Perry Meridian High School

Infobox School2 | name =Perry Meridian High School

---

motto =
established =1973
type =Public high school
locale =Large city
grades =9-12
head_name =Principal
head = Joan Ellis
head_name2 =Assistant Principals
head2 = Sarah Brewer & Kevin Albright
city =Indianapolis
state =Indiana
country =USA
students =2,224
faculty =
athletics =
school_colors =Columbia Blue, Navy Blue, Silver
mascot =Falcons
free_label =Snapshot
free = [http://pmhs.msdpt.k12.in.us/ PMHS]
website = [http://pmhs.msdpt.k12.in.us/ PMHS]

Perry Meridian High School is a high school located at 400 W. Meridian School Road in Indianapolis, Indiana, 46217, on the far southside of the city. It is one of two public high schools serving grades nine through twelve in the Perry Township, along with Southport High School. At the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, 2,224 students were enrolled at the school.

It is part of the Metropolitan School District of Perry Township. [cite web|url=http://www.msdpt.k12.in.us|title=Perry Township Schools|accessdate=2007-03-24|publisher=MSDPT]

The school colors are Navy Blue, Carolina Blue and Silver. The school mascot is the Falcon. The school mission statement is the acronym ACHIEVE for Accountability, Character, Honor, Integrity, Effort, Volunteer, Excellence.

History

Perry Meridian opened its doors in the fall of 1973.

Perry Meridian High School opened in 1973 under principal James Head. Students and teachers came from Southport High School, and in its first year, Perry Meridian had no senior class. Southport students picked the school colors and mascot for Perry during the 1972-73 school year. Options included: the Cobras, the Pirates, and the Falcons.

Instead of Homecoming, Perry held Forthcoming in its first year, as there were no alumni to return to the school. Prom was held in the foyer. Students had a six-period day and because of the emphasis on involvement, a homeroom for clubs and activities. Block scheduling was introduced in the '90s.

Controversy

On March 24 2008, an English teacher at the high school, Connie Heermann, was suspended for a year-and-a-half without pay for using the book "The Freedom Writers Diary" in her classroom against the principal's instructions telling her not to. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23785066/] Administrators and school board members objected to racial slurs and sexual content in the book. [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080313/LOCAL1801/303130015] The school board contended that Heermann did not properly follow the rules to receive permission to use the book. [http://www.wibc.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=87478] Ms. Heermann sent permissions slips home with her students. Of 150 students, 149 returned signed permission slips granting her permission to use the book. The school library also maintains a copy of this book on its shelves. [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/06/29/tuchman.in.banned.book.cnn]

Athletics

Perry Meridian High School has 20 varsity sports teams, as well as club and intramural teams. The Falcons have produced a handful of notable athletes. Katie Douglas graduated from Perry Meridian in 1997. She is a member of the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. She was named Most Valuable Player of the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game.

Andre Owens graduated from PM in 2000. He played for the Utah Jazz of the NBA for one season. Before the 2006-2007 season, he signed with the Golden State Warriors, although he did not play in a regular season game. On July 3 2007, Owens signed with the hometown Indiana Pacers. He now plays for Red Star Belgrade.

Athletic Department

*Michael Sipe, Athletic Director
*Mike Armstrong, Assistant Athletic Director
*Mike Tomey, Strength/Conditioning Trainer / World Class Trainer

Extracurriculars

Perry Meridian offers a multitude of extracurricular activities. They include
*Ambassador Corps
*African American Club
*Art Club
*Best Buddies
*Blue Crew Spirit Club
*Bowling Team
*Brain Game. Since 1973, Perry Meridian's Brain Game team has won the Indianapolis-area competition, sponsored by television station WTHR, seven times.
*Chinese Club
*Creative Writing Club
*Drama (Musicals and Plays)
*Environmental Club
*FADD (Falcons Against Destructive Decisions)
*FalconTV (Morning Announcements)
*Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
*FOCUS Newspaper
*French Club
*Jazz Band
*Key Club
*Link Crew
*Marching Band
*Math League
*National Honor Society
*Pep Band
*Robotics (FIRST)
*Service Learning
*Spanish Club
*Speech Team (National Forensic League)
*Student Council
*Thespian Society
*Tri-M
*Show Choir
*Chess Club
*Go Club
*Wrestling Team

Notable alumni

*Katie Douglas - WNBA Basketball Player, Indiana Fever
*Andre Owens - NBA Basketball Player, Indiana Pacers
*Andy Hillenburg - World of Outlaws Sprint Car Driver & Indy 500 Participant
*John Barker - Former Professional Wrestler, most noted for time in Japan and limited WWE work.
*Mike Neu - Former CFL Quarterback, Arena Football Coach
*Greg Wilson - Actor and Casting Director, "Georgia Rule" - 2007
*Isaac Booth - Former NFL Player, Cleveland Browns [http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=CLE&lg=NFL&yr=1994]
*Jane Jensen - Singer [http://www.myspace.com/janejensen] and Actress [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0421496/]

References

External links

* [http://pmhs.msdpt.k12.in.us/ Official Website]