Central Cabarrus High School
Encyclopedia
Central Cabarrus High School, commonly referred to locally as Central or CCHS, is a comprehensive public high school
located in Concord, North Carolina
. With an enrollment of approximately 1,167 students, it is the third largest high school in the Cabarrus County Schools
system. It opened in 1966.
Mr. M.L. Barnes, for whom the theatre is named, was the first principal of Central Cabarrus. At the time, Jay M. Robinson was the superintendent of Cabarrus County Schools and Joseph N. Fries, the assistant superintendent. Inaugural coaches and long-time Central staff included head football coach, Lloyd "Dink" Jordan, basketball coaches, Earl Mason and Georgia Roberson, and track coach, Gary "Chromedome" Drinnen.
Dink Jordan & Gary Drinnen
Born in Central's first year of operation were publications, The Centarune, the school yearbook, and The Norlande, the school newspaper. Mr. Euell Gary Brady served as the first librarian with 8000 books and 125 periodicals. "Dear Ruth," Central's first theatrical production was directed by Mrs. Marjorie Hudson. Director Neil Wilson led the first band which consisted of 40 members, and Mr. David Stantz was the first chorus teacher.
Standard Course of Study in all core subject areas. The school also offers a variety of Advanced Placement courses including AP Human Geography
, AP Statistics
, AP Biology
, AP Studio Art
, and many others.
As of the 2007-2008 school year, 3% of the student body were listed as pursuing advanced college prep courses and the average class size was 20 students.
Central has been consistently recognized as a "School of Distinction" under the state's ABC standards for public schools.
English teacher Susan Parker was named Cabarrus County Teacher of the Year for the 2005-2006 academic year.
which holds, roughly, 50. The walls of the theatre host the names of notable productions, including "Godspell
", "Hello, Dolly!
", "Carousel
", "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
", and a myriad of other popular shows.
The Choral program has been rebuilt over the years. The CCHS Chorus has received "Superior" ratings from the NCMEA several years in a row, and has participated in the North Carolina All-State Chorus, Mars Hill College
Choral Festival, NC Honors Chorus, and the Wingate
Choral festival. Notable award winning directors include Stephanie Campbell, a Central alumna, and Dennis Jewett.
The visual art program recently received a grant from Duke Power to be used towards repainting the halls of the school. The Art II students collaborated with teachers in an effort to paint authentic murals pertaining to their subject matter.
, football
, wrestling
, soccer, basketball
, swimming
, volleyball
, softball
, men's and women's tennis
, track and field
, and cheerleading
.
Central historically,is arguably the most successful athletic program of the six high schools in Cabarrus County. Most visible of all athletic programs is the school's softball team, which has won five state championships (3A classification in 1993, 2000, and 2001; 4A classification in 2004 and 2005). A May 2006 loss to North Davidson in the 4A softball playoffs broke the Lady Vikings' win streak of 83 games. The 2006 season ended with the softball team ranked 2nd in the nation after several weeks at the number one spot according to the NFCA poll. In addition to softball, Central's boys basketball team has reared numerous college prospects and won the 3A state championship in 2000. The men's tennis team has gone from not having a team in 2003 to making the state playoffs amazingly in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. They also had a doubles team in the State Championship each of those years (2004: Shoaf/Keller; 2005, 2006, 2007: Warber/Warber). The girls tennis team won the MECA-6 conference in the fall of 2006 and made the state playoffs for the second year in a row. The baseball program has made the state playoffs the last ten years. The volleyball team has also consistently made the state playoffs each year. The cheerleading squad, which is co-ed, has won numerous State and National Championships.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
. With an enrollment of approximately 1,167 students, it is the third largest high school in the Cabarrus County Schools
Cabarrus County Schools
Cabarrus County Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Concord, North Carolina. The system presides over the vast majority of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, the exception being an area of Kannapolis in the northern part of the county that operates its own district.-Traditional K-12...
system. It opened in 1966.
History
Central Cabarrus High School was formed in 1966 by joining three area high schools: Bethel, Harrisburg, and Hartsell. In its beginning, Central was home to 850 students and 45 teachers. The focal point of the new school was the C.A. Furr Planetarium, the only school planetarium in the state of North Carolina. Central boasted a space age classroom during a space enthralled time.Mr. M.L. Barnes, for whom the theatre is named, was the first principal of Central Cabarrus. At the time, Jay M. Robinson was the superintendent of Cabarrus County Schools and Joseph N. Fries, the assistant superintendent. Inaugural coaches and long-time Central staff included head football coach, Lloyd "Dink" Jordan, basketball coaches, Earl Mason and Georgia Roberson, and track coach, Gary "Chromedome" Drinnen.
Dink Jordan & Gary Drinnen
Born in Central's first year of operation were publications, The Centarune, the school yearbook, and The Norlande, the school newspaper. Mr. Euell Gary Brady served as the first librarian with 8000 books and 125 periodicals. "Dear Ruth," Central's first theatrical production was directed by Mrs. Marjorie Hudson. Director Neil Wilson led the first band which consisted of 40 members, and Mr. David Stantz was the first chorus teacher.
Academics
Central's academic curriculum falls in line with the North CarolinaNorth 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...
Standard Course of Study in all core subject areas. The school also offers a variety of Advanced Placement courses including AP Human Geography
AP Human Geography
Advanced Placement Human Geography is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the USA.This college-level course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human...
, AP Statistics
AP Statistics
Advanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
, AP Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, AP Studio Art
AP Studio Art
AP Studio Art is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D, and AP Studio Art 3D.-The portfolio:...
