McGavock High School (commonly McGavock or Big Mac) is a public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. The high school is a Model Academy School (affiliated with the National Career Academy Coalition). In January 2014, President Barack Obama visited McGavock High School to discuss the success of the academy model.

History

McGavock Comprehensive High School opened in 1971. It initially served students in grades ten through twelve who had previously attended Cameron, Donelson and Two Rivers high schools. McGavock added ninth grade in 1978. McGavock is a part of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools system. It sits on a part of the McGavock plantation that was purchased by Metro Parks in 1968 for $68,000. The land is still the property of the park service. The school was named for the antebellum Two Rivers mansion built by David H. McGavock. McGavock was the first truly comprehensive high school built in Nashville. Planning for the school took place during the administration of Superintendent Dr. John Harris. Dr. James Burns, the resident consultant for secondary development for Metro-Nashville Public Schools, developed a structure that would serve as a model for other comprehensive high schools. McGavock was the first high school in Nashville that combined the academic program with extensive vocational training.

Facilities

McGavock is the largest high school in Tennessee, with a little under 500,000 sq. feet. McGavock has four softball fields, a baseball diamond, six tennis courts, a football stadium and a track. The 14-acre building houses 82 classrooms, 14 science labs, a credit union, a flight simulator, a bistro, nine Career and Technical shop/classroom areas (including a student-run courtroom and a health science lab) seven business education labs, two gymnasiums, two cafeterias, a 586 seat auditorium, and formerly a two-story library (currently a one story on the second floor) with fiction, audio-visuals, materials and equipment on one level, and non-fiction and computers on the other. It has a green room, a planetarium, a computer and technical education (CTE) lab equipped with 60 computers and a CTE presentation room equipped with state-of-the-art projection capabilities.

Marching band

The school has a strong band program, having won the state championship 25 times: 1972–1979, 1982, 1987–1991, 1993–1994, 1997–2000, 2002–2005, 2019. Winner of internationally acclaimed John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Shield Award 1994 Bands of America Southeastern Regional Champions, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 1995, 1996 Finalist band in Bands of America Grand National Championships in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990 Southern Regional Grand Champions in Bands of America Southern Regional Championships - 1990. Recognized by the National Band Association as one of the Ten Finest Bands in the United States.

Notable alumni

Chris Claybrooks Chris Claybrooks (born July 17, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis. College career Claybrooks played wide receiver at Coahoma Commun ...

, football player *

Lorianne Crook Lorianne Crook (born February 19, 1957) is an American radio and television host, producer, and writer, best known for her work on The Nashville Network programs ''This Week In Country Music'' and ''Crook & Chase'' with Charlie Chase. Early li ...

, Co-host of

Crook & Chase ''Crook & Chase'' is an American television talk show hosted by Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase, focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on country music. The pair had first worked together on the weekly syndicated program "This Week In Count ...

, Music City Tonight * Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), actor and professional wrestler (Attended but did not graduate) *

Nate Bargatze Nathanael Lee "Nate" Bargatze (born March 25, 1979) is an American comedian. Early life Nathanael Bargatze was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 25, 1979, the son of Carole and Stephen Bargatze. His father is of Italian descent and is a fo ...

, comedian

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macgavock High School Public high schools in Tennessee Schools in Nashville, Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1971 1971 establishments in Tennessee