Ayden-Grifton High School is a high school in Pitt County

Pitt County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 133,798 people, 52,539 households, and 32,258 families residing in the county. The population density was 205 people per square mile . There were 58,408 housing units at an average density of 90 per square mile...

, 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...

. It is located along NC 11 South in between the towns of Ayden, North Carolina

Ayden, North Carolina

Ayden is a town in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,622 at the 2000 census and the 2007 estimated population was 5,005...

 and Grifton, North Carolina

Grifton, North Carolina

Grifton is a town in Lenoir and Pitt Counties, North Carolina, United States. The 2008 population was estimated to be 2,240. The town is a part of the Greenville Metropolitan Area located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.- Geography :...

. Ayden-Grifton High School is one of the six public high schools that make up the Pitt County School System. Ayden-Grifton High School is classified as a 2-A school with 650 students.

History

Ayden-Grifton High School was built in 1971 and opened along with Farmville Central High School and North Pitt High School

North Pitt High School

North Pitt High School is a High School located in the town of Bethel in Pitt County North Carolina, United States....

 for the purposes of desegregation

Desegregation

Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...

 and integration. It was built to consolidate Ayden High School (the white only school), South Ayden High School (the black only school), and Grifton High Schools all into one high school serving both the towns of Ayden and Grifton.

School Bombing

Shortly after Ayden-Grifton High School opened in 1971 as one of the first integrated high schools in Pitt County, the auditorium was bombed during a time of racial unrest in Ayden, NC. Ayden had become the focal point of protests , curfews, and bombings due to the death of an African American who died while in custody in the Ayden jail. The SCLC led by Golden Frinks stated the death was suspicious and began a series of protests in local churches. During this time there were several bombings of businesses and of the new high school.

School Mission

ABC's Accountability

North Carolina uses the ABCs designations to show how well schools are performing against the state standards. The ABCs designations are based on the percentage of students who tested at or above grade level on state standardized tests and whether students made the amount of growth expected in one year. For high schools, graduation-related factors are also included. Schools receive one of the following designations: High Growth, Expected Growth, No Recognition, Priority School or Low-Performing. Schools that meet or exceed the state's growth goals can earn the following additional designations for commendable performance: Honor School of Excellence, School of Excellence, School of Distinction or School of Progress.

Ayden-Grifton High School received the designation of "School of Progress, Expected Growth" by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for the 2006-2007 school year.

AP Exams

Many schools offer college-level classes to prepare students for the AP exams and Ayden-Grifton is among them. Students who score well on AP exams can earn advanced standing or college credit from most U.S. colleges and universities.

In 2007-2008 students at this school took Advanced Placement (AP) exams in the following areas:

• Calculus AB
• English Language & Composition
• English Literature & Composition
• Environmental Science
• Government & Politics: Comparative
• Government & Politics: U.S.
• Psychology
• Statistics
• U.S. History

Arts

Ayden-Grifton High School has a wide variety of art programs that students can participate in-school and after-school. Ayden-Grifton has a band, orchestra, and theater/drama program..

Athletics

Sports at Ayden-Grifton High School include:

• baseball
• basketball
• football
• golf
• soccer
• softball
• tennis
• track
• volleyball
• wrestling

Demographics

Ayden-Grifton High School as of 2007 is 53% white, 43% African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

, 3% Hispanic

Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

, and 1% other

Other

The Other or Constitutive Other is a key concept in continental philosophy; it opposes the Same. The Other refers, or attempts to refer, to that which is Other than the initial concept being considered...

. AGHS is 49% Male and 51% Female. 39% (238 students) of the students at AGHS are on free or reduced lunch.

Organizations

Ayden-Grifton High School is home to a wide variety of clubs for students to become involved in their school and their community. The clubs at AGHS include:

• Key Club
  Key Club
  Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
  
  
• Art Club
• Future Business Leaders of America
• Future Farmers of America
• Family, Career and Community Leaders of America
• Future Teachers of America
• Health Occupations Students of America
• Link Crew
• National Honor Society
  National Honor Society
  The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
  
  
• North Carolina Career and Technical Honor Society
• Student Government Association
• Students Against Violence Everywhere
• Quiz Bowl