Walter M. Williams High School

Infobox High School
name = Walter M. Williams High School

motto =
streetaddress = 1307 South Church Street
city = Burlington
state = North Carolina
zipcode = 27215
country = USA
established = 1951 (preceded by Burlington High School, and later, at the time of integration, Jordan Sellars High School)
grades = Ninth - Twelfth grade
principal = Nola Taylor (2007-present)
faculty =
students = 1294
schedule = block
conference =
colors = Black and Gold color box|blackcolor box|gold
mascot = Bulldogs (George and Georgette)
schedtyp = block
website = [http://wwh.abss.k12.nc.us/ wwh.abss.k12.nc.us]

Walter M. Williams High School is a high school (grades 9-12) in Burlington, North Carolina, and is one of eight high school campuses in the Alamance-Burlington School System. The school was named in honor of philanthropist, industrialist, and former Burlington City Schools chairman Walter M. Williams. The school began its fifty-eighth year of operation on August 25, 2008. Williams has become known as the most culturally diverse high school in the county. As of the fall of 2008, nationalities represented in the student body included the United States, Bosnia, Chile, China, Columbia, Croatia, El Salvador, Greece, Honduras, India, Iran, Mexico, New Zealand (Maori), Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, and Vietnam.

Overview

In past years, the school has been recognized by the United States Department of Education as one of the top six high schools in North Carolina, as well as blue ribbon designation in 1993.

The school itself has been recognized by the nearby Ramada Inn Convention Center, where a meeting room is named for the high school (the only high school in the district to be so honored) while all other meeting rooms are named for prominent North Carolina colleges and universities.

The campus is bordered on the north by Sunset Drive and Parkview Drive, to the east by Arlington Avenue, to the southeast by South Church Street (on which street the campus actually has its address), to the south by Country Club Drive (an homage to the property being the former site of a country club), and to the west by Tarleton Avenue. Bulldog Alley, a north-south private campus street, intersects the campus with athletic facilities to the west and academic facilities to the east.

Academics

Williams is home to the Academy of Finance, a unique school within a school concept that is administered in collaboration with the National Academy Foundation. As part of this small learning community, students participate in special projects, including providing tax assitance to low income persons, and take college level courses for credit. In addition, Williams offers numerous Advanced Placement (AP) courses to challenge the upper tier of its students. Non-native English speakers can quickly gain language skills in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, a current instructor of which teaches at Williams through the cooperation of the Chapel Hill based Visiting International Faculty program. The school offers three foreign languages: French, Latin, and Spanish. Williams has produced several University of North Carolina Morehead-Cain Scholars and North Carolina State University Park Scholars.

Namesake

The school was named for Walter McAdoo Williams (March 1, 1891- May 5, 1959), a native of Liberty, Randolph County, North Carolina, and son of Joel P. and Flora A. Spoon Williams. Considered a "giant in the textile world", he was a member of the Board of Trustees of what is now Wake Forest University and a local citizen recognized for his role in making the high school possible from a financial standpoint. In April 1912, at the age of twenty-one, he moved to Graham, North Carolina. From 1930 to 1940, he had served as Chair of the Burlington School District's school board. He was also executive vice-president and chairman of the board of Virginia Mills, based in Swepsonville, North Carolina. In 1940, he became executive vice-president and chairman of the board for Virginia Cotton Mills in Swepsonville, from which he retired on February 17, 1959. In 1945, the Williams' made the purchase of the campus land possible. When the possibility was raised that the seating capacity in the proposed auditorium would be substantially cut back, they made it possible to retain the planned 2,500 seat capacity. It is believed that the auditorium is the second largest high school auditorium on the east coast. They also donated the auditorium's organ as well as a Steinway grand piano. They were very resistant to the idea of the school being named for them. A member of both Kiwanis and Lions, Williams actively supported the Baptist Orphanage in Thomasville, NC and the Masonic Orphanage in Oxford, NC. The Williams' had no children of their own. In 1950, Williams was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Burlington Kiwanis Club ("Burlington Times-News", August 1, 1993, p. G2).

In addition to the Williams' contributions to the high school, the organ in Wait Chapel on the Reynolda campus of Wake Forest University is named in honor of he and his wife Flonie Cooper Williams (1893-1975). The Williams donated the organ at Wake Forest in 1956. The Williams' were active in the Baptist church. It is interesting to note that the school's colors of black and gold are the same as those of Wake Forest University, an institution with which Williams had ties.

