Rocky Mount High School
Encyclopedia
Rocky Mount High School is a public high school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
. Established in September 1953, the school is in Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools.
It is currently a member of the Big East 3-A Athletic Conference.
. The school officially returned to its older Rocky Mount High School name in 2004.
When the newly built school on Bethelehem Rd. RMHS will once again become a 4-A school as will Northern Nash, Southern Nash, Nash Central, and Wilson Fike as not to have a conference with 1 4-A school and 4 3-A schools.
In February 2010, the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education and the Nash County Commissioners combined to fund the building of a new campus for Rocky Mount High School. The $38 million facility will be built on a 64 acres (258,999 m²) site on the north side of Bethlehem Road - between West Mount Dr. and Old Mill Rd.
Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2010 and the school is expected to be completed by July 2012. The school is expected to open in August 2012.
For the first time ever, Rocky Mount High School will field all of its sports programs on-campus.
which has been available to students since 1999.
, art club, chess club, First Priority, French club, FBLA
, guitar club, Model United Nations
club, Quiz Bowl, science club, Students Against Destructive Decisions, student council association, and the Rocky Mount High School Band.
This is a list of those titles:
1962 4-A Football. 1963 4-A Boys Basketball, 1963 4-A Baseball, 1963 4-A Football, 1967 4-A Baseball, 1973 4-A Baseball, 1978 4-A Boys Basketball, 1980 4-A Baseball, 1982 4-A Boys Basketball, 2008 3-A Baseball, 2010 3-A Boys Basketball
Thirteen Rocky Mount athletes have won individual NCHSAA state championships. They are: Dennis Jones, Track, 1971; Dennis Battle, Wrestling, 1978; William Bynun, Wrestling, 1980; Joe Bruno, Wrestling, 1987; Marcel Wallace, Wrestling, 1987; Meredith Tucker, Golf, 1989; Nick Winkel, Cross Country, 1996; Charles Hooper, Track, 1997; Nick Winkel, Track, 1997; Mike Mason, Track, 2003; Chalonda Silver, Indoor Track, 2005; Jacobi Jenkins, Track, 2008; Danita Whitaker, Track, 2010.
The football team plays at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex
.
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
. Established in September 1953, the school is in Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools.
It is currently a member of the Big East 3-A Athletic Conference.
History
Public education in Rocky Mount began in 1901. High school programs were established in the following years, but did not have their own buildings until 1927 with the construction of Booker T. Washington High School for black students and Rocky Mount High School for white students. Voluntary integration began in 1963 when the first African-American students chose to attend Rocky Mount Senior High School under the Freedom of Choice law. A small black student population was maintained at Rocky Mount until the two schools were merged in 1969. The merger took place in enlarged facilities on the Rocky Mount Senior High campus; the old mascots, the Blackbirds and the Lions, were retired for a new, combined mascot of the GryphonGriffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
. The school officially returned to its older Rocky Mount High School name in 2004.
When the newly built school on Bethelehem Rd. RMHS will once again become a 4-A school as will Northern Nash, Southern Nash, Nash Central, and Wilson Fike as not to have a conference with 1 4-A school and 4 3-A schools.
Campus
The campus, located at 308 S. Tillery Street, opened in September 1953. Set on just 24 acres (97,124.6 m²) of land, it is bordered by Tillery St. to the east, Hammond St. to the south and Nash St. to the north.In February 2010, the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education and the Nash County Commissioners combined to fund the building of a new campus for Rocky Mount High School. The $38 million facility will be built on a 64 acres (258,999 m²) site on the north side of Bethlehem Road - between West Mount Dr. and Old Mill Rd.
Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2010 and the school is expected to be completed by July 2012. The school is expected to open in August 2012.
For the first time ever, Rocky Mount High School will field all of its sports programs on-campus.
Curriculum
Rocky Mount High School offers the IB Diploma ProgrammeIB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
which has been available to students since 1999.
Extracurricular activities
Student groups and activities include American Field ServiceAFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...
, art club, chess club, First Priority, French club, FBLA
FBLA-PBL
The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...
, guitar club, Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
club, Quiz Bowl, science club, Students Against Destructive Decisions, student council association, and the Rocky Mount High School Band.
Athletics
Rocky Mount High has had several successful athletic teams and has won 11 NCHSAA state championships - the last one in 2010 (boys basketball).This is a list of those titles:
1962 4-A Football. 1963 4-A Boys Basketball, 1963 4-A Baseball, 1963 4-A Football, 1967 4-A Baseball, 1973 4-A Baseball, 1978 4-A Boys Basketball, 1980 4-A Baseball, 1982 4-A Boys Basketball, 2008 3-A Baseball, 2010 3-A Boys Basketball
Thirteen Rocky Mount athletes have won individual NCHSAA state championships. They are: Dennis Jones, Track, 1971; Dennis Battle, Wrestling, 1978; William Bynun, Wrestling, 1980; Joe Bruno, Wrestling, 1987; Marcel Wallace, Wrestling, 1987; Meredith Tucker, Golf, 1989; Nick Winkel, Cross Country, 1996; Charles Hooper, Track, 1997; Nick Winkel, Track, 1997; Mike Mason, Track, 2003; Chalonda Silver, Indoor Track, 2005; Jacobi Jenkins, Track, 2008; Danita Whitaker, Track, 2010.
The football team plays at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex
Rocky Mount Athletic Complex
The Rocky Mount Sports Complex is a large scale sports complex located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.A Division of the City of Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Department, the Rocky Mount Sports Complex provides facilities for city recreational programs such as baseball, softball, soccer,...
.
Notable Alumni
- Mike EasleyMike EasleyMichael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
, former North Carolina governor - Phil Ford, former NBA player, N.C. Sports Hall of Famer
- Terrell HudginsTerrell HudginsTerrell Hudgins is an American football wide receiver and is currently a free agent. Hudgins played college football at Elon University and was temporarily a member of the Dallas Cowboys off-season/practice squad before being signed by the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League.-Early life:He...
, a member of the Chicago Rush Arena Football Team - Kaye GibbonsKaye GibbonsKaye Gibbons is an American novelist. Her 1987 debut, Ellen Foster, received the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, a Special Citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, and the The Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Prize in Creative Writing from...
, award-winning novelist - Tom SmithTom Smith- Sports :* R. Thomas "Tom" Smith , American thoroughbred racehorse trainer of Seabiscuit* Tom Smith , Major League player* Tom Smith , Major League player...
, jazz musician, Fulbright dignitary - Buck WilliamsBuck WilliamsCharles Linwood Williams , better known as "Buck", is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles.Williams, 6 ft 8 in , ranks 13th all-time in NBA career rebounds...
, former NBA player, N.C. Sports Hall of Famer - Jim ClackJim ClackJames Thomas Clack was an American football guard in the National Football League. He played for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1981. He died of heart failure in 2006, after a four-year battle with cancer....
, NFL Football offensive lineman/won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, N.C. Sports Hall of Famer - Danny Talbott, Football/Baseball star at UNC, N.C. Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
- Allen Gurganus, Noted Author