Webb School of Knoxville
Encyclopedia
Webb School of Knoxville is a private
coeducational day school
in Knoxville
, Tennessee
, enrolling students from kindergarten
to twelfth grade. It was founded in 1955 by Robert Webb (1919–2005), grandson of Webb School of Bell Buckle
founder Sawney Webb
. It is currently headed by President Scott Hutchinson.
in Claremont, California
to Knoxville, Tennessee
, with plans to found the third school in his family. Webb's grandfather, Sawney Webb, had established the Webb School of Bell Buckle
in middle Tennessee, and his uncle Thompson Webb had started the Webb School in Claremont. During the first school year, 4 students attended the new Webb School, but by the end of the year, the total had risen to 11. The first two school years were held in the basement of Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. The new school adopted the Latin motto of the Webb School in Claremont, "principes non homines."
's aquatic center now stands. It was formerly a medical school
that was poorly cleaned after its use. It was not uncommon for students of the Webb School to find remnants of the building's former inhabitants. At this time, Webb's first sports teams were still without their own practice places. During its time at the Staub School, Webb admitted its first female students, establishing the affiliate Webb Girls School, which operated from a church building.
location near I-140
. At the time, the Sequoyah Hills
location was considered "West Knoxville," and the new campus was beyond the outskirts of the city.
. Webb also has many athletic facilities, including: football stadium, softball, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse/field hockey fields, wrestling room, basketball and volleyball courts, outdoor swimming pool
, outdoor track, outdoor and indoor tennis courts, and several more practice facilities. The football team were runner-up's in 1997 & 2005 and and state champions in 1981, 1996, 2006, 2009, and 2010. The boys cross country team was the state champion in 1990 and 2009. This achievement carried Webb to the 1990 Pepsi Cup State Championship. More recently the boys cross country team won back to back state championships in 2002 and 2003 and then again in 2009 and 2010. The girls cross country team also took a state title in 2007, 2009, and 2010. The boys lacrosse team was the 2009 East Tennessee Division II regional champions and acquired the number one LaxPower.com ranking in Division II in the state of Tennessee. The girls basketball team also won a state championship in 2007 and 2009. Webb Athletics is directed by David Meske, who is also the head coach of the football team.
Sports include:
Division II-Small. Webb football is characterized by a Wing T offense and a 4-3 defense. The Spartans hold a strong rivalry with Knoxville Catholic High School
that dates back over 20 years. In 2005 the Webb Spartans were finalists in TSSAA Division II-AA, losing 0-26 to the Evangelical Christian School
. The next year the Spartans returned to the state championship and again played ECS, winning on a last-second field goal by kicker Steve Ball. The final score was 17-14. This state championship was the Spartans' third state championship in football, placing them tied for 11th in the state for number of football state championships. The Spartans final record in the 2007 season was 9-3. After the 2007 season, the Spartans were moved to Division II-Large and made the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Montgomery Bell Academy
. In 2009 Webb moved back down to Division II-Small. The Spartans went 12-1 in rout to the school's fourth State Championship. In 2010 the Spartans repeated as State Champions by beating St. Georges 42-7. The Spartans went 13-0 on the 2010 season.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
coeducational day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
in Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, enrolling students from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to twelfth grade. It was founded in 1955 by Robert Webb (1919–2005), grandson of Webb School of Bell Buckle
Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee)
The Webb School is a private coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, founded in 1870. It has been called the oldest, continuously operating boarding school in the South...
founder Sawney Webb
William R. Webb
- External links :...
. It is currently headed by President Scott Hutchinson.
Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian
In 1955, Robert Webb, then 36, made his way from the Webb SchoolThe Webb Schools
The Webb Schools is the collective name for two private schools for grades 9-12, founded by Thompson Webb, located in Claremont, California. The Webb School of California for boys was established in 1922, and the Vivian Webb School for girls in 1981. Both are primarily boarding schools, but they...
in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
to Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, with plans to found the third school in his family. Webb's grandfather, Sawney Webb, had established the Webb School of Bell Buckle
Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee)
The Webb School is a private coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, founded in 1870. It has been called the oldest, continuously operating boarding school in the South...
in middle Tennessee, and his uncle Thompson Webb had started the Webb School in Claremont. During the first school year, 4 students attended the new Webb School, but by the end of the year, the total had risen to 11. The first two school years were held in the basement of Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. The new school adopted the Latin motto of the Webb School in Claremont, "principes non homines."
Staub School
After the second school year, Webb had found a new location for the school at the old Staub School, a brick building where the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
's aquatic center now stands. It was formerly a medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
that was poorly cleaned after its use. It was not uncommon for students of the Webb School to find remnants of the building's former inhabitants. At this time, Webb's first sports teams were still without their own practice places. During its time at the Staub School, Webb admitted its first female students, establishing the affiliate Webb Girls School, which operated from a church building.
West Knoxville
In 1959, Webb relocated to the current campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
location near I-140
Interstate 140 (Tennessee)
Interstate 140 is a spur route of Interstate 40 near Knoxville, Tennessee, that forms part of the Pellissippi Parkway. It runs east from Dutchtown Road north of Interstate 40 near Farragut to U.S. Route 129, near McGhee Tyson Airport. It intersects with U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 70 near its...
