Alfred E. Beach High School

Alfred Ely Beach High School is one of the oldest public high schools in Savannah, Georgia, United States.

Alfred Ely Beach High School
Address
3001 Hopkins Street

Savannah
,
Georgia

United States
Information
TypePublic secondary
Established1867
School districtSavannah-Chatham County Public Schools
PrincipalDr. Lisa Linton
Faculty70[1]
Teaching staff58.40 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12[3]
Enrollment993 (2017-18)[2]
Student to teacher ratio17.00[2]
Color(s)Blue and gold
         
NicknameBulldogs and Lady Bulldogs
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
YearbookThe Golden Bulldog
WebsiteAlfred E. Beach High School

History

In 1867, the Beach Institute was established by the Freedmen's Bureau with funds donated by Alfred Ely Beach, editor of Scientific American. The school was privately funded as a manual training school to provide a means for newly freed African Americans to assimilate into white society.[4] By 1874, the institute was appropriated by the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education for the purpose of providing free education to Savannah's African American citizenry. Although the Beach Institute closed its doors in 1915, it was reopened as an African American cultural center and is currently operated by the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation. The Beach name survives in the name of Alfred E. Beach High School.

In 2010, Beach High School was selected as the recipient of "Outstanding Service By a High School" at the 38th annual Jefferson Awards, an honor for community service and volunteerism.[5]

At the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, the Savannah-Chatham County School District released the school's faculty and staff personnel, citing inadequate academic progress over the previous five years.[6]

Enrollment

Beach High is open to residents of Chatham County in grades 9th through 12th.

Academics

Beach High students undertake a college preparatory curriculum that includes four years of English, history, and laboratory-based sciences (chemistry and physics are required); three years of mathematics (most students opt for four) and foreign language; a semester each of introductory art, music, health, and computer science; and two lab-based technology courses. It offers students a broad selection of elective courses.

Beach offers the district's only CISCO networking academy. Students who complete this program are eligible to take the CISCO Certified Network Associate examination.[7] The Health Professions program partners with Memorial Health University Medical Center and CVS Pharmacy to provide internships for Beach High students.[7]

Advanced Placement

Students can choose from Advanced Placement courses in Calculus, English III, English IV, US History, European History, and Biology.[7]

Special education

The school has special education programs for the following areas:[7]

  • Learning disabled
  • Behavior disorder
  • Moderately intellectually handicapped
  • Mildly intellectually handicapped
  • Severely intellectually handicapped
  • Profoundly intellectually handicapped

Extracurricular activities

Clubs and organizations

[7]

Sports teams

Beach High fields 11 varsity teams, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, wrestling, softball, and volleyball.[7] The teams compete in the Georgia High School Association's Region 3-AAA.

State championships
Georgia Interscholastic Association

The school won the boys' state basketball championship in 1953, 1963, 1964, and 1965.[8]

Georgia High School Association

The school won a boys' state basketball championship in 1967 (the first year that African-Americans were allowed to play in the Georgia High School Association) under coach Russell Ellington.[9][10] The girls' basketball team won a state championship in 2000 and 2017.[11]

Notable alumni

Alumni have become president of Savannah State College, Georgia state senator, mayor of Savannah, and dean of a major university in New England.

Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Dr. James F. Densler 1950 First Black Pediatric Surgeon in the US "Dr. James F. Densler, First African-American Pediatric Surgeon to Practice in U.S., Retires from Morehouse School of Medicine".
Russell Ellington 1956 Former NFL player and basketball coach
Matt "Showbiz" Jackson 1982 Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters [12]
Otis Johnson 1960 Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (2004–2012)
Wanda Smalls Lloyd 1967 First black editor of The Montgomery Advertiser [13]
Larry "Gator" Rivers Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters [14]
Regina Thomas 1970 Georgia State Senator (2000–present); member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1995 to 1998) [13][15]
James E. Wright Flight instructor for the World War II Tuskegee Airmen [16]

Further reading

Books

References
  1. "Beach High School - Savannah, Georgia:Public School Profile". Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  2. "Beach High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  3. "Beach High School". SchoolTree.org. SchoolTree.org. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  4. "A.E. Beach High School". Archived from the original on 2008-05-25. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  5. "Alfred E. Beach High School Recognized with the "Nobel Prize for Public Service"". Savannah Tribune. Savannah Tribune. 2010-06-30. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  6. "Seeking 'turnaround,' Georgia's Beach High School fires all staff". The Christian Science Monitor. 2010-04-26. Archived from the original on 31 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  7. "Savannah-Chatham County Public School System: Beach High School". Archived from the original on 2008-12-25. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  8. "GIA Boys Basketball Champions". Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  9. "GHSA Boys Basketball Champions". Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  10. "Former Player Speaks About the Legacy of Coach Ellington". Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  11. "GHSA Girls Basketball Champions". Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  12. "Harlem Globetrotters: Player Roster". Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  13. "Beach Class of '67 re-graduates with honors". Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  14. "Harlem Globetrotters: All-time Player Roster". Archived from the original on 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  15. "Senator Regina Thomas" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  16. "Tuskegee airmen instructor dies in Savannah". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. 2008-09-16. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2008-09-16.

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