Ironically, Mr. Williams stopped attending school at age twelve and was largely self-taught.

Williams died on May 5, 1959, after spending seven months in a coma following suffering from a brain tumor. He is buried in Pine Hill Cemetery, only a few blocks from campus, and almost within view of the school.

The Burlington Board of Education had voted in November 1945 to name the school after Williams. However, the decision was not announced until October 27, 1949 ("Burlington Times News", August 1, 1993, p, G2).

Mascot and Traditions

The school seal was approved by vote of the student body on September 29, 1961, as was the school's Alma Mater, with words by athletic director fred Miller and music by Harold Grant, director of bands. The seal was among forty potential seals submitted for consideration. The creator of the winning design received a prize of $7.00.

The mascot is the bulldog, which has manifested itself over the years by costumed students and real dogs (one of which was named George I). An avant-garde statue of George was dedicated outside the auditorium in 1974 in memory of Cynthia Lemar Ledbetter (a student who died in 1971) and other deceased students. The statue is a focal point of school-wide celebrations, and is an object of scorn and derision of students from rival high schools. It was designed by sculptor Norman Keller of East Carolina University ("The Barker", December 16, 1971).

School colors are black and gold, the same colors as Wake Forest University, where Williams served on the Board of Trustees.

The names of the yearbook is the "Doe-Wah-Jack", an American Indian term meaning "the first, the best" and has been the name of the yearbook since the school opened in 1951 (and was previously the name of the Burlington High School yearbook since 1926.

The newspaper is "The Barker", taking its title from the sound made by the mascot. The newspaper has received awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Upon the consolidation of the former Jordan Sellars High School into Williams at the time of school integration, a student task force representative of both schools attempted to incorporate traditions from both schools into the newly integrated Williams (1999 Williams Alumni Directory).

There are two "urban legends" regarding the school that are not accurate. One is that a student hung himself in the school. This is not accurate. Another is that a student fell to his death through one of the front circular stairwells. This also is not accurate.

History

On October 27, 1949, the school board announced its decision to name the facility "Walter M. Williams High School." It was constructed as the successor campus to Burlington High School.

The school was built on the site of the former Piedmont Country Club. "The land the school is on was once a golf course; hence, the name Country Club Dr [ive] . About ... 42 acres [of the country club were] auctioned off in September of 1945 or 1946. Walter Williams bought the land from the estate of Ben May. The clubhouse (now a house) sits across from the stadium." (E-mail from Annette Grant, September 17, 2008).

The stadium on the site, presently known as Burlington City Schools Stadium, was dedicated on Veteran's Day, November 11, 1949. The field house was also completed in the late 1940s.

Construction began on the main building in 1949. Two cornerstones flanking the base of the front stairwell, one reading "AD" and the other "1949" attest to this fact (the cornerstone contains a sealed copper box including financial records and newspaper clippings from the period of the school's construction). The 1951 graduating class from the former Burlington High School graduated on the stage of the Williams High School Auditorium in the spring of 1951, some three months before the new school officially opened.

Williams High officially opened its doors on September 5, 1951, with an enrollment approaching 1,000 and a staff of 43. The first student to arrive at school that day was Roger Cheek, who thus might be compared to Carolina's Hinton James, and be considered Williams' "first student."

Prior to the school district merger between the Burlington City Schools and the Alamance County Schools (creating the Alamance-Burlington School System in 1996), Williams was one of two high schools in the former Burlington City Schools district, along with Hugh Cummings High School, which was constructed in the early 1970s to accommodate the expanded student population at Williams. Prior to integration, Williams was historically white, while Jordan Sellars High School across town was historically black.

Elvis Presley performed at Williams on February 15, 1956, and Buddy Rich also performed at the school in the 1950s. Poet and novelist Flannery O'Connor has also appeared at Williams, along with author Timothy Tyson.

Prior to the completion of the "Tobacco Road" stretch of Interstate 85 through Alamance County in 1960, US Route 70 (which runs concurrent with Church Street) was a major east-west route, placing the school on a major thoroughfare, which most likely led to the academic landmark becoming very familiar with east-west travelers.

During the early 1970s, the campus transitioned to a Grades 10-12 format, as the former campus of Jordan Sellars was utilized as a "ninth grade center". Eventually, the Jordan Sellars campus transitioned into a campus to house alternative educational programs, and Williams returned to a four year format.

