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{{Short description|Public high school in Fort Valley, Georgia, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox school
{{Infobox school
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| caption =
| caption =
| location =
| location =
| streetaddress = 900 Campus Drive
| streetaddress = 3665 Peach Parkway
| region =
| region =
| city = [[Fort Valley, Georgia|Fort Valley]]
| city = [[Fort Valley, Georgia|Fort Valley]]
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| authority =
| authority =
| oversight =
| oversight =
| superintendent = Dr. Lionel Brown
| superintendent = Lionel Brown
| principal = Dr. Ken Hartley
| principal = Dr. Jesse Davis
| teaching_staff = 60.20 [[Full-time equivalent#FTEs in education|FTE]]<ref name=NCES></ref>
| teaching_staff = 68.80 [[Full-time equivalent#FTEs in education|FTE]]<ref name=NCES />
| grades = [[Ninth grade|9]] – [[Twelfth grade|12]]
| grades = [[Ninth grade|9]]–[[Twelfth grade|12]]
| gender = Co-ed
| gender = Co-ed
| enrollment = 915 (2020-21)<ref name=NCES>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1304050&ID=130405001483 Peach County High School]</ref>
| enrollment = 1,166 (2023–2024)<ref name=NCES>[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1304050&ID=130405001483 Peach County High School]</ref>
| ratio = 16.11<ref name=NCES></ref>
| ratio = 16.95<ref name=NCES />
| sports = Football, basketball, baseball, softball, cross-country, track and field, golf, tennis, soccer, volleyball
| sports = Football, basketball, baseball, softball, cross-country, track and field, golf, tennis, soccer, volleyball, Esports
| mascot = Trojan
| mascot = Trojan
| nickname =
| nickname =
| rivals = [[Calhoun High School (Georgia)|Calhoun High School]]
| rivals =
[Perry High School (Georgia)
[[Warner Robins High School]]
Mary Persons High School]
[[Crisp County High School]]
[[Northside High School]]
[[Cedar Grove High School (Georgia)|Cedar Grove High School]]
| accreditation = [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]
| accreditation = [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]
| publication =
| publication =
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| affiliation =
| affiliation =
| mascot image =
| mascot image =
| colors = {{color box|black}} {{color box|gold}}
| colors = Black and gold {{color box|black}} {{color box|gold}}
| school_colors =
| school_colors =
| homepage = [http://pchs.peachschools.org/ Peach County High School]
| homepage = [http://pchs.peachschools.org/ Peach County High School]
}}
}}


'''Peach County High School''' is a [[Public high school|public]] [[high school]] located in [[Fort Valley, Georgia|Fort Valley]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States. The school is part of the Peach County School District, which serves [[Peach County, Georgia|Peach County]].
'''Peach County High School''' is a [[Public high school|public]] [[high school]] located in [[Fort Valley, Georgia|Fort Valley]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States. The school is part of the Peach County School District, which serves [[Peach County, Georgia|Peach County]].


⚫
Peach County High School (PCHS) is accredited by the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] (SACS) and the [[Georgia State Department of Education]]’s [[Professional Standards Commission]]. PCHS is also a member of the "High Schools That Work" division of the [[Southern Regional Education Board]] and a member of the [[National Alliance of High Schools]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Peach County High School Official Website|url=https://www.peachschools.org/1/Content2/146|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=July 15, 2020|website=Peach County High School Official Website}}</ref>
'''Mission Statement''': To graduate college and career ready students.

'''Vision Statement''': Learning today, Leading tomorrow.

