McDowell High School (Marion, North Carolina)

For the high school in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, see McDowell High School.

McDowell High School is a public high school located in the Western North Carolina town of Marion. The school has approximately 1,700–1,800 students.^[3] It is the only high school in McDowell County. The school was built in 1971, and has its own student-run newspaper, the Iliad, and literary magazine, The Muses (formerly known as the Aurora). McDowell High's yearbook finishes the trilogy of MHS publications, and is dubbed The Odyssey. Also there is now a T.V. show on YouTube entitled "MHS Titan News".

McDowell High School
Address
600 McDowell High Dr Marion, North Carolina 28752 United States
Coordinates	35°42′01″N 82°02′24″W
Information
Type	Public
Motto	"Pathway to World Class Opportunities and Excellence"
Established	1971 (53 years ago) (1971)
CEEB code	342485
Principal	Melora G. Bennett[1]
Staff	94.27 (FTE)[2]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,416 (2022–2023)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	15.02[2]
Color(s)	Royal blue, silver, and scarlet
Team name	Titans
Website	www.mhs.mcdowell.k12.nc.us

Alma mater

The first official performance of the McDowell High "Alma Mater" was on November 11, 1976, during a McDowell High School Band Concert. The first live performance of the McDowell High "Alma Mater" took place during a football game in the fall of 1976. The words were composed by Mrs. Alice Ostrom, a noted North Carolina poet, and Angela Israel, a student of Captain Ostrom. The musical score was composed by Capt. Ralph K. Ostrom, Ret. In addition to having served as band director at Marion High, Captain Ostrom studied with the United States Army Band and was director of the Tenth Division Band Training School.^[4]

Athletics

View of McDowell High from the football stadium in 2009

McDowell High School sports teams are known as the Titans. The school has had success in both men's and women's basketball. In 2007, the men's squad advanced to the final four in the state. The women's team won the NC 4A state championship in 1991, and were runners-up in 2004.

Notable alumni

• Greg Holland (2004), MLB pitcher, 2015 World Series champion and 3x All-Star selection^[5][6]
• Dwayne Ledford (1995), former NFL center^[7][8]
• Sara McMann (1998), silver medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's freestyle wrestling; professional mixed martial arts fighter in Bellator MMA having also competed in the UFC's bantamweight division^{[9] [10]}
• Orlando Melendez (1997), professional basketball player, also played with the Harlem Globetrotters^[11]

References

1. "McDowell High School has a new principal. Two other schools get new assistant principals". The McDowell News. July 20, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
2. "McDowell High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
3. Hollifield, Landdis (June 8, 2015). "Administrators, teachers discuss middle school transition". The McDowell News. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
4. "McDowell High". Retrieved February 13, 2009.
5. Jarrett, Keith (October 18, 2014). "An October to remember for Greg Holland". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
6. Crasnick, Jerry (July 22, 2013). "Greg Holland ready to star". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
7. "Dwayne Ledford". The Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
8. "MHS to induct sixth Hall of Fame class". The McDowell News. January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
9. Fowlkes, Ben (February 12, 2014). "Olympics paved McMann's road to title shot". USA Today. Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
10. "Sara McMann UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
11. Hammann, Joshua (October 14, 2008). "Melendez adds a new country to Globetrotters' resume". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.

External links

• Official website
• MHS News Website
• Mhs Titan Band Website
• Website for The Iliad