John Overton High School Explained

John Overton High School
City:Nashville
State:Tennessee
Country:USA
Zipcode:37220
Coordinates:36.0792°N -86.7695°W
Pushpin Map:Tennessee#USA
Established:September 1958
Type:Comprehensive High School
Principal:Dr. Kelby Garner
Ratio:17.57
Teaching Staff:114.76 (FTE)
Enrollment:2,016 (2022–23)[1]
Grades:9 - 12
District:Metro Nashville Public Schools
Address:4820 Franklin Road
Colors:White, red, and black
Mascot:Bobcat
Rival:Antioch High
Yearbook:The Overtour
Homepage:MNPS JOHS

John Overton High School (commonly Overton, John Overton, Johnny O or JOHS) is a public high school located in Oak Hill, Tennessee.[2] It is named after prominent Judge John Overton (1766–1833), advisor to President Andrew Jackson. The school opened in September 1958 and was renovated and expanded in 1995. The school most recently underwent a US$30,000,000.00 renovation, approved for FY 2015–2016, which strategically expanded school classrooms and other spaces.[3] [4] The school has won 14 state championships.[5]

Academics and demographics

The school has a graduation rate of 82%, slightly above the national average.[6]

Overton is a school of expanding academic courses. Numerous honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered at Overton. Recent AP class offerings were available in Calculus (AB), Biology, Art History, Music Theory, English Language, English Literature, World History, US History, European History, US Government, and Macroeconomics.[7]

According to U.S. News & World Report, in 2014 the school possessed a 20:1 student teacher ratio with 1,868 students and 92 teachers. Sixty-three percent of students were classified as "minority" and sixty-five percent were considered "economically disadvantaged". It is the most diverse high school in the state. Many students are of Kurdish descent, with a proposal in 2019 about adding Kurdish language classes.[8] [6] Fifty-one percent of students were considered proficient in English and thirty percent proficient in algebra. These numbers are compared with the district average of fifty-six percent and forty-five percent, respectively.[9]

Extracurricular activities

Overton has a number of athletic programs. Currently, there is a baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling team.

The clubs and organizations offered consist of band, Beta Club, Business Professionals of America, cheerleading, choir, drama, FCCLA (Family, Career & Community Leaders of America), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, forensics (speech and debate), guitar, Interact Club, National Honor Society, The Overtour (yearbook), The Orbit (newspaper), orchestra, piano, Student Council, Students Taking a Right Stand (STARS), The VEX Robotics Team (VEX Robotics Competition), and TSA (Technology Student Association).

Band

Overton is well known in the state for its marching band. The band won the Tennessee Governor's Cup six times, in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, and 2008.[10] At the annual Contest of Champions competition in Murfreesboro, the band had been a finalist for 26 consecutive years (1981–2006).[11] In addition, they have made numerous appearances in the finals of various Bands of America Regional competitions. The band has also performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1990), Tournament of Roses Parade (1987), Fiesta Bowl Parade (1984 and 1992), and was selected to commemorate the 60th and 65th anniversaries of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 2001 and 2006. The school has three WGI world championships, beginning when the Winter Guard won the 1994 Scholastic A World Champions and 1995 Scholastic Open World Champions while the Winter Drumline won the 1996 Scholastic Marching Percussion AA World Championship.[10] Overton was honored by the Grammy Foundation as a 1999 Grammy Signature School Gold school.[10] [12] Overton was awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Shield for outstanding marching band twice.[10] [13]

Contest of Champions Marching Band Competition[14]
align=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"Yearalign=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"Grand Championalign=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"Reserve Grand Championalign=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"Overton Band Directors
1982McGavock
Tennessee Governor's Cup
John OvertonRodney Webb and Jo Ann Hood
1983John Overton
Tennessee Governor's Cup
North Hardin
Kentucky Governor's Cup
Rodney Webb and Jo Ann Hood
1984North Hardin
Kentucky Governor's Cup
John Overton
Tennessee Governor's Cup
Jo Ann Hood and Rodney Webb
1985John Overton
Tennessee Governor's Cup
North Hardin
Kentucky Governor's Cup
Rodney Webb and Jo Ann Hood
1986North Hardin
Kentucky Governor's Cup
John Overton
Tennessee Governor's Cup
Jo Ann Hood and Rodney Webb
1987McGavock
Tennessee Governor's Cup
John OvertonRodney Webb and Jo Ann Hood
1988McGavock
Tennessee Governor's Cup
John OvertonRodney Webb and Jo Ann Hood
1992Lafayette
Kentucky Governor's Cup
John Overton
Tennessee Governor's Cup
Jo Ann Hood and Terry Jolley
1997McGavock
Tennessee Governor's Cup
John OvertonJo Ann Hood and David Aydelott
2000McGavock
Tennessee Governor's Cup
John OvertonJo Ann Hood and David Aydelott
2008John Overton
Tennessee Governor's Cup
SiegelDebbie Burton and Jo Ann Hood

Orchestra

John Overton also had its share of talent in the Orchestra as well. Keller Phillips made the All-State Orchestra in 2011, making him the first orchestra student to do so in years.

Wrestling

During the 1995–1998 time frame, the Bobcat wrestlers won the State's Traditional State Tournament twice (1996 and 1997) and finished in the top six twice (sixth in 1995 and second in 1998). Moreover, the wrestling team won the Tennessee state Dual Title in 1997 with an undefeated dual record of 29–0. They finished in the top four in each of those years in the dual tournament having placed fourth in 1995, third in 1996, champion in 1997, and third in 1998. The team coached by Ralph Gabriel was also ranked in the top 14 in the USA TODAY poll. Coach Gabriel was USA Southeast Region Coach of the Year and a finalist for National Coach of the Year in 1997

During this time, the Overton wrestlers had many individual state champions and All-Americans such as University of Nebraska recruit, Charles McTorry,[15] [16] Eric and Derrick Jordan, Sacred Heart University's Head Coach Casey Brewster, Timothy Drinkwine, Robby Lee, William Hadden, and others. Many of these Overton graduates have gone on to pursue collegiate wrestling and coaching.

Throughout the last fifteen years, the wrestling team has been coached by Ralph Gabriel, who has taken the team to many national tournaments such as the US Open in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the Virginia Duals in Hampton Virginia, the Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nevada. Other tournaments attended were in New Orleans, Central Square, New York, Herndon, Virginia; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Football

The football team won the Tennessee state championship in 1981 with a record of 14–0, under the leadership of Coach Nick Coutras. The stadium, visible from Interstate 65, is named after Coach Coutras, who had a 145–36 record in his sixteen years at Overton.[17] The most recent success was in 2003 when the football team advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs before losing to nearby rival and eventual champion Hillsboro High School.

Baseball

Bobcat Baseball has one of the state's longest winning streaks at 40 baseball games, which was en route to a Tennessee state finals game in which they lost to Houston High School out of Memphis in 2005.[18] The baseball team has experienced greater success, having won the Tennessee State Baseball Championship game in 1971 and 1988. The Goodpasture vs. Overton game from 1998 holds the state's record for longest game in terms of innings, at 15.[18]

Baseball State Championship Games
align=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"YearWinning TeamLosing Teamalign=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"Location (all in Tennessee)align=center bgcolor="#e5e5e5"Class
1968Franklin County4 John Overton1Tullahoma
1971John Overton 7 Dobyns Bennett5Nashville
1988John Overton 3 Farragut2Greer Stadium, NashvilleAAA
2005Houston 9 John Overton1MemphisAAA

Basketball

The basketball team experienced their greatest success in the 1990s with players such as Georgia State University recruit Chris Gentry,[19] University of Tennessee recruit and starting point guard Brandon Wharton,[20] University of Maryland recruit Brian Watkins[21] and other players recruited by local colleges and universities. The Basketball team finished 2nd in the state tournament in 1994 losing to state powerhouse, Science Hill High School.

Tennis

The 2012 Tennis team placed 1st in singles tennis district.

Notable players

Ruth Tan, Melissa McKinney, and Benjamin Demonbreun.

The 2013 Boys' Tennis team placed 1st in Districts.The 2014 Boys' Tennis team placed 1st in Districts.The 2015 Girls' Tennis Team placed 1st in Districts.