⚫
Peach County High School (PCHS) is accredited by the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] (SACS) and the [[Georgia State Department of Education]]’s [[Professional Standards Commission]]. PCHS is also a member of the "High Schools That Work" division of the [[Southern Regional Education Board]] and a member of the [[National Alliance of High Schools]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Peach County High School Official Website|url=https://www.peachschools.org/1/Content2/146|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=July 15, 2020|website=Peach County High School Official Website}}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
Prior to Integration, black students attending public school in Peach County attended [[Henry A. Hunt High School]] (Tigers) and white students attended Fort Valley High School (Green Wave). Like many locations in the southern [[United States]], Peach County did not immediately comply with the federal order to integrate schools. H. A. Hunt High School specifically educated Black Americans during at a time when formal education for black students was virtually non-existent in Peach County.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=September 2006|title=JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR PEACH COUNTY AND CITIES OF BYRON AND FORT VALLEY|url=https://www.dca.ga.gov/sites/default/files/peach_co_byron_ci_fort_valley_ci_comp_plan_community_assessment_2006.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Georgia Department of Community Affairs}}</ref> Hunt High was named for the Mr. [[Henry A. Hunt]], second principal of Fort Valley High and Industrial School (now [[Fort Valley State University]]).<ref name=":2" />
Prior to Integration, black students attending public school in Peach County attended [[Henry A. Hunt High School]] (Tigers) and white students attended Fort Valley High School (Green Wave). Like many locations in the southern [[United States]], Peach County did not immediately comply with the federal order to integrate schools. H. A. Hunt High School specifically educated Black Americans during at a time when formal education for black students was virtually non-existent in Peach County.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=September 2006|title=JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR PEACH COUNTY AND CITIES OF BYRON AND FORT VALLEY|url=https://www.dca.ga.gov/sites/default/files/peach_co_byron_ci_fort_valley_ci_comp_plan_community_assessment_2006.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Georgia Department of Community Affairs}}</ref> Hunt High was named for the Mr. [[Henry A. Hunt]], second principal of Fort Valley High and Industrial School (now [[Fort Valley State University]]).<ref name=":2" />


'''Current School Building'''
'''Old School Building'''


Following integration, students continued to attend separate schools, but under a policy of busing. In a 1970 report to the [[United States Senate]], Peach County was listed as being in ''questionable'' ''violation'' of the federal order to integrate schools.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=December 29, 1970|title=Congressional Record, Equal Educational Opportunity, 1970|url=http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00697/pdfa/00697-00224-6.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Minnesota Historical Society}}</ref> In 1974, with the construction of the present campus, both black and white students attended a fully integrated school.<ref name=":1" />
Following integration, students continued to attend separate schools, but under a policy of busing. In a 1970 report to the [[United States Senate]], Peach County was listed as being in ''questionable'' ''violation'' of the federal order to integrate schools.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=December 29, 1970|title=Congressional Record, Equal Educational Opportunity, 1970|url=http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00697/pdfa/00697-00224-6.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Minnesota Historical Society}}</ref> In 1974, with the construction of the present campus, both black and white students attended a fully integrated school.<ref name=":1" />


'''School Prom Integration'''
'''School Prom Integration'''


In the early 1960s the Peach County School Board discontinued school-sanctioned social activities to include proms and homecoming dances on the recommendation of then superintendent Ernest Anderson, who served from 1945 to 1984. Anderson argued such activities interfered with the students' studies. After Peach County schools were formally integrated, parents continued to sponsor private segregated proms for students. This changed in 1990 after parents convinced the school board to rescind the policy and allow for a single, school sanctioned prom.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kunerth|first=Jeff|date=May 12, 1990|title=ALL OF PEACH COUNTY STEPPING OUT OF PAST AT HIGH SCHOOL PROM|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-05-12-9005120940-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilkerson|first=Isabel|date=May 14, 1990|title=HISTORICALLY OUT OF STEP FOR PROMS, GEORGIA TEENS FINALLY DANCE|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-05-14-9002080698-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>
In the early 1960s the Peach County School Board discontinued school-sanctioned social activities to include proms and homecoming dances on the recommendation of then superintendent Ernest Anderson, who served from 1945 to 1984. Anderson argued such activities interfered with the students' studies. After Peach County schools were formally integrated, parents continued to sponsor private segregated proms for students. This changed in 1990 after parents convinced the school board to rescind the policy and allow for a single, school sanctioned prom.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kunerth|first=Jeff|date=May 12, 1990|title=ALL OF PEACH COUNTY STEPPING OUT OF PAST AT HIGH SCHOOL PROM|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-05-12-9005120940-story.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilkerson|first=Isabel|date=May 14, 1990|title=HISTORICALLY OUT OF STEP FOR PROMS, GEORGIA TEENS FINALLY DANCE|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-05-14-9002080698-story.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>


