Alfred E. Beach High School

Alfred Ely Beach High School is one of the oldest public high schools in Savannah, Georgia, United States.

Alfred Ely Beach High School
Address
3001 Hopkins Street

Savannah
,
Georgia

United States
Information
TypePublic secondary
Established1867
School districtSavannah-Chatham County Public Schools
PrincipalDr. Lisa Linton
Faculty70[1]
Teaching staff60.40 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12[3]
Enrollment1,004 (2018-19)[2]
Student to teacher ratio16.62[2]
Color(s)Blue and gold
   
NicknameBulldogs and Lady Bulldogs
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
YearbookThe Golden Bulldog
WebsiteAlfred E. Beach High School

History
The Beach Institute, c. 1910

In 1867, the Beach Institute was established by the Freedmen's Bureau with funds donated by Alfred Ely Beach, editor of Scientific American. The school was privately funded as a manual training school to provide a means for newly freed African Americans to assimilate into white society.[4] By 1874, the institute was appropriated by the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education for the purpose of providing free education to Savannah's African American citizenry. Although the Beach Institute closed its doors in 1915, it was reopened as an African American cultural center and is currently operated by the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation. The Beach name survives in the name of Alfred E. Beach High School.

In 2010, Beach High School was selected as the recipient of "Outstanding Service By a High School" at the 38th annual Jefferson Awards, an honor for community service and volunteerism.[5]

At the end of the 2009–2010 academic year, the Savannah-Chatham County School District released the school's faculty and staff personnel, citing inadequate academic progress over the previous five years.[6]

Enrollment

Beach High is open to residents of Chatham County in grades 9th through 12th.

Academics

Beach High students undertake a college preparatory curriculum that includes four years of English, history, and laboratory-based sciences (chemistry and physics are required); three years of mathematics (most students opt for four) and foreign language; a semester each of introductory art, music, health, and computer science; and two lab-based technology courses. It offers students a broad selection of elective courses.

Beach offers one of district's two allied health programs. Its also offers an Army Junior ROTC pathway with a full four year curriculum for both programs. Students who complete this program.[7]The Allied Health Professions program partners with Memorial Health University Medical Center and CVS Pharmacy to provide internships for Beach High students.[7]

College Preparatory

Students can choose from college preparatory courses in Calculus, English III, English IV, US History, European History, and Biology.[7] Accelerated students are also able to dual enroll with a local college offering college credit towards a degree.

Special education

The school has special education programs for the following areas:[7]

  • Learning disabled
  • Behavior disorder
  • Moderately intellectually handicapped
  • Mildly intellectually handicapped
  • Severely intellectually handicapped
  • Profoundly intellectually handicapped

Extracurricular activities

Clubs and organizations

[7]

Sports teams

Beach High fields 11 varsity teams, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, wrestling, softball, and volleyball.[7] The teams compete in the Georgia High School Association's Region 3-AAA.

Georgia Interscholastic Association

The school won the boys' state basketball championship in 1953, 1963, 1964, and 1965.[8]

Georgia High School Association

The school won a boys' state basketball championship in 1967 (the first year that African-Americans were allowed to play in the Georgia High School Association) under coach Russell Ellington.[9][10] The girls' basketball team won a state championship in 2000 and 2017.[11]

Notable alumni

Alumni have become president of Savannah State College, Georgia state senator, mayor of Savannah, and dean of a major university in New England.

Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Markeith Cummings 2007 professional basketball player
Dr. James F. Densler 1950 First Black Pediatric Surgeon in the US "Dr. James F. Densler, First African-American Pediatric Surgeon to Practice in U.S., Retires from Morehouse School of Medicine".
Russell Ellington 1956 Former NFL player and basketball coach
Matt "Showbiz" Jackson 1982 Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters [12]
Otis Johnson 1960 Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (2004–2012)
Wanda Smalls Lloyd 1967 First black editor of The Montgomery Advertiser [13]
Larry "Gator" Rivers Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters [14]
Regina Thomas 1970 Georgia State Senator (2000–present); member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1995 to 1998) [13][15]
James E. Wright Flight instructor for the World War II Tuskegee Airmen [16]

See also

Further reading

Books

References
  1. "Beach High School - Savannah, Georgia:Public School Profile". Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  2. "Beach High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. "Beach High School". SchoolTree.org. SchoolTree.org. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
  4. "A.E. Beach High School". Archived from the original on May 25, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  5. "Alfred E. Beach High School Recognized with the "Nobel Prize for Public Service"". Savannah Tribune. Savannah Tribune. June 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  6. "Seeking 'turnaround,' Georgia's Beach High School fires all staff". The Christian Science Monitor. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  7. "Savannah-Chatham County Public School System: Beach High School". Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  8. "GIA Boys Basketball Champions". Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  9. "GHSA Boys Basketball Champions". Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  10. "Former Player Speaks About the Legacy of Coach Ellington". Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
  11. "GHSA Girls Basketball Champions". Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  12. "Harlem Globetrotters: Player Roster". Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  13. "Beach Class of '67 re-graduates with honors". Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  14. "Harlem Globetrotters: All-time Player Roster". Archived from the original on October 28, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  15. "Senator Regina Thomas" (PDF). Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  16. "Tuskