Green Hope High School is a school in Cary, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12. It is a part of the Wake County Public School System.
In 2006, Green Hope had a 95% graduation rate, with approximately 2,144 students attending and 530 seniors graduating. Widely considered to be one of the top public schools at sports in the nation, the school is known for athletes who transfer to the school to compete in the North Carolina 4A Athletics Conference. Green Hope is regularly ranked in the top 5 in the state for Men and Women's Soccer, Golf, Cross Country, Lacrosse and Swimming. The school consistently has large numbers of students that attend college after graduation. It was ranked as the 206th best high school according to the 2011 Newsweek Rankings of Top US High Schools.
History
The school is named for the older, historic Green Hope School, built in 1927. It provided Grades 1 through 12 during its lifetime as a consolidated school. This continued until 1952, when it was re-dubbed Green Hope Elementary School, providing primary-education while the higher grades were reallocated to nearby Cary or Apex High schools. Green Hope Elementary proudly became the first accredited rural school in Wake County. By 1963, it served 172000 students. However, at the time, the school was a whites-only establishment.
Fire and destruction
On August 15, 1963 at 1 AM, the school caught fire. Three fire departments responded: Apex, Morrisville, and Yrac. (Yrac Department was created in 1958 as a temporary reorganization of Cary Rural Fire District; in 1998 it was merged with Cary F.D.) Despite this response, the school was completely destroyed. Damage was estimated at greater than $400,000, and the school was not reconstructed.
The cause of fire was officially described as suspicious circumstances. However, arson was suspected as a cause, and firefighters reported a car speeding away from the blaze. Possible motives include opposition to the racial integration of the local districts. This process continued, however, expedited by the creation of Wake County Public School System in 1976. This set the goal of unifying the diverse racial and economic demographic of the growing community, and ensuring that the affluent suburbs and the poorer urban areas of Raleigh received equal and integrated education. However, the site of Green Hope School remained unoccupied until 1999.
The present location of the school is across the road from the old building site.
Green Hope High School today
The modern Green Hope High School opened its doors in 1999, drawing only freshmen and sophomore students from neighboring overcrowded schools, with its sister school, Green Hope Elementary, opening a year later in 2000. It added a grade level for the two subsequent years and graduated its first senior class in 2002. The school consists of a main three-story building, with additional modular classrooms adjacent. The Cary Tennis Park, operated by the town of Cary, which functions as the school's tennis practice facility, is located directly behind the school. Green Hope Elementary School and Park are located directly across the street from the Tennis Park. Both schools are operated by Wake County Public School System. The principal has been Karen Summers since January 2014. The school mascot is the Green Hope Fighting Falcon.
Academics
Green Hope is consistently ranked as a top tier school for academics in national rankings. The school posted the fifth highest average SAT score in the Raleigh Durham area: 1699 with 94.7% of students taking the test. Green Hope currently offers 21 Advanced Placement courses and over 61 honors courses.
Honors and awards
- School of Excellence 2009-2012
- Honor School of Excellence 2004-2008
- School of Distinction 2000-2003
- Top 2 in graduation rate for large schools in North Carolina 2008-2011
- Rated in the top 500 high schools nationally by Newsweek 2009-2011
- Rated in the top 500 high schools nationally by The Washington Post 2010-2011}
- Media Center (Photo â€" Library and Computer Lab)
Green Hope also has teams in competitions such as: Science Olympiad, TARC, FRC Robotics, DECA, and the Duke Math Meet.
Athletics
Green Hope competes under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A classification for the largest 25% of schools in North Carolina and currently competes in the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference with Athens Drive, Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Middle Creek, and Panther Creek high schools. Green Hope's overall athletic success is reflected with the Falcons winning three consecutive Wells Fargo Cup (formerly Wachovia Cup) trophies for all NCHSAA 4A schools for the 2009-10, 2010â€"11, 2011â€"12, and 2013-14 school years at the state level, and being conference leaders for the cup in the 2012/13 season. They have 23 team state championships in the following sports: Men's Golf (2003,2006,2007,2009,2010), Women's Cross Crountry (2009,2010,2011,2012,2013), Men's Cross Country (2010), Women's Lacrosse (2005,2006,2012), Men's Soccer (2011,2012), Women's Soccer (2013), Cheerleading (2006), Gymnastics (2012,2013,2014) , and Men's Swimming (2013,2014)
- Men's Sports: Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Track and Field - Indoor and Outdoor, Wrestling
- Women's Sports: Basketball, Cheerleading, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Track and Field - Indoor and Outdoor, Volleyball
- Non-NCHSAA Sanctioned/Independent/Club Sports: Bowling, Dance Team, Gymnastics (sanctioned by NC-USA Gymnastics), Men's Ultimate Frisbee (sanctioned by USA Ultimate), Women's Ultimate Frisbee (sanctioned by USA Ultimate)
In 2006, Green Hope also had a sailing team, that was sanctioned by the South Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association.
Cross Country
In addition to their state championships, Green Hope is noted to have one of the largest high school cross country teams in the U.S., which was featured in a 2008 USA TODAY article. Many runners have gone on to run for top collegiate teams, frequently under scholorship as well.
Golf
In addition to their five state championships, the Green Hope golf team also has won five NCHSAA 4A individual titles through Brendon Todd (2000,2002,2003), Kevin O'Connell (2007), and Michael Cromie (2009). Many athletes have gone on to play at the NCAA level including Brendon Todd (Georgia), Michael Cromie (Georgia), Kevin O'Connell (UNC-Chapel Hill). Will Shambley (UNC-Wilimington), Drew Eibner (Arkansas), Eric Shriver (Pepperdine University), Dan Gossin (Appalachian State), Elliot Jones (East Carolina), Tripp Brizendine (East Carolina), Rob Barrow (Wake Forest), Kyle Sonday (UNC-Greensboro), Will Almand (UNC-Greensboro), and Ben Kohles (Virginia). As of 2014, Brendon Todd has played 4 years on the PGA Tour, earning his first tour win at the Byron Nelson Championship in May 2014.
Soccer
Both the men's and women's soccer programs are perennial state contenders. At the end of 2016 season, the men's team had reached the NCHSAA playoffs thirteen times, including three 4A State Championships and 4 Semi-Finals. The men were North Carolina 4A State Champions in 2011, 2012, and 2016.
At the end of the 2016 season the men's team finished with an overall record of 28-1-0, 127 GF / 22 GA, a 19 game win streak, won the NCHSAA 4A State Championship (3-0 vs Porter Ridge) and did not allow a single goal against in the six playoff games (23 GF, 0 GA, six shutouts), and was ranked #1 in the nation at maxpreps.com Tour of Champions.
At the end of the 2012 season, the men's team was ranked #1 in the nation, winning both state and national championship honors.
The 2013 Women's state championship team was also ranked #1 in the country.
Stephen Bickford was voted the Adidas/USA Today national player of the year in 2004, in addition to winning the state player of the year title.
School organizations
Notable student organizations include: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Science Olympiad, Gay-Straight Alliance, Muslim Students Association, Environmental Club, Green Hope Marching Band, Key Club, Beta Club, Technology Student Association, and the National Honor Society. Other clubs include various honor societies, community outreach programs, extracurricular foreign-language, competition, and culture clubs (French, Spanish, Latin), a school news site, and athletic boosters.
Green Hope Band Program
The Green Hope Band Program is led by band director Brian Myers. Most recently, the Symphonic Band was invited to perform at the NCMEA Convention in Raleigh. The marching band, the Green Hope Falcon Regiment, has performed at BOA Grand Nationals three times, and won awards in various competitions around and in North Carolina. In 2015, the marching band made school history when it made semifinals at BOA Grand Nationals for the first time. Their previous shows include: Bringer of War (2016), MASKerade (2015), Letting Go (2014), Asylum (2013), Wrath of Darkened Wings (2012), Liszten (2011), The Trials (2010), and The Road Less Traveled (2009) The band program has also explored new trends by instigating the school's first iBand, a group of musicians who use apps on iPads to make music. The iBand group also performed at NCMEA and led an educational session to teach others about the possibilities of iBands. Other parts of the band program include the jazz band, indoor percussion program and various concert groups. The band also has three winter guard programs, including a varsity, junior varsity, and a junior team which caters local middle school students.
Green Hope DECA
Green Hope DECA is an international club founded on preparing students for greatness in areas of marketing, finance, hospitality and the management of business. Currently Green Hope DECA is the largest chapter of DECA in North Carolina and by far the largest club at Green Hope High School. Green Hope DECA is home to the current Triad Region Vice President Dylan Heneghan and several international finalists. In the few years since its creation Green Hope DECA has grown to be the most successful club at green hope and with it helped prepare its members with the skills and connections needed to succeed in the real world.
School demographics
The school serves affluent Western Wake, including Cary and Apex. It also features a program to provide bus service from south Raleigh in order to meet county socio-economic status quotas. The future of this program is uncertain as the Wake County Board of Education is debating whether or not to break up this program.
As of 2006, redistricting and explosive population growth may have cause dramatic demographic changes. Affluent neighborhoods such as Preston and Weatherstone sit adjacent to old tobacco farms and rural land tracts.
In 2005, 31% of students performed at or above grade-level. The school ranks as a North Carolina Honor School of Excellence and meets capacity requirements as a High Growth School. The school is a traditional (non-magnet) school by official designation (and funding considerations).
The school prides itself on technology integration - 100% of classrooms have internet access, and teachers and students use an online course-reporting and grading system like other new Wake County Public High Schools. Nearly all classrooms contain laptops for students to use to enhance learning.
In the 2015-16 school year, Green Hope served as the overflow school for other capped schools in the area such as Panther Creek.
Notable alumni
- Héctor Cotto, Puerto Rican Olympic track & field athlete
Indi Cowie
References
External links
- Official website
- History of Wake County Public School System Official website
- Yrac Fire Department Report of fire in 1963.
