Albany High School (Georgia)
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Albany High School was a four-year
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
located in Albany,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, United States. It was a part of the Dougherty County School System and educated students in grades 9-12. Albany High School was established in 1886 after H.M. McIntosh, editor of the ''Albany News and Advertiser'', initiated a campaign to raise the funds necessary to erect the school. It was the first high school in the county. Two years after the school opened, it was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin. Classes were temporarily held in the town courthouse while the academy was rebuilt. Student enrollment rapidly increased during the first two decades. Overcrowding led to expansion and a new building was constructed in 1908. Located at the intersection of Monroe Street and Society Avenue, it contained ten classrooms. In 1925, the high school moved to 1000 North Jefferson Street and in the fall of 1954, it relocated to Residence Avenue. On June 6, 2017, the Dougherty County School System voted to close the school after summer classes finished. Rising seniors were allowed to choose to attend any one of the three remaining high schools.


Academics

In the fall of 1999, a Magnet Honors Program was added to the curriculum.


School athletics


Basketball

The boys' basketball team was coached by Archie Chatmon for more than 30 years, during which time he accrued a winning 56%. Coach Chatmon appeared in two State Championship games, both lost to their crosstown rival, Westover, in 1990 and 1993.


Football

The school won one State Championship, in 1959.


Baseball

The 1996 team was considered the best team in school history. The team went 24-0 in the regular season (Region 1-AAA Champions). Albany High was swept in a best of 3 by Hardaway, (they defeated Hardaway twice in the regular season) in the second round of the AAA State Playoffs. The Indians baseball team finished the 1996 season at 26-2.


School stadium

Hugh Mills Stadium was dedicated to Hugh M. Mills, the school's principal from 1923 to 1925. The stadium was located near the school, at 601 North Van Buren Street. It was used by teams from all four public high schools: the Albany Indians (now closed), Dougherty Trojans, Monroe Tornadoes, and Westover Patriots football and track teams. It was also the host of the girls' state track meet for all five GHSA classifications. Albany High was the only school in the Dougherty County School System to have an on-site football stadium, so all the high schools in Dougherty County used Hugh Mills as a home field. To alleviate confusion during games between schools, signs were posted at each of the entrance gates to designate the home team. If the three schools have home games on the same weekend, games were played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.


Extracurricular activities

*
Academic Decathlon The Academic Decathlon (also called AcDec, AcaDeca or AcaDec) is an annual Student competition, high school academic competition organized by the non-profit United States Academic Decathlon (USAD). The competition consists of seven objective mult ...
* Art Club - The Art Club was involved in many community projects, including the Kiwanis Club art show and the
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art show. The Art Club met several times each year and assisted in readying projects for shows. * Band - The school's marching band was known as the Marching Chiefs. They were invited to several bowl games and marching invitationals and received, at a minimum, "Excellent" ratings at many marching festivals and competitions. The Chiefs finished the 2009 marching season with two best in class trophies. At the Blue and Grey Invitational, the Chiefs placed third in competition and best in class and division, band, danceline, and drum majors. The Chiefs received "Superior" ratings in all captions of marching (excluding color guard and drumline) at the Blue and Grey Marching Invitational. At that same competition, the drumline and color guard received an excellent rating, along with best in class and division awards. At the Sound of Silver Marching Invitational, the Chiefs received "Superior" ratings in both Festival and Competition for all captions of marching. The band and the danceline beat nine other bands in their class, to be named Best in Class (AA). The AHS Marching Chiefs was noted as the Reserve Grand Champion Band at Sound of Silver, outscoring 20 other bands. The Albany High Marching Chiefs competed again in the Sound of Silver Invitational in Blackshear, Georgia on October 16, 2010, where they won the title of Grand Champion and Best in Class AAA band, drum major, drumline, and color guard. The symphonic band earned all superiors at the GMEA District 2 LGPE a number of years. Some members of the program participated in the Dougherty County Honor Band and the GMEA District 2 Honor Band. * Beta Club - The Beta Club sponsored scholarships and the Miss AHS Pageant. To be a member, a student was required to maintain a "B" average. * Block A - This group was for students who earned a letter for sports agility and musical or academic ability. * Chorus - The Albany High Chorale received superior ratings in the GMEA festival beginning in 2011-2012. They participated in the Southern Star Music Festival, where they received "Superior" ratings. The Chorale played a major role in Albany by participating in the Albany State University homecoming parade and performing at schools, churches, and the annual Peppermint Pops concert presented by the Albany Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, the chorale served as an opening act to comedian Bill Cosby. Their motto was "Why do we sing? It's our passion." * DECA - Members of DECA learned marketing and career objectives and research different marketing areas, such as retail or hospitality management, in order to compete in regional, state, and international competitions. * Drama Club - The Drama Club was involved in the One-Act Play Competition Festival. Other projects on the itinerary were community-oriented, geared to entertaining the elderly and youth during holidays. * Dream Weavers - This club maintained the AHS webpage, updating activities for classes and organizations. * Excel Club - This community-oriented service organization was involved in projects such as collecting food donations at Thanksgiving and Christmas and working in conjunction with the Albany Exchange Club at the fair. * FCA - Better known as the Fellowship of Christian Students, this group provided Christian fellowship opportunities. FCA met on Tuesday mornings for prayer and devotionals. The group also met periodically at the flagpole for prayer. The club was affiliated with the
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
. * FCCLA - The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America group was involved in leadership training and Power of One, as well as personal development training and competition. *
Future Business Leaders of America The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization (CTSO) headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA High School"), mi ...
* French Club * HOSA - The Health Occupations Students of America, the official organization of HST students around the country, taught the importance of dedication, leadership, and worked with the community to improve health awareness. * Japanese Club - Organized to expand students' awareness of Japanese language and culture, the club sponsored several Japanese festivals. It was an offshoot of the Satellite Education Resources Consortium. Classes were conducted through TV instruction and phone conferences. * JGG - Jobs for Georgia's Graduates was a school-to-work transition program for seniors, preparing students for the world of work and higher education. *
Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. Key Club International is the high school branch of the Kiwanis International family, classified as a Service Leadership Program ...
* Literary Team - This team promoted interest in dramatic interpretation, spelling, extemporaneous speaking, writing, and singing (solo and trio). The team represented the school at the regional and state literary competitions. * Math Team - Students who excelled in mathematics courses met every month to take a six-question test which was scored statewide. Selected members composed the team which competed on the regional and state level. Some of the competitions were held at Darton State College and Georgia Southwestern State University. *
Mock Trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...
* Orchestra - Students practiced and performed with the Dougherty County Youth Symphony Orchestra at concerts throughout the year. * ''PowWow'' - This was the
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...
. * Short Circuits - This club organized props, lighting, and sound for pageants, dance recitals, band recitals, and assemblies. * Spanish Club - The club promoted interest in studying Spanish-speaking language and culture. It participated in the Light the Night Leukemia Walk, Adopt-a-Family for Thanksgiving Dinner, and other service projects. * Student Advisory Council - This council, which consisted of all the presidents of school organizations, provided assistance and advice to clubs and organizations when problems arose, working under the leadership of the principal. * Student Council - This voiced the views of the students on many issues, including the promotion of school spirit, good student relations, community service, and the democratic process. Student Council sponsored Homecoming week activities, blood drives, and other activities. * TASCO - The Teenage Support Council consisted of teens helping people through difficult times. Throughout the year, TASCO promoted communications to help struggling teens. TASCO sponsored Red Ribbon Week, Asthma Walk, and
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. They worked with their community group, Lung Association. TASCO's motto was, "We're ears to our peers." * VICA (Skills USA) - Vocational Industrial Clubs Of America was a work-study program that allowed students to have part-time jobs and be graded on their work performance by their supervisors. Students could leave school early as long as they maintained a job.


