South Charleston High School
Encyclopedia
South Charleston High School is a public high school grades 9 through 12 located on the southern half of the Kanawha River
, west of the city of Charleston
, in the city of South Charleston
's Spring Hill neighborhood. The School mascot is the Black Eagle
and the enrollment is approximately 1,200 students. SCHS is a Class AAA school, which is the highest classification of high school
sports in West Virginia
. South Charleston is one of only a few schools in the state of West Virginia that has been in existence for more than 75 years, along with Huntington High School
, Sissonville High School
, Parkersburg High School
, Morgantown High School, Martinsburg High School
, and Woodrow Wilson High School. The Black Eagles football team went 14-0 and won the 2008 Class AAA State title in a 39-8 win over George Washington High School on December 6, 2008.
The South Charleston High School "Black Eagle Band" has been around almost as long as the school. The original band was organized in 1932 with only three members participating. The first band was led by Charles Gorby, whose music store founded in 1946 in downtown South Charleston is somewhat of a local landmark. The band has seen enrollment of up to 110 members at one time.
In 1990, South Charleston's rival school Dunbar High School was closed and those students were transferred across the Kanawha River to South Charleston High School.
South Charleston High school, along with George Washington High School, made national headlines in 1992, when, during an illegal off-campus Senior Skip Day party with other students from South Charleston High School, two students were shot and killed over an argument about payment for a keg of beer.
In 1999, SCHS became the first school in West Virginia to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. SCHS is still the only high school in West Virginia to offer the IB program over ten years after it was introduced into the state.
" was added to the front of the school and became the current entrance to the building. It serves as a commons area and houses a concession stand
, a garden, waterfall and seating areas. The entrance to the gym, theater, auxiliary gym and offices can all be accessed from the commons area.The auxiliary gym was added to allow gym classes and sports practices at the same time. The new classrooms were added to the back of the school that now house the history department and are referred to as "The New Wing" by students and staff. The cafeteria was also made larger to make room for the upcoming students. The cafeteria is often called the "Cafe" because of its round tables, layout and eatery style.
programs available to students. The football
program won the State Championship in school years 1945-1946, 1994–1995 and 2008-09 for Class AAA. In 2008, the Black Eagles capped a 14-0 season with a 39-8 rout of George Washington to win the Class AAA Football State Championship. It also won the 2009-10 AAA State Championships against Brooke 28-7. The basketball
Team won the State Championship in the 1958-1959 school year, and has made numerous state tournament appearances. The baseball
team won the state championship in 1976-1977, 1977–1978 and 2005-2006. The cheerleaders, tennis
team, track
team, swim
team, softball
team, soccer team, have all made their mark on West Virginia State high school athletics as well.
The High School Football team does not play games on campus. Oakes Field, built in the 1920s with a seating capacity
of about 2,000 fans, in downtown South Charleston is home to Black Eagles football. The boy's basketball team plays at the high school in the "Ole Pro Gymnasium." The gym holds around 1,000 and high school basketball is very popular for the school. The baseball field, softball field, tennis courts, and track are all on campus. The swim team practices at the South Charleston Community Center and the soccer team plays at Oakes Field.
The Student Spirit Organization at the school heavily participates during football and basketball season. The students commonly wear all orange on game nights and sit in a student section referred to as "Orange Nation."
. Even though they have never won the Festival Grand Championship, they have had the most girls named Miss Kanawha Majorette, the first girl to ever be named Miss Kanawha Majorette, and, currently, the only girl to be named Miss Kanawha Majorette twice. They are:
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
, west of the city of Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, in the city of South Charleston
South Charleston, West Virginia
South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, U.S. The population was 13,450 at the 2010 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1919 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature...
's Spring Hill neighborhood. The School mascot is the Black Eagle
Black Eagle
The Black Eagle is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus Ictinaetus. They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical Asia and hunt mammals and birds, particularly at their nests...
and the enrollment is approximately 1,200 students. SCHS is a Class AAA school, which is the highest classification of 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....
sports in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. South Charleston is one of only a few schools in the state of West Virginia that has been in existence for more than 75 years, along with Huntington High School
Huntington High School (West Virginia)
Huntington High School is a four year high school located on top of a hill just outside of Huntington, West Virginia. It was established in 1996 through the consolidation of the old Huntington and Huntington East High Schools. The school has a student body of approximately 1600 students. Huntington...
