An Inside Look at Porter Ridge High
The newest addition to Union County Public Schools(UCPS), the three Porter Ridge schools (elementary, middle, and high)are a welcome effort towards easing up the school crowding issue. Porter Ridge High School (PRHS) currently only has 9th, 10th, and11th graders enrolled in 2005, but will be adding a senior class next year. It is expected to exceed its optimum capacity next year with rising 9th graders and new students from out of town. School hours are from 8:15 to 3:15.
Facilities
The school building itself is exceptionally large and is well laid out.The gymnasiums and a number of elective classrooms are on one side of the building and the academic areas on the other, with the cafeteria located midway between them. The school is divided into three “academies” which are in different wings. The freshman classes are focused in E wing, the sophomore classes in Fwing, and the junior classes in G wing. Seniors will move between wings more as they will most often have more classes in the opposite end of the building.The three wings make up the two-story section of the building, which is accessible by 4 stairways which are located at the connecting points of E wing and F wing, and F wing and Gwing, as well as at the end of the E and G wings. There is also one centrally located elevator for handicap use only. Movement between classes is pretty straight forward and its hard to get lost after the first day or two.Behind the high schoo lare the athletic fields. The football / soccerfield, baseball field,softball field, tennis courts,and various practice fields. All the game fields are connected by sidewalks. The student parking lot is spacious and the school currently has few student drivers, but there are more expected with the coming senior class.
Student life
The school is well staffed and students arewelldisciplined for themost part. There is no apparent bullying problem,but,although rare,there is the occasional fist fight. Theteachers do their job well and the classes arent too crowded (class numbers vary with the subject and whether it is honors / AP or not).Classes are ona block schedule (4 periods) and lunch is during 3rdperiod, divided into wings.There are three 30 minute lunch classes, one per wing. E wing goes thefirst 30 minutes of 3rd period, F wing the second 30 minutes, and G wing the last 30 minutes. You have a choice of three different lunch lines, each with different foods.
Athletics
PRHS offers many different sports for students to engage in. The teams are all the Pirates, and the colors are Purple, Silver, and Black. Sports offered include: football, cheerleading, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball,tennis, golf, swim, cross-country, wrestling, and track. All studentsinvolved in athletics must mantain a C or higher average. Varsity andJunior Varsity teams are organized for most sports. Friday night football games are a major attraction, as in most of North Carolina,and have attracted over 3,000 fans in a single game.
All in all, Porter Ridge is a great school to go to and offers opportunities for everyone. The teachers are knowledgable and eager to educate students, the school is clean andwell-organized, and the student body is intelligible and welcoming.
For more information on Porter Ridge High, visit http://prhs.ucps.k12.nc.us
