White Station High School

Last updated
White Station High School
Address
White Station High School
514 S Perkins Rd


United States
Information
Type Public
Established1897
PrincipalCarrye Holland [1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,036 (2019–2020) [2]
Color(s)Green   and gray  
Team nameSpartans
Website schools.scsk12.org/Page/313

White Station High School is a four-year public high school located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Contents

White Station High is a member of the Shelby County Schools system and is recognized as one of the best high schools in the state of Tennessee. U.S. News ranked White Station as #25 in Tennessee. [3] Additionally, Tennessee has designated White Station as a Reward School for the gifted for the 2018–2019 school year. White Station High School is ranked #3 in Top Public Schools In Memphis.

Academics

White Station is an optional school that offers an Optional (Honors) Diploma.

Newsweek magazine ranked White Station #1027 in the United States and #8 in Tennessee in its 2009–2010 edition of America's Best High Schools. [4] White Station High made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2007.

In the lone 2011–2012 school year, White Station had 22 National Merit Semifinalists, more than any other school (public, private, or charter) in the state of Tennessee. In the 2012–2013 school year, White Station announced 23 National Merit Semifinalists.

White Station High School has also had the most National Merit Scholarship semifinalists of any school in the state of Tennessee in many previous years. [5] [6]

White Station has 7 National Board Certified teachers. [7]

In January 2014, White Station High School announced that they would be offering the AP Capstone program in the 2014–2015 school year. [8]

Class sizes averaged 20.7 students per teacher at the time of these achievements; however, class size averages have increased to 27 students per teacher.

White Station offers several foreign language options for students, including Spanish, Latin, Japanese, French and Mandarin Chinese.

In February 2022, White Station was announced to be one of 60 schools piloting the AP African American Studies Program. [9]

Sports

White Station High School has a long tradition of athletics. They currently have basketball teams (M/F), soccer teams (M/F), track and field teams (M/F), a football team, a bowling team (M/F), lacrosse teams (F), a golf team (M/F), a volleyball team (F), rugby teams (M), cross-country teams (M/F), ultimate teams (M/F), a swim team (Co-ed), a wrestling team (M), a baseball team (M), a softball team (F), a cheerleading team (F), and a tennis team (M/F).

The Lady Spartans tennis team has won the city championship for 3 consecutive years, 2009–2011, and finished as state runner-up in 2009, 2010, and 2011. That team was led by Kayla Jones, Kasey Spillman, Maya Smith, and Lauren and London Thomas. The boys' tennis team won the 2011 district championship and advanced one player to the state championships. White Station's Lady Spartans volleyball team won the Memphis city championships in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The boys and girls Cross Country teams have won the Memphis city championship for 5 consecutive years. Additionally, the White Station High School cross-country teams sent 3 runners to the Tennessee Cross Country State Championships this year; they were Jarryn Lowe, Russell Wolfe, and Gabrielle Shirley. Jarryn Lowe finished 30th overall at the state championship. The Bowling Team won the city championship in 2014 and advanced to state.

In 2009, the Spartans won the Division 6A State Title, the highest football division in the state. [10] In 2013 the Spartan football team made it to 6A state semifinals, a game they lost 49–41 to Hendersonville High School.

Clubs and activities

White Station has many active clubs in areas including foreign language, mathematics, science, business, government, music, art, film and community service. Its Knowledge Bowl team has won four Knowledge Bowl championships in the past years, winning the first Knowledge Bowl ever in 1987–1988, and in 2014 – beating Houston in the final round. [11] Its Mock Trial team won the Tennessee State Championship in 2009, 2010, and 2011.[ citation needed ]

White Station's Science Olympiad team consistently places well in the state, placing 2nd in 2014, 2015, and 2018 while going to Nationals in 2017 and 2019.[ citation needed ] Their Model United Nations team is a completely student-run, ranked team in the Mid-South region as they attend various conferences such as VUMUN, WUMUNS, MUNI, WAVEMUN, and MSMUN, winning Best Large Delegation consistently.[ citation needed ] Additionally, they annually host a conference at White Station High in September, garnering attendance from various schools across the Mid-South. The Quiz Bowl team in White Station is another one of the major clubs. It is largely student-led. This club travels to surrounding areas and competes against other schools. Two tournaments are hosted by the Quiz Bowl Team each school year.[ citation needed ] Other activities include an elected student council, jazz ensemble, DECA, and HOSA club.