. At the time, the Sequoyah Hills
Sequoyah Hills, Tennessee
Sequoyah Hills is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located off Kingston Pike between the city's downtown area and West Knoxville. Initially developed in the 1920s, Sequoyah Hills was one of Knoxville's first suburbs, and today is home to some of the city's most affluent residents...
location was considered "West Knoxville," and the new campus was beyond the outskirts of the city.
Coeducation
In the 1968 school year, Webb became coeducational and was reorganized into the lower school and the upper school.Middle School
In 1974, the school added a fifth and sixth grade to meet the rising demand. With this addition, the school was now separated into the Middle School, which consisted of grades 5-8, and the Upper School, with grades 9-12.Lower School
In 1998, the new Lower School opened at Webb. The new building currently houses the Kindergarten and first through fifth grade students. The Webb School of Knoxville now consists of a Lower School (K-5), the Middle School (6-8), and the Upper School (9-12).Construction
In early 2007, Webb's Honor the Tradition, Realize the Vision campaign to renovate and expand the campus began. Phase I included building the new Jim and Kay Clayton Science Center, which was finished in October 2007. The International Center for the Study of World Languages and Cultures, a building dedicated to the learning of international cultures, was completed in 2008 as well as the Founder's Commons.Athletics
Webb fields teams in several sports, competing in Division II (private schools) of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic AssociationTennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee.-Description:...
. Webb also has many athletic facilities, including: football stadium, softball, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse/field hockey fields, wrestling room, basketball and volleyball courts, outdoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, outdoor track, outdoor and indoor tennis courts, and several more practice facilities. The football team were runner-up's in 1997 & 2005 and and state champions in 1981, 1996, 2006, 2009, and 2010. The boys cross country team was the state champion in 1990 and 2009. This achievement carried Webb to the 1990 Pepsi Cup State Championship. More recently the boys cross country team won back to back state championships in 2002 and 2003 and then again in 2009 and 2010. The girls cross country team also took a state title in 2007, 2009, and 2010. The boys lacrosse team was the 2009 East Tennessee Division II regional champions and acquired the number one LaxPower.com ranking in Division II in the state of Tennessee. The girls basketball team also won a state championship in 2007 and 2009. Webb Athletics is directed by David Meske, who is also the head coach of the football team.
Sports include:
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- BowlingBowlingBowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
- CheerleadingCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
- ClimbingClimbingClimbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
- Field HockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- SailingSailingSailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Track and FieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Football
The Spartans currently play in TSSAATennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee.-Description:...
Division II-Small. Webb football is characterized by a Wing T offense and a 4-3 defense. The Spartans hold a strong rivalry with Knoxville Catholic High School
Knoxville Catholic High School
Knoxville Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville.-History:...
that dates back over 20 years. In 2005 the Webb Spartans were finalists in TSSAA Division II-AA, losing 0-26 to the Evangelical Christian School
Evangelical Christian School
Evangelical Christian School, also known as ECS, is a private, non-denominational, evangelical school in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded in 1965 and joined Association of Christian Schools International in 1984...
. The next year the Spartans returned to the state championship and again played ECS, winning on a last-second field goal by kicker Steve Ball. The final score was 17-14. This state championship was the Spartans' third state championship in football, placing them tied for 11th in the state for number of football state championships. The Spartans final record in the 2007 season was 9-3. After the 2007 season, the Spartans were moved to Division II-Large and made the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Montgomery Bell Academy
Montgomery Bell Academy
Montgomery Bell Academy is a preparatory day school for boys in grades 7 through 12 in Nashville, Tennessee.The school ideal is "Gentleman, Scholar, Athlete." Montgomery Bell Academy is noted for a large number of National Merit and other scholarship winners...
. In 2009 Webb moved back down to Division II-Small. The Spartans went 12-1 in rout to the school's fourth State Championship. In 2010 the Spartans repeated as State Champions by beating St. Georges 42-7. The Spartans went 13-0 on the 2010 season.
Notable alumni
- Ned G. Andrews - Winner of the 1994 Scripps National Spelling BeeScripps National Spelling BeeThe Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...
- Bill HaslamBill HaslamWilliam Edward "Bill" Haslam is the 49th and current Governor of Tennessee. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam was elected to office in 2010...
- Governor of Tennessee; previously mayor of Knoxville - Elizabeth KostovaElizabeth KostovaElizabeth Johnson Kostova is an American author best known for her debut novel The Historian.-Early life:Elizabeth Z. Johnson was born in New London, Connecticut and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee where she graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville...
- Author of The HistorianThe HistorianThe Historian interweaves the history and folklore of Vlad Ţepeş, a 15th-century prince of Wallachia known as "Vlad the Impaler", and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula together with the story of Paul, a professor; his 16-year-old daughter; and their quest for Vlad's tomb... - Greg McMichaelGreg McMichaelGregory Winston McMichael , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in relief in the Major Leagues from 1993-2000....
- Former Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the... - Chad PenningtonChad PenningtonJames Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
- NFL quarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...