Northampton County High School - West
Encyclopedia
Northampton County High School – West STEM is a public high school
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 Gaston, North Carolina
Gaston, North Carolina
Gaston is a town in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 973 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Gaston is located at ....

.

The school's origins date back to Gumberry High School, which was constructed in the mid 1970s and was located in Gumberry, North Carolina. In the late 1980s, the district decided to consolidate and open a new high school which was closer to the portion of Northampton county
Northampton County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 22,086 people, 8,691 households, and 5,953 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 10,455 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...

 that borders Lake Gaston
Lake Gaston
Lake Gaston is a hydroelectric reservoir in east United States of America. Part of the lake is in the North Carolina counties of Halifax, Northampton, and Warren. The part extending into Virginia lies in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties...

. It was not until 1991 that the Northampton County School Board opened the doors to newly constructed Northampton County High School West. Northampton County High School West is located in Gaston, North Carolina. The school was then split into two schools - NCHS-West and NCHS-West STEM - in the 2004-05 school year. NCHS-West STEM was a science, technology, engineering and math freshman academy as part of the North Carolina New Schools' Project. NCHS-West consisted of grades 10-12 at that time. In 2009-10, NCHS-West was renamed NCHS-West STEM and includes grades 7-12.

The school colors are navy blue, grey and white, and they are known as the Mighty Hurricanes. The school is usually referred to as "West" by many students and community members. The school's population is predominately African American 85%, with 11% being Caucasian, 1% being Latino or Hispanic, and 3% being mixed or multicultural.

NCHS-West STEM enrolls about 440 students per year in grades 7-12. NCHS-West graduates about 89% of its seniors each year.

NCHS-West STEM offers a various number of athletic programs. The school is a member of the Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference (TRAC), and is classified by the North Carolina High School Athletic Assoiciation as a "A" or 1-A school. Jerome Williams is NCHS-West's Athletic Director. The programs offered include 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...

, 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...

, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, 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...

, 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...

, and marching
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...

 and pep band
Pep band
A pep band is an ensemble of instrumentalists who play at functions or events with the purpose of entertaining and "pepping" up a crowd. Often members of a pep band are a subset of people from a larger ensemble such as a marching band or a concert band. Pep bands are generally associated with...

. NCHS-West STEM athletics are known primarily for its basketball and football programs and band. The band is ranked #3 overall in the state and has the #1 ranked 2A band in the state. Hurricane athletics has had impressive seasons in basketball and football over the years. The football team pulled off a 13-1 record in 2006 before losing to Manteo High School
Manteo High School
Manteo High School is one of two high schools located in Dare County. The school is located on Roanoke Island at 829 Wingina Avenue, Manteo, North Carolina. Manteo was named after Chief Manteo who assisted the Roanoke Colony, which became known later as the Lost Colony...

 in the Eastern Finals, and a 14-2 record that landed them in the 2005 State Championship game against Elkin High School. The club has also made playoff appearances for the last 13 seasons. Also the softball team has made it to district playoffs the past 3 years in a row, and to the state playoffs in 2008 thanks to the hard work of Coach Jerry Squire, and a hard working team with captains Christian Dunlow and Brooke Roberts. For first time coaching volleyball, Katti Jablenski has done an amazing job at leading these girls to great games. Along with captains Christian Dunlow and Brooke Roberts, the girls' volleyball team has done a great job this year.

Many students enter NCHS-West STEM from Gaston Elementary School, or transfer from local area schools. Students at NCHS-West STEM primarily live in the communities of Gaston, Garysburg, Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill, Northampton County, North Carolina
Pleasant Hill is an unincorporated community in northwestern Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. The community is on U.S. Route 301, north of Weldon, and lies at an elevation of ....

 and Henrico, North Carolina. Other students live in Roanoke Rapids
Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina
Roanoke Rapids is a city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,957 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Roanoke Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 and Weldon, North Carolina
Weldon, North Carolina
Weldon is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,374 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Weldon is located at ....

.

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