Students staff the school newspaper (The Scroll), the yearbook (The Shield), and an art and literary magazine (The Scribbler). Also, students in the art program at White Station High School consistently perform well in art competitions. Several students from White Station have won the Memphis International Airport Art Contest, and last year students from White Station won over 30 gold keys in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

In the performing arts, White Station has four bands and two orchestras, as well as five choirs and two a cappella pop groups. The four bands are as follows: Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band. There is a marching band that starts in July and goes on until December, depending on if the football team makes it to the playoffs for it plays on football games. The WSHS came second in a 2014 band competition.[ citation needed ] The orchestras have gained superior ratings at concert festival and also hold many of the positions in the All-West Tennessee band, orchestra, and choir, as well as spots in the Memphis Youth Symphony and All-State ensembles.[ citation needed ] White Station's choir program has performed at events such as the Tennessee Holocaust Day of Remembrance and the TMEA conference.[ citation needed ] In 2014, the White Station Men's Chorus was selected to perform at Southern division ACDA in Jacksonville, Florida. [12] Each year, the choir program sends a substantial percentage of students to All-West and All-State.[ citation needed ]

White Station has a theatre program, including troupe 1581 of the International Thespian Society. Students present a major performance each fall and spring, and the senior-level play production class produces an annual one-act play festival as well.[ citation needed ]

White Station has a prominent Army JROTC program. Since their inception in 1967, the Spartan Battalion teaches young people to be better citizens. Students who enroll in this class, cadets, are taught about US history, civics, and military tradition. Cadets join many different teams inside of JROTC: Knowledge Bowl, Raiders, Marksmanship, Treble Corps, Robotics, Color Guard, Armed Drill Team, and Unarmed Drill Team. The JLAB Team (a branch of the Knowledge Bowl Team) finished first in the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl Championship in the Army Academic Challenge in 2019. [13]

Demographics

Currently, there are more than 2,569 students at White Station: 31% are Caucasian, 44% are African American, 9.1% are Asian or Pacific Islander and 11% are Hispanic.

In addition to students from the surrounding neighborhood and who travel from all over the city for the school's college preparatory program, White Station serves the family housing units of the University of Memphis at the Park Avenue Campus. [14] [15] [16]

History

White Station can trace its origins to a school organized just prior to the Civil War that initially shared a building with a Masonic Lodge. By 1897, the school, then known as Albert Pike High School, occupied the entire building and, with an enrollment of eighty students, was one of the largest schools in Shelby County. After World War I, the school was renamed White Station to honor Mr. Eppie White, who had donated three acres of land for the construction of a school building. The school served first through eighth grades during this time. [17]

After the White Station area was annexed to Memphis, the school became part of the Memphis City Schools during the 1950–1951 academic year. At that time, the Memphis City Board of Education foresaw the need for a separate junior and senior high school in the area to accommodate the growing population. Rush W. Siler, a mathematics teacher at East High School, was appointed as principal in 1951, and White Station began to develop a junior high. In August 1954, a high school building was completed, and the school began to develop a senior high school program. [17] As such, White Station Middle School and White Station Elementary School were formed.

