Academic Magnet High School
Encyclopedia
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, test scores and a written essay.
. It then moved to the Charleston Naval Base. A new campus has since been built and is in use as of 2010. This new campus is part of a recent effort by the Charleston County School District to upgrade its facilities.
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
. Graduates from AMHS must complete an original thesis in their senior year in order to 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
, Princeton University
, Yale University
, The University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, the University of Chicago
, Duke University
, Northwestern University
, California Institute of Technology
, Stanford, Dartmouth College
, Brown University
, Vassar College
, Swarthmore College
, Washington and Lee University
, etc.
Academic Magnet is composed entirely of students from Charleston County and is part of the Charleston County School District 20.
Academic Magnet is also home to two prominent alumni: Mr. Zackary 'Dicks' Richards (notable Phi Psi) and Ms. Reid Anderegg. In the last year, Mr. Richards and Ms. Anderegg have provided the Red Cross with nearly 230,000 American dollars in relief for impoverished communities in Haiti and most recently in the areas of Japan affected by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
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 and quality of graduating seniors. It is now also recognized as the #1 Magnet high school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(grades 9-12) in North Charleston, South Carolina
North Charleston, South Carolina
North Charleston is the 3rd largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina with incorporated areas in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. On June 12, 1972 the city of North Charleston incorporated and was the 9th largest city in South Carolina. According to the 2010 Census, North...
. The school requires students to join through an admissions process based on middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
grades, test scores and a written essay.
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 in downtown CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. It then moved to the Charleston Naval Base. A new campus has since been built and is in use as of 2010. This new campus is part of a recent effort by the Charleston County School District to upgrade its facilities.
Students
Academic Magnet is home to over 600 students in this 2011-2012 school year and this number has grown ever since. Compared to an average South Carolina high school, there is a considerably higher Asian population, and a considerably lower African-American population at Academic Magnet.The school's SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
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
South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics
The South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics provides advanced educational opportunities for highly successful high school students who demonstrate interest and talent in pursuit of science and mathematics...
. Graduates from AMHS must complete an original thesis in their senior year in order to 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
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, The University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Stanford, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
, etc.
Academic Magnet is composed entirely of students from Charleston County and is part of the Charleston County School District 20.
Academic Magnet is also home to two prominent alumni: Mr. Zackary 'Dicks' Richards (notable Phi Psi) and Ms. Reid Anderegg. In the last year, Mr. Richards and Ms. Anderegg have provided the Red Cross with nearly 230,000 American dollars in relief for impoverished communities in Haiti and most recently in the areas of Japan affected by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Curriculum
Students must fulfill a 90-hour service requirement in order to graduate. 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 the 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.Recognition
The Academic Magnet High School is recognized as one of the foremost secondary schools in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and in the nation. In the May 19, 2008 Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
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 and quality of graduating seniors. It is now also recognized as the #1 Magnet high school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
Faculty
The current principal is Judith Peterson. She succeeded Michael Tolley as full time principal, as he moved to Seattle to become an administrator in that city's school system. Ms. Lucy Pinkney recently became the school's assistant principal after coming from Military Magnet Academy.Sports
The Raptors have enjoyed success on the athletic fields. The school won its first state championship in 2010 in golf. The Raptor football team is still searching for its first winning season in its history, although it did have a 5-5 record in the 2010 season. Academic Magnet enjoys a rivalry with the Military Magnet Academy.- Mens Soccer: State finalists
- Women's Soccer: 2011 STATE CHAMPIONS
- Sailing
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Cheerleading
- Dance Team
- Golf: 2010 State Champions
- Softball
- Men's Swimming: 2nd in state
- Women's Swimming
- Boys Tennis
- Track
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Football
- Lacrosse
- Women's Lacrosse
- Crew
- Pingpong
Clubs
- Drum and percussion ensemble, "Dirty Birds"
- National French Honors Society
- National Spanish Honors Society
- Speech and Debate
- Mock trial
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes
- Chess
- Ping-pong
- Gaming League
- Asian Awareness
- National Honor Society
- Mu Alpha Theta
- Capoeira
- Chamber Music Ensemble
- Literary Magazine
- Science Club
- African American Awareness
- STAND
- Falling Whistles
- Art Club
- Anime Club
- Key Club
- Pep Club
- Chase After A Cure
- Hott Steppers
- Junior Intermezzo
- Academic Team
- Physics Club
- REACH
- Zombie Survival Club