'''New School Building'''
'''New School Building'''


In September 2019, the school board announced the construction of a new high school. The new school will be located between the cities of Fort Valley and [[Byron, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Solomon|first=Kayla|date=September 15, 2019|title=New Peach County High School in the works|url=https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/groundbreaking-new-peach-county-high-school/93-83508be6-2d64-476b-999f-b89999aac07a|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=13 News WMAZ (Macon)}}</ref>
In September 2019, the school board announced the construction of a new high school. The new school will be located between the cities of Fort Valley and [[Byron, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Solomon|first=Kayla|date=September 15, 2019|title=New Peach County High School in the works|url=https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/groundbreaking-new-peach-county-high-school/93-83508be6-2d64-476b-999f-b89999aac07a|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=13 News WMAZ (Macon)}}</ref> As of May 2022 the new Peach County High School has been opened.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2020 |title=New Peach County High School expected to open in August 2021 |url=https://www.13wmaz.com/video/news/education/new-peach-county-high-school-expected-to-open-in-august-2021/93-7db39072-e628-4e76-839d-83ed0ee2c791 |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=WMAZ |language=en-US}}</ref>


==Athletics==
==Athletics==
PCHS athletics are most widely known for having one of the most consistently successful football teams in the state of Georgia. The Peach County Trojans have fielded a winning team each year since 1987 (33 consecutive seasons)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=GHSFHA.ORG Peach County Trojans Program by Season|url=https://ghsfha.org/enwiki/w/Special:SchoolHome?season=2016&school=Peach+County#records-by-season|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=July 15, 2020|website=Georgia High School Football Historians Association}}</ref> and has been in the playoffs each season since 1991 (29 consecutive seasons).<ref name=":0" /> The Trojans have won three [[Georgia High School Association]] (GHSA) Class AAA state championships, in 2005, 2006, 2009.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|title=GHSA Football Championships|url=https://www.ghsa.net/ghsa-football-champions|accessdate=7 April 2015}}</ref> and has been the Class AAA State-Runner Up in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017*, 2018.<ref name=":0" />
PCHS athletics are most widely known for having one of the most consistently successful football teams in the state of Georgia. The Peach County Trojans have fielded a winning team each year since 1987 (33 consecutive seasons)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=GHSFHA.ORG Peach County Trojans Program by Season|url=https://ghsfha.org/enwiki/w/Special:SchoolHome?season=2016&school=Peach+County#records-by-season|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=July 15, 2020|website=Georgia High School Football Historians Association}}</ref> and has been in the playoffs each season since 1991 (29 consecutive seasons).<ref name=":0" /> The Trojans have won three [[Georgia High School Association]] (GHSA) Class AAA state championships, in 2005, 2006, 2009.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|title=GHSA Football Championships|url=https://www.ghsa.net/ghsa-football-champions|accessdate=7 April 2015}}</ref> and has been the Class AAA State-Runner Up in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017*, 2018.<ref name=":0" />


'''2017 State Championship Game Controversy vs. [[Calhoun High School (Georgia)|Calhoun High School (GA)]] Yellow Jackets'''
'''2017 State Championship Game Controversy vs. [[Calhoun High School (Georgia)|Calhoun High School (GA)]] Yellow Jackets'''