Predescessor Schools: Burlinton High School (to 1951) and Jordan Sellars High School (1937-1970)

Tbe original Burlington High School was located on Broad Street, and served students until 1951. It is from this school that the names of the yearbook and student newspaper are carried on.

Jordan Sellars High School, a historically black institution, closed its doors in 1970, at which time all of its students were integrated into the student body at Williams. The facility now holds several academic programs of the school district, including the Apple Street Learning Center, Turning Point, alternative programs, career-technical education programs, and the district's evening academy.

Facilities

One of the most historically architecturally unique high school buildings still in use in North Carolina, it is three stories tall, centered around an interior courtyard area now used for parking. Unique in architectural style, it is reminiscent of the classic high school architecture representative of the 1950s.

The cafeteria (lunchroom) is furnished like a 1950s diner. When the school was originally constructed, the cafeteria's service area contained separate restrooms for "white and colored help" ("Burlington Daily-Times News", May 19, 1951, p. 10B), thus accounting for two sets of men's and women's restrooms being located virtually side by side.

A portion of one part of the building was designed to provide a "homelike" area for home economics (family and consumer sciences) instruction, and includes a replicated living room area, complete with fireplace, along with a replicated bedroom (which now serves as an assistant principal's office).

The auditorium is one of the largest auditoriums in any high school in North Carolina, if not the largest. The "auditorium seats over 2100 and includes a balcony that makes it reminiscent of a traditional downtown theatre. Because it is the largest facility of its kind in Alamance County, the auditorium is used for many outside performances and graduations, as well as Williams' school functions" ("Williams High Auditorium" greeting card, back side). At the time of construction, it was said to be second only to Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium in terms of seating capacity ("Burlington Daily Times-News", May 19, 1951, p. 10-B). includes a pipe organ donated by the Williams', a rarity among even older high schools, which is generally used only during commencement exercises. Its dedicatory concert was performed by world-renowned concert organist Virgil Fox on October 19, 1951. The Burlington newspaper billed the organ as one of "the largest organ installations in the South." The auditorium was the first part of the facilty to be completed, and was used for the Burlington High School Class of 1951's commencement ceremony before the completion of the rest of the building. Thrice in the 1950s, the Miss North Carolina Pageant was held here.

During the early years of the school, there was a designated student "smoking room" where students, with parental permission, were allowed to go smoke after lunch. Students were required to show a red card to the faculty members (later student government officers) that supervised the room.

A street known as "Bulldog Alley" intersects the campus, with the main school building on the east side of the street, with major athletic facilities on the west side of the street.

The third part of the main building to be constructed is the Spikes Gymnasium. The gymnasium was named in honor of Dr. Lewis Everett Spikes on June 13, 1993. Dr. Spikes served as Superintendent of the Burlington City Schools from 1936 to 1963.

Athletic facilities include the Tommy Spoon Memorial Field House, the Kernodle football field, and the Burlington City Schools stadium.

The campus is also known for its vast front lawn that faces South Church Street. The area, which is protected from development by city ordinance, hosts youth soccer events and is a seating area for community fireworks displays.

Extra-Curricular Activities

At various times throughout its history, three major service clubs have included the Key Club (and the former Keywannettes (known as the Keyettes prior to being chartered at Williams as the Keywannettes in 1977), a female counterpart to Key Club prior to the 1976 international vote to admit female students), Interact (sponsored by Rotary International, currently inactive at Williams), and the Junior Civitans (and the former Civanettes for female students). According to Kiwanis International, the organization date of the Key Club is May 26, 1947, which would indicate that the club's charter was carried over from the former Burlington High School, which would indicate that the club is one of few students organizations to actually predate the opening of the present facility (E-mail from Nikki Reynolds, KI Member Services Representative, August 14, 2008). The school's Junior Exchange Club, now known as Excel Clubs, is also inactive.

Another organization that predated the opening of the school was the Burlington Chapter of the National Honor Society which was chartered on November 7, 1930 on the campus of the former Burlington High School. As the National Honor Society itself was formed in 1921, this would make the Williams chapter one of the oldest continuously operating chapters in the nation. The charter date of the now defunct Quill and Scroll chapter at Williams was listed as 1938, thereby being another organization carried over from the former Burlington High School.

The Junior Civitans were also in place as of the school's opening. Numerous students have served as district officers of Key Club, and students have served as state officers of the National Honor Society.

