Opelika High School

Opelika High School
Address
1700 Lafayette Pkwy Opelika, Alabama, United States
Coordinates	32°40′09″N 85°22′06″W / 32.6693°N 85.3683°W / 32.6693; -85.3683Coordinates: 32°40′09″N 85°22′06″W / 32.6693°N 85.3683°W / 32.6693; -85.3683
Information
Established	1911[1]
Status	Active
School district	Opelika City Schools
Principal	Dr. Farrell Seymore
Vice principal	Mr. Hardwick
Vice principal	Mrs. Fowler
Vice principal	Mrs. Hampton
Grades	9-12
Athletics	AHSAA (6A)
Rival	Auburn High School
Newspaper	Mainstreet Gazette
Yearbook	Zig-zag
Alumni	James Voss

Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Lee County, Alabama. Opelika High School, of the Opelika City Schools, serves students in grades 9-12. The principal is Dr. Farrell Seymore. The school's Assistant Principals are Amanda Holmes-Fowler, Jenise Hampton, and Russ Hardwick.

Academics

Opelika High School is classified as a "School in Need of Improvement" by the Alabama State Department of Education, having failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) since 2008. Of the 189 non-low poverty (non-Title I) high schools in Alabama, only eight high schools have failed to make AYP longer than Opelika High. Opelika High School's percentage of goals met to reach AYP for the 2009-2010 school year was the 11th lowest of non-Title I high schools in Alabama, ranking the school among the bottom 6% of non-low poverty high schools in the state.^[2]

History

Opelika High School burns, 1917.

While several private high schools, including two that went by the name "Opelika High School", existed in Opelika as early as the 1860s, the current Opelika High School wasn't founded until 1911. From 1902 to 1911, Opelika offered classes through the 10th grade at the Opelika Public School, but was not able to afford a high school.^[1][3] A 1907 law called for the formation of a "county high school" in each county run by the county board of education; when the state high school commission looked to establish such a high school in Lee County in 1911, only Opelika applied, and so the school was located there.^[4] This school's opening in the fall of 1911 marks the founding of Opelika High School.^[1] In 1914, Auburn High School successfully petitioned the state high school commission to take the county flagship status as the "Lee County High School" away from Opelika, starting the two schools long-standing rivalry, and the Opelika school became officially known as "Opelika High School" for the first time, operating as a town school.^[3]

Opelika kept the old county high school building until 1917. On Saturday, January 20, 1917, Opelika High School burned to the ground.^[5] The two prior private schools in Opelika named "Opelika High School" also burned, in 1867 and in 1894.^[6] For the next year, classes were held in the old Opelika Public School building, until a new structure could be built on the same grounds. With the new building, Opelika High School was renamed in 1918 Henry G. Clift High School, after the then-mayor of Opelika.^[1] Opelika High School football started in 1922, with OHS falling to Alexander City (today Benjamin Russell) 71-0 in both schools' first ever game.^[7] It would be 1925 before Opelika High met Auburn High for the first time on the gridiron, a 21-6 loss; the Bulldogs and Tigers have met each year in football since 1933, with the OHS leading the overall series 42-38-3.^[8]

In 1959, Opelika High moved into a new building on Denson Drive, and was subsequently re-named "Opelika High School" again. In 1972, OHS moved again, this time into the current facility on LaFayette Parkway.^[1]

Publications

Opelika High School students produce a school newspaper called the Mainstreet Gazette, which comes out five times per year. Mainstreet Gazette's adviser is English and French teacher Glenna Weaver. Mainstreet Gazette includes an Editorial, Entertainment, News, Feature, Sports, and Club News section. The staff sells ads to local businesses to fund the paper, which is printed by JS Printing.^{[citation needed]}

Students also prepare and distribute a Literary-Art Magazine of student-submitted work called Perspectives. It is published once a year, and distributed during the spring semester. Dr. Charles Hannah started the magazine in 1987 as an after school activity. Since then, "Perspectives" has become a full class that meets first block every other day. The 2009 edition with be the 22nd issue. "Perspectives" has won several All-Alabama awards from the Alabama Scholastic Press Association.^{[citation needed]}

The high school's yearbook is titled "Zig-Zag."^{[citation needed]}

Athletics

Opelika competes in class 6A of the AHSAA. Its primary athletic rival is the Auburn High School Tigers. The mascot is the bulldog. More specifically, there are 2 bulldogs called "Ope" and "Lika" which represent Opelika High School. The school colors are red and black. The school fields 10 varsity sports teams:

• Football
• Baseball
• Softball
• Wrestling (Boys)
• Track and Field (Boys and Girls)
• Cross Country (Boys and Girls)
• Volleyball (Girls)
• Basketball (Boys and Girls)
• Soccer (Boys and Girls)
• Golf (Boys and Girls)
• Tennis (Boys and Girls)

