Augustus R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet Middle and High School is a public seven-year magnet school in downtown Augusta, Georgia, United States, drawing students from grades six through twelve from all parts of Richmond County.

Academics

A. R. Johnson is accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission and the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

. Aside from the standard college preparatory academic courses, Johnson offers specialized training in

health science The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences are those sciences which focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple acad ...

s and engineering, and the opportunity for vocational training and dual high school/ college enrollment for health science students. The school has consistently been regarded as one of the best in Georgia, regularly ranking among the top three best schools in the state.

Awards and recognition

The school received the Blue Ribbon Award in 2003 and received the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Georgia Achievement Platinum Award. In 2007 and 2009, it received a silver medal and was listed as one of the top schools in the nation by '' U.S. News & World Report''.

History

The school opened in 1892 as Mauge Street Grammar School, taking on the name "A. R. Johnson Junior High School" in 1937. From 1945 to 1949, it served as a senior high school, and in 1956 a new building was erected to serve as the junior high school. In 1980, the school was established as an

examination school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

. In 1980–81, A. R. Johnson Junior High School became "A. R. Johnson Health Professions High School". Under its new name, it served as a pilot program, using funds from a Magnet Implementation/Planning Grant. In 1984, feasibility studies were undertaken to introduce an engineering program at the school, which began in 1985. On September 7, 2008, the school opened a new building that included an open-air

cafeteria A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school ...

, an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

deck overlooking the school's library, and its first elevator. The new building featured a dome

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...

and modern layouts. The old gymnasium is currently in use as the auditorium. The expansion project was completed in 2008, and seventh and eighth graders began attending the school in August 2009. In 2015 a new wing was added for sixth graders, in August 2015 sixth graders began attending.

Background

The school is named for Augustus Roberson Johnson (1853–1908), an African American teacher in Augusta during the late 19th century.

A. R. Johnson's mascot

The school's mascot is the panther. Male sports teams are known as the Panthers, and female teams are known as the Lady Panthers. During the latter half of the 2008–2009 school year, a mural of the mascot was painted on the wall on the hall nearest the office at the front of the building. It is visible from the street.

Student activities

Athletics

Johnson participates in several district competitive sports, among them

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

, cross country,

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 ...

, golf, tennis, and volleyball. The school does not participate in the more traditional high school sports of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, basketball, and baseball.

Clubs

*HOSA (

Health Occupations Students of America HOSA – Future Health Professionals, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), is an international career and technical student organization (CTSO) endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Techn ...

) *FBLA (

Future Business Leaders of America The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA"), Middle Level ("FBLA ...

) *Literary Competition Team *Math Team * Academic Decathlon Team *Video Team *Ecology Club *TSA ( Technology Student Association) *NSBE (

National Society of Black Engineers The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is a society that was founded in 1975 at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States, with core activities centered o ...

) *Foreign Languages Club *Golf Team *Soccer Team *Tennis Team *Track Team *Cross Country Team *Volleyball Team *Prom Committee *Ring Committee *Chorus *Yearbook/Journalism Staff *Student Council *Art Club *Foreign Language Club *Girl Talk *Girls who code

Alma mater

References

External links

A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High SchoolGravesite of Prof. Augustus Robertson Johnson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson Health Science Educational institutions established in 1956 High schools in Richmond County, Georgia Magnet schools in Richmond County, Georgia Schools accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Public high schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Public middle schools in Georgia (U.S. state) 1956 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)