North Mecklenburg High School is a
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 ...
in
Huntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville is a large suburban town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. A part of the Charlotte metropolitan area, the population was 61,376 at the 2020 census, making Huntersville the 15th largest municipality in North Caroli ...
. The school mascot is the
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
, and the school colors are royal blue, red, and white. Founded in 1951, the school was
integrated during the 1960s. The principal is Stephanie Hood.
History
North Mecklenburg High School first opened its doors to students on September 4, 1951. Many of North Meck's first expansions occurred in 1957, with the addition of the H-hall to meet the needs of the growing student population. During the 1960s, North's curriculum expanded to include instruction in Art, Orchestra, Drama, Spanish, Child Care, Auto Mechanics and ROTC.
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...
began at North Meck during the 1965–1966 school year. By 1969, the school had been fully integrated. During the early 1970s, North Meck's student population had reached around 1100 students.
By the 2000–2001 school year, North Meck had grown into the largest high school in the state, with over 2700 students. To help alleviate with the growing student body, the school added more buildings and mobile classrooms. In the fall of 2001,
Hopewell High School opened its doors to help with the needs of the growing Huntersville community.
Curriculum
North Mecklenburg High School offers a comprehensive program including
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
, which is the most rigorous program at North Meck,
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
,
Academically Gifted, and advanced classes,
fine arts
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
programs,
Air Force JROTC
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) ...
, and a variety of
workforce
The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the Pooling (resource management), pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single types of companies, company or ...
development courses. The school serves as a World Language Magnet High School for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school has one of two auto tech courses in North Carolina. Eighty-six percent of graduates attend four-year colleges, universities, or junior colleges.
Extracurricular activities
Sports
North Mecklenburg is a 4A school that is a part of the
North Carolina High School Athletic Association
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) is the governing organization of high school athletics in North Carolina, United States. The association maintains the official rule books and governs the officiating standards across ...
(NCHSAA), and competes in the MecKa Conference. The conference consists of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County Schools.
Speech and Debate team
The Speech and Debate team, a member of the
National Speech and Debate Association
The National Speech and Debate Association is an American student debating society. It was established in 1925 as the National Forensic League; the name was changed in 2014. It is one of four major national organizations that direct high school ...
, is active in both North and South Carolina, as well as in the national circuit. The team hosts the annual "The Jimmy K Poole Viking Classic" each October. They have coached several students who went onto be ranked number 1 nationwide in their events, and several National Semi-finalists, Finalists, and Champions.
Notable alumni
*
Duggar Baucom
Robert Franklin "Duggar" Baucom (born September 21, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, most recently
the head men's basketball coach at The Citadel Bulldogs basketball, The Citadel. Baucom was hired as the Citadel's head coach followin ...
,
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
head coach
*
Christopher O. Barnes, chemist and Professor at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
*
Jeff Hammond,
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
personality and commentator
*
Larry Hefner
Larry Hefner is a former linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).
Biography
Hefner was born Larry Douglas Hefner on August 2, 1949 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina.
...
,
NFL linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
1972–1975
*
Melvin Hoover
Melvin Hoover (born September 21, 1959) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL).
Early life and high school
Hoover was born and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and attended North Mecklen ...
, former NFL
wide receiver
*
Robert Jackson, NFL
offensive guard
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
with the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
1975–1985
*
DeMarco Johnson
DeMarco Antonio Johnson (born October 6, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball player and former assistant basketball coach at Hampton University.
Early life
Johnson graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1993. He was an a ...
, professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player
*
Bishop Eddie L. Long, served as senior
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
of
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is a megachurch in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, near Lithonia. It has embraced a Pentecostal theology not typically found in African-American Baptist churches.
History
The church was founded in 1 ...
in
Lithonia, Georgia
Lithonia (, ; AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
"Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart ...
*
Alyssa Ramsey,
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player who played for the
United States women's national team
*
Ryder Ryan,
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
in the
Texas Rangers organization, member of USA
2020 Olympic baseball team
*
Jamie Skeen, professional basketball player
*
Andrea Stinson
Andrea Stinson (born November 25, 1967) is a retired professional basketball player from the United States, playing from 1998 to 2005 for the Charlotte Sting and the Detroit Shock.
Early life
Andrea went to North Mecklenburg High School in Hunt ...
, three-time
WNBA All-Star with the
Charlotte Sting
The Charlotte Sting were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007.
The Sting was originally the sister organization of ...
*
Tony Wike
Tony Wike is a retired voice actor and broadcaster based in Omaha. Previously, he was morning anchor and reporter for radio stations KFAB-AM and KGOR-FM, where he won the Nebraska Broadcasters award for Best Newscast in 2010. He also anchored m ...
, actor, radio personality and journalist
*
Scott Williams, former NFL
fullback and
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
References
External links
Official school website
{{authority control
Public high schools in North Carolina
International Baccalaureate schools in North Carolina
Schools in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
1951 establishments in North Carolina
Educational institutions established in 1951