McKinney North High School
McKinney North High School (commonly North, McKinney North, or MNHS) is a public secondary school located on 2550 Wilmeth Road in McKinney, Texas, US. The school is part of the McKinney Independent School District. Mckinney North currently holds the most zoned space in McKinney. McKinney North High school opened to its first freshman class in the year 2000.[2] North was also recently updated to a "recognized" status via the TEA.
| McKinney North High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
2550 Wilmeth Road , 75070 United States | |
| Coordinates | 33.2311°N 96.64219°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public High School |
| Motto | Our Best is the Least We Can Do |
| Established | 2000 |
| School district | McKinney Independent School District |
| Principal | Jae Gaskilll |
| Staff | 130.06 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,137 (2018-19)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 16.43[1] |
| Campus type | Suburb |
| Color(s) | Navy & Orange |
| Mascot | Bulldog Duke/Daisy |
| Website | McKinney North High School |
Mission statement
The mission of the McKinney North High School is to equip all students with the essential tools for success in and beyond the classroom by instilling accountability for personal growth, developing meaningful relationships and implementing innovative, challenging, engaging instruction with a shared responsibility for unleashing excellence.[3]
Academics
McKinney North operates on a 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. schedule, which includes seven class periods and a thirty-minute lunch period. Students may not leave campus during this time due to MISD's closed campus policy.
Athletics
Despite the school's short history, it has managed to achieve success in a myriad of events. The MNHS Lady Bulldogs won the 2006 4A U.I.L. Texas State Championship in soccer, The baseball and softball teams also have a storied history in the playoffs making it to the State semifinals and area finals, respectively. Also, the cross-country program has qualified for the U.I.L. state championship twice and has won 5 district championships in all. Also, for Cross Country, Samantha Means won the 4A title, but also set the Texas time record. The McKinney North Tennis Team has won 8 district titles and 11 total playoff appearances. The tennis team has been ranked in the state's top 25 every year since the school has opened. Jordan Hart won back to back state tennis titles in 2012 & 2013. The lady bulldogs also placed 2nd in the 4A Basketball state championship in 2014. They also have a very successful football program making it to the playoffs for 2 straight years. In 2011, the Bulldogs finished the regular season at 6-4 and went to the playoffs for the first time in 5 years.
The McKinney North Bulldogs compete in the following sports:[4]
Clubs
- Agriculture FFA
- ASL Honor Society
- AVID - Advancement Via Individual Determination
- Blue Blazers
- Broadcast
- Candy Bouquet
- Cheerleading
- Chess Club
- Criminal Justice
- Debate Team
- DECA
- Fellowship Of Christian Athletes
- German Club
- Green Cord
- Guard Dawgs
- HOSA
- International Thespian Society #6460
- Japanese Culture Club
- Journalism
- Key Club
- Latin Club'
- National Art Honor Society
- National Honor Society
- Netflix Club'
- Parent Teacher Student Organization
- Peer Assistance and Leadership (PALs)'
- Polaris Newspaper
- Robotics
- Spanish Club
- Student Council
- Table Tennis
- TAFE
- The Interact Club
- University Interscholastic League (UIL)
- Writing Club
- Yearbook
Fine Arts
- Art
- Band
- Choir
- Dance/Drill
- Orchestra
- Theatre
Controversy
In 2006 a group of cheerleaders from McKinney North High School, one of whom was the daughter of the then-school principal, Linda Theret, became notorious for truancy, rudeness in class, violations of the school's dress code and other acts of misconduct. The scandal broke into national news when the school's cheerleading coach, Michaela Ward, resigned in protest in October of that year and began talking to news and media outlets.
In December 2006, the District Board hired a Dallas attorney, Harry Jones, to investigate the issue. Then-Principal Theret was placed on paid administrative leave and later retired, and the superintendent has said she would not return to the school or any other campus.[5]
In October 2009, Theret joined the Laredo Independent School District in Laredo in Webb County in south Texas as the new executive director of curriculum and instruction, under the supervision of A. Marcus Nelson, the district superintendent. Nelson defended his choice of Theret, who was a colleague of his during the late 1990s. "First of all, she's been a 5-A high school principal" and a successful teacher for diverse, urban groups. Theret said that her entire career had been "focused on raising student achievement ... I'm very interested in the science of teaching, but the art as well."[6] Nelson said that Theret was his first choice among forty-six applicants for the position.[6]
The McKinney cheerleader scandal was portrayed in 2008 in the TV movie Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal, which Lifetime Television transmitted in August 2008; the name of the school was changed, as were the names of the students and the teachers involved.[7]
June 1, 2018 a tenth-grader was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at McKinney North High School inside an empty classroom by police during an hour and fifteen minute lockdown. Students were bussed to nearby McKinney Boyd High School and were released to their parents several hours later. Those who drove to school were allowed to drive home after being checked out and normal bus routes continued in the afternoon. McKinney Independent School District said there would be grief counselling for the students on the days following the shooting, but none were provided. Students were told not to discuss or talk about the incident during school hours and were scared by teachers and police officers placed in the school from starting rumors or lies. The school district also was considering installing metal detectors in a few schools, but none of the McKinney ISD schools received any.
Notable alumni
- Mike Bolsinger, Major League Baseball player[8]
- Ronald Jones II, football player for Tampa Bay Buccaneers[9]
- Raymond Radway, former NFL player
References
- "MCKINNEY NORTH H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- McKinney North High School. "Did You Know?". McKinney North High School. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
- McKinney North High School, McKinney ISD. "What's Our Mission?". McKinney Independent School District. McKinney ISD. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
- "Schools - The Athletics Department .com". www.theathleticsdepartment.com. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
- "Cheerleading mess a team effort", Karen Ayres, The Dallas Morning News, December 8, 2006
- Nick Georgiou, "LISD makes administrative hires: Controversial principal is one," Laredo Morning Times, October 23, 2009, p. 1
- "Lifetime's 'Texas Cheerleader Scandal' movie resurrects McKinney melodrama", Jacquielynn Floyd, Dallas Morning News, July 31, 2008. Archived August 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Jenkins, David (June 10, 2006). "Bolsinger ready to take his next big baseball step". McKinney Courier-Gazette. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- "Former McKinney North RB Ronald Jones II goes No. 38 to Tampa Bay in NFL draft". Dallas News. 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2020-05-10.