Notable Players

Benjamin Demonbreun, Connor Ulrey, Neal Phillips, Onyedika Molokwu, Roland Phan, Aemron Yosuf, Kendrick Kronthal, Amos Tan, Ruth Tan, and Melissa McKinney.

Other activities

State championships have been won in several other sports. The boys' golf team won the state championship in 1977. The girls' track and field team won the championship in 1985 and hold records as 400 meter relay champions for 1981, 1985, 1988 and winner of the 1600 meter relay in 1991. The boys' track and field team won the championship in 1990 and hold records as mile relay champions in 1975 and winner of the 400 meter relay in 1982.[22] In forensics, the school won the Senator Karl E. Mundt Congress Trophy in the 1977 NFL National Tournament.[23]

Notable alumni

Mookie Betts, baseball player from class of 2011. He was taken in the fifth round of the 2011 draft by the Boston Red Sox and [24] listed in 2014 among the top prospects in baseball by Baseball America[25] and MLB.com.[26] In 2018, he became the only player in American League history to win the World Series, a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger award, and the MVP in the same season.[27]

Hank Williams Jr. Country singer-songwriter, son of Hank Williams. [28]

Chas Carter class of 1995 Co founded a Media Broadcasting company. [29]

Warren Armour class of 1991Co founded a Media Broadcasting company. [30]

L.A. Woodard - baseball player from the Class of 2015.[31] Played two years for Middle Tennessee State University.[32] Drafted by the New York Mets as a shortstop in 2018 in the 16th round with the 470th selection.[33]

Chris DuBois - Songwriter, Producer

Ugo Amadi - Football Player

Pam Tillis - Singer, Songwriter

Natalie Hemby - Songwriter

Christy Wright - Author / Speaker

Sam Ewing, baseball player from class of 1966. He played for the Chicago White Sox (1973, 1976), Toronto Blue Jays (1977–1978), and the Japanese Nippon-Ham Fighters (1979).[34] Awarded a baseball scholarship to the University of Tennessee Volunteers (fall 1967 thru spring 1970), Sam batted .411 for his career and .464 his junior year, holding the #2 all time Southeastern Conference batting average.

Jeff Gooch, football player from class of 1992. He was a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996–2001, 2004–2005) and Detroit Lions (2002–2003). He was inducted into the Austin Peay Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.[35]

Charles Holliday, Jr., football captain from class of 1966. He is former chairman and CEO of DuPont. He was inducted into the Metro Nashville Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2006.[36]

John Mitchell, baseball player from class of 1983. He pitched for the New York Mets (1986–1989) and Baltimore Orioles (1990). He was inducted into the Metro Nashville Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[37]

Sandra Lipman is a community leader and volunteer. She is an alumnus of Leadership Nashville Class of 2013 and was founder and owner of Mind Your Own Business, a creative marketing services provider. In 2014, she was inducted into the NPEF Public Schools Hall of Fame.[38]

