Parry McCluer High School | |
Streetaddress: | 100 Bradford Drive |
Zipcode: | 24416 |
Country: | United States |
Principal: | Dr. Todd Jones |
Mascot: | Yosemite Sam |
Nickname: | The Fighting Blues |
Colors: | Blue and white |
Rival: | Rockbridge County High School James River High School Narrows High School |
Founded: | 1920 |
Enrollment: | 336 |
Enrollment As Of: | 2017–18 |
Parry McCluer High School (PMHS) is a high school located in Buena Vista, Virginia, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 336 students. Its current principal is Dr. Todd Jones, and its current assistant principal is Troy Clark. The school band is the Marching Blues.
The Parry McCluer High School football team has won the state championship five times: in 1977, 1979, 1983, 1986, and 1987. The team was state runner-up in 1991.[1]
The golf team won the 1980 state championship.
The boys' cross country team won the 1980, 2019, 2020, and 2023 single A state championship,[2] and took runner-up in the 2011–12 state championship, losing to George Mason High School.[3]
The boy's Outdoor track team got 2nd place in 2024, losing to Lancaster high school at the VHSL Class 1 state championships. At the time, this was the school's highest finish at the outdoor track state meet.[4]
The boy's Indoor track team won the State title in 1980, 2020,[5] and 2021 [6]
PM students got second in the 4x800 meter relay race at the Virginia 2024 Class 1A/2A Indoor State Track Meet with a time of 8:16, breaking the previous state record and school record for that event. A few months later in early summer, those same 4 boys won the Class 1 VHSL 2024 state Outdoor track 4x800m relay with a time of 8:16.38, breaking the school record, as well as the state meet record.[7]
The PM Softball team won Back to Back State Championships in 2015 and 2016. Their head coach is Troy Clark. The PM softball team had 3 participants in VHSCA All Star game in 2016. PM softball also had 3 participants in the 2017 VHSCA All Star game.
The girls' basketball team won their first state title in 2017 under Coach Adam Gilbert, and went on to repeat as champions the following season (2018), while winning the regional tournament as well. The Lady Blues won the state title again in 2019 completing the three-peat.
The Parry McCluer marching band was formed by the local chapter of the American legion in 1941. It did not become an official school unit nor take on the name "marching" until 1947.[8] The band was very successful, especially in the 1960-1990 period, during which it won first place in marching for at least one Festival of States competition, as well as many other notable achievements[9]
The Marching Band was directed by Shannon Light from 2016 to 2020, and by Adam Miller from 2020 to 2022, and Joshua Holsinger from 2022 to 2023. The current band director is Gabriel Wise.
Parry McCluer High School features prominently in Orson Scott Card's novel, The Lost Gate and its sequels.