Martinsville High School is a public, secondary, college preparatory high school located in Martinsville, Virginia. It is the only high school in the Martinsville city public school system. It offers such programs as the International Baccalaureate, Piedmont Regional Governor's School, Advanced Placement, and Dual Enrollment classes. During the 2006–2007 school year, a joint program, with the assistance of Patrick & Henry Community College, allowed a select group of juniors and seniors an opportunity to earn their associate degrees (64 college hours) before graduation.[6]
History
Graduating class of Martinsville High School, Martinsville, Virginia. 1912.
The second Martinsville High School building was completed in 1939 on Cleveland Avenue, and it was used until the newer building was completed in the late 1960s. The last graduating class at the older building was in 1968.
Margaret Shumate Hadden, class of 1941, often spoke about her days there at the older building.[7] "In high school I took the regular courses, English, history, math, Latin, home economics, chemistry and many other subjects."[8]
One notable feature of the second high school building was a large tube-shaped fire escape, that had an enclosed circular and spiral slide inside. During fire drills, students in the upper floors would climb in and then slide down to the bottom exit. The fire escape was also used in numerous student challenges and pranks.
The original high school building in Martinsville was started in 1871. Dr. Ruffner was the first superintendent of schools in Henry County, and the first high school was named in his honor as "The Ruffner Institute", until 1904, when the school was re-named "Martinsville High School".[9] The 1900 graduating class were called "Mavahi", short for "Martinsville High School".[10]
Albert Harris High School
Rev. Albert Harris, a Methodist minister, was influential in establishing a segregated high school for black students in Martinsville in 1917. The high school, known as the Martinsville Training School, became a Rosenwald School in 1920 when a philanthropic grant from Julius Rosenwald was matched by local property taxes and donations from the African Americans community. In 1945 the school was renamed in honor of the Rev. Albert Harris. "In 1958 the original building was demolished and replaced by the Albert Harris High School. When the Martinsville schools integrated in 1968, the former high school building became an elementary school.[11]
"My teaching career began in August of 1948 at Albert Harris High School in the City of Martinsville teaching Health and Physical Education to both boys and girls, believe it or not, during that first year. Also, I headed teams in coaching football, basketball for boys and girls for two years, baseball during the entire period, and teaching driver education to students and adults. In 1959 I received a Master's Degree in Administration from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. From 1964 to 1968 I was the assistant principal at Albert Harris High School. 1968 to 1974 I was assistant principal at Martinsville Junior High School. 1974 through 1980 I was principal at Martinsville High School, retired with 16 years in the classroom and 16 years in high school administration."[12]
Academically, the school performed below the state average during the 2010–2011 school year, failing to satisfy its Adequate Yearly Progress requirement and recording failure rates in the Virginia Standards of Learning of 22% in mathematics, 20% in both writing and science, and 32% in history.[13] The school also experienced an increase in safety concerns during the 2010–2011 school year.[13]
In 2013, Martinsville high completed a $9 million renovation to build TV studios, 21st century science labs, a mock hospital room, and a remodeled cafeteria.[14]
Athletics
Martinsville offers a comprehensive athletic program and participates in the Virginia High School League's interscholastic sports competing in the Piedmont District. Sports offered include basketball, baseball, cross country, football, golf, swimming, volleyball, and wrestling. Other extracurricular activities include robotics, interact club, chess club, marching band, gospel choir, health occupations students of america (HOSA), and future business leaders of america (FBLA).[15] The MHS Boys' Basketball won back to back VHSL State Championships in 2015 and 2016.[16][17] Competing in the Piedmont District, Martinsville men's basketball has won more Virginia High School League State championships than any other school in Virginia.[18]
^Martinsville High School (Martinsville, Va.). Mavahi. Martinsville, Va: Graduating Class of the Martinsville High School, 1900.
^Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, "Albert Harris Intermediate School (formerly Albert Harris High School)," African American Historic Sites Database, accessed February 1, 2018, [1].