, Sissonville High School
Sissonville High School
Sissonville High School is a public high school in Kanawha County, West Virginia. It is located in Sissonville, West Virginia, more specifically Pocatalico, which is a suburb of Charleston.- Activities :*Student Council*Yearbook*Academic Honorary...
, Parkersburg High School
Parkersburg High School
Parkersburg High School is a secondary school located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, that serves grades nine through twelve and is part of the Wood County School District...
, Morgantown High School, Martinsburg High School
Martinsburg High School
Martinsburg High School is a public high school located in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The school is an active member of the WVSSAC. The principal of the school is Regina Phillips....
, and Woodrow Wilson High School. The Black Eagles football team went 14-0 and won the 2008 Class AAA State title in a 39-8 win over George Washington High School on December 6, 2008.
History
South Charleston High School has called three buildings home since it was created over 80 years ago. The original Louden District High School was built in downtown South Charleston in 1925. A newer building was built a few blocks from the old building, still in downtown South Charleston, in 1931. South Charleston High was moved to the larger building; South Charleston Junior High School moved into the 1925 building, which sits adjacent to Oakes Field and is referred to as the "Old Rec Center." In 1971 a new, much larger school and campus complex was built on the site of an old country club in the Spring Hill area of town. South Charleston Junior High School was moved from the original 1925 building to the old South Charleston High School. The current South Charleston Middle School building today still has Louden District High School engraved into the stone.The South Charleston High School "Black Eagle Band" has been around almost as long as the school. The original band was organized in 1932 with only three members participating. The first band was led by Charles Gorby, whose music store founded in 1946 in downtown South Charleston is somewhat of a local landmark. The band has seen enrollment of up to 110 members at one time.
In 1990, South Charleston's rival school Dunbar High School was closed and those students were transferred across the Kanawha River to South Charleston High School.
South Charleston High school, along with George Washington High School, made national headlines in 1992, when, during an illegal off-campus Senior Skip Day party with other students from South Charleston High School, two students were shot and killed over an argument about payment for a keg of beer.
In 1999, SCHS became the first school in West Virginia to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. SCHS is still the only high school in West Virginia to offer the IB program over ten years after it was introduced into the state.
School renovations
South Charleston High School underwent several renovations, including the completion of a commons area, more classrooms and an auxiliary gym, to make room for ninth graders students in 2001 when the school changed from grades 10-12 to include freshman. A commons area referred to by the students and staff as the "PiazzaPiazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
" was added to the front of the school and became the current entrance to the building. It serves as a commons area and houses a concession stand
Concession stand
A concession stand , snack kiosk or snack bar is the term used to refer to a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, fair, stadium, or other entertainment venue. Some events or venues contract out the right to sell food to third parties...
, a garden, waterfall and seating areas. The entrance to the gym, theater, auxiliary gym and offices can all be accessed from the commons area.The auxiliary gym was added to allow gym classes and sports practices at the same time. The new classrooms were added to the back of the school that now house the history department and are referred to as "The New Wing" by students and staff. The cafeteria was also made larger to make room for the upcoming students. The cafeteria is often called the "Cafe" because of its round tables, layout and eatery style.
Athletics
South Charleston has many athleticSport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
programs available to students. The 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....
program won the State Championship in school years 1945-1946, 1994–1995 and 2008-09 for Class AAA. In 2008, the Black Eagles capped a 14-0 season with a 39-8 rout of George Washington to win the Class AAA Football State Championship. It also won the 2009-10 AAA State Championships against Brooke 28-7. The 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...
Team won the State Championship in the 1958-1959 school year, and has made numerous state tournament appearances. The 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...
team won the state championship in 1976-1977, 1977–1978 and 2005-2006. The cheerleaders, 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...
team, track
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...
team, swim
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...
team, 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...
team, soccer team, have all made their mark on West Virginia State high school athletics as well.
