McNary High School

Academics

Statewide standardized testing in Oregon has exposed a need for improvement in McNary's Mathematics department. With the first year of implementation of the "Group Math" in 2005, McNary ranked in the 26th percentile in the state. McNary's English department continues to show improvement: 53rd percentile in reading, 64th percentile in writing (2006). Both the Math and English departments have made efforts in implementing support classes and labs to assist struggling students in meeting academic benchmarks. The Oregon Department of Education school report cards for 2006-2007 gave McNary High School its first "strong" rating- an honor shared by only one other high school in the district. Since then, McNary Senior High School has been unsteadily improving. In the 2010-2011 school year, the school received a "needs improvement" grade on its report card. However, rallying under principal Honey, teachers have worked harder and better since and in the 2011-2012 school year, the school received an "outstanding" on its report card.

In 2008, 83% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 444 students, 368 graduated, 47 dropped out, and 29 are still in high school.

Athletics

McNary's athletic teams are nicknamed the Celtics or Celts. For a time the girls teams used the nickname "Lady Celts" but have since dropped the gender-centric term. All teams, whether boys or girls, use the same nickname. Throughout the history of the athletic department McNary has competed in the highest OSAA class.

Football

McNary's success on the gridiron came under the direction of legendary coach Tom Smythe. McNary's 51 points in the 1997 championship game was, at that time, the highest single-game record for a 4A title game, besting the 47 points scored by The Dalles in 1947. The 99 points tallied by both McNary and Beaverton in that 1997 championship game shattered the previous record of 59, established in Marshfield's 40-19 win over Medford in 1956, and remains the highest aggregate score for a championship game at any level in Oregon.

Boys Basketball

Baseball

Baseball is arguably McNary's most successful athletic program, appearing in six state championship games and winning three state championships. Head coaches Vic Backlund (1989) and Craig Nicholas (2009) have each garnered state coach of the year honors.

Cheerleading

Boys Golf

Girls Golf

Softball

Boys & Girls Swimming

No team has won a championship but three swimmers have won Individual Championships.

Boys & Girls Track and Field

The Celtics have recorded a total of six Individual Championships, three of which came in the high jump (1969, 1970, 2004).

Wrestling

Although the Celtics have had limited success as a team the wrestling program has produced a number of individual champions, none more notable than Howard Harris, 1980 NCAA heavyweight champion at Oregon State University. The bulk of McNary's success came under the leadership of legendary head coach Jerry Lane, first ever wrestling coach at McNary and 1996 inductee into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Ten wrestlers have accounted for eleven Individual Championships.

Notable Alumni

Publications

McNary has two major forms of media: the Celtic Network News (CNN)(formerly known as "Celtic Student Network"), the school's video announcements, and The Piper, McNary's school newspaper. CNN is a student-run news segment produced by the Media Productions Workshop class, and is aired on repeat on two large Sceptre T.V.s in the school's commons. One T.V. is placed on the wall outside the Main Office, the other under the "Ken Collins Theatre" sign.