WCHS - Information - School Profile

School Profile

1119 Knoxville Highway, Wartburg, Tennessee
Phone: (423)346-6616 Fax: (423)346-5665

Dallas Davis, Principal
Carol Engebretson, Assistant Principal

Accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges & Schools
Member of the
Rural School & Community Trust

URL: http://wchs.k12tn.net

Introduction

Located on the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau, Wartburg Central High School is one of eight schools in Morgan County, a rural county in East Tennessee. Wartburg is the county seat and is located 25 miles west of Oak Ridge and 16 miles north of Harriman.

Situated at the foot of Bird Mountain, Central High School stands on 100 acres of land in one of the most picturesque locations in the United States. Six new classrooms were added in June 2002 and a new high-tech security system was installed in 2006. In 2007, a new concession stand, public restroom facilities, and ticket booth were constructed near the football field. However, Central High is more than brick and mortar and hallways and classrooms - it is a center that promotes excellence in education through its students, educators, and community members.

School Statistics

Student Enrollment	462
Freshmen	135
Sophomores	111
Juniors	127
Seniors	89
Student Attendance	95%
Student/Teacher Ratio	20 to 1
Age of Building	17 years
Number of classrooms	28

Community Information

With its scenic mountains and meandering rivers, Morgan County is quickly becoming a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts.

Frozen Head State Park, located on an 11,562 acre Natural Area, is noted for its scenic waterfalls, wild flowers and well maintained hiking trails. The Obed Wild and Scenic River, operated by the National Park Service, forms a nearly 100-mile system of rugged waters. In times of heavy rainfall, the streams produce spectacular whitewater which are popular with canoeists from across the country.

In the same vicinity lies the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area. Game animals found in Catoosa include white tail deer, wild boar, wild turkey, bobcat, rabbit, quail, grouse, and squirrel. Catoosa is the hunter's paradise of the Cumberland Plateau.

Morgan County has much to offer with location being an important attribute. Wartburg is located less than 50 miles from both Oak Ridge and Knoxville allowing one to enjoy a beautiful and scenic setting that is free from the noise, pollution and traffic and at the same time have close proximity to the high tech industrial support services that lie nearby.

The natural and human resources of Morgan County enriches the educational opportunities of Central High School.

Student Demographics

Ethnic Background
Free/Reduced	48.98%
Caucasian	98.3%
African-American	.4%
Asian-American	.2%
Dropout Rate	7.6%
English as Primary Language	100%

Programs and Affiliations

During the past thirteen years, the students and faculty have developed programs and affiliations with organizations that have helped promote educational excellence at Central High School. The following is a brief description of some of those programs and affiliations:

Rural School & Community Trust

Central High School, along with two other Morgan County Schools, formed the Walden's Ridge Cluster in 1996 and began the application process for securing a 3-year Annenberg Rural Challenge grant. Since that time, more than $350,000 has poured into all Morgan County Schools through the RSCT (formerly Rural Challenge).

The grant money provided faculty members with professional development opportunities to implement place-based educational strategies in the classroom. Money from the grant was also used to expand the outdoor classroom and to fund student projects in several curricular areas. RSCT and place-based educational philosophies support actively engaging students in learning activities that "demonstrate student leadership; responding to community needs; making a lasting contribution to a community's well-being, and changing the expectations of what it means to go to school."

Renaissance Program

The Renaissance program provides positive incentives to promote a commitment to excellence in education. The basic purpose is to encourage outstanding performance among students and teachers through creative recognition and awards. Students are recognized at the end of each semester for maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students are rewarded on three levels of distinction. Gold cards are earned by students with a 4.0 GPA. Silver cards are earned by students with a 3.5-3.99 GPA. Bronze cards are earned by students with a 3.0-3.49 GPA. Each level has specific incentives for the cardholders. Area businesses also provide discounts to cardholders as well as gifts and prizes that are distributed in random drawings to the cardholders.

Foxfire Fund, Inc.

Upon adopting the idea of place-based education in the classroom, Central High faculty members turned to Foxfire for professional development activities that would strengthen the place-based philosophies. Beginning with a two-day "Taste of Foxfire" and moving on to two other Foxfire-based sessions, faculty members learned about the Foxfire Core Practices as they relate to place-based. Three faculty members have completed the Foxfire Level 1 Training, and Central High Principal Edd Diden currently serves on the Foxfire Board of Directors.

