John Chavis Middle School
Encyclopedia
John Chavis Middle School is a public middle school
in the Gaston County Schools
school district located in Cherryville
, North Carolina
, United States
. It is named for John Chavis
(c. 1763-1838), African-American educator and Presbyterian minister
John Chavis Middle School was formerly John Chavis High School, a racially-segregated
school for African-American students from western Gaston County
. The school graduated its first students in 1938. It originally housed grades one through eleven in the one main building. An addition was added in 1954. After a fire destroyed the main building in 1964, classes were temporarily held in two black churches and the Rhyne Houser Recreational Building. The class of 1964 held graduation exercises at Lincoln High School in Bessemer City. Classes resumed at the new school in the fall of 1964. Only two classes graduated from the new John Chavis High School. During the summer of 1966, the Cherryville School System became fully integrated.
From 1966, John Chavis School became Cherryville South Elementary School, housing students in grades three and four. In 1973, grades five and six were added. With the start of the 1997 school year, the building was remodeled and became a middle school for grades 6 to 8 and reclaimed the name of John Chavis.
Bryan Denton serves as principal. Sue Hollifield is the assistant principal.
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...
in the Gaston County Schools
Gaston County Schools
Gaston County Schools is a public school district located in Gaston County, North Carolina. With 32,437 students enrolled in 54 schools as of the 2008/09 academic year, it is the seventh largest public school district in North Carolina.-Schools:...
school district located in Cherryville
Cherryville, North Carolina
Cherryville is a small city in northwestern Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,361 at the 2000 census. The New Year's Shooters preserve the area's German heritage by honoring the custom of beginning each year with a chant and the shooting of muskets...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named for John Chavis
John Chavis
John Chavis was a black educator and Presbyterian minister in the American South during the early 19th century.-Early life:The exact date of Chavis's birth is not known. It is believed that he was born in either 1762 or 1763...
(c. 1763-1838), African-American educator and Presbyterian minister
John Chavis Middle School was formerly John Chavis High School, a racially-segregated
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
school for African-American students from western Gaston County
Gaston County, North Carolina
Gaston County is a county located just west of Charlotte in the southern Piedmont in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third largest county, by population, in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area, officially designated the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of...
. The school graduated its first students in 1938. It originally housed grades one through eleven in the one main building. An addition was added in 1954. After a fire destroyed the main building in 1964, classes were temporarily held in two black churches and the Rhyne Houser Recreational Building. The class of 1964 held graduation exercises at Lincoln High School in Bessemer City. Classes resumed at the new school in the fall of 1964. Only two classes graduated from the new John Chavis High School. During the summer of 1966, the Cherryville School System became fully integrated.
From 1966, John Chavis School became Cherryville South Elementary School, housing students in grades three and four. In 1973, grades five and six were added. With the start of the 1997 school year, the building was remodeled and became a middle school for grades 6 to 8 and reclaimed the name of John Chavis.
Bryan Denton serves as principal. Sue Hollifield is the assistant principal.