Douglas County High School (Douglasville, Georgia)

Douglas County High School, also known as Douglas County Comprehensive High School, is a public high school in Douglasville, Georgia, United States. It was the first high school to open in the Douglas County School District.

History

Douglas County, Georgia was established in 1870 during the Reconstruction of the South. The first public high school for the county was built in 1880 on the present day site of the National Guard Armory in Douglasville. This schoolhouse was used up for most of the county's high school needs until 1937, when President Roosevelt's New Deal WPA program designated that a new school would be built, named Douglasville High School.

Over the years, the name was changed to Douglas County High School, and the small, twelve-classroom building was added to and built up around. The first major change came when the wooden framed auditorium caught fire and left the building exposed. Later the original building was converted into the administrative building, and another building was added to it. This was the Banks Building, which added a tremendous amount of classrooms to the school. A small elementary school was built behind the high, school called Warren Dorris Elementary. As the high school population grew, the elementary school was attached with a breezeway to the next building. A small gymnasium and a football playing field were also added.

After the first buildings were completed, there was a gap between the next renovations, but eventually the fourth building was added to the campus. The Cloer Building was added as a science building, and housed the schools mechanic and auto shop. This building was left freestanding (unlike the other three academia-centered buildings) and is no longer home to the mechanics program, as it was disbanded to make room for other programs. A new gymnasium was added to the campus. This new gym was much larger than the first, and was equipped with air conditioning. It is used today as the school's primary gym for most physical education classes.

In the early 1990s, the original building of the school, the Mashburn Building, was mostly destroyed in a fire. The fire started when a janitor found out that he was about to lose his job at the school. He decided that the only way to save his job was to prove himself a hero. He intended to create a small chemical fire in a closet, then put it out after someone noticed it. He imagined that the administrators would see his courage and ability to protect the children, and let him keep his job. He set a small fire in a closet off of the Mashburn Building's Great Hall, but he didn't realize that the 60-year-old building's hardwood floors had absorbed much of the chemicals that had been used to clean it for the better half of a century. The fire spread quicker than he had expected, and he was not able to contain it. The fire destroyed the main office, the cafeteria, part of the library, and the school's theater before the fire department was able to get it under control. The janitor was arrested and convicted of arson as well as child endangerment. The school rebuilt the Mashburn Building and added a new section of the building that houses the fine arts department (Theater, Band, and Choir).

Later that decade, the connecting hallway of the Mashburn and Banks buildings collapsed during a major storm. It was quickly replaced.

The school now holds the title of oldest, largest, and most grossly populated of all the schools in the county. It is the only school in the county to offer the magnet International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

It is less than a mile away from downtown Douglasville and is part of the Douglas County Historic District.

Campus

The Douglas County High School campus is made up of several facilities:

Academics:

• The Mashburn Building (rooms 100s) is the original building of the school. It houses the main office, administrative offices, attendance office, cafeteria, theater, media center, and band and chorus classes.
• The Banks Building (rooms 200s) is the school's second building. The classes consist of foreign language, history/social studies, English/literature, and the journalism program.
• The Warren Dorris Building (rooms 300s) is the school's third building, and is split up into two parts, Upper and Lower. The Upper Warren Dorris is the old math hall and was the Freshman Hall between 2007 and 2009. It was converted back to math classes for the 2009-2010 school year. The Lower Warren Dorris houses the science classes. Both parts are connected by a short hall that houses business classes.
• The Cloer Building (rooms 400s) is the school's fourth building. It houses technical education classes, healthcare, and science. The building formerly housed the auto shop, but the garage was converted into science classrooms.
• The Steel Building (Jim Steele Freshman Academy, rooms 9100-9300s) is a three-story building adjacent to the Lower Warren Dorris and school practice field/track. The basement level houses computer labs and the school's JROTC rooms and storage. The ground floor has a faculty office, math, literature, science, social studies, and health classrooms, and a large multi-purpose room. The third floor is full of classrooms (math, literature, science, social studies, and health). It was built during the 2014-2015 school year and houses most of the school's freshman and sophomore International Baccalaureate classrooms.

Athletics:

• The Primary Gym is the second freestanding gymnasium at DCHS. It is used year-round for all major sports activities and physical education classes.
• The Secondary Gym was the first freestanding gymnasium on the campus. It is not used during the summer months because of its lack of air conditioning. It houses the JROTC shooting range and is used primarily for basketball.
• Coach Jimmy Johnson Stadium is the major outdoor athletics arena. It has the training center, concession stands, and home and visiting sides for spectators. During the football season it is used primarily by the football team, cheerleaders, and marching band. During the soccer season, it is used by the soccer team. The field was scheduled to be redone as an Astroturf field during the 2016 summer break.
• The Tolbert Family Training Center is the football training center in Coach Jimmy Johnson Stadium. It houses the school's weight rooms and storage for the football team. A small outbuilding is part of the complex; it is used as an office.
• The track/practice field is used for all athletic activities, including football, soccer, cheerleading, marching band, and track. It is used as the track competition field. In 2015, the track was redone and repaved.
• The Adam's Building is a freestanding single room that is used as the school's wrestling center. It has previously been used as a teacher work room, storage, and band room.

Curriculum

Douglas County High School is home to the district's IB Diploma Programme.^[3] The first class of IB students graduated in 2010. Out of the 52 students that were in the program their senior year, two thirds graduated with the diploma. The IB magnet program has greatly increased Douglas County's academic performance. Students residing in the Douglas County School District can apply to go to Douglas County High as a part of the IB Program in their eighth grade year.