At this point, White Station High School needed a distinctive identity as a full-fledged Memphis high school. The original White Station mascot was a bulldog and the school newspaper was The Bulldog Leash, with school colors of blue and white. However, these colors were already in use by Memphis Catholic High School. The first senior class of 1956–1957 chose Spartans as their mascot and green and gray as school colors. In keeping with the ancient Greek theme, the White Station newspaper was dubbed The Scroll and the yearbook became The Shield. [17]

The first high school class of seventy-eight seniors graduated on May 30, 1957. [17]

Development

The school began development on a new building in 2009, which was completed sometime in 2011. In the same year, an older building was torn down. The Freshman Academy was completed in the summer of 2011 and the old South Annex was torn down in response. A new parking lot was created. As of 2014, a grant was received to update the cafeteria and the picnic tables in the courtyard. [18]

In November 2009, the school system in which White Station is included, won a grant of $90 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The gift of more than $90 million from Gates to fund plans and improve teacher effectiveness, including raising the bar for tenure and paying $6,000 incentives for high-quality new teachers who stayed at least four years. Due to political corruption and instability, however, very little of that grant has been seen by White Station or any other local schools. [19]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell High School (San Francisco)</span> Public school

Lowell High School is a co-educational, magnet public high school in San Francisco, California. It is a part of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Catholic High School for Boys is a private, Catholic high school located in Little Rock, Arkansas, established in 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University High School (Irvine, California)</span> Comprehensive high school in Irvine, California, United States

University High School is one of six public high schools serving grades 9-12 in the city of Irvine, California, United States. It was established in 1970 and is situated on 55 acres (22 ha) of land in the southwestern portion of the city, adjacent to the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Jonesboro High School is a public high school for students in grades 10 through 12 located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is one of eight public high schools in Craighead County, and is the sole high school of the Jonesboro Public Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redmond High School (Washington)</span> Public school in Redmond, Washington, United States

Redmond High School (RHS) is a four-year public high school located in Redmond, Washington, United States. It is one of four high schools in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD). Opened in 1964, Redmond High School is the second oldest high school in the Lake Washington School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulles High School (Sugar Land, Texas)</span> Public school in Sugar Land, Texas, United States

John Foster Dulles High School, more commonly known as Dulles High School, is a high school in Sugar Land, Texas. It was the first site purchase and new build, in the 1950s, of the newly formed Fort Bend Independent School District, which held its first graduation in 1960. The first class to graduate from Dulles itself was 1962. Its mascot is the Viking, and its team colors are red, white and blue. Its slogan was "Set Sail" up until the end of the 2018–2019 school year, but was changed to "Viking True" the next school year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flower Mound High School</span> Public high school in Flower Mound, Denton County, Texas, United States

Flower Mound High School (FMHS) is part of Lewisville Independent School District and is located in Flower Mound, Texas, United States. The school rests on 52 acres (21 ha) of land that was purchased in 1993. FMHS was the second high school built in Flower Mound, after Edward S. Marcus High School. With the expansion of the town in the 1980s and 1990s, a second high school was built to accommodate the growth. FMHS has been called one of the top 10 best public high schools in the Dallas area and had received an "Exemplary" (highest) rating from the Texas Education Agency. The school's fight song is the Michigan Wolverines' fight song, "The Victors".

Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School is a public junior/senior high school that is a part of the Brevard County Public School System with students in grades seven through twelfth located in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Founded in 1964 it is one of two high schools in Brevard county to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school's mascot is the Minuteman and current principal is Tim Powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorne Park Secondary School</span> Public high school in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Lorne Park Secondary School is a public high school located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It serves the Lorne Park neighbourhood, as well as a larger catchment area for the Extended French program for all of southern Mississauga. Lorne Park is well known in the Peel region for both its academic rigor and the successful sports teams from which many professional athletes have emerged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webb School of Knoxville</span> College preparatory day school in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Webb School of Knoxville is a private coeducational day school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was founded in 1955 by Robert Webb (1919–2005), grandson of Webb School of Bell Buckle founder Sawney Webb. The current President of Webb School of Knoxville is Dr. Ansel Sanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central High School (Memphis, Tennessee)</span> United States historic place

Central High School is a public high school in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in the early 1900s, it is popularly considered the first high school in Memphis. This, however, is not accurate; in fact, 3 High Schools in Memphis were established before Central: Booker T Washington in 1873, Manassas HS in 1899, and Melrose in 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffersonville High School</span> Public school in Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana, United States

