Union Grove High School

Union Grove High School is a public institution within the Henry County School System in McDonough, Georgia, United States. It hosts students from ninth through twelfth grades. Current enrollment hovers around 1,532 students.

The school sends its brightest students to the Georgia Governor's Honors Program through a strenuous application and interview process, which welcomes top students from around the state for six weeks of academic enrichment at Valdosta State University. Union Grove usually has the highest number of GHP participants within Henry County. In 2009, Union Grove was listed in the top 5% of American high schools in Newsweek magazine for the fourth year in a row, as #16 in the state, and #482 in the nation.^[2]

History

In the late 19th century in the northeastern part of Henry County, a community school named Union Grove Academy opened its doors. In 1904 the Academy's board of directors petitioned the county to accept it as a public school. The school thrived for several decades, but after a disastrous boll weevil invasion and consequent hard times, 25% of the area’s population moved away. In 1945 the school closed. 55 years later Union Grove High School opened its doors in 2000 with a small student body of 801. The fourth high school opened by the Henry County School System in modern times, it chose as its mascot the Wolverine, with school colors of burgundy and silver.

Today Union Grove is home to over 1700 students and over 150 faculty and support staff. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the school has had students accepted at 140 different colleges, universities, and technical schools, including Harvard, Vassar, Emory, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and the University of Georgia. It has also had students accepted at the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy. Union Grove was recognized by Newsweek magazine in 2005 for being among the top 10 percent of public schools in the nation. In 2006 Newsweek placed the school among the top 5% of national public schools. In 2005 the school was awarded the Governor's Cup for having a significant increase in SAT scores.

In 2015, Ryan Meeks replaced Tom Smith as principal of Union Grove High School.

Union Grove offers students the opportunity to participate in any of 18 sports, including football, basketball, and wrestling. There are also more than 30 co-curricular and extra-curricular clubs available. These include the National Honor Society and National Science Honor Society, as well as areas of student interest such as the Fishing Club and Guitar Club.

Notable alumni

• Megan Betsa - softball player
• Derrick Craine - football player
• Shawn Davis - football player ^[3]
• Steven Sylvester - football player
• D.J. White - professional football player for the Kansas City Chiefs

References

External links

• http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/ugh/
• http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0126102dance1.html
• http://www.ugprowler.com/

Coordinates: 33°30′29″N 84°08′10″W / 33.508°N 84.136°W / 33.508; -84.136