Extracurricular activities

Douglas County High School offers over 40 clubs and other extracurricular activities. It offers the most extra-curricular clubs in the school district. Some of these activities include:

• Art Club: The Art Club gives students an opportunity to develop their creative abilities while serving their school and community. Students make decorations for school activities such as dances and plays. In the community, students decorate store windows for special occasions and make artwork to brighten the halls of Garden Terrace Nursing Home. As a fundraiser, students make and decorate clay Christmas ornaments. Students do not have to be taking art courses to join.^[4]
• Beta Club: Beta is a chapter of the National Beta Club, which recognizes scholarship, leadership, and service. Members must have a 3.0 average and be recommended by three teachers. The chapter at DCHS was established in 1937, the year the school opened.^[4]
• Book Club: This offers students the opportunity to read and explore various books and writings in an individual and group setting.^[4]
• Band/Marching Tiger Band: Music is a key part of many students' lives. The band has grown over the past several years, compliments of former Director Brandon Respress. The marching band has been in the top three of their competitions for the past several competitions, and has placed as the top marching band in the county. The concert band was recently divided into three sections: Beginning Band, Intermediate Band, and Mastery Band. The former Advanced Band has ranked superior in most of their Large Group Performance Evaluations, and the Beginning Band has ranked well(the Intermediate Band was created within the last school year and has not been to LGPE). The scores have been consistently at or above the level of the rest of the county.
• Chorus: Students who participate in Chorus are afforded the opportunity to sing and perform in an environment that will promote student success.^[4]
• Drama Club/Georgia Thespian Society: "Since ancient times, the stage has been a place for communal storytelling, a place where groups of people come to seek truth, to celebrate and mourn, to bring history and literature to life." Learning to see through that window and understand what is in that mirror should be a fundamental part of every student's preparation to participate in society. The purpose of this organization is the promotion of cultural knowledge of the arts and to broaden each student's acting interest. The membership of the organization is made up of 9th through 12th grade students of worthy character, good mentality, and academic eligibility. Many activities of the Drama Club include field trips, homecoming activities, thespian conventions, serving as ushers in Atlanta theaters, and participation in all DCHS activities throughout the school year. The Georgia Thespian Society is a chapter of the International Thespian Society.^[4]
• The Fellowship of Christian Athletes: The FCA presents athletes and coaches and all whom they influence the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church.^[4]
• French National Honors Society: The aim is to stimulate interest in the study of French to promote higher standards of scholarship, to create enthusiasm for understanding of francophone cultures and civilization, and to promote and perpetuate international friendship.^[4]
• Key Club: The Key Club is a service organization for high school students, which operates under school regulations and draws its membership from the student body. Key Club differs from other organizations in many ways. It is unique because it is sponsored by a local Kiwanis club, composed of the leading business and professional people of the community. The club's objective is the development of initiative, leadership ability, and good citizenship practices. Key Club is different because it functions not only on the local level, but also on a district and international level. This highly developed structure provides programs, literature, and the opportunity to relate the teenagers from countries all around the world. Key Club is the largest service organization of its kind.^[4]
• National Honor Society: NHS is the highest high school honor society in the United States. Open to juniors and seniors, membership requirements are strict and are based on four categories: scholarship, character, leadership, and service. National Honor Society provides service to the school such as sponsoring a tutorial program and assisting with orientation programs.^[4]
• Spanish Honor Society: This organization is dedicated to the exploration of the Spanish language and culture. Students go on retreats, attend "tertulias" (meetings) and conferences, and participate in all comprehension of the language. Members participate in many cultural events and holidays. Graduation stoles are awarded to those members who have remained active in the club.^[4]
• Student Government: The Student Government Association (SGA) works to forge a partnership between students and faculty. SGA works closely with the school administration in planning the student activities program. The SGA officers are part of the Principal's Student Advisory Committee. The Student Government Association is representative of each class as well as all clubs. Election of members is held at the beginning of the school year and officer elections take place in the spring.^[4]
• Tiger Talk online newspaper: Tiger Talk is the only high school journalism program in the county. Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, the publication converted to a fully online, digital version. With a staff of over 65, the program has recently been revamped and modernized under the direction of Dr. Linder.^[5]
• Mock Trial: In this program, students act as attorneys in witness in a fictional case that is created every fall. The Douglas County Mock Trial team has placed second in their region in the four years between 2006-2010. In 2010, they were awarded the Southern Region Wildcard and competed at the State Competition.
• Model United Nations: Students can go to conferences and represent a certain nation. Douglas County is home to the only Model UN Club in the county.
• Agricultural Club of Douglas County High School (AC-DC): Students plant vegetables and sell what they grow.
• Guitar Club: Students can learn to play guitar, or share their abilities.
• Bowling Club: Students go bowling after school.
• Robotics Club: Students build robots and learn about technology.

Athletics

Douglas County High School teams, known as the Tigers, compete in the Georgia High School Association AAAAAA classification. The school fields teams in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Notable alumni

• Brett Campbell, professional baseball player; Washington Nationals 2006
• Daniel Davison, drummer for Christian metalcore band Norma Jean
• Ricky Dobbs, Naval Academy quarterback; record holder for touchdowns by a quarterback
• Rob Green (seen in some records as Dusty Green), professional session and fingerstyle guitarist, producer, composer and actor with several pseudonyms
• Patrick Harper, Chief Information Officer of OpenText Corporation
• Terry Harper, professional baseball player with the Braves, Pirates, and Tigers, 1980-1987
• Taylor Phillips, professional baseball player with the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox (1956-1963); won the 1957 World Series with the Braves
• Glenn Richardson, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives
• Kasha Terry, Atlanta Dream (WNBA) player
• Mike Tolbert, Carolina Panthers player
• Mario West, professional basketball player
• Ron Young, former POW; contestant on The Amazing Race 7

References

External links

• Douglas County High School
• Tiger Talk newspaper