The High School Football team does not play games on campus. Oakes Field, built in the 1920s with a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of about 2,000 fans, in downtown South Charleston is home to Black Eagles football. The boy's basketball team plays at the high school in the "Ole Pro Gymnasium." The gym holds around 1,000 and high school basketball is very popular for the school. The baseball field, softball field, tennis courts, and track are all on campus. The swim team practices at the South Charleston Community Center and the soccer team plays at Oakes Field.
The Student Spirit Organization at the school heavily participates during football and basketball season. The students commonly wear all orange on game nights and sit in a student section referred to as "Orange Nation."
Band
The South Charleston High School marching band is one of the eight public high schools that compete in the Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band FestivalDaily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival
The Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival is an annual festival dedicated to high school bands and majorette corps in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The event is held at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Virginia at the end of September of...
. Even though they have never won the Festival Grand Championship, they have had the most girls named Miss Kanawha Majorette, the first girl to ever be named Miss Kanawha Majorette, and, currently, the only girl to be named Miss Kanawha Majorette twice. They are:
- 2005-Juliana Kemp
- 2003-Juliana Kemp
- 1994-Beth Miller
- 1987-Kristie Roberts
- 1984-Lori Began
- 1983-Kim O'Conner
- 1967-Karen Schoonover
- 1959-Patti Bostic
- 1949-Mathilde Bodkin
- 1947-Dolores Thompson
Notable alumni
- Robert AlexanderRobert Alexander (football player)Robert Alan Alexander is a former American football running back who played collegiately for the West Virginia Mountaineers.-Collegiate career:...
- Parade Magazine's High School Player of the Year and two-time high school All-American running back 1975-76, West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
top 10 all-time rushing yards and 5-year NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers. - Gay ElmoreGay ElmoreGay Elmore is an American lawyer in Charleston, West Virginia who is better known for his collegiate basketball career at Virginia Military Institute between 1983–84 and 1986–87. During his career, Elmore scored a then-school record 2,423 points in 113 games, which at the time of his graduation was...
- Class of 1983, two-time Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the YearSouthern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the YearThe Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Southern Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1951–52 season. Fred Hetzel of Davidson is the only player to have won the award three times... - Gary GregorGary GregorGary W. Gregor is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward/center from the University of South Carolina, Gregor played in the National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association as a member of the Phoenix Suns , Atlanta Hawks , Portland Trail Blazers ,...
- Class of 1963, NBA All-Rookie Team 1969, one of the original Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail BlazersThe Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
, six year NBA career with several teams, graduated 1968 from the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
. - Alex HawkinsAlex HawkinsClifton Alexander "Alex" Hawkins is a retired American football player who played running back for the Baltimore Colts and Atlanta Falcons. He excelled as a special teams player...
- Running back for University of South CarolinaUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
and special teams captain for the 1971 Super Bowl champion Baltimore ColtsHistory of the Indianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
. Author two books, "That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It" and "Then Came Brain Damage: Life After Pro Football." - Alexis HornbuckleAlexis HornbuckleAlexis Kay'ree Hornbuckle is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA.-High school years:...
- Four-year starter and member of 2007 National Champion women's basketball team at University of TennesseeUniversity of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. Member of 2008 WNBA champion Detroit ShockDetroit ShockThe Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
. - Carl Lee - Professional football player for the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Former cornerback at Marshall UniversityMarshall UniversityMarshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
. Former head football coach West Virginia State UniversityWest Virginia State UniversityWest Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
. - Renee MontgomeryRenee MontgomeryRenee Danielle Montgomery is an American basketball player who won a national championship with the UConn Huskies in 2009. She currently plays for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.-High school:...
- 2009 first-team All-American point guard for University of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
's women's undefeated basketball team. Drafted #4 in the 2009 WNBA Draft2009 WNBA DraftThe 2009 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at...
to the Minnesota LynxMinnesota LynxThe Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
.