John Overton Comprehensive High School

Infobox School
name = John Overton High School
city = Nashville
state = Tennessee
country = USA
zipcode = 37220
information = 615-333-5135
established = 1958
type = Public high school
principal = Dr. Andrew Schuler Pelham
enrollment = 1600 cite web |url= http://www.mnps.org/page38071.aspx |title= School Profile |publisher=Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools |accessdate= 2008-08-16]
grades = 9-12
district = Metro Nashville Public Schools
address = 4820 Franklin Road
colors = White, red, and black color box|white color box|red color box|black
mascot = Bobcat
yearbook = "The Overtour"
newspaper = "The Orbit"
homepage = [http://www.overtonhighschool.com overtonhighschool.com] |

John Overton Comprehensive High School (commonly Overton, John Overton, or OHS) is a public high school located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is named after prominent Judge John Overton (1766-1833), advisor to President Andrew Jackson. The school opened in September 1958 and was renovated and expanded in 1995. The school has won thirteen state championships.

Academics

Overton is a school of expanding academic courses. Standard, honors, and Advanced Placement courses are available.

AP courses offered

AP European History AP World History AP US History AP Biology AP English AP Government AP Economics AP Chemistry AP Physics
AP Calculus AB/BC AP Spanish AP French AP Latin

Extracurricular activities

Overton has a number of athletic programs. Currently, there is a baseball, boy's and girl's basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, rugby, boy's and girl's soccer, softball, swimming and diving, table tennis, tennis, track, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and wrestling team.

The clubs and organizations offered consist of band, Beta Club, Business Professionals of America, cheerleading, choir, drama, FCCLA (Family, Career & Community Leaders of America), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, forensics (speech and debate), guitar, Interact Club, National Honor Society, The Overtour (yearbook), The Orbit (newspaper), orchestra, piano, Student Council, and Students Taking a Right Stand (STARS).

Band

Overton is well known in the state for its marching band. The band won the Tennessee Governor's Cup five times, in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1992.cite web |url= http://www.johnovertonband.org/johs_band_history.htm |title= JOHS BAND HISTORY |publisher= John Overton High School Band |accessdate= 2008-08-07] At the annual Contest of Champions competition in Murfreesboro, the band was a finalist for 26 consecutive years (1981-2006). [cite web |url=http://www.nashville.gov/mc/resolutions/term_2003_2007/rs2007_1806.htm |title=RESOLUTION NO. RS2007-1806 |publisher= The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County |accessdate= 2008-08-07] The band has also performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1990), Tournament of Roses Parade (1987), Fiesta Bowl Parade (1984 and 1992), and was selected to commemorate the 60th and 65th anniversaries of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 2001 and 2006. The school has three WGI world championships, beginning when the Winter Guard won the 1994 Scholastic A World Champions and 1995 Scholastic Open World Champions while the Winter Drumline won the 1996 Scholastic Marching Percussion AA World Championship. Overton was honored by the Grammy Foundation as a "1999 Grammy Signature School Gold" school. [cite web |url= http://www.grammyintheschools.com |title= Grammy in the Schools |publisher= Grammy Foundation |accessdate= 2008-08-16] Overton was awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Shield for outstanding marching band twice. [cite web |url= http://www.sousafoundation.org/allProjects/shield.htm |title= The Sudler Shield |publisher=John Philip Sousa Foundation |accessdate= 2008-08-17]

Wrestling

During the 1995-1998 time frame, the Bobcat wrestlers won the State's Traditional State Tournament twice (1996 and 1997) and finished in the top six twice (sixth in 1995 and second in 1998). Moreover, the wrestling team won the Tennessee state Dual Title in 1997 with an undefeated dual record of 29-0. They finished in the top four in each of those years in the dual tournament having placed fourth in 1995, third in 1996, champion in 1997, and third in 1998.

During this time, the Overton wrestlers had many individual state champions and All-Americans such as University of Nebraska recruit, Charles McTorry, [cite web |last=Hunt |first=Jeff |url= http://www.thewrestlingmall.com/htmls/news.asp?Mode=Printer&Cat=4&View=1837 |title= Wrestling Mall Interview - Charles McTorry |publisher=The Wrestling Mall |date= 2000-12-12 |accessdate= 2008-08-15] Eric and Derrick Jordan, Sacred Heart University's Head Coach Casey Brewster, Timothy Drinkwine, Robby Lee, William Hadden, and others. Many of these Overton graduates have gone on to pursue collegiate wrestling and coaching.

