Olive Branch High School is a public high school in

Olive Branch, Mississippi Olive Branch is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population is 39,711. Olive Branch is part of the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region that consists of three counties in southwest Te ...

, United States, part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Olive Branch is a part of the

DeSoto County School District DeSoto County Schools is a public school district based in Hernando, Mississippi (USA) and serving all public school students in DeSoto County in the Memphis metropolitan area. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, DeSoto County is ...

History

Original Olive Branch High School

Although the town of Olive Branch was extremely small for much of the 20th century, with a population of about 400 during the 1930s, newspaper records indicate the existence of a high school in the town no later than 1936.Associated Press
"Olive Branch School Has Two Principals,"
''Daily Herald'' iloxi March 17, 1936, p. 1. At that time the school had approximately 120 students, implying that students from outside city limits also attended. In the era of formalized

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

in Mississippi, it appears there were both black and white high schools in Olive Branch.

Integration

Today's Olive Branch High School was established in 1970 after amalgamating Olive Branch High School and East Side High School. The school's mascot — the Conquistador — was chosen because "it was neither black nor white. It was seen as a conqueror to overcome the racial segregation of the past." The high school moved into its new and current building in 1996.

Athletics

Teams

Olive Branch's athletic teams are nicknamed the Conquistadors and the school's colors are white, gold, and blue. Olive Branch teams compete in the following sports: *Baseball *Basketball *Bowling *Cross Country *Football *Golf *Powerlifting *Soccer *Softball *Swimming *Tennis *Track and Field *Volleyball

State championships

Football *2011 Mississippi 6A State Champions Basketball *2018 Mississippi 5A State Champions

Demographics

54% of the students at Olive Branch identify as Caucasian. 39% identify as African American, 6% as Hispanic, and 1% identify as Asian.

Notable alumni

Daren Bates Daren Weston Bates (born November 27, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for Auburn Tigers football, Auburn and was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also played for ...

, NFL linebacker for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

* Shon Coleman, NFL offensive tackle for 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 ( ...

Jalen Collins Jalen Carnell Collins (born March 20, 1993) is a professional gridiron football defensive back who is a free agent. He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. High sc ...

, NFL Free Agent cornerback * D. J. Jeffries, college basketball player for the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

Wynton McManis Wynton McManis (born September 20, 1994) is a gridiron football linebacker for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at University of Memphis and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undraft ...

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

linebacker for the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

* Jeff Walker, NFL offensive lineman for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

and the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

* K. J. Wright, NFL linebacker for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Public high schools in Mississippi Schools in DeSoto County, Mississippi Educational institutions established in 1970 1970 establishments in Mississippi