North Marion High School (West Virginia)

North Marion High School
We come as strangers, we leave as friends.
Address
1 North Marion Drive Farmington, WV, Marion County 26571 United States
Coordinates	39°30′39″N 80°18′4″W / 39.51083°N 80.30111°W / 39.51083; -80.30111Coordinates: 39°30′39″N 80°18′4″W / 39.51083°N 80.30111°W / 39.51083; -80.30111
Information
School type	Public coeducational
Opened	1979
School district	Marion County
Superintendent	Gary Price[1]
Principal	Russelle DeVito
Faculty	53
Grades	9-12
Age	14 to 18
Enrolment	714[2]
Average class size	25-30
Campus type	Closed
Color(s)	Black & silver
Slogan	"Husky Pride"
Song	North Marion High School Alma Mater
Fight song	Fight Song
Athletics conference	Big Ten
Mascot	Husky
Nickname	Rachel Rowdies
Team name	'Huskies'
Rival	Lincoln High School
Yearbook	North Star
Feeder schools	Mannington Middle School Monongah Middle School Barrackville Middle School Fairview Middle School
Website	www.marionboe.com/NorthMarion

North Marion High School is a public Double A ("AA") high school in the U.S. state of West Virginia, with a current enrollment of 905 students.^[3]

North Marion High School is located approximately 4 miles from Farmington, West Virginia on US Route 250 north. While it is closer to the city of Mannington, West Virginia, and is often considered to be located in Rachel, West Virginia, the school mailing address is Farmington. Rachel is a small coal mining community located adjacent to the school, and is an unincorporated municipality.

North Marion High School is represented as "Grantville High School" in the popular alternative history novel 1632 by writer Eric Flint. The novel is set in the fictional town of Grantville, which is based on the real town and surroundings of Mannington.^[4]

History

North Marion High School was completed and opened in September, 1979, and, with over 1,600 students, was at the time one of the largest high schools in West Virginia. The school is a consolidated high school (grades 9 through 12) made up of four former high schools that closed in the consolidation: Barrackville, Monongah, Mannington and Fairview. Farmington High School, which closed in 1975 because of structural problems caused by mine subsidence, is often considered to be part of the consolidated group (even though it had been closed prior to the building of the new school). The four former high schools were converted to middle schools, with all four buildings remaining in current use. One of which, Mannington Middle is the oldest school in West Virginia that is still used, opening in 1902.

Nickname & Colors

North Marion students, teams and alumni are known as Huskies. The school colors are black and silver. The mascot and colors were chosen by the students of the various consolidated high schools in an election in the spring of 1979.

Athletics & Academics

After completion of the original facility, the building process continued sporadically. A local group calling themselves the "ebbie Cutters" completed, with mostly volunteer labor and materials, the addition of a facilities building, football stadium, practice field and softball field. Without the work and efforts of the volunteers, many of the improvements of the school would not have been possible and the continued improvement of the grounds has become a source of community pride. The school continues to enjoy strong local fan and booster support. In 2014, turf was added to Husky Field. And a Track and Field track was built in 2015.

North Marion has been known for its outstanding athletic teams including 1980, 1981 and 1997 Class AAA Football Championships, the 1999 Class AAA Men's Basketball Championship and 2009, 2010, and 2011 Class AAA Women's Basketball Championship.

Notable alumni

Rich Rodriguez, 1981 graduate: Former West Virginia University football player and head coach; Former head football coach for the University of Michigan; Current Head Football coach at the University of Arizona..^[6]

Natalie Tennant, 1986 graduate: First female to represent West Virginia University as the Mountaineer Mascot; Prominent television anchor and reporter, working in both the Clarksburg and Charleston television markets; Current WV Secretary of State, elected in 2008.

In the media

North Marion High School was used by author Eric Flint to create Grantville High School in his 1632 series of books about the fictional town of Grantville, West Virginia, transported in time and space to 1632 Thuringia, Germany. Much of Grantville High was based directly on the architecture of North Marion High, including its trophy case, history of state championships, and other elements.

References