With Peach County trailing 6-10 with 3:33 remaining on the Calhoun 21-yard line, Peach County's [[running back]] Noah Whittington caught a pass on fourth-and-8 from [[quarterback]] Antonio Gilbert at the 5-yard line. Whittington took at least two full steps and dove toward the end zone, spreading his arm with the ball across the goal line. As his arm and the ball landed in the end zone, the ball came free. The official, instead of signalling touchdown or calling the runner down, ruled the pass as incomplete. The missed scoring opportunity in a defensive game proved to be the difference as Peach County would not score on their final possession and Calhoun would win the game 10-6.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Krohn|first=Adam|date=December 8, 2017|title=Calhoun 10, Peach County 6|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/high-school-sports/calhoun-peach-county/860cp8ox1uVphS05Tlxr4L/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Atlanta Journal Constitution}}</ref> The ruling of incomplete has been considered as one of the most controversial calls in GHSA state title game history, with many calling for use of instant replay in state championship games. The following spring, the GHSA added a seventh official to aid in championship games.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ellerbee|first=Seth|date=April 15, 2018|title=GHSA makes positive move after Peach-Calhoun Mmssteps|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/high-school-sports/ghsa-makes-positive-move-after-peach-calhoun-missteps/TiGk4m1XXnzP69RqP3pVuM/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Atlanta Journal Constitution}}</ref>
With Peach County trailing 6-10 with 3:33 remaining on the Calhoun 21-yard line, Peach County's [[running back]] Noah Whittington caught a pass on fourth-and-8 from [[quarterback]] Antonio Gilbert at the 5-yard line. Whittington took at least two full steps and dove toward the end zone, spreading his arm with the ball across the goal line. As his arm and the ball landed in the end zone, the ball came free. The official, instead of signalling touchdown or calling the runner down, ruled the pass as incomplete. The missed scoring opportunity in a defensive game proved to be the difference as Peach County would not score on their final possession and Calhoun would win the game 10-6.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Krohn|first=Adam|date=December 8, 2017|title=Calhoun 10, Peach County 6|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/high-school-sports/calhoun-peach-county/860cp8ox1uVphS05Tlxr4L/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}}</ref> The ruling of incomplete has been considered as one of the most controversial calls in GHSA state title game history, with many calling for use of instant replay in state championship games. The following spring, the GHSA added a seventh official to aid in championship games.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ellerbee|first=Seth|date=April 15, 2018|title=GHSA makes positive move after Peach-Calhoun Mmssteps|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/high-school-sports/ghsa-makes-positive-move-after-peach-calhoun-missteps/TiGk4m1XXnzP69RqP3pVuM/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}}</ref>


