Patrick Henry High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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 the Grandin Court neighborhood of Roanoke,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. It is one of the two general enrollment high schools for the Roanoke City Public Schools. The school is located on Grandin Road SW near the intersection with Brandon Avenue SW in the Raleigh Court neighborhood. The school is named for Virginia's first governor and American

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

and Revolution leader

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first a ...

History

Patrick Henry High School’s history dates back to 1961 as construction was completed to serve approximately 1,200 students. Patrick Henry was an open campus-style school consisting of three main buildings (Parsons Building, Persinger Building, McQuilkin Building) named after prominent members of RCPS and the Roanoke community. Penn Hall, named in honor of Dr.

Harry Penn Dr. Harry Theodore Penn (1902? in Lynchburg, Virginia – May 8, 1963 in Roanoke) was a noted dentist and civic activist in Roanoke, Virginia. Education and work Dr. Penn was a graduate of Virginia Seminary, now the Virginia University of Ly ...

, was completed in 1975, increasing the school’s capacity to 1,600. In 1989, the school division implemented the middle school concept that extended Patrick Henry’s enrollment to 9th graders. In 2006, the school's campus style layout with multiple buildings (or, "halls") was replaced with a newly constructed, conventional school building. The entire project was completed in 2008, A new Senior patio, a small square behind the main building that is intended for use as an outside dining area during lunch periods was completed in 2010.

Academics

Patrick Henry High School is a comprehensive high school which includes grades 9-12 with a student enrollment of 1,900 students. The school offers numerous Advanced Placement courses along with partnering with Virginia Western Community College to provide Dual Enrollment college courses at PH. In 2012 - 2017 Patrick Henry was rated as one of the best high schools in America by Newsweek and currently is ranked 704 out of 2399 schools in the nation. The Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology also sits on Patrick Henry campus.

Athletics and extracurriculars

Patrick Henry High School is a member of the

Virginia High School League The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor sta ...

and competes in the Class 5A North Region in the

River Ridge District The AA River Ridge District is a district in Region IV of the Virginia High School League. It is centered around the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley in Southwest Virginia. History The River Ridge District was formed for the 2003–2004 s ...

. Patrick Henry High School has won 13 state VHSL championships in Football (1973), Basketball (1988, 1992), Tennis (2004), Forensics (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018), Girls Swim (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), and Boys Lacrosse (2017).

PH Football Team

Patrick Henry High School Football Team won the 1973 AAA State Championship, capping an undefeated season. Merrill Gainer was the head coach of the Patrick Henry Patriots and the current football stadium at PH is named after him.

PH Boys Basketball Team

Patrick Henry High School won Group AAA state titles in boys basketball in 1988 and 1992. University of North Carolina and eventual NBA basketball player George Lynch led the Patriots to a AAA State Championship in 1988, his junior year. Patrick Henry won in the semifinals against

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-yea ...

's Indian River High School team. Curtis Staples led the team again in 1992. Staples went on to play at the

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and played pro basketball for eight years. The team was coached by Woody Deans. The basketball court in the new gymnasium on campus has been named Woody Deans Court in his honor.

PH Boys Tennis

In 2004, PH won the VHSL AAA State Tennis Championship. Brock Newton and Tyler Early also won the 2004 AAA State doubles championship. Both Newton and Early were inducted into the Patrick Henry High School Sports Hall of Fame with the 2022 class.

PH Forensics

In 2014 the Forensics Team won the VHSL 6A State Championship. The PH Forensics Team repeated as the 2015 5A State Champions and did a "3-Peat" 5A State Championship in 2016. The PH Forensics team won the 2018 5A State Championship.

PH Girls Swim Team

The PH Girls Swim Team won the 2016 5A State Championship, 2017 5A State Championship, 2018 5A State Championship. and the 2019 5A State Championship.

PH Boys Lacrosse

The PH Boys Lacrosse won the 2017 5A State Championship in June 2017.

PH Chess Team and Theater

On December 10-December 12, 2006, the chess team went to the National Grade Level Championships in

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and won second place for the 10th grade level. In 2007 the 10th grade chess team repeated their national second place in

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, and the 11th grade team won the national championship. In 1988 the theatre department won state VHSL championship for the second time. The first was the year before.

Notable alumni

* George Lynch – retired NBA player * Curtis Staples – former

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

record-holder for career three-point field goals * John S. Edwards - Virginia State Senator *

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- bodybuilder and professional wrestler * Tanquil Lisa Collins - actress, writer,

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1983 *

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- CEO of National Rifle Association * Shannon Taylor - retired NFL player * Chris Combs - retired NFL player * Russell Turner - head men's basketball coach at the University of California, Irvine

References

External links

Official Site

Virginia Department of Education Report Card

Great Schools site
{{authority control Public high schools in Virginia Schools in Roanoke, Virginia Educational institutions established in 1961 1961 establishments in Virginia