Elkins High School (West Virginia)

History

The current building was constructed at a cost of $13.7 million by the site of the existing Randolph Vocational Technical Center, Midland Elementary School and adjacent to the Elkins-Randolph County Regional Airport. The architect, SEM Partners, created a two story building of over 160,000 square feet (15,000 m²). The new building was the result of a school consolidation effort in West Virginia. Coalton High School was closed and students from Coalton, WV were bused to Elkins, WV to attend the new high school. In an effort to acknowledge the merger of the two high schools, the school board voted prior to the 1993-1994 school to name the new school Forest Hills High School. The new high school opened during the Fall of 1993 and held commencement exercises during June 1994 for what would become the only graduating class of Forest Hills High School. Following the 1993-1994 school year, several new school board members were elected to the Randolph County Board of Education with support from the Elkins High School Alumni Association. During the summer of 1994, these new board members voted to change the name of the school back to Elkins High School. The school reopened for the 1994-1995 school year as Elkins High School.

Academics

The teachers and administration at EHS promote and reward students for academics and attendance. EHS offers both basic courses and a variety of Advanced Placement courses and Dual Credit courses. Students who attend EHS also have the opportunity to take Vocational classes at the connected Randolph Technical Center (RTC) and College courses. Although not offered every year, EHS, along with the RTC offers 132 courses, six of which are Advanced Placement courses (Music, English Literature and Language, Calculus AB, US History and Government and Politics).

As of 2009, the graduation rate is 77.7%. The average for all West Virginia high schools is 77.0%. For 2009 the graduation rate for the U.S. is 75.5%.

Interscholastic Athletics

Athletics are also a big part of the student life at EHS. The school is classified AAA, the highest classification, by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission. EHS fields 19 separate teams in every officially sanctioned WVSSAC sport.

The school competed in the NCAC (North Central Athletic Conference) from 1986 until the 2009-2010 school year. It will return to the Big 10 conference for the 2010-2011 school year. It offers baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, cheerleading, boys' and girls' cross country, football, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, softball, boys' and girls' swimming, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' track, girls' volleyball and wrestling.

Venues

Baseball, basketball, cheerleading, track, volleyball and wrestling hold their home contests on the EHS campus. The football team practices and plays their games at the historic Wimer Field, located at the former campus of Elkins High School in South Elkins. The cross country, swimming and tennis teams hold their home contests on the campus of Davis and Elkins College. The soccer team practices at EHS but plays their matches at Riverbend Park, also in south Elkins, maintained by the Elkins Park & Recreation Commission. The field was one of the first soccer-only fields in the state to be fitted with lights. The golf team hosts its home matches at Elk's Golf Course, located three miles (5 km) south of EHS. The softball team plays in renovated fields behind the Elkins Middle School. All girls' teams are known as the Lady Tigers.

State Champions and Runners-up

Elkins High School athletes hold individual and team state titles in numerous sports. The following are the team titles provided by the WVSSAC

State Champions

State Runners Up

Notable alumni