Belfry High School (South Williamson, Kentucky)

Infobox School
name = Belfry High School
motto = "Where success is a way of life"
established = 1933 (current location opened 2005)
type = Public Secondary
principal = Rod Varney
grades = 9–12
students = 725
city = South Williamson
state = Kentucky
country = United States
district = [http://www.pike.k12.ky.us/ Pike County Schools]
campus = Rural
colors = Red color box|Red and white color box|White
mascot = Pirates

Belfry High School, located in South Williamson, Kentucky, is a Certified School of Excellence. Belfry enrolls over 700 9th-12th-grade students. The school moved in the summer of 2005 from its original location in Belfry, Kentucky to a new, multi million dollar school.

Belfry is known for its success in sports, particularly its football program. Even with its success, a football state title was not won until 2003, when the team finally triumphed at the Kentucky Class AA State Championships, a feat repeated in 2004. Due to re-alignment, Belfry is now a AAA football school, and came in runner-up in the state championship in 2007 to Central High School (Louisville).

Belfry currently has programs in basketball, track, soccer, baseball, softball and many other extracurricular activities.

History

Sometime prior to 1860, a common school was established at the Old Pond Church on Meeting House Branch of Pond Creek, with the Reverend Mr. Stephen Trout as teacher. Until 1860, all children on Pond Creek attended this school if they attended school at all.

About 1860, the school was moved to Mudlick near the home of the Rev. Trout, where he and others taught for a term of three months in the year. About this time, similar schools were established on Road Fork, Blackberry, and at the mouth of Pinsonfork.

In the 1870s, other schools were established at McVeigh, Pinsonfork, Mill Branch, Stone, and the Mouth of Pond, at the present site of Leckieville. The Mudlick school was moved back to the Meeting House Branch were it first existed, and was taught in the old hewn log church owned by the Primitive Baptist Church. These schools remained the only schools on Pond Creek until after the beginning of the twentieth century,

With the advent of the coal mining industry and the railroad on Pond Creek, new locations for schools became necessary to care for the increased population. Additional schools were located at Huddy, McAndrews, Ball Fork , Hardy, Upper McVeigh, and Narrows Branch. The Old Pond Creek school developed into what is now Belfry High School.

As a result of the vision of the great educator Amos Runyon, the foundation for Belfry High School was laid. Recognizing a need for education to advance beyond the elementary level, he petitioned the Pike County Board of Education to build a two-year high school as s department of the Belfry Grade School. In 1923 four rooms were added to the existing four-room structure, which was located at Hunt Bottom, and Belfry High School was born with an enrollment of four freshmen.

In 1924 the high school program was expanded to a full four-year program, becoming the only high school on the Tug Side of Pike County. The year 1924-1925 also saw the organization of Belfry's first football team. By 1928 Belfry High School also had a baseball team, a school paper, and a booster's club. The 1927-1928 school year had its first graduating class from Belfry High School consisting of five members.

By the close of the 1929 school year, the enrollment of the elementary-high school had reached 550. This growth brought about the need of new school building to accommodate the growing number of high school students. In 1930 the doors opened to the new school; built at the location of what is now the gymnasium of Belfry Middle School.

In 1936, the Board of Education began construction of a new facility. In 1938, the doors of Belfry high School opened with an enrollment of appr. 400 students. Activities continued to expand, such as a basketball team, student council, 4-H club, Drama Class, and cheerleaders. The new school, built on the site just north of the old school, was completed at a cost of two hundred and twenty-five million dollars ($225,000.00).

The Belfry Vocational School, located on US 119 at Stone, KY, was established in October 1946. The building was donated by the Tierney Mining Company to provide training for students from the area to work in the mining industry. This vocational school was the first area center in the United States. The school offered a variety of technical training, ranging from electricity to machine tool technology. It was in service until August 1966.

Belfry continued to be a pacesetter in both curricular and extracurricular offerings throughout the rest of the twnetieth century. In the 1960s, over-crowded conditions led to expansion. In 1964, a building to house the music program, including the marching and concert bands, was built. In 1967, a new vocational center to replace the Belfry Vocation School, was opened.

In the fall of 1969, work began on a new gymnasium and a science building, including classrooms and a library. Renovations to the existing building included a cafetorium and major repairs. The project was completed in the fall of 1971.

In 1972, a concrete and steel football stadium with a seating capacity of 4,800 was installed. This was financed by the Boosters organization and the Board of Education.

During the 1972-73 school years, Belfry became a member of the Southern Association of Accredited Schools and Colleges and a comprehensive ratings was awarded by the Department of Education.

In the fall of 1991, the athletic complex was opened. Supporters contributed $500,000 toward the completion of this facility.

In 1990-91 Belfry received the award of being a Kentucky State School of Excellence. In 1992-93, it was honored as a Kentucky State Blue Ribbon School. Belfry was selected as a National School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education in 1993.

In 2005, Belfry High School moved to a brand new, state of the art facility located on U.S. Route 119 in South Williamson, Kentucky.

External links

* [http://www.belfryky.com/ BelfryKy.com]
* [http://lvillage.pike.k12.ky.us/lt/bhs/hp.nsf/HomePages/Belfry+High+School Belfry High School website]