Independence High School (Tennessee)

Infobox school
name=Independence High School


motto=A community focused on learning and leadership
district=Williamson County Schools
established= 2004
faculty= approx. 130 [http://www.wcs.edu/ihs/faculty/faculty_new.htm Independence Faculty Directory] ]
principal= Dr. Todd Campbell
mascot= Indy the Eagle
colors= Green, Blue, Vegas Gold colorbox| #003300 colorbox| #002747 colorbox| #C9B12E
students= approx. 1600 [http://www.wcs.edu/district/schools/independence.htm Williamson County Schools] ]
type=Public
location= 1776 Declaration Way
Thompson's Station, TN 37179
information=
website= [http://www.wcs.edu/ihs/ wcs.edu/ihs]

Independence High School is a 9-12 high school in Thompson's Station, Tennessee. The school opened in 2004, initially with only a freshman and sophomore class. The junior class was added in the second year and the senior class in the third. The first class of seniors graduated on May 26, 2007. The second class, which was the first to complete all 4 years at Independence, graduated May 24, 2008.

chool Administration

Dr. Todd Campbell is the principal of Independence . He is aided by four assistant-principals, one representing each class. Presently they are Preston Brooks, Brian Ferguson, Rod Crockett, and Juli Oyer-Johnson, responsible for the freshman through senior classes respectively.

Academics

Students at IHS generally take six academic classes, a study hall, and a lunch period. There are three class levels available: Standard, Honors, AP. Any given class may be offered in just one or any combination of these levels. Homerooms meet on select Fridays and are determined by grade level and alphabetical order.

All students must earn 22 credits to graduate. A set number of these must fall into the core curriculum of English, math, science, and history. Students must additionally choose between three graduation paths, Technical, Dual, or University, each of which has further credit allocation requirements.

Creative Writing

Independence High School is known for its diverse and thriving creative writing program. They have hosted the annual Night Of The Arts for two years, highlighting some of Independence's finest writers, poets and creative minds.

Athletics

Independence High School is a member of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, the governing body of Tennessee high school athletics, and competes in all TSSAA sponsored sports: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Additionally, IHS competes in several non-TSSAA club sports: hockey, lacrosse, and swimming. The boys lacrosse team is a joint venture between Independence and the nearby Centennial High School. The girls lacrosse team is also a joint team, including Page High School, Franklin Classical, and Battle Ground Academy.

Football Program

In 2004, Independence High School hired Scott Smith to be the school's first-ever football coach. Smith had previously coached at Nashville's Ezell Harding Christian School, where he was the head coach of the 2001 TN Class A State Champions. Smith hired Jason Eubanks as his defensive coordinator.

The school's inaugural varsity game came against perennial powerhouse Brentwood Academy on September 24, 2004. Isaac Baugh scored the first touchdown in school history on a 1-yard run in the 2nd quarter. Brentwood Academy won, 49-24. The game was originally scheduled to be legendary BA Coach Carlton Flatt's record-breaking 333rd win, which would have eclipsed the mark previously set by John Tucker. However, two early season losses by Brentwood Academy prevented Flatt from reaching the mark against the Eagles.

The 2005 season was the school's first varsity season, although the roster only included freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Struggling due to the lack of senior leadership and the death of teammate Tommy Johnson on September 15, 2005, Independence lost its first 9 games, being outscored by a total of 278-103. The program got its first varsity win at Columbia Central on October 28, 2005.

In 2006, the program was finally ready to compete in Region 6-5A with its first senior class. Quarterback Zac Cordell transferred from Montgomery Bell Academy and immediately became the starter. The Eagles won their first six games, including a 23-17 thriller against Franklin High School on the one-year anniversary of Johnson's death. Prior to the Dickson County game on October 6, Cordell was suspended for stealing a hamburger from the school cafeteria, leading many to refer to him as the "hamburglar." The Eagles went on to lose that game as well as the two following games missed the playoffs based on a tiebreaker with defending 5A state champion Ravenwood High School (who would go on to the 2006 State Championship game) and Brentwood High School. Independence faced Overton High School in the Sonic Bowl on November 3, 2006. The game was viewed by many as a debacle, with an extremely small crowd turnout and bad weather. Overton won 32-27. The Eagles finished the season with a 7-4 record.

On January 8, 2007, Scott Smith announced his resignation from the head coaching position to accept the same position at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, TN.

Jason Eubanks was named the program's second-ever head coach on March 9. Secondary coach Bobby Cieslack was promoted to defensive coordinator.

Following the 2006 season, five football players announced their plans to play football collegiately: Scotty Hazzard was the first Eagle to sign a football scholarship, committing to Cumberland University. Josh Grigsby and Jared Haney signed with Fort Scott Community College, while Emory Martin declared his intentions to play at Lenoir-Rhyne College. Chris Darnell plans to walk on at Western Kentucky University.

Cross Country

Kathy Kroeger became Independence's first national champion in December 2006 when she won the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship with a time 17:29 [http://footlockercc.com/history/2006girls.htm Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship 2006 Girls Results] ] .

References

External links

* [http://www.wcs.edu/ihs Independence High School]
* [http://www.independenceband.org Independence Marching Band]