Football success

• 2007 Region 3 Champions 2nd Round playoffs
• 2006 Region 3 Champions 4th Round Playoffs
• 2005 Region 3 Champions 4th Round Playoffs
• 2004 Region 3 4th Place 1st Round Playoffs
• 2003 Region 3 Champions 3rd Round Playoffs
• 2002 Region 3 Champions 3rd Round Playoffs
• 2001 Region 3 Runner-up 2nd Round Playoffs
• 2000 Region 3 Runner-up 2nd Round Playoffs
• 1999 Area 5 Runner-up 2nd Round Playoffs
• 1998 Area 5 Champions 3rd Round Playoffs
• 1994 Area 5 1st Round Playoffs
• 1993 Area 5 3rd Round Playoffs
• 1992 Area 5 2nd Round Playoffs
• 1991 Area 5 2nd Round Playoffs
• 1990 Area 5 1st Round Playoffs
• 1986 Area 5 Champions 3rd Round Playoffs
• 1985 Area 5 Champions 1st Round Playoffs
• 1984 Area 5 1st Round Playoffs

Basketball successes

Boys

• 2004 Area 3 3rd Place 1st Round Southeast Sub-Regional
• 2003 Area 3 Runner-up 1st Round Southeast Sub-Regional
• 2002 Area 4 Runner-up Quarterfinals Southeast Regional
• 2001 Area 4 Runner-up 1st Round Southeast Sub-Regional

Track & Field

Boys

• 2007 6A State Champions
• 2006 6A State Champions
• 2005 6A State Runner-Ups
• 2004 6A State Champions
• 2003 6A State Champions
• 2000 6A State Champions
• 1999 6A State Champions
• 1998 6A State Champions
• 1997 6A Freshman State Champions

Tennis successes

Boys

• 1991 6A State Champions
• 1979 6A Individual State Champion, Mike Gunter^{[citation needed]}

Wrestling successes

Team

• 1958 (Clift)
• 1956 (Clift)

Individual

• 2011 Brian White (103 lbs.)
• 2010 Brian White (103 lbs.)^{[citation needed]}
• 2009 Hunter Robinson (140 lbs.)^{[citation needed]}
• 2007 Sam Trammell (215 lbs.)^{[citation needed]}
• 2006 Sam Trammell (215 lbs.)^{[citation needed]}

Other Organizations

Opelika High Theatre Society

Opelika High School band

Opelika High School's theatre program is among the elite in the state.^{[citation needed]} This group produces 3 productions a year. A fall play, a spring musical, and a competition piece for the Walter E. Trumbauer festival in December.

2011 - 2012 Season. Our Town, Take the Repeat-an original One Act Musical, and Anything Goes

Showchoir

Directed by: James McDonald

Opelika High School's choral program showcases two wonderful showchoirs. The Opelika Ovations and Impressions. Ovations is a large mixed division choir. Impressions is a large women's division choir. Both are award winning choirs and compete all over the United States each year.^{[citation needed]}

Bands

Marching Band: The Opelika High school marching band, also known as "The Spirit of The South", has been a nationally recognized band for over 25 years. Members of the band include members of the Symphonic, Concert and Jazz Band. Symphonic Band: The Opelika High School symphonic band has showcased around the country from anything as small as a competition to governor inaugurations. The band has also been featured within the top 20 bands in the United States. The band performs three times a year under normal conditions. These include: the Christmas "Symphonic Concert", The Spring competition, and the Spring Concert in the Park. The band plays at a level of: Level 3 sight-reading, Level 4-6 concert pieces, Level 4-7 competition pieces.

Concert band: The Opelika High school Concert band is a band showcasing music at a slightly lower level for younger students. The band joins with the Symphonic Band to help create the marching band and also performs three times a year. The band doesn't focus much on sight-reading as much as performance pieces. The band performs at a level 3-4 level, going higher depending of the players. The band is known for their performance of marches and straight beat music.

Jazz Ensemble: The Opelika High School Jazz Ensemble focuses on jazz, as well as rock, blues, soul and funk. The players of the Jazz Ensemble are more than often members of the Symphonic Band and section leaders of the marching band. The band is built around sight-reading and sight-playing as well as improvisation. The band plays at a professional level and is recognized by many to be the "choice band" in the south-eastern region.^{[citation needed]} The band will be performing at Columbus State University to close their 1st annual all-day jazz workshop (to which they have also been invited to attend).^{[citation needed]} The band performs many times a year and can have very little notice beforehand of the performance or "gig".

FFA

Opelika High School's FFA includes over 300 members.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Opelika Schools - learning through the years", retrieved August 2, 2010.
2. ^ Alabama State Department of Education, "2010 AYP Status of Schools List", August 2, 2010.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Auburn May Get County High School", Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, May 3, 1914.
4. ^ Stephen B. Weeks, History of Public School Education in Alabama, (Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1915), 185; "Opelika Gets Lee County High School", Montgomery Advertiser, June 29, 1911.
5. ^ "Opelika High School Building Burns Saturday", Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, January 21, 1917.
6. ^ "Burning of the Opelika High School Building", Columbus Daily Enquirer, March 27, 1867; "Opelika Seminary Burned", Columbus Daily Enquirer, March 27, 1894.
7. ^ "Alexander is Winner over Opelika Team", Montgomery Advertiser, October 1, 1922.
8. ^ "Opelika vs. Auburn", retrieved May 16, 2011.

External links

• AHSAA Official Sports Website
• Opelika High School website