==Notable alumni==
==Notable alumni==
*[[Ed Beck]] - Basketball player for [[Kentucky_Wildcats_men%27s_basketball|University of Kentucky]]
*[[Alfred Amadu Conteh|Alfred A. Conteh]] - [[Sculptor (artist)|Sculptor]], [[Painting|painter]] and [[mixed-media]] artist
*[[Alfred Amadu Conteh|Alfred A. Conteh]] - [[Sculptor (artist)|Sculptor]], [[Painting|painter]] and [[mixed-media]] artist
*[[Antone Davis]] - [[NFL]] [[American football positions|offensive lineman]] with [[Philadelphia Eagles]] and [[Atlanta Falcons]].
*[[Antone Davis]] - [[NFL]] [[American football positions|offensive lineman]] with [[Philadelphia Eagles]] and [[Atlanta Falcons]].
*[[Jacquez Green]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] and [[Washington Redskins]]; Winner of 2001 and 2002 [[Madden Bowl]]
*[[Jacquez Green]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] and [[Washington Redskins]]; Winner of 2001 and 2002 [[Madden Bowl]]
*[[Alvin Holsey]] - United States Navy [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] and Current Deputy [[Chief of Naval Personnel]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fort Valley Native Promoted to U.S. Navy Two-Star Admiral|url=http://navyoutreach.blogspot.com/2020/06/fort-valley-native-promoted-to-us-navy.html|access-date=2021-09-21}}</ref>
* [[Louis Ivory]] - Winner of 2000 [[Walter Payton Award]] for the most outstanding player in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division I (NCAA)#Football%20Championship%20Subdivision|Division I-AA]]
* [[Louis Ivory]] - Winner of 2000 [[Walter Payton Award]] for the most outstanding player in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division I (NCAA)#Football Championship Subdivision|Division I-AA]]
*[[Pete Johnson (American football)|Pete Johnson]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] running back with [[Cincinnati Bengals]], [[Los Angeles Chargers|San Diego Chargers]], and [[Miami Dolphins]]
*[[Pete Johnson (American football, born 1954)|Pete Johnson]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] running back with [[Cincinnati Bengals]], [[Los Angeles Chargers|San Diego Chargers]], and [[Miami Dolphins]]
* [[Karan Kendrick]] - [[Actress]] ([[Just Mercy]], [[Hidden Figures]], [[Broken Ceiling]], [[The Hate U Give (film)|The Hate U Give]], [[The Hunger Games (film)|Hunger Games]]) and [[writer]]
* [[Greg Lloyd, Sr.|Greg Lloyd]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[linebacker]] with [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[Carolina Panthers]].
* [[Greg Lloyd, Sr.|Greg Lloyd]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[linebacker]] with [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[Carolina Panthers]].
* [[Dannie Lockett]] - [[NFL Europe]] [[linebacker]] with [[London Monarchs]]; [[National Football League|NFL]] [[linebacker]] with [[Detroit Lions]]
* [[Dannie Lockett]] - [[NFL Europe]] [[linebacker]] with [[London Monarchs]]; [[National Football League|NFL]] [[linebacker]] with [[Detroit Lions]]
* [[Randy McMichael]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[tight end]] with [[Miami Dolphins]], [[St. Louis Rams]], and [[Los Angeles Chargers|San Diego Chargers]].
* [[Randy McMichael]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[tight end]] with [[Miami Dolphins]], [[St. Louis Rams]], and [[Los Angeles Chargers|San Diego Chargers]].
* [[Demarcus Robinson]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Kansas City Chiefs]] and [[Baltimore Ravens]]
* [[Jason Murtagh]] - [[Business]] [[lawyer|attorney]] with [[Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney|Buchanan, Ingersoll, & Rooney]], presented and won a [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]] case
* [[Demarcus Robinson]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Kansas City Chiefs]].
* [[Marcus Robinson (American football)|Marcus Robinson]] - [[World League of American Football|NFL Europe]] [[wide receiver]] with [[American football|Rhein Fire]]; [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Chicago Bears]], [[Minnesota Vikings]], [[Detroit Lions]], and [[Baltimore Ravens]]
* [[Marcus Robinson (American football)|Marcus Robinson]] - [[World League of American Football|NFL Europe]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Rhein Fire]]; [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] with [[Chicago Bears]], [[Minnesota Vikings]], [[Detroit Lions]], and [[Baltimore Ravens]]
*[[Tim Watson (safety)|Tim Watson]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[Safety (football position)|safety]] with [[Green Bay Packers]] and [[Kansas City Chiefs]]
*[[Tim Watson (safety)|Tim Watson]] - [[National Football League|NFL]] [[Safety (football position)|safety]] with [[Green Bay Packers]] and [[Kansas City Chiefs]]


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{{GHSA Class AAA Region 2}}
{{GHSA Class AAA Region 2}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Schools in Peach County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Schools in Peach County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Public high schools in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Public high schools in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:1927 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]

[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1927]]
https://iamdrvernardhodges.com/

{{GeorgiaUS-school-stub}}

Latest revision as of 17:40, 28 December 2024

Peach County High School
Address
Map
3665 Peach Parkway

Fort Valley
,
Georgia
31030-3699

United States
Coordinates32°33′50″N 83°53′47″W / 32.563959°N 83.896494°W / 32.563959; -83.896494[1]
Information
School typePublic high school
DenominationPeach County School District
EstablishedFort Valley High School 1927-1970; Peach County High School 1970-present [2]
SuperintendentLionel Brown
PrincipalDr. Jesse Davis
Teaching staff68.80 FTE[3]
Grades9–12
GenderCo-ed
Enrollment1,166 (2023–2024)[3]
Student to teacher ratio16.95[3]
Color(s)Black and gold    
SportsFootball, basketball, baseball, softball, cross-country, track and field, golf, tennis, soccer, volleyball, Esports
MascotTrojan
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
WebsitePeach County High School

Peach County High School is a public high school located in Fort Valley, Georgia, United States. The school is part of the Peach County School District, which serves Peach County.

