Norcross High School
| Norcross High School | |
|---|---|
| File:Norcross High logo.png
Envisioning a world-class school
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| Address | |
| 5300 Spalding Drive Norcross, Georgia 30092 United States |
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1827 |
| Principal | Will Bishop |
| Teaching staff | 189.00 (FTE) |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 3,649 (2013-2014) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 19.3 |
| Campus size | 10.1 acres (4.1 ha) |
| Color(s) | Blue, Silver, White |
| Nickname | Blue Devils |
| Website | www |
| [1] | |
Norcross High School is located in Norcross, Georgia, USA. It is part of the Gwinnett County Public Schools. It serves the cities of Norcross and Peachtree Corners.
The current Norcross High School occupies a 440,000-square-foot (41,000 m2) facility at 5300 Spalding Drive, Norcross, Georgia that opened in August 2001. William Bishop is the current school principal. Norcross is the only high school in the Gwinnett County school system to have the IB Diploma Programme (1999).
Norcross High School's rival is currently North Gwinnett High School. Its mascot is the Blue Devil and the school colors and blue, silver, and white.
Contents
History
The 1900s
Municipal bonds were issued for a new modern brick schoolhouse in 1903, and another bond issue approved an additional school in 1914. These buildings stood side by side on College Street for many years in the center of Norcross and were preceded by an old wooden building at the same site. Before this older wooden school was destroyed, it became very unsteady.
After the second red-brick building was constructed as a grammar school, the first building became Norcross High School. Both of the brick schools were demolished several years ago, although the first building was in use until 1970.
According to a booklet compiled in 1923 and reprinted recently, the rural schools surrounding Norcross were Beaver Ruin with 60 students, Glover with 172, Mechanicsville School (Norcross, Georgia) with 87, and Pittman with 60. Crabapple School, which was located at Pinckneyville, had apparently closed earlier.
In 1933, a report printed in Flanigan's History, Volume I, stated, "Norcross has three buildings valued at $60,000, and used thirteen teachers. For many years this has been one of the best schools in the county and is accredited first class." A school for black children was located near Hopewell Baptist Church at that time, according to Clara Nesbit.
Norcross Elementary School was built in 1939, and the Board of Trustees of the Norcross Consolidated School System listed on the cornerstone were H. L. Sudderth, J. Howard Webb, B. F. Summerour, B. W. Westbrook and C. A. Garner. This school is still in use, although many additions have been built through the years. With the completion of the new elementary school, the two older buildings 'on the hill' became Norcross High School.
When West Gwinnett High School was built in 1957, parents of Duluth students objected to consolidation and fought successfully to have a new high school built in Duluth. The citizens of Norcross later asked to have the name West Gwinnett changed back to Norcross High School.
The school colors, blue and white, and the school mascot, the Blue Devil, were chosen by the students in 1957 when football was played as a school sport for the first time.
Present-day
Norcross High School opened a 440,000-square-foot (41,000 m2) facility at 5300 Spalding Drive in Norcross in August 2001. This land was purchased by the Gwinnett County Public School System because the 1998 tornado cleared the land of trees. The new building opened with a student population of 2,400 students and shares the same design with Peachtree Ridge Highschool. Today the student body has an estimated 4,000 pupils. The former facility located at 2595 Beaver Ruin Road has been renamed Buchanan High School of Technology, which until July 2013 housed the Gwinnett Online Campus and GIVE Center West, a grade 6-12 alternative school. In January 2013, the Gwinnett County Board of Education voted to move GIVE and the online center to a new location, making way for new life on the old school grounds. Construction has begun on the campus of the former Norcross High School. All existing buildings with the exception of the 1996 gymnasium, are currently under demolition. Construction on this property gave way to the Summerour Middle School that has opened for the school year of 2015-2016.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 3,649 students enrolled in 2013-2014 was:
- Male - 50.8%
- Female - 49.2%
- Native American/Alaskan - 0.2%
- Asian/Pacific islanders - 6.8%
- Black - 33.1%
- Hispanic - 37.6%
- White - 18.9%
- Multiracial - 3.4%
65.5% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.[1]
International Baccalaureate
In 1999, Norcross High School became the first high school in Gwinnett to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to high school juniors and seniors. This program was implemented to offer a different curriculum for motivated students. IB Diploma students have classes independent of the majority of the student body. IB Certificate students can get a certification in some IB courses that they are interested in without having to complete the entire Diploma Programme. Norcross also offers a pre-IB program to underclassmen in order for them to take some state required courses that must be done before taking higher level IB courses. Norcross High School also offers a vast array of AP (Advanced Placement) courses.
Athletics
Norcross competes in Region 7-AAAAAA [2] The school's mascot is the Blue Devil. The school competes in football, baseball, softball, lacrosse, track and field, cross country, swimming and diving, wrestling, golf, soccer, tennis, volleyball, competitive cheerleading, and roller hockey.
Norcross varsity boys basketball team won the Class AAAAA Georgia state championship in 2006, 2007,2008 and 2011 and the Class AAAAAA state championship 2013.[3] The girls won the basketball state championship in 2010 and 2011.[4]
Norcross's football team won the 2012 and 2013 state championships.[5]
Notable alumni
- Al-Farouq Aminu, NBA player for the Portland Trail Blazers.[6]
- Jeff Backus, former NFL player for the Detroit Lions.
- Brice Butler, NFL wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys (#19)
- Geremy Davis, NFL player for the New York Giants.
- Jeremy Lamb, NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets.
- Gani Lawal, basketball player.
- Jodie Meeks, NBA player for the Detroit Pistons.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2012-2013 Region Alignments | GHSA.net
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