Gate City High School is a public high school in Gate City, Virginia. The school was built in 1956. The school employs about 41 teachers and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.10. Gate City High School's mascot is the Blue devil, and the school colors are blue, black, and white.

Gate City High School
Address
Map
178 Harry Fry Drive

,
Scott
,
Virginia
24251

United States
Coordinates36°38′24.2″N 82°34′10.9″W / 36.640056°N 82.569694°W / 36.640056; -82.569694
Information
School typePublic, high school
Established1956
School districtScott County Schools
SuperintendentJohn Ferguson
PrincipalScott Vermillion
Grades912
Enrollment619 (2022–23)[1]
Hours in school day7 (8:25-3:10)
Campus size24 acres (97,000 m2)
Color(s)  Blue and   White
Fight songNotre Dame Victory March
AthleticsSoccer, football, golf, volleyball, cross-country, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, track, swimming, soccer
Athletics conferenceMountain 7 District
Region D
MascotBlue Devils
NewspaperVirginia Star
Websitehttp://gchs.scottschools.com

Extracurricular activities

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Gate City High School offers a variety of sports and recreational programs, competing in soccer, track and field, swimming, cross-country, forensics, speech and drama, and academic tournaments. The girls' basketball team won the state championship in 2006 and 2020 and were state runners-up in 2005, 2012, 2014, and 2021.[2] The boys' team won the state championship for the 2017-2018 season[3] and were state runners-up for the 1998-1999, 2006-2007, 2007–2008, 2012–13, and 2019-20 seasons, also winning the Marshall Johnson Sportsmanship Award for the 2004-2005 season.

Gate City won state championships in football in 1970, 1974, 1997, 2003, and 2010.[2] and were runners-up in 1978, 1994, and 2007.[4] The school currently has three VHSL Hall of Fame inductees: Coach Harry Fry in 1991, Coach Nick Colobro in 2005, and football player Jeff Baker in 1995.[5] The school also holds the 2002 and 2005 state championships in softball.[2] The girls' tennis team won the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 state championships, ⁣[2] and the boys' tennis team won the 2008 and 2009 state championships.[2][6][7] Gate City additionally won the 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2014 state championships in volleyball.[2]

Gate City alum Mac McClung holds the Virginia state high school scoring record, formerly held by Allen Iverson. He also broke J.J. Redick's state championship game scoring record (McClung had 47 to Reddick’s 43).

Pre-game prayer controversy

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In 2009 the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the school objecting to a Christian prayer having been read over the public address system before a football game. The principal, Greg Ervin, said that a student had read the prayer on her own initiative in response to the death of a student.[8] Students then planned to protest the ACLU's position by wearing T-shirts reading "We're still praying in Jesus' Name" to a subsequent game, and the ACLU endorsed their right to do so.

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References

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  1. ^ "Gate City High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "VHSL Record Book 14th Edition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  3. ^ "Gate City boys win first-ever state title; McClung smashes VHSL career mark". 9 March 2018.
  4. ^ http://scott.k12.va.us/gchsfootball/yearpages/1978.htm Archived 2009-12-14 at the Wayback Machine http://scott.k12.va.us/gchsfootball/yearpages/1994.htm Archived 2009-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-02-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Dent, Bucky. "STATE CHAMPIONS: Gate City Takes VHSL Group A Boys Team Title". Bristol, VA: Bristol Herald Courier. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  7. ^ Gregory, Allen. "BOYS TENNIS: Gate City Captures Group A Team Title". Bristol, VA: Bristol Herald Courier. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  8. ^ Morabito, Nate. "ACLU: Prayer Held Before Gate City-Sullivan South Football Game Unconstitutional". Bristol Herald-Courier. September 17, 2009, updated December 27, 2012.