Mary Carol Humphreys Friddell is the president and owner of nursing assistant training school NATS, Inc., and a 30-year MNPS teacher who taught in seven schools across the city, including Eakin, Bordeaux, Julia Green and Cockrill. She was inducted into the NPEF Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2015.[39]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Overton High. National Center for Education Statistics. June 26, 2024.
  2. Web site: Zoning Map. Oak Hill, Tennessee. July 5, 2021. - Compare to the address: "4820 Franklin Rd Nashville TN 37220"
  3. Web site: Metropolitan Government of Davidson County. Nashville 2016 Approved Budget - Capital.
  4. Web site: John Overton High School Renovation - TMPartners, PLLC. July 10, 2020. tmpartners.com/. en-US.
  5. Web site: School Profile . . August 16, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080817075358/http://www.mnps.org/page38071.aspx . August 17, 2008 .
  6. News: College or bust; Why schooling is critically important. The Economist. March 14, 2015.
  7. Web site: John Overton High School Home Page . January 8, 2009 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081123042435/http://www.overtonhs.mnps.org/ . November 23, 2008 .
  8. Web site: Nashville Schools Hit Pause On Proposed Kurdish Classes — For Now. August 27, 2019. WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio.
  9. Web site: U.S. News report on Overton . December 28, 2014.
  10. Web site: JOHS BAND HISTORY . John Overton High School Band . August 7, 2008 . https://archive.today/20060813201126/http://www.johnovertonband.org/johs_band_history.htm . August 13, 2006 . dead .
  11. Web site: RESOLUTION NO. RS2007–1806 . The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County . August 7, 2008.
  12. Web site: Grammy in the Schools . . August 16, 2008.
  13. Web site: The Sudler Shield . https://archive.today/20050409050107/http://www.sousafoundation.org/allProjects/shield.htm . dead . April 9, 2005 . . August 17, 2008 .
  14. Web site: Honor Roll . August 17, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081031024804/http://frank.mtsu.edu/~coc/champions.pdf . October 31, 2008 .
  15. Web site: Hunt . Jeff . Wrestling Mall Interview – Charles McTorry . The Wrestling Mall . December 12, 2000 . August 15, 2008.
  16. Hunt . Jeff . The 50 Greatest Tennessee Sports Figures . . December 27, 1999 . November 14, 2008.
  17. Web site: Nick Coutras . https://web.archive.org/web/20070111012051/http://tssaa.org/Publications/news20012002/spring.pdf . dead . January 11, 2007 . . Spring 2002 . August 15, 2008 .
  18. Web site: TBR State Record Book . Tennessee Baseball Report . August 16, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080704065554/http://www.tbca.org/TBR%20State%20Record%20Book.htm . July 4, 2008 .
  19. Web site: Men's Basketball . . December 9, 1996 . August 15, 2008.
  20. Web site: Men's Basketball-Scoring . The Boaters Guide to the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers . August 15, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090107015606/http://www.tnriver.com/utvols/bbPoints.htm . January 7, 2009 .
  21. Web site: Men's Basketball-Scoring . . March 16, 1997 . August 15, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090107205208/http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/md-m-baskbl-9697finalstats.html . January 7, 2009 .
  22. Web site: TSSAA Records Section . . August 15, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100607100033/http://www.tssaa.org/schdir/records/GetRecords.cfm . June 7, 2010 .
  23. Web site: Archived National Tournament Results . . August 15, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080910121936/http://www.nflonline.org/uploads/NationalTournament/nt601sec3.pdf . September 10, 2008 .
  24. Web site: "2011 Draft Draft Tracker", MLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014 . Mlb.mlb.com . March 27, 2014 . April 30, 2014.
  25. Web site: "2014 Baseball America Top 100 Prospects: The 25th Edition", "Baseball America," February 20, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-29 . Baseballamerica.com . April 30, 2014.
  26. Web site: "2014 Prospect Watch", MLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014 . Mlb.mlb.com . March 27, 2014 . April 30, 2014.
  27. Web site: Batting champ Mookie Betts wins AL MVP . . November 15, 2018 . November 15, 2018.
  28. https://www.countrythangdaily.com/hank-williams-jr-facts/
  29. https://www.thepatriotpartynews.com/
  30. https://www.thepatriotpartynews.com/
  31. Web site: "L.A. Woodard Profile", goblueraiders.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022 . goblueraiders.com . December 20, 2022.
  32. Web site: "L.A. Woodard Profile", goblueraiders.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022 . goblueraiders.com . December 20, 2022.
  33. Web site: "L.A. Woodard Profile", goblueraiders.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022 . goblueraiders.com . December 20, 2022.
  34. Web site: Ewing had major dreams . . November 14, 2008 .
  35. Web site: Jeff Gooch . . January 29, 2008 . November 15, 2008 . March 8, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308224918/https://admin.xosn.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=85760&SPID=10135&DB_OEM_ID=16900&ATCLID=1377578 . dead .
  36. Web site: Nashville Alliance to induct four members into Hall of Fame . The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County . October 26, 2010.
  37. Web site: 2008 Inductees . . August 15, 2008 .
  38. Web site: 2014 Inductees . . March 31, 2015.
  39. Web site: 2015 Inductees . . March 31, 2015.