Jeffersonville High School is a public high school located in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Jeffersonville, Utica, and sections of Clarksville not covered by that town's own high school. The school's enrollment for the 2014–2015 school year was 2,051 students, with 123 teachers. The current principal is Pam Hall. Jeffersonville is in the school district of Greater Clark County Schools. This school district includes Charlestown addresses that are connected with the city of Jeffersonville. While most schools in other counties have a majority European ratio of students, Jeffersonville total minority enrollment is 36%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan State Spartans football</span> American college football program

The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships, including two from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Spartans have also won eleven conference championships, with two in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and nine in the Big Ten.

Bethel High School is a public high school located in the northwestern section of Hampton, Virginia, United States. Bethel is the third of four public high schools in Hampton City Schools along with Kecoughtan, Hampton, and Phoebus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farragut High School</span> American public high school

Farragut High School, located at 11237 Kingston Pike, serves as a high school in Farragut, a suburb of Knoxville, Tennessee. Knox County Schools, the unified Knox County, Tennessee school district, operates the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North High School (Torrance, California)</span> Public secondary school in the United States

North Torrance High School is a four-year public high school located at 3620 W. 182nd St. in Torrance, California. Of the five public high schools in the Torrance Unified School District, North High is the second oldest. The school's mascot is the Saxon and the school colors are blue and white. North High is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Station Camp High School (SCHS), located at 1040 Bison Trail, Gallatin, Tennessee, United States, is a public high school that opened in 2002. It is part of Sumner County Schools, with Arthur Crook serving as the current principal.

Ridgeway High School is a public high school in east Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and is operated in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Shoals High School</span> Public high school in Athens, Georgia

Cedar Shoals High School is an American high school established in 1972 in Athens, Georgia, in the Clarke County School District. It and Clarke Central High School are the district's two main high schools, and their rivalry is known as the Classic City Championship.

Brentwood High School is a public high school located in Brentwood, Tennessee, United States. The school serves the north central section of Williamson County for students in grades 9–12.

References

  1. "Our Principal / Meet Our Principal". schools.scsk12.org. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  2. "White Station High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  3. "White Station High School". U.S. News.
  4. America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com Jun 8, 2009.
  5. Roberts, Jane (September 10, 2008). "White Station High School tops state with 21 National Merit semifinalists". CommercialAppeal.com. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  6. "White Station tops state in National Merit Scholars". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  7. Sinha, Soham. "Mr" . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  8. "WHITE STATION HIGH SCHOOL JOINS COLLEGE BOARD'S AP CAPSTONE PROGRAM" . Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  9. West, Samantha. "Memphis' White Station High selected to pilot AP African American studies class". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  10. Smith, Jason White Station Spartans win 6A football championship. Memphis Commercial Appeal. December 5, 2009,
  11. "Knowledge Bowl". WREG.com. March 22, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  12. "ACDA Southern Division Tentative Schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  13. JROTC, US (9 July 2022). "2019 JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl Championship Results" (PDF). US Army JROTC. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  14. "Graduate and Student Family Housing." The University of Memphis. Retrieved on October 9, 2011.
  15. "Campus Map Park Avenue." The University of Memphis. Retrieved on October 9, 2011.
  16. "2010–2011 High School Attendance Boundaries." Memphis City Schools. Retrieved on October 9, 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 4 White Station High School 2007–2008, [High Priority School Improvement Plan]. David Mansfield, Principal, Dan Ward, Superintendent, Memphis City Schools. pp. 18–19.
  18. Mansfield, David. "Mr". White Station. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  19. "Memphis City Schools to sign pact for $90 million from Gates Foundation". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  20. Ashby, Andrew (April 6, 2006). "Kustoff Puts Leadership Skills to the Test As Lead Prosecutor for West Tennessee". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  21. https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2018/03/27/nickelodeon-cuts-ties-with-memphisnative-dan.html [ bare URL ]