Charles B. Aycock High School

Charles B. Aycock High School (CBA) is a public high school in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States, that opened in 1961. The school’s physical address is Pikeville, North Carolina. This area of North Carolina is near the birthplace of Governor Charles Brantley Aycock. During Governor Aycock’s term, he advocated improving North Carolina’s public schools.^[1] Even after his term as governor, he continued to work on the improvement of schools in the country. It is because of Governor Aycock’s passion for public education that the school got its name.

Description

Mission Statement

The school’s Mission Statement is as follows:

"Charles B. Aycock High School will develop competent graduates with a positive self esteem and a desire for life long learning in an ever-changing society. This will be attained with a nurturing, motivated, competent staff; a relevant, rigorous curriculum; and a safe, orderly, positive environment."^[2]

Colors and Mascot

The school colors are light blue, gold, and white. The mascot for all school sponsored sports teams is the Golden Falcon.

Students Accepted

Charles B. Aycock is a public high school, so anyone residing within the school district is eligible to go to the school. Students typically enter this high school from Norwayne Middle School. The school offers classes for grades 9 through 12.

Location

Charles B. Aycock High School can be found just between the two small towns of Fremont and Pikeville, in the northern part of Wayne County, North Carolina. The school’s physical address is:
5460 Hwy 117N
Pikeville NC, 27863^[2]

Population

The school’s enrollment is just above 1300 students, and the number of students enrolled is growing continually each year. Each of the four grades taught in the high school has more or less 300 students.^[3] The school’s population continues to increase because the area has recently seen a growth in population. The recent growth spurt in the area has put an obvious strain on the school. CBA is currently dealing with overcrowding issues. The school has built 13 mobile classrooms as a temporary solution to the lack of classrooms inside the current building. There are approximately 10 teachers who do not have a classroom of their own, and 11 homerooms are held in the gym and cafeteria to accommodate the very large student population.^[4]

Drop Out Rate

The drop-out rate is estimated to be 76.3 percent. However, George Moye, a school board representative, made note that the dropout rate includes students that take longer than four years to graduate, students with disabilities who earn graduation certificates, students who relocate and cannot be found, students who transfer to Wayne Community College’s high school program, as well as those who drop out of school.^[4]

Improvements

The county has approved twenty-two million dollars for construction and renovation of schools within Wayne County. This money will be divided among the schools with the most need. Also, the Wayne County School Board is addressing the highest drop-out rate in the county here at CBA.^[4]

Activities

Academics

There are several nationally credited teachers on staff at CBA. Each of the award-winning department heads is highly requested and brings in high test grades.

Sports

The school offers a variety of sports to its students. Sports offered include: soccer, tennis, wrestling, football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, cross country, track and field, and swimming. Most teams require the student to: try out, go to all practices, and maintain acceptable grades in all classes.

The coaches of Charles B. Aycock sports are selective in their team members. A high level of athletic ability is called for in most of the school's sports teams.

Clubs

Charles B. Aycock High School offers several student clubs. Most clubs are run and operated by students. However, a supervising teacher with some knowledge of the field is required to attend all club meetings. The school offers these clubs: JROTC, Art Club, DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, Photography Club, Model UN, HOSA, along with clubs for interest in Religion, Math, Science, History, English, and Foreign Language.

Band

Charles B. Aycock High School offers a class for students interested in playing instruments. Interested students have the option to participate in the jazz band, marching band, or concert band. There is a summer camp offered for band members. The band has participated in many competitions.

The Golden Falcon Marching Band has won several awards in Music and Drumline despite being such a small band. The band is currently rated as a large 2A band. Every year the band participates in various parades, competitions, and all home football games.

The Marching Falcon band is among the best in Wayne County, indeed, in all of North Carolina. The band experience is highly enjoyable and amusing. Participants acquire a sense of pride, dignity, and determination as they work and compete. Friendships are made, and a sense of family is established.

Theatre

Charles B. Aycock High School has a very small theatre organization. The school currently only offers Theatre Arts I. The theatre program, along with band and vocals, is being rebuilt through the efforts of excellent band and theatre teachers.

Services

Media Center

The schools media center is open every school day between 7:30 am and 3:30 pm. Students are encouraged to check out books from the media center with their student ID. The media center houses several computers for student use. Students can look up where books are located within the library, study for tests, and do research on these computers.

The school’s policy on computer use is as follows:

"As outlined in the WCPS Student Acceptable Use of Technology Resources Policy 3225, the use of technology resources and Internet access is to support research and education and to extend the resources of Wayne County Public Schools. All use of technology must be in support of education, research or enrichment and be consistent with the intended purpose. All students must have a signed (by parent and student) Acceptable Use Agreement on file with the library media center before utilizing technology resources, effective 2008-2009 school year. Failure to abide by the agreement may result in termination of access. Refer to Board Policy 3225 for further information. Computers are located in the media center for class and independent student use before, during, and after school, pending availability."^[5]

Counseling

The school offers counseling services. Students can make an appointment with a counselor for assistance with anything from school troubles to home life. The school offers: a nurse, a psychologist, a social worker, and three school counselors. The counselors offer help with signing up for SATs. They can write letters of recommendation, offer help with signing up for classes, and help students find financial aid.

Counseling Mission Statement

The Mission Statement for the counseling program is as follows:

"The counseling program at Charles B. Aycock High School will provide services that enable students to develop life planning skills, responsible social skills, as well as demonstrate an understanding of the life-ling process of learning, growing, and changing to become contributing members of society."^[6]

References

1. ^ http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/1898/bios/aycock.html
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.waynecountyschools.org/324/site/default.asp
3. ^ http://schools.publicschoolsreport.com/NorthCarolina/Pikeville/CharlesBAycockHigh.html
4. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2008/09/09/wayne_school_board_takes_offense_to_bests_view_of_schools/
5. ^ http://www.waynecountyschools.org/148220813115720827/site/default.asp
6. ^ http://www.waynecountyschools.org/148220102385238323/site/default.asp

Coordinates: 35°30′33″N 77°58′49″W / 35.5092°N 77.9803°W / 35.5092; -77.9803