Throughout the last fifteen years, the wrestling team has been coached by Ralph Gabriel, who has taken the team to many national tournaments such as the US Open in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the Virginia Duals in Hampton Virginia, the Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nevada. Other tournaments attended were in New Orleans, Herndon, VA; and Chattanooga, TN.

Football

The football team won the Tennessee state championship in 1981, under the leadership of Coach Nick Coutras. The stadium, visible from Interstate 65, is named after Coach Coutras, who had a 145-36 record in his sixteen years at Overton. [cite web |url= http://www.tssaa.org/publications/news20012002/spring.pdf |title= Nick Coutras |publisher= Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association |date = Spring 2002 |accessdate= 2008-08-15] The most recent success was in 2003 when the football team advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs before losing to nearby rival and eventual champion Hillsboro High School.

Baseball

Bobcat Baseball has one of the state's longest winning streaks at 40 baseball games, which was in route to a Tennessee state finals game in which they lost to Houston High School out of Memphis in 2005.cite web |url= http://www.tbca.org/TBR%20State%20Record%20Book.htm |title= TBR State Record Book |publisher= Tennessee Baseball Report |accessdate= 2008-08-16] The baseball team has experienced greater success, having won the Tennessee State Baseball Championship game in 1971 and 1988. The Goodpasture vs. Overton game from 1998 holds the state's record for longest game in terms of innings, at 15.

Basketball

The basketball team experienced their greatest success in the 1990's with players such as Georgia State University recruit Chris Gentry, [cite web |url= http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/1996-1997/game7.html |title= Men's Basketball |publisher= Auburn University Athletics |date= 1996-12-09 |accessdate= 2008-08-15] University of Tennessee recruit and starting point guard Brandon Wharton, [cite web |url= http://www.tnriver.com/utvols/bbPoints.htm |title= Men's Basketball-Scoring |publisher= The Boaters Guide to the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers |accessdate= 2008-08-15] University of Maryland recruit Brian Watkins [cite web |url= http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/md-m-baskbl-9697finalstats.html |title= Men's Basketball-Scoring |publisher= University of Maryland Athletics |date= 1997-03-16 |accessdate= 2008-08-15] and other players recruited by local colleges and universities. The Basketball team finished 2nd in the state tournament in 1994 losing to state powerhouse, Science Hill High School.

Other activities

State championships have been won in several other sports. The boys golf team won the state championship in 1977. The girls track and field team won the championship in 1985 and hold records as 400 meter relay champions for 1981, 1985, 1988 and winner of the the 1600 meter relay in 1991. The boys track and field team won the championship in 1990 and hold records as mile relay champions in 1975 and winner of the 400 meter relay in 1982.cite web |url= http://www.tssaa.org/schdir/records/GetRecords.cfm |title= TSSAA Records Section |publisher= Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association |accessdate= 2008-08-15] In forensics, the school won the Senator Karl E. Mundt Congress Trophy in the 1977 NFL National Tournament. [cite web |url= http://www.nflonline.org/uploads/NationalTournament/nt601sec3.pdf |title= Archived National Tournament Results |publisher= National Forensic League |accessdate= 2008-08-15]

Notable alumni

Charles Holliday, Jr., football captain from class of 1966. He is president, chairman, and CEO of DuPont. He was inducted into the Metro Nashville Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2006. [cite web |url= http://www.nashville.gov/finance/Management_and_Budget/cb2006/baw_ff_text.htm |title= Nashville Alliance to induct four members into Hall of Fame |publisher= The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County |accessdate= 2008-08-15]

John Mitchell, baseball player from class of 1983. He pitched for the New York Mets (1986-1989) and Baltimore Orioles (1990). He was inducted into the Metro Nashville Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. [cite web |url= http://www.mnps.org/Page36085.aspx |title= 2008 Inductees |publisher= Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools |accessdate= 2008-08-15]

References

External links

* [http://www.johs.org Official School Site]
* [http://www.johnovertonband.org Overton Band]
* [http://www.bobcatroundup.com Alumni Network: "Bobcat Roundup"]
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