Peach County High School (PCHS) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Georgia State Department of Education’s Professional Standards Commission. PCHS is also a member of the "High Schools That Work" division of the Southern Regional Education Board and a member of the National Alliance of High Schools.[4]

History

[edit]

Prior to Integration, black students attending public school in Peach County attended Henry A. Hunt High School (Tigers) and white students attended Fort Valley High School (Green Wave). Like many locations in the southern United States, Peach County did not immediately comply with the federal order to integrate schools. H. A. Hunt High School specifically educated Black Americans during at a time when formal education for black students was virtually non-existent in Peach County.[5] Hunt High was named for the Mr. Henry A. Hunt, second principal of Fort Valley High and Industrial School (now Fort Valley State University).[5]

Old School Building

Following integration, students continued to attend separate schools, but under a policy of busing. In a 1970 report to the United States Senate, Peach County was listed as being in questionable violation of the federal order to integrate schools.[6] In 1974, with the construction of the present campus, both black and white students attended a fully integrated school.[4]

School Prom Integration

In the early 1960s the Peach County School Board discontinued school-sanctioned social activities to include proms and homecoming dances on the recommendation of then superintendent Ernest Anderson, who served from 1945 to 1984. Anderson argued such activities interfered with the students' studies. After Peach County schools were formally integrated, parents continued to sponsor private segregated proms for students. This changed in 1990 after parents convinced the school board to rescind the policy and allow for a single, school sanctioned prom.[7][8]

New School Building

In September 2019, the school board announced the construction of a new high school. The new school will be located between the cities of Fort Valley and Byron, Georgia.[9] As of May 2022 the new Peach County High School has been opened.[10]

Athletics

[edit]

PCHS athletics are most widely known for having one of the most consistently successful football teams in the state of Georgia. The Peach County Trojans have fielded a winning team each year since 1987 (33 consecutive seasons)[11] and has been in the playoffs each season since 1991 (29 consecutive seasons).[11] The Trojans have won three Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAA state championships, in 2005, 2006, 2009.[11][12] and has been the Class AAA State-Runner Up in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017*, 2018.[11]

2017 State Championship Game Controversy vs. Calhoun High School (GA) Yellow Jackets

With Peach County trailing 6-10 with 3:33 remaining on the Calhoun 21-yard line, Peach County's running back Noah Whittington caught a pass on fourth-and-8 from quarterback Antonio Gilbert at the 5-yard line. Whittington took at least two full steps and dove toward the end zone, spreading his arm with the ball across the goal line. As his arm and the ball landed in the end zone, the ball came free. The official, instead of signalling touchdown or calling the runner down, ruled the pass as incomplete. The missed scoring opportunity in a defensive game proved to be the difference as Peach County would not score on their final possession and Calhoun would win the game 10-6.[13] The ruling of incomplete has been considered as one of the most controversial calls in GHSA state title game history, with many calling for use of instant replay in state championship games. The following spring, the GHSA added a seventh official to aid in championship games.[14]

Notable alumni

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Free US Geocoder". Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  2. ^ Peach County High School- History, Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Peach County High School
  4. ^ a b "Peach County High School Official Website". Peach County High School Official Website. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR PEACH COUNTY AND CITIES OF BYRON AND FORT VALLEY" (PDF). Georgia Department of Community Affairs. September 2006.
  6. ^ "Congressional Record, Equal Educational Opportunity, 1970" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. December 29, 1970.
  7. ^ Kunerth, Jeff (May 12, 1990). "ALL OF PEACH COUNTY STEPPING OUT OF PAST AT HIGH SCHOOL PROM". Orlando Sentinel.
  8. ^ Wilkerson, Isabel (May 14, 1990). "HISTORICALLY OUT OF STEP FOR PROMS, GEORGIA TEENS FINALLY DANCE". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ Solomon, Kayla (September 15, 2019). "New Peach County High School in the works". 13 News WMAZ (Macon).
  10. ^ "New Peach County High School expected to open in August 2021". WMAZ. December 8, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "GHSFHA.ORG Peach County Trojans Program by Season". Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "GHSA Football Championships". Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  13. ^ Krohn, Adam (December 8, 2017). "Calhoun 10, Peach County 6". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  14. ^ Ellerbee, Seth (April 15, 2018). "GHSA makes positive move after Peach-Calhoun Mmssteps". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  15. ^ "Fort Valley Native Promoted to U.S. Navy Two-Star Admiral". Retrieved September 21, 2021.
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