- Maryville High School is four-year public high school founded in 1918 in Maryville, Tennessee.
- In 2007-2008 there were 1533 students enrolled, and the senior class consisted of 357 students. With 10 faculty members, the staff-to-student ratio was approximately 1:15. The school principal is Mike Casteel.
- Maryville High School has been designated by the Governor of Tennessee as an A+ school. Five National Merit Finalists graduated from Maryville in 2003.
- The school's athletic teams go by the name "Red Rebels." Also, Maryville High School had the longest active football winning streak in America (74-0) until their loss in the 2008 Tennessee 4A State Championship Game. During the 2007 basketball season, the basketball team won the state championship in class 3A.
- Controversy
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Since 1938, Maryville High School teams have been using the name Red Rebels. Also, from the 1960s to-date the school has used (from around the centennial of the Civil War) the Confederate flag.
- In 1999, Dr. Christie English, a local doctor, filed a civil rights complaint against the school board, equating the [1]football games with Ku Klux Klan rallies. The school board promptly changed the school's flag, but fans, almost exclusively students, continued displaying, wearing, and bringing the controversial symbol to support the rarely defeated football team.
- Supporters of the school board defended their position by stating that the flags (most of which were fastened on poles used to make more celebratory noise by banging on bleachers) were a security issue that could cause serious injury. Opponents argue that the ban is obviously one on the symbol itself, a symbol which, in their minds, no longer represents racism, but is merely an emblem of their beloved school.
- Despite administrators' attempts, the student body still managed to bring the Rebel flag into their stadium and others on their clothes, tied around their waists, or even painted on their bodies. When assistant principals attempted to suspend students for wearing the flag, a $20 million lawsuit was pressed against the school for denying the right of free speech. In response, students created facebook groups with names like, "Don't like the rebel flag? Well, don't fly it and shut the hell up!" where they argue that the flag is not a symbol of racism because the Civil War was not fought over slavery, but over states' rights.
- Controversy surrounding the issue received national attention. The former president of a North Carolina National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter agreed with the Sons of Confederate Veterans's opposition of the ban, saying that the flag should no longer be considered a symbol of racism. In fact, H. K. Edgerton organized a walk from Johnson City to Maryville to protest the decision, and he subsequently attended every football game of the season dressed in a Confederate uniform and carrying a Confederate flag.
- On August 25, 2006, students brought their unofficial senior mascot, a stuffed raccoon, into the stadium before the Maryville-Alcoa football game. Several students had their picture taken with it while chanting "get the coon." A large outcry arose from the public, insisting that the students had racist intentions behind their choice of animals. Newspapers and news channels carried stories about the incident for about a month after the game itself. Though the animal was banned immediately after the game, Dr. Ken Jarnagin has been quoted as defending the students: "These children, I think, did not know the symbol meant at all. It was just another silly thing they were bringing in as a mascot." The Raccoon is coincidentally the state animal of Tennessee and the Mascot for the NFL's Tennessee Titans. A "diversity council" has since been formed at the school to raise racism awareness.
- In 2008, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit over the ban of student display of the Confederate flag, citing the disturbances which disrupted the school environment as justification of the ban.
- Student Life
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Like at every other high school, Maryville creates lasting relationships for the students. The 10-12 grade students attend four classes a day in a block schedule, with a fifteen minute break in between the first and second block. The freshman, though, attend a modified period schedule, taking core classes such as science, math, and English all year.
- The clubs that are available for the students are as follows:
- Amnesty International,Anime Club,Art Club,Chess Club,Cultural Awareness Club,Cycling Club,Dance Team,Debs,DECA,Drama,Echoes Literary Magazine,Equestrian Club,Ethics Debate Club,Fellowship of Christian Athletes,Forensics,Interact Club,Jazz Band,Juggling Team,Junior Classical League,Key Club,Maryville Scholars,Maryville Singers,Miniature Golf Club,Mock Trial,Mu Alpha Theta,National Art Honor Society,National Honor Society,Orchestra,Outdoor Activity Club,Positive Role Models,Recycling Club,Red & Black School Newspaper,Religious Understanding Club,Rock Climbing Team,Scholars' Bowl,Step Team,Student Council,Trebelettes,and Yearbook Staff.
- Notable alumni
- Lamar Alexander, former Governor of Tennessee, former Secretary of Education, U.S. Senator
- Roy Kramer, former SEC commissioner (1990-2002)
- Carl Stewart , former Auburn University fullback (2003-2008)
- Lee Anthony Humphrey, NCAA Basketball National "3-point" Record holder and member of repeat NCAA National Championship team (2005-2007)
- Other sources
- Stoner, A. Derrick. "The Daily Times: What I Think."
- Neal, R. "Old Times Here are Not Forgotten." .
- McLamb, Stephen. "Diversity Council Formed After High School Incident." .
- Barker, Scott, et al. "Rebel Flag Fuss." .
- Anderson, Josh. "No. 10 Maryville wins 60th straight game, Tennessee state title." .
- External links
- Maryville High School official website
- High School profile provided by publicschoolreview.com
- Maryville High School profile provided by schooltree.org
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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