Mountain Brook High School

Mountain Brook High School (MBHS) is a three-year public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Mountain Brook. It is the only high school in the Mountain Brook City School System. School colors are green and gold, and the athletic teams are called the Spartans. MBHS competes in AHSAA Class 7A athletics.^[1]

Recognition

MBHS is consistently recognized as one of the best high schools in Alabama:

• MBHS was ranked 4th among the 12 Alabama schools included in the Washington Post's 2015 list of America's Most Challenging High Schools.^[2]
• MBHS was included among the top 150 high schools in the U.S. by the Daily Beast.^[3]
• SchoolDigger ranks MBHS 2nd among 357 high schools in the state of Alabama and 1st among high schools in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area.^[4]
• Niche ranks MBHS 2nd in the state of Alabama and 2nd among high schools in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area.^[5]
• The U.S. Department of Education has recognized MBHS as a National Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor awarded by the department.^[6][7]

Student Profile

Enrollment in grades 10-12 for the 2013-14 school year is 1,024 students. Approximately 98% of students are white and 2% are Asian-American. No students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.^[8]

MBHS has a graduation rate of 98%. Ninety-eight percent of its students meet or exceed proficiency standards in reading, and 99% meet or exceed standards in mathematics. The average ACT score for MBHS students is 30, and the average SAT score is 2050.^[9]

Active school groups and events

• American Field Service - An organization which promotes world peace through understanding other cultures. The Mountain Brook High School AFS chapter sponsors international students throughout the year, as well as sponsoring MBHS students to other countries.
• Debate Team - The Mountain Brook High School Debate Team meets during two periods of the school day and competes on the national circuit in Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Public Forum Debate.
• Brookstock - A concert fundraiser held in the fall semester of the school year, Brookstock is traditionally held in the campus parking lot. Through the sale of tickets, concessions, and T-shirts, the fund raiser raises money for service organizations on campus. The performers are all high school bands, not necessarily from MBHS.
• Future Business Leaders of America - An international career and technical student organization which exists to primarily help students transition to the business world.
• Young Moderates
• Croquet Club
• Ping Pong Club- One of Mountain Brook's newest clubs.
• Key Club - One of the oldest and largest service program for high school students, the Key Club is a student-led organization that teaches leadership through serving others.
• Interact Club - Similar to Key Club, Interact is a national service based organization. At MBHS, Interact each year puts on Relay for Life, one of the largest Relay for Life events in the state. Teams composed of high school students compete with other teams from around the community to see who can raise the most money. The event lasts through the night, including local bands, sponsored events, and food from local establishments.
• Student Government Association - A student organization dedicated to social and organizational activities of the student body

Other groups on campus

Athletics

The MBHS football team in a 2010 playoff contest against Gadsden City

The Mountain Brook Spartans compete in Class 7A, Alabama's largest classification. The sports teams have experienced success, and the school holds 122 state championships, the most in Alabama. The girls' cross country team has won 12 state championships in a row, since 2003, and the boys have won the previous three state championships. The tennis teams, outdoor and indoor track teams, bowling team, golf teams, and swim and dive teams also have contributed to the total, among many others.

The Mountain Brook High School tennis teams have been successful. The boys teams have won 23 state championships, the most in the state. The girls teams also hold the record for most state championships in the state with 23 wins. Tennis is the varsity sport that has the most state championships of any other at Mountain Brook High School.

Spartan football has also achieved success, winning state championships in 1975 and 1976. Since their first season in 1966, they have had 11 ten-win seasons and 12 state quarterfinal appearances. The current coach is Chris Yeager; his predecessor, Joey Jones, is now the head coach for the South Alabama Jaguars. The boys' basketball team won its first state championship in 2013. They won again in 2014. They also reached the Final Four in 2001.

Accomplishments

A view of the football field, track and outdoor mall area

• United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School; 1983–84, 1992-93.
• United States Department of Education Secondary Schools Recognition Program.
• Selected by Redbook magazine as one of 155 schools honored for "overall excellence"
• Recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the nation's top 100 high schools.
• Honored by The College Board for academic excellence and outstanding support and participation in Advanced Placement Program.
• Mountain Brook has graduated three Rhodes Scholars.
• Mountain Brook has won more Alabama state athletic championships (119) than any other public school in the state.
• In October 2006, Mountain Brook High School's drama department, under the direction of Pat Yates, combined with Fairfield High Preparatory School to present Christopher Sergel's dramatization of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The joint production received local and eventually national attention, and was featured on NBC's Today Show and NBC Nightly News. Even Harper Lee herself took notice, as the normally private author agreed to meet with the cast.^[10]
• Mountain Brook was named the top athletic program in Alabama for the 2006-2007 season by Sports Illustrated.^[11]

In 2013 and 2014 the Mountain Brook High School basketball team, led by coach Bucky McMillan, won the class 6A state championship.

Notable graduates

• Nate Bland, Former MLB player (Houston Astros)^[12]
• Scott Bondy, an American folk/alternative musician. Formerly lead singer of the band Verbena.
• Courteney Cox, actress (Friends, Scream, Cougar Town, Dirt)^[13]
• Alan Hunter, MTV Veejay^[14]
• David Jaffe, video game designer (God of War, Twisted Metal)^[15]
• Pat Du Pré, semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 1979 and a quarter finalist in the U.S. Open. 1979-1981; he was ranked in the top 20 in the world, reaching as high as 12th.^[16]
• Jared Weinstein, Special Assistant and Personal Aide to U.S. President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009
• Graeme McFarland, football player (Indiana University)^[17]
• Emeel Salem, All-American baseball player at the University of Alabama, former minor league player in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. (6th round draft pick 2007)^[18]
• William Vlachos, center for the University of Alabama National Championship Team in 2009 and 2011.^[19]
• Tommy Dewey, actor (17 Again, The BabyMakers, The Mindy Project)^[20]
• Sarah Simmons, Top 8 finalist on season 4 of The Voice.^[21]
• Trevor Holder, pitched in College World Series for University of Georgia. Currently with Washington Nationals organization.^[22]
• Natalee Holloway (class of 2005), an 18-year-old who mysteriously disappeared while in Aruba with friends in 2005.^[23]

References

External links

• MBHS website
• MBHS profile on SchoolDigger
• MBHS profile on Niche
• Alabama High School Athletic Association Records

Coordinates: 33°29′29″N 86°42′43″W / 33.49147°N 86.7120°W / 33.49147; -86.7120