Heath High School is a secondary school operated by the McCracken County Public Schools

McCracken County Public Schools

McCracken County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Hendron, unincorporated McCracken County Kentucky.The district serves all of McCracken County except for most of the area within the city limits of Paducah, which is served by its own school district...

 district in the rural community of West Paducah

West Paducah, Kentucky

West Paducah is an unincorporated community in McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. Its elevation is 361 feet .-History:The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah on Monday, December 1, 1997...

, unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 McCracken County

McCracken County, Kentucky

McCracken County is a county located in the Jackson Purchase, the extreme western end of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 65,514. The county seat, largest city, and only incorporated community is Paducah....

, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, near the largest city in the state's far-western Purchase

Jackson Purchase

The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when...

 region, Paducah

Paducah, Kentucky

Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...

. Established in 1910, the school serves students in grades 9-12. It is currently scheduled to close in 2012 when the district opens a consolidated high school to replace its three current high schools, which includes Heath High School, Reidland High School and Lone Oak High School

Lone Oak High School

Lone Oak High School can refer to more than one educational institution in the United States:*Lone Oak High School in Lone Oak, Kentucky *Lone Oak High School in Lone Oak, Texas...

.

History

On December 1, 1997, fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of students

Heath High School shooting

The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, United States, on Monday, December 1, 1997. Fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of praying students, killing three and injuring five more....

, killing 3 and injuring 5. The shooting made its way as an episode to "[Very Bad Men]" on Investigation Discovery.

Campus

The school shares a campus with Heath Elementary School and Heath Middle School.

Extracurricular activities

Student groups and activities at Heath High School include 4-H

4-H

4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...

, book club, drama club, environmental club, FBLA

FBLA-PBL

The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...

, FCCLA

Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America , formerly known as Future Homemakers of America , is a nonprofit U.S. career and technical student organization for young men and women in family and consumer science education in public and private schools through grade 12 across the United States...

, FFA

National FFA Organization

The National FFA Organization is an American youth organization known as a Career and Technical Student Organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education...

, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...

, fitness club, Friends of Rachel

Rachel Scott

Rachel Joy Scott was the first victim of the Columbine High School massacre, which claimed the lives of 12 students, one teacher and the two perpetrators, in one of the deadliest high school shootings in United States history.She has since been the subject of several books and is the...

, Frisbee, Habitat for Humanity, National Honor Society

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

, pep club, SADD, Spanish club, student council, and yearbook.

The school's sports teams, known as the Heath Pirates, compete in Kentucky High School Athletic Association

Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has been the governing body of Kentucky high school athletics since 1917. Located in Lexington, the organization sanctions competition in the following sports:*Boys and girls**Basketball**Bowling*...

 size class AA. Teams are fielded in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball.

State championship titles held by the school's teams include:

• Boys' basketball: 1929
• Football: 1986 (A)
• Girls' Golf: 1995 (Individual, Jenny Throgmorten)
• Boys Soccer- has not won a state title, but made it to the "Elite 8" three years(2007,2008,2009) in a row, and have won numerous district, regional, and sub-sectional titles.: 2001/2002/2003/2004/2005/2006/2007/2008/2009/2010

2010 Bluegrass State Games(Soccer):
Junior Varsity : 2nd Place(3-1)
Varsity: 3rd Place (2-1-1)
Boys Baseball All A state Champs 2004

Notable alumni

• Julian Carroll
  Julian Carroll
  Julian Morton Carroll is a politician from the US state of Kentucky. A Democrat, he is presently a member of the Kentucky Senate, representing Anderson, Franklin, Woodford, and part of Fayette counties. From 1974 to 1979, he served as the 54th Governor of Kentucky, succeeding Wendell H. Ford, who...
  
  , former Governor of Kentucky (1974–1979)
• Steven Curtis Chapman
  Steven Curtis Chapman
  Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
  
  , musician
• Betty Karnette
  Betty Karnette
  Betty Karnette was elected to a second stint in the California State Assembly in November, 2004, to represent the 54th District. Her district included the cities of Avalon, Long Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Signal Hill...
  
  , former California State Assemblymember

External links

• Heath High School