakers the Mayor of Asheville, the superintendent of Asheville City Schools, Douglas Ellington
Douglas Ellington
Douglas D. Ellington was an American architect who is noted for his work in the Art Deco style.Ellington studied architecture at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Ellington was the first American to win the Rougevin prize...
, Lee H. Edwards, the president of the PTA, the Headmaster of the Asheville School
Asheville School
Asheville School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1900, the Asheville School campus sits on in the Blue Ridge Mountains and currently enrolls 270 students in grades nine through twelve...
and the president of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. When first opened, Asheville High had a wide variety of vocational programs including automotive mechanics, full print shops (all yearbooks, newspapers, and magazines were printed on-campus), mechanical drawing, and photography, including a darkroom.
When the stock market crashed in September 1929, it took Asheville by surprise. This forced the programming for the schools, and indeed the city’s economic well-being, to hit rock bottom. For a time, Asheville High was closed, and students were removed to David Millard and Hall Fletcher. All extras were cut for a time, including much of the school's technical curriculum. In 1935 the school was renamed Lee H. Edwards High School in honor of Principal Edwards, who died unexpectedly that year.
In 1949, another vocational facility (known today as the ROTC building) was created across from the original shop wing. This facility was built by students in the vocational program, as a real-world example of construction. In 1968, another larger vocational building was built. In the early 1970s, a media center addition was added to the main building. In 1973, a new gym and athletic facility was attached to the old vocational building. In the early 1990s, a cultural arts building was built. Finally, in 2006, a new cafeteria was added to the campus.
On October 5, 2008, then Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
visited Asheville High School in his race for the White House. Over 25,000 people showed up at the Football Stadium to see Obama deliver his rally speech.
Notable alumni
- Sallie Ford lead singer and guitarist for Sallie Ford and the Sound OutsideSallie Ford and the Sound OutsideSallie Ford and the Sound Outside is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band has been described as "Rockabilly", or as having a "raw soul" 50s rock-and-roll energy sound. Sallie Ford describes it as "Rock n Roll" and that people find it "more rockin’ than they expected." The group...
- John Avery, former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
running back - Crezdon ButlerCrezdon ButlerThe Pittsburgh Steelers selected Butler with their fifth round selection, 164th overall, of the 2010 NFL Draft. Butler was regarded as a long and athletic cornerback with good ball skills, albeit with a weak statistical senior season...
, NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
cornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... - Leonard LittleLeonard LittleLeonard Antonio Little is a former American football defensive end. He was originally drafted by the Rams in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.-Early years:...
, NFL defensive end, currently a free agentFree agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise.... - Rashanda McCantsRashanda McCantsRashanda McCants is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA.Her brother is Rashad McCants of the NBA.-High school:...
, professional basketball player - Mark Lewis Naiman, inventor of the ink jet printer
- Buzz PetersonBuzz PetersonRobert Bower "Buzz" Peterson, Jr. is the current head coach of the UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team. Peterson was the Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers for four years before being fired in 2005. He previously coached a second stint at Appalachian State--he coached the 2009–10...
, former North Carolina Tar HeelNorth Carolina Tar Heels men's basketballThe North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
basketball player and current head coach of the UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketballUNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketballThe UNCW Seahawks men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The team plays in the Colonial Athletic Association and is currently coached by Buzz Peterson...
team - Ray RobertsRay Roberts (American football)Richard Ray Roberts, Jr. is a former professional football player. He played nine seasons in the National Football League as an offensive tackle....
, former NFL offensive tackle, Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, (class of 1987) - Warren HaynesWarren HaynesWarren Haynes is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Haynes is best known for his work as long time guitarist with The Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was a guitarist for David Allan Coe and The Dickey...
- American musician and songwriter. Lead guitarist and vocalist for the Allman Brothers Band (25 years), front man for the band Govt. Mule (formed as an Allman Brothers side project in the mid-1990s),lead guitarist for the Dead (following the death of Jerry Garcia). - Charlie "Choo-Choo" Justice, famous UNC football player
- Dave CheadleDave CheadleDavid Baird Cheadle is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and attended high school in Asheville, North Carolina...
, Former 1st Round Pick of the New York Yankees. - Adam ReedAdam ReedAdam Brooks Reed is an American voice actor, writer, director and producer. He is most often associated with Adult Swim and 70/30 Productions....
, voice actor, writer, director and producer.