Olive Branch High School (Olive Branch, Mississippi)

Olive Branch High School is a suburban public high school in Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States, part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Its mascot is a conquistador and its school colors are blue, gold, and white. Olive Branch is a part of the DeSoto County School District.

Olive Branch High School
Address
9366 Sandidge Road Olive Branch , Mississippi 38654 United States
Coordinates	34.9495°N 89.8227°W / 34.9495; -89.8227
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1970 (1970)
School district	DeSoto County School District
Principal	Jacob Stripling[1]
Teaching staff	71.52 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,077 (2023–2024)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	15.06[2]
Color(s)	Blue, gold and white
Team name	Conquistadors
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Website	obh.desotocountyschools.org

History

Original Olive Branch High School

Although the town of Olive Branch was extremely small for much of the 20th century, with a population of about 400 during the 1930s, newspaper records indicate the existence of a high school in the town no later than 1936.^[3] At that time the school had approximately 120 students, implying that students from outside city limits also attended.^[3]

In the era of formalized racial segregation in Mississippi, it appears there were both black and white high schools in Olive Branch.^[4]

Integration

Today's Olive Branch High School was established in 1970 after amalgamating Olive Branch High School and East Side High School. The school's mascot — the Conquistador — was chosen because "it was neither black nor white. It was seen as a conqueror to overcome the racial segregation of the past."^[5]

The high school moved into its new and current building in 1996.

Athletics

Teams

Olive Branch's athletic teams are nicknamed the Conquistadors and the school's colors are white, gold, and blue. Olive Branch teams compete in the following sports:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Bowling
• Cross Country
• Football
• Golf
• Powerlifting
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball

State championships

Football

• 2011 Mississippi 6A State Champions^[6]

Basketball

• 2018 Mississippi 5A State Champions^[7]

Notable alumni

• Kelvin Bell, former NCAA Iowa Hawkeyes football player; current Hawkeyes assistant coach^[8]
• Daren Bates, NFL linebacker for the Tennessee Titans
• Shon Coleman, NFL offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns^[9]
• Jalen Collins, NFL Free Agent cornerback
• Ed Easley, Former MLB Catcher St. Louis Cardinals
• D. J. Jeffries, college basketball player for the Mississippi State Bulldogs^[10]
• Fabien Lovett, College football defensive tackle for the Florida State Seminoles^[11]
• Wynton McManis, CFL linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders^[12]
• Jeff Walker, NFL offensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints
• K. J. Wright, NFL linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks^[13]