, and many others.
As of the 2007-2008 school year, 3% of the student body were listed as pursuing advanced college prep courses and the average class size was 20 students.
Central has been consistently recognized as a "School of Distinction" under the state's ABC standards for public schools.
English teacher Susan Parker was named Cabarrus County Teacher of the Year for the 2005-2006 academic year.
The arts
Central Cabarrus is home to the M.L. Barnes Theatre, the only modified thrust theatre in Concord, North Carolina. Its stadium seating holds up to 350 patrons and is also home to a new black box stageBlack box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
which holds, roughly, 50. The walls of the theatre host the names of notable productions, including "Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
", "Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
", "Carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
", "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
", and a myriad of other popular shows.
The Choral program has been rebuilt over the years. The CCHS Chorus has received "Superior" ratings from the NCMEA several years in a row, and has participated in the North Carolina All-State Chorus, Mars Hill College
Mars Hill College
Mars Hill College is a private, coed, liberal-arts college affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The college is located in the small town of Mars Hill, North Carolina, due north of Asheville, western North Carolina's largest city...
Choral Festival, NC Honors Chorus, and the Wingate
Wingate University
Wingate University was founded by Baptists in 1896 as Wingate School, an independent, co-educational institution and became a four-year college in 1977. In 1996, Wingate College became Wingate University....
Choral festival. Notable award winning directors include Stephanie Campbell, a Central alumna, and Dennis Jewett.
The visual art program recently received a grant from Duke Power to be used towards repainting the halls of the school. The Art II students collaborated with teachers in an effort to paint authentic murals pertaining to their subject matter.
Athletics
Central's athletic teams are known as the Vikings. In 2009, after eight years in the 4A classification of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), Central moved back to the 3A classification, where they had been placed prior to 2001. The school sponsors cross countryCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, men's and women's tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, and cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
.
Central historically,is arguably the most successful athletic program of the six high schools in Cabarrus County. Most visible of all athletic programs is the school's softball team, which has won five state championships (3A classification in 1993, 2000, and 2001; 4A classification in 2004 and 2005). A May 2006 loss to North Davidson in the 4A softball playoffs broke the Lady Vikings' win streak of 83 games. The 2006 season ended with the softball team ranked 2nd in the nation after several weeks at the number one spot according to the NFCA poll. In addition to softball, Central's boys basketball team has reared numerous college prospects and won the 3A state championship in 2000. The men's tennis team has gone from not having a team in 2003 to making the state playoffs amazingly in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. They also had a doubles team in the State Championship each of those years (2004: Shoaf/Keller; 2005, 2006, 2007: Warber/Warber). The girls tennis team won the MECA-6 conference in the fall of 2006 and made the state playoffs for the second year in a row. The baseball program has made the state playoffs the last ten years. The volleyball team has also consistently made the state playoffs each year. The cheerleading squad, which is co-ed, has won numerous State and National Championships.
Notable alumni
- Ishmael SmithIshmael SmithIshmael Larry Smith is a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He played college basketball at Wake Forest, then was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Rockets on August 23, 2010. On January 17, 2011, he was assigned to Rio Grande Valley Vipers...
, NBA Player (Memphis GrizzliesMemphis GrizzliesThe Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
). - Natrone Means, NFL playerNational 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...
- Lamont ReidLamont ReidMichael Lamont Reid is a Canadian football cornerback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at North Carolina State.Reid has also been a member of the New York Jets and...
, NFL playerNational 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... - Lamont ReidLamont ReidMichael Lamont Reid is a Canadian football cornerback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at North Carolina State.Reid has also been a member of the New York Jets and...
, CFL playerCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football.... - Clark WhittingtonClark WhittingtonClark Whittington is an artist and the creator of the . Art-o-mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to vend art....
, Creator of the Art-o-mat - Je Widenhouse, Member of the Squirrel Nut ZippersSquirrel Nut ZippersThe Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
- Timothy Hopkins, Creator of Legal Air Worldwide http://www.legalair.com and international air courier company
- Aaron Pherigo, President of Flaw-Tech http://www.flawtech.com/ and former Harrisburg Town Councilman
- Carol BarbeeCarol BarbeeCarol Denise Barbee is an American television writer, actress and producer.-Biography:Barbee graduated from Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University for Undergraduate School. She graduated from UCLA for Graduate School.She is married to actor...
, Hollywood producer of JerichoJericho (TV series)Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
and SwingtownSwingtownSwingtown was an American television series created by Mike Kelley as a summer replacement series for CBS. The show was a period and relationship drama about the impact of sexual and social liberation in 1970s American suburban households, with story arcs involving open marriages and key...
, writer, and actor - Aimee Cain, Star SearchStar SearchStar Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
spokesmodel, former runway model, and attorney/partner - John Velsor, Motivational Speaker/Pastor Northstar Community Church
- Tim Hagler, Current Mayor of Harrisburg, North CarolinaHarrisburg, North CarolinaHarrisburg, a northeastern suburb of Charlotte, is a town in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,819 at the 2008 census.-Geography:Harrisburg is located at ....
Principals
- M.L.Barnes (1966-1979)
- Bob Misenheimer (1978–1980)
- Gary Drinnen (1980–1991)
- John Lentz (1991–1998)
- Anne Shuping (1998–2003)
- Chris Lowder (2003–2005)
- Brad Hinson (2005–2007)
- Robert Marshall (2007–2010)
- Natasha Thompson (2010–present)