School traditions


Events

*Annual Day - Annuals (
yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...
s) were distributed during May at an assembly at which the annual was dedicated. Students were given the opportunity to sign other students' annuals during most classes. *Awards Day - A spring awards program presented academic awards and some scholarships. This was an evening affair to which recipients of awards and their parents were invited. Refreshments were served following the program. *Class Day - This was a rite of passage for graduating seniors. The student body of AHS assembled in the
auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...
to view the extravagant entrance and exit of seniors, presentations, and senior skits. Near the end of Class Day, the juniors were allowed to move from the "junior section" to the "senior section," as a sort of "graduation" from 11th grade to 12th grade. * Homecoming Week - Every day of the week a special theme was seen throughout the school. On Friday, there was the traditional homecoming football game, where the homecoming court was introduced at halftime or after the game. On Saturday night, the traditional homecoming dance occurred, at which the queen and king were announced based on the vote of the student body. *Miss AHS Pageant - Juniors or seniors were eligible to enter the pageant. The Beta Club sponsored the contest annually during the fall. Each club nominated a girl to represent it. Miss AHS reigned over the school the rest of the year. Proceeds from the contest were used for scholarships sponsored by the Beta Club. *Mr. AHS Pageant - This was similar to the Miss AHS pageant except that the contestants were male. The contestants were sponsored by TASCO and the winner received a $100 scholarship (also presented by TASCO) and the title "Mr. AHS." *Senior Week - The seniors were congratulated and rewarded for their hard work throughout their high school career. Senior bowling night, the senior picnic, and the senior breakfast were some of the events that catered to seniors at Albany High. Class Day ended Senior Week.


Alma mater

(To the tune of " You're a Grand Old Flag")


Notable alumni

*
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, former professional baseball player (
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, chef and host of the '' Paula's Home Cooking'' television show on the
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* Jim Fowler, animal expert and host of the quadruple
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singer * Jodie Whire, NFL player * Alexander Wright, former
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References

* National Center for Education Statistics School Profile: Albany High School. 2003
National Center for Education Statistics.
7 May 2005 * Thronateeska 2005. Volume 86. Albany, Georgia: Albany High School, 2005. 1-192.


DCSS votes to close Albany High, effective immediately


External links

* — alumni website
Albany High website
{{authority control Public high schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Educational institutions established in 1886 Educational institutions disestablished in 2017 Schools in Dougherty County, Georgia Buildings and structures in Albany, Georgia 1886 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 2017 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)