Athletic Traditions

Infobox high school athletics
name = Williams Bulldogs
school = Walter M. Williams High School
association = north carolina high school athletic association | division = 3a
conference = mid-state
director = Kyle Hayes
location = Burlington, NC
teams = ? varsity teams
stadium = Kernodle Field
arena = ?
nickname = Bulldogs
fightsong = onward bulldogs
color1 = Black
color2 = Gold
hex1 =
hex2 = D4AF37
pageurl = ?
pagename = ?

The 1952 baseball team won the North Carolina AAA championship. The 1980 football team won the state championship, the first for Williams. AAA championships were also won in 1981, 1985, and 1999.

It has a very good athletic program that consists of the sports: Tennis, Cross-Country, Football, Basketball, Soccer, Swimming, Golf, Track & Field, Wrestling, Baseball, and Softball. The former head football coach, Sam Story, was the North Carolina head coach for the 2007 Shrine Bowl game, and coached for a number of years at Duke University. In 2007, the football field was named in honor of Dr. Kernodle, the long-time football team physician. The team is now lead by Scott Frazier, a Williams alumnus, formerly on the staff of Presbyterian College. For many years, the athletic facilities were utilized by sports teams at Elon University.

Fine Arts

The arts program is very large at Williams: Art, Pottery, Band, Orchestra, Chorus, Musical Theater, and Dance are just some of the few. The Marching Bulldogs perform at all home football games and select away games.

The chorus, under the direction of University of North Carolina at Greensboro graduate Laura Sam since 1984, program puts on a homecoming show starring George Bulldog and a musical in the spring. The choral groups also perform internationally in Italy and Austria on a regular basis. Sam was named 2007 choral director of the year by the North Carolina Music Educators Association.

The band program has received extensive recognition at contests and festivals over the years. The Marching Bulldogs were the official marching band of the 2007 Shrine Bowl. Incidentally, three of the band's directors have been alumni of the Rho Tau chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity at Appalachian State University: Joseph M. Hauser ('71), Mark Payne, and R. Neil Nelson ('03).

The school's Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter was chartered in February 2000. However, the chapter has been inactive since 2005.

Administrators

Over the course of its history, the school has had thirteen principals. The first principal, Calvin C. Linnemann, served from 1951 to 1957. Lester R. Ridenhour served from 1957 to 1960. C. C. Cleetwood served an abbreviated administration from 1960 to 1962, at which time he was scheduled to be reassigned to the central office, but turned in his resignation instead (later serving as Superintendent of the Greenville City Schools system in Pitt County, c. 1971.

Jesse Harrington, who came to Williams from New Hanover High School in Wilmington, NC was the longest serving principal, serving from 1962 through 1978.

The 1980s saw three principals: March Lyall (1979-1983), Clinton E. Leggett (1983-1986), and Harold Brewer (1986-1992). These were followed by James Daye (1992-1994), and Donald Andrews (1994-1996).

Phillip Deadmon served from 1996 to 2001. Gary Thornburg, now principal of Cedar Ridge High School, served from 2001 to 2005. Dr. Griffin served from 2005 to 2007. Nola Taylor was appointed as the first female principal in 2007.

Here are listed the principals in chronological order:
* 1. Calvin C. Linnemann (1951-1957, six years)
* 2. Lester R. Riderhour (1957-1960, three years)
* 3. C. C. Cleetwood (1960-1962, two years)
* 4. Jesse W. Harrington (1962-1978, sixteen years)
* 5. March Lyall (1979-1983, four years)
* 6. Clinton E. Leggett (1983-1986, three years)
* 7. Harold Brewer (1986-1992, six years)
* 8. James Daye (1992-1994, two years)
* 9. Donald Andrews (1994-1996, two years)
* 10. Phillip Deadmon (1996-2001, five years)
* 11. Gary Thornburg (2001-2005, four years)
* 12. George Griffin (2005-2007, two years)
* 13. Nola Taylor (2007-present, two years at present)

With the exception of Jesse W. Harrington (who served for sixteen years), no principal has served longer than six years. As many as seven other principal's terms can be included in the length of Harrington's term.

The current assistant principal team consists of Alexander Herring (formerly of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools district and Overhills Middle School), John Brian Heath (formerly of Cedar Ridge High School and Haywood Early College High School), and Donna Westbrook (formerly of Graham High School).

Prominent Alumni and Others Affiliated With the School

Dr. John D. Denning, currently serving as chair of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program, student taught at Williams in the early 1990s.

= External links =
* [http://wwh.abss.k12.nc.us/ Walter M. Williams High School]