Cairo High School is a

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

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. The school's motto is "With Pride, We Give Our Best." Cairo High School was recognized as the SAT Region Winner for Class AAA and Region 1-AAA for 2005 and 2006. CHS students showed three-year average gains in reading and math SAT scores.

History

Cairo is nicknamed the "syrup city" because Roddenbery's syrup plant was formerly located in Cairo. Cairo High School's athletics teams were known as the Tigers until the late 1940s, when they were renamed the Syrupmakers.

Mascot

The school mascot is depicted as a syrup pitcher. In 1994, Amy Gerleman created the team's first syrup pitcher mascot costume and began wearing the "pitcher" to pep rallies and football games. The term is often shortened to "Maids" for the girls or "Makers" for the boys. In 1986,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

named "Syrupmaker" the number one nickname for a high school sports team. In 2023,

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

named the Syrupmakers as the "Best high school mascot in Georgia with 94.81% of the votes.

Athletics

*Boys' sports **Basketball - junior varsity and varsity **Baseball - JV and varsity **Cross country **Football - JV and varsity **Golf **Soccer - JV and varsity **Track **Tennis **Wrestling *Girls' sports **Basketball - JV and varsity **Cross Country **Golf **Mat Girls (wrestling) **Soccer - JV and varsity **Softball - JV and varsity **Track **Tennis The 2008 Syrupmakers were Class AAA football state champions after the school's second undefeated season (1990 was the other).

Rivalry trophies

The Barnett's Creek Water Bucket is the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual football game between

Thomas County Central High School Thomas County Central High School is a high school in unincorporated Thomas County, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United S ...

and Cairo High School. This rivalry, dating back to the 1960s, is one of the most prominent in southwest Georgia. In 1994, local fire chiefs Billy Joe Lewis and Logan Lewis established the bucket trophy after discovering an old water bucket near Barnett’s Creek, a natural boundary between the counties. The bucket was once used to draw water for firefighting, symbolizing the shared history of the communities. The Julian Roddenbery Syrup Pitcher Trophy is awarded to the winner of the annual football game between Cairo High School and

Thomasville High School Thomasville High School is a Public school (government funded), public secondary school located in Thomasville, Georgia, Thomasville, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is one of only a handful of city school systems left in the sta ...

. First contested in 1953, this rivalry is one of the longest-standing in southwest Georgia. The trophy is named in honor of Julian Roddenbery, a Cairo businessman and strong supporter of local athletics. The syrup pitcher design symbolizes Cairo’s rich history in the syrup industry, a key part of the community’s identity. The game remains a highly anticipated tradition, with both schools competing for regional bragging rights and the coveted trophy each year.

Concert and marching band

The Cairo High School band was first established in September 1946 and first took the field in 1947 during a football game. Joe David III was the band director from 1984 to 1996. He was an inductee into the Georgia Bandmaster's Hall of Fame and was awarded the Georgia Music Educators Association Distinguished Career Award. A music scholarship was established after his death to aid members of the band in a pursuit of a music major in college. The award is $1000 and awarded annually. The band was referred to as "The Pride of Dixie" and is currently known as the "Pride of the Syrup City."

Traditions

The alma mater was written by Reba Spears.

Expansion

The Career Academy at Cairo High School is a 20,000 square foot facility opened in October 2017. It was funded by a $3.5 million dollar grant from the Technical College System of Georgia’s Office of College and Career Transitions. The center provides students with resources for college applications, career planning, and job searches. In collaboration with the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

, the center helps students transition to higher education or the workforce. is designed to offer students hands-on learning in fields such as welding, healthcare, and digital technology. This initiative aims to address local workforce needs by equipping students with valuable career skills. In 2021, Cairo High School's West Thomas Stadium, which has been a staple of the community, underwent a major renovation with the installation of an artificial turf field at a cost of $1,006,148. It now boasts a modern playing surface designed to meet high school athletic standards, and aligning with a broader trend of high schools transitioning to artificial turf for improved performance and sustainability. The new field features enhanced drainage, durability, and year-round usability, benefiting not only the school's football team but also markings and goals for soccer. In 2022, the old student bleachers at the north endzone were removed In April 2024, the visitor bleachers were replaced. The

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...

building was damaged in 2018 by

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...

and in 2019 by a tornado, and was replaced in 2020.

Notable alumni

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

Teresa Edwards Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist. In 2000, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine placed her as 22nd of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century". She ...

, former professional basketball player;

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

ist *

Cliff Hammonds Clifford Daniel Hammonds (born December 18, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Limburg United of the BNXT League. The point guard played college basketball for the Clemson Tigers. High school and college basketball Hammonds ...

, professional basketball player *

Willie Harris William Charles Harris (born June 22, 1978) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager who currently serves as the manager for the Daytona Tortugas, the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Harris served as the Coach ...

, member of the 2005 World Champion

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

; member of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

* David Ponder, former NFL

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Daryle Singletary Daryle Bruce Singletary (March 10, 1971 – February 12, 2018) was an American country music singer. Between 1995 and 1998, he recorded for Giant Records, for which he released three studio albums, '' Daryle Singletary'' (1995), '' All Because ...

, country music singer *

Bill Stanfill William Thomas Stanfill (January 13, 1947 – November 10, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and then the National Football League (NFL) afte ...

, former All-Pro

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

* Gordon Thomas, British secret intelligence author and journalist * Mickey Thomas, lead singer for rock band

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1 ...

* Bobby Walden, NFL football player, member of the

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame 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 ...

, nicknamed "The Big Toe from Cairo" * J.J. Wilcox, professional football player drafted 2013 by Dallas Cowboys (2013-current); safety *

Seaborn Anderson Roddenbery Seaborn Anderson Roddenbery (January 12, 1870 - September 25, 1913) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Georgia, known for his proposal of an anti-miscegenation amendment to the United States Constitu ...

References

External links

Cairo High School websiteGrady County School System
{{Portalbar, Schools, Georgia, Education Public high schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Schools in Grady County, Georgia Educational institutions established in 1910 1910 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)