Pelham High School (Alabama)
| Pelham High School | |
|---|---|
 "It's a great day to be a Panther!" | |
| Location | |
|
2500 Panther Circle Pelham, Alabama United States | |
| Coordinates | 33°18′43″N 86°49′16″W / 33.312°N 86.821°WCoordinates: 33°18′43″N 86°49′16″W / 33.312°N 86.821°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Opened | 1974 |
| School district | Pelham City Schools |
| Principal | Jason Yohn |
| Faculty | 86.1 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,743 [1] (2011-12) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 19:1 [2] |
| School colour(s) | Forest Green and Vegas Gold[3] |
| Athletics conference | AHSAA[3] |
| Team name | Panthers[3] |
| Website |
www |
Pelham High School is a public high school located in Pelham, Alabama. Though formerly part of the Shelby County School System, it has been part of the Pelham City Schools System since 2014. Pelham High School was built in 1973 and opened in 1974. The school's mascot is "Paws" the Panther, and its colors are Forest Green and Vegas Gold.
History
The school was built in 1973 and opened in 1974 with the first graduating class in 1978. Since then, the school has experienced tremendous growth requiring several major additions and renovations to the campus. During the 1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak an F2 tornado struck on Highway 261 causing damage to the school, as well as some business buildings in Pelham.
Former Pelham principal Bob Lavett served over two decades at the high school. He retired as principal in late May 2014 to begin working part-time as an assistant to Superintendent Scott Coefield.[4] In June 2014, after Lavett’s retirement, the Pelham Board of Education hired Jason Yohn as the new principal of Pelham High School. Yohn was formerly the principal at Smiths Station High School in Smiths Station, Alabama, where he worked for six years. The Pelham Board of Education also hired John Prestridge as assistant principal.[5]
As of June 1, 2014, the city of Pelham separated itself from the Shelby County School System and became part of its own school district known as Pelham City Schools. The 2014-2015 school year is not only the first year where Pelham will be operating independently, but it is also the first year that residents of Helena, Alabama, will not be attending Pelham High School due to the official opening of Helena High School in August 2014.
Organizations and clubs
- Band - Pelham High School has had a band program since the school opened in 1974. The band has received excellent ratings at marching and auxiliary competitions, as well as concert band festivals. The band program currently has several groups: the "Tower of Power" marching band, which includes visual ensemble members in the color guard, dance team, and majorettes; a jazz band; and two concert groups, the wind ensemble and the symphonic band.[6] Jim Duren was band director from 1987 to 1999 before moving on to become the director at Oak Mountain High School.[7] When Duren left, Jeff Burnside took over as Pelham's band director in 1999 and stayed until the Pelham/Helena split in 2014, when he took a job as Helena High School's band director.[8] The current Pelham band director is Justin Ward, who previously served as the assistant director to Jeff Burnside from 2011 to 2014.[9]
- Baseball - The Pelham High School Varsity Baseball team won the 2004 and 2013 AHSAA State Championships.
- Color Guard - The Pelham High School Varsity and Junior Varsity Winter Guards have both received multiple state and regional titles through the South Eastern Color Guard Circuit. They compete with the "Tower of Power" Marching Band during the Fall season.
- Debate - Pelham recently resurrected their debate team. In 2006, Pelham had public forum teams place first, fifth, and sixth at Vestavia Hills High School's Novice Tournament. Pelham also had public forum teams finish as finalists and semi finalists in the 2007 Alabama state debate tournament. Pelham's Public Forum team of Brandon Grimes and Loren Willis qualified for the National Forensic League's high school national tournament in 2007. Also produced current University of Alabama debate team member Jacob Forehand who was the 7th best speaker nationally in 2009 in Parliamentary Debate.
- Scholars' Bowl - The Pelham High School varsity scholars' bowl team won the Shelby County championship title in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012. In 2007, the junior varsity team placed first in the Shelby County tournament.
Notable alumni
- Deidre Downs - Miss America in 2005, graduated from Pelham High School in 1998.[10]
- Dabo Swinney - Former University of Alabama receiver and currently the Head Coach and Receivers Coach at Clemson University.
- Tyler Watts- Former University of Alabama Quarterback.[11]
- Montez Billings - Former wide receiver for Auburn University who now plays for the Buffalo Bills.
- Elizabeth Cochran - Miss Alabama 2009
- David Koonce, bass guitarist for the rock band Within Reason
References
- 1 2 "Pelham High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
- ↑ http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/alabama/districts/shelby-county/pelham-high-school-319
- 1 2 3 "Directory 2006-07" (PDF). Alabama High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ↑ http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/05/pelham_school_board_pulls_from.html
- ↑ http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2014/06/pelham_hires_new_high_school_p.html
- ↑ http://www.pelhamband.com/about.html
- ↑ http://www.alabamamea.org/Hall%20of%20fame/
- ↑ http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2013/12/20/phs-band-director-moving-to-helena-high/
- ↑ http://www.pelhamband.com/staff.html
- ↑ "Miss America :: Meet Miss America 2005". Miss America. Archived from the original on 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ↑ John Zenor. "Iron Bowl: 'Bama's Watts passes, runs -- and wins". StAugustine.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-03-29.