Murphy High School (MHS) is a public high school in Murphy, North Carolina. It serves grades 9–12 and is one of only three high schools in the Cherokee County Schools system.[3] The MHS campus is sandwiched between U.S. Route 19 and the Valley River. The high school shares its campus with Murphy Middle School and the Cherokee County Schools Bus Garage.
| Murphy High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
234 High School Circle 28906 United States | |
| Coordinates | 35°06′01″N 84°00′59″W / 35.1003°N 84.0163°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Cherokee County Schools |
| CEEB code | 342825 |
| Principal | Wendy Leatherwood |
| Staff | 34.16 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 431 (2023–24)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 13.93[1] |
| Color(s) | Black and gold |
| Team name | Bulldogs |
| Website | mhs |
History edit
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The original Murphy High School building was constructed in 1925.[4] The current campus opened in 1956 on 219 acres as Murphy Senior High School.[5] Construction cost $259,143.[6] As of 2007 the school had a full-time teaching staff of 42 teachers giving an average of 12 students per teacher.[3][7] It has a GreatSchools rating of 5/10 and an average community rating of 4/5 stars.[8] In the 2023-24 school year, 431 students were enrolled. The school has a capacity of 746 students.[2]
An EF2 tornado damaged Murphy High School and Murphy Middle School during the tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012. The schools were temporarily forced to close as a result.[9]
In May 2020, the Cherokee County Board of Education voted to consolidate Andrews, Murphy, and Hiwassee Dam High Schools. In September 2022, a grant of $50 million was given to the school system for this purpose, but in January 2023 new members of the Cherokee County Board of Education voted to return the money instead.[10]
“Practically all of Murphy High School is in need of dramatic repairs and improvements or a complete replacement altogether,” the Cherokee Scout newspaper wrote in 2023.[11]
Murphy High was voted as the best school in Cherokee County in the Scout's 2023 Readers' Choice awards.[12]
Athletics edit
Murphy's teams are known as the Bulldogs. The football team plays at Bob Hendrix Memorial Stadium. Murphy competes in the Smoky Mountain Conference (SMC) and its varsity sports are:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Boys state champs - 1994
- Girls state champs - 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000
- Football
- State champs - 1974, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2020[13]
- Golf
- Track
- Girls state champs - 1990, 1995, 2018, 2019
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Notable people edit
Alumni edit
- Carl Pickens (1988), former NFL wide receiver and 2x Pro Bowl selection[14]
- Hedy West (1955), folksinger and songwriter[15]
Faculty edit
- Dave Bristol (former assistant football coach), he went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants[16]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Murphy High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Foster, Randy (2023-09-06). "Overcrowded with campuses". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc. p. 9A.
- ^ a b "Murphy High School - School Home". Cherokeecounty.nc.schoolwebpages.com. 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- ^ "Rapid Educational Development Of Cherokee County". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC. 1929-11-08. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ McKeever, Mrs. Hobart (1961-01-29). "Cherokee County Shows Greatest Progress During 1950-60 Decade". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. 77. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ "Murphy's New High School To Be Finished Early In '57". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC. 1956-08-02. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ "Murphy,Elementary School,Cherokee County, North Carolina". Psk12.com. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- ^ "Murphy High School - Murphy, North Carolina - NC - School overview". Greatschools.org. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- ^ "Rare tornado hits NC mountains; Two schools closed". FOX8 WGHP. 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ Putnam, Jared (2023-01-10). "County officially turns down grant". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc.
- ^ Brown, David (2023-10-24). "A lost local educational opportunity". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, North Carolina: Community Newspapers, Inc. p. 4A.
- ^ "Readers' Choice 2023". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc. 2023-11-01.
- ^ "State Championship Results by Year". Carolina Gridiron.
- ^ Carl Pickens Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Autoharp. University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved Jul 29, 2020.
- ^ Quinones-Belian, Anngee (2023-11-01). "Having a ball reuniting in The Ballroom". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc. p. 8A.
External links edit
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