Burch High School
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Old Burch High School: 37°42′41″N 82°11′08″W / 37.71141865080228°N 82.18548059463501°W
| Burch High School | |
|---|---|
 Old Burch High School | |
| Location | |
 | |
Burch High School: 1 Bulldog Boulevard Old Burch High School: Eutaw Avenue , 25670 United States | |
| Coordinates | Burch High School: 37°40′38″N 82°10′45″W / 37.677239695835695°N 82.17905402183533°W Old Burch High School: 37°42′41″N 82°11′08″W / 37.71141865080228°N 82.18548059463501°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public, High School |
| Established | 1921 |
| Status | Closed |
| Closed | June 2011 |
| School board | Mingo County Board of Education |
| Grades | 7 to 12 |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Town |
| Color | Red white blue |
| Athletics | Basketball, Football, Baseball, Volleyball |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Team name | Burch Bulldogs |
| Rivals | Tug Valley High School Matewan High School Williamson High School Gilbert High School |
| Newspaper | Bulldog's Bark |
| Yearbook | The Bulldog |
| Feeder schools | Burch Middle School |
| Website | BHS Alumni Forum Website |
Burch High School (BHS) was a public high school in Delbarton, West Virginia. It was closed in June 2011.[1]
First Graduating Class
In 1916, under the leadership of Lee District board members James A. Farley, Bill Maynard, John Pinson, District Supervisor Lacy Chapman, and Superintendent of Schools Sam Curry, the plan for a new high school was started.
In the fall of 1918, Frank Totten and Claude Dove, principals of the Rock House and Upper Elk schools respectively, were brought to Mingo County to organize the new school. These two principals organized a third-class high school in 1919 at Rock House. In the fall of that year, they moved the new Rock House High School to Upper Elk with Claude Dove as principal. After moving, Rock House High School was promoted to a second-class high school.
In the fall of 1921, Rock House High School moved back to Rock House as a first-class high school and the school's name was changed to Burch High School.
The first graduating class, in 1922, comprised twenty-one students. Of this 1922 class, two became attorneys, five went on to become doctors, and twelve became teachers. James Bertram "Bert" Curry (1901–2004), the valedictorian of the class, became a very successful carpenter,[2] and lived to the grand age of 103 years.
- Valedictorian - James Bertram "Bert" Curry, Carpenter
- Beatrice Spears, Attorney
- Matilla Spears, Attorney
- Roy Curry, DDS
- William Wirt Curry, DDS
- Carl Dove, DDS
- James Robert Farley, DDS
- Sam Farley, DDS
- Lace Chapman, Teacher
- Tilda Curry Chafin, Teacher
- Averel Clark, Teacher
- Ethel Clark, Teacher
- Lula Curry, Teacher
- Cecil Evans, Teacher
- Mary Evans, Teacher
- Sallie Farley Gates, Teacher
- Elizabeth Perdue, Teacher
- Ida Roach, Teacher
- Ida Scott, Teacher
- Frank Totten, Teacher
Burch High School shared its halls and classrooms with Burch Junior High for many years. In June 1987, Burch High School and Burch Junior High School separated. Burch Junior High remained in the same building while Burch High School moved to a new facility adjacent to the existing Mingo County Vocational School in Airport Bottom, approximately 3 miles south on Route 52. The BHS class of 1987 was the last class to graduate from the old school while the class of 1988 was the first to graduate from the new Burch High School, after starting off the year at the old building.
In June 2011, Burch High School closed its doors for the last time. The 90-year-old school was consolidated with Gilbert, Matewan, and Williamson high schools to form Mingo Central High School, which opened in August 2011. The new school sits at an elevation of 1,940 feet on a 90-acre site along the King Coal Highway in Delbarton, WV (approx. 7 miles southeast of Delbarton).[3]
Principals
- Claude Dove
- O. C. Van Camp
- R. E. Remish
- H. D. Fleming
- Marion D. West
- W. A. Collawn
- Troy Floyd
- Wayne B. Curry
- Henry C. Justice
- James Blevins
- Bradford Justice
- Jada Hunter
- W.C. Totten
- Jim Fletcher
- Tag Keith
- Don Gillman