Academic Magnet High School

Infobox HighSchool
name = Academic Magnet High School
established = 1988
type = High School
principal = Judith Peterson
city = North Charleston
state = South Carolina
country = United States
location = 1525 Avenue B South
campus = Old Naval Base
students = 600
free_label = School Paper
free = The Talon
colors = Green and Black
mascot = Raptors
homepage = http://amhs.ccsdschools.com

Academic Magnet High School (AMHS) is a high school (grades 9-12) in North Charleston, South Carolina. The school requires students to join through an admissions process based on middle school grades and a written essay that is completed with guidelines given by the school.

History

Academic Magnet High School was established in 1988, and the first class graduated in 1992. The school was originally located as a separate sub-campus of Burke High School (South Carolina) in downtown Charleston, SC, but has since moved to the Charleston Naval Base. [ [http://www.cofc.edu/~dillonr/CCSD10/Post&Courier25June06.html CCSD Building Boom! ] ]

tudents

Academic Magnet is home to 591 students in the 2008-2009 school year. The ethnic breakup of the student population is as follows: 59% white, 27% black, 11% Asian, 2% Hispanic. Compared to an average South Carolina high school, there is a considerably higher Asian population and a considerably lower black population at Academic Magnet. The current principal at Academic Magnet is Judith Peterson.

The school's SAT scores have been consistently the second-best in the state since 1998, surpassed only by the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. [ [http://www.ccsdschools.com/news/archive/2004SATnr-final.pdf Microsoft Word - 2004 SAT nr.doc ] ] Graduates from AMHS must complete an original thesis in their senior year and receive an AMHS diploma in addition to a state of South Carolina diploma. Because of the curriculum of the school, students are significantly well prepared for college and are admitted into top schools, including Harvard University, Duke University, Princeton University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Stanford, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Swarthmore College, etc.Fact|date=February 2007

Unlike the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, Academic Magnet is composed entirely of students from the Charleston area, as it is part of the Charleston County School District 20.

Curriculum

Students must fulfill a 90-hour service requirement in order to graduate. [ [http://www.ccsdschools.com/schools.cfm?school_id=67 Welcome to Charleston County School District - Academic Magnet High School ] ] Students must also complete at least four advanced placement (AP) courses throughout their high school career in order to graduate from the Academic Magnet. Another requirement is Senior Thesis. Students take one year to work with a mentor and teacher adviser to pursue a research project on a topic of their choice.

A variety of AP courses are offered, including Science courses, English, Mathematics, History, Arts, AP Spahling, AP gang-wars, and AP spore

Community service

In 2005, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control presented the school with the Donna Bates Memorial Award for coastal environmental education activities. It announced that the school would use the accompanying grant to improve its "Splish-Splash Water Testing Project" and to purchase soil and water probes, native plants and other materials to help student-led efforts to restore Noisette Creek in North Charleston. [ [http://www.scdhec.gov/news/releases/2005/200504/nr04DonnaBates05.htm SCDHEC: News Releases ] ]

Recognition

The Academic Magnet High School is recognized as one of the foremost secondary schools in South Carolina and in the nation. In the May 19, 2008 Newsweek cover story, Academic Magnet High School was ranked 7th among national public high schools based on an index consisting of the quotient of AP exams taken by all students and the quantity of graduating seniors. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532668/site/newsweek America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com ] ]

Faculty

The current principal is Judith Peterson. In 2007-2008, the acting principal of the Academic Magnet High School was Dr. Carol Tempel, who was chosen to temporarily fill the spot left by Michael Tolley, as he moved to Seattle to become an administrator. Dr. Patrick Harrington is the Assistant Principal.

Extracurricular activities

The Raptors have enjoyed success on the athletic fields bringing home a championship in every sport but football. The Raptor football team is still searching for its first winning season in its history, and enjoys a rivalry with the Military Magnet Academy.

ports

*Baseball 2008 Region 6-A Champions
*Basketball 2007-2008 Region 6-A Champions
*Crew (Team has competed on the national and international level bringing home several titles.)
*Cross Country 2007 Lower State Champions
*Football
*Golf 2008 Region 6-A Champions
*Sailing Multiple Regatta Champions
*Soccer 2008 Region 6-A Champions
*Softball 2008 Region 6-A Champions
*Swimming 2007 State Championship qualifiers
*Tennis 2005-2007 3 Consecutive Lower State App.
*Track 2006 Lower State Champions
*Wrestling 2007-2008 Region 6-A Champions and is currently looking for new people to join the team, especially people below 125 lb and above 186 lb.
*Volleyball 2006 Region 6-A Champions

Clubs

Academic Magnet has more than 30 clubs, including the following:
*Academic Team
*African American Awareness Club
*Animanga Club
*Asian Awareness Club
*Bass Player Appreciation Club
*Carpool Club
*Chess Club
*Dirty Birds Drum Corps
*Drama Club
*Fencing Club
*FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)
*Great Books Club
*Key Club
*Jewish Awareness Club
*Juggling Club
*"Attractions" Literary Magazine
*Martial Arts Club
*Math Club
*Mock Trial Team
*Mu Alpha Theta
*Pep Club
*Photography
*Poetry Club
*Ping Pong Club (ATPFLUSAA) [ [http://www.pingpwn.com/ Ping Pwn ] ]
*SADD (Students Against Dumb Decisions)
*Sailing
*Science Club (SCJAS South Carolina Junior Academy of Science)
*Speech and Debate Team
*Step Team
*Student Council

References

External links

* [http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/71973 School profile]
* [http://amhs.ccsdschools.com AMHS Homepage]