Central High School Educational Renaissance Foundation

The Renaissance Foundation was formed shortly after Central High began its Renaissance incentive program. The Foundation has 501(c)3 tax-exemption and provides the financial backing for the school's Renaissance program. Annual programs sponsored by the Renaissance Foundation include the two Renaissance Assemblies (to distribute cards and incentives), the Annual Academic Banquet (to honor top students across the curriculum), sponsorship of college visits for seniors, and awarding of scholarships to graduating seniors.

Officers and members of the Board of Directors include parents, community members, business leaders, and educators. The current members of the Board of Directors are Janet Bradshaw, Angie Bunch, Sandy Chilton, Marcella Darnell, Steve Giles, Christy Griffith, David Hamby, Bob Nerger, Evelyn Roettger, Barbara Summers, and Judy Underwood. Ex-officio members are Heather Bunch (CHS student council president), Edd Diden (CHS Principal), David Freels (Director of Schools), and Randy Harlan (Wartburg area school board member).

Walden's Ridge Rural Challenge, Inc.

To handle the grant monies from the RSCT, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt foundation was created to provide support for all Morgan County Schools and to promote programs that would benefit the entire county. Community members, educators, and business leaders serve as officers and members of the Board of Directors. The Walden's Ridge Foundation actively seeks new sources of funding that will provide programs for as many school as possible.

My Place, Your Place, Our Place

Central High has partnered with several East Tennessee schools, the University of Tennessee, and the U.S. State Department to develop a learning and curriculum model. This group is partnering with Bourgas Free University and several schools in Bulgaria to complete this project. Principal Edd Diden and technology teacher Judy Cross will spend 12 days in Bulgaria during June 2003 as part of this program.

Professional Support Personnel

Administrators	2
Classroom Teachers	23
Media Specialist	1
Guidance Counselor	1
Custodial Staff	4
Food Service Staff	5
Secretarial	2
Educational Assistants	3
Library Assistants	1

Teacher Credentials

Bachelor's Degree	12
Master's Degree	12
Master's Degree + 30 hours	3
Ed. S.	2

Professional Development

Foxfire Training
GATEWAY training in Algebra, Biology, and English
New Horizons Computer Training - Office 2000, HTML, JavaScript, FrontPage 2000, Dreamweaver, Fireworks
Assertive Discipline Training
RSCT Harvard/ETS Portfolio Design Team
Curriculum Mapping
East Tennessee Historical Society's Teachers History Institute
"How to Teach the Hard to Reach" Conference
"Seven Schools: One Goal" Academy
The Langston Huges Children's Literature Festival
Middle TN Math Teachers' Conference - 2002
MT2

Faculty Honors & Awards

East Tennessee Regional Secondary Teacher of the Year 2004
Morgan County Teacher of the Year 2000,2001, 2003, 2004
National Computational Science Leadership Team 2000
National Technology Excellence Award Winner 2001
Who's Who Among American High School Teachers
University of Tennessee Dorthea and Edgar D. Eaves 2002 Scholarship
Field Award for Excellence in Secondary School Leadership
23rd Annual David L. Clark National Graduate Student Research Seminar in Educational Administration and Policy (NGSRSEA) - for the top 40 doctoral students in the United States and Canada.

Faculty Leadership Activities

Presenters at:
National Foxfire 2000 Conference
RSCT Rendezvous 2000
UTK 2002 Urban Specialist Conference
2002 SERVE Forum on School Improvement
State Science Curriculum Steering Committee
Officers and members of Board of Directors for Central High School Renaissance Foundation and Walden's Ridge Foundation
RSCT National Rural Faculty member
TEA Technology Committee Chairperson
Member of TEA Board of Directors
Grant reader for SC Department of Education Technology Grants - 2002
Master Teacher for Pre-Service Teacher Program at ORNL - 2002
TN Co-chair for "Read Across America" - 2003
State Trainer, Science Standards

Morgan County Schools Information

Director of Schools:    Mike Davis
Address:    136 Flat Fork Rd. Wartburg, Tennessee 37872
Mailing Address:    P.O. Box 348 Wartburg, Tn 37887
URL: http://mcs.k12tn.net/
Phone:    423-346-6214
Fax:    423-346-6043
Board of Education:
Terry Armes
Louise Coleman
Randy Harlan
Andy Lowe
Glen Moore
Jim Rivers

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Created by: Julie LaMance
Updated by: Sammy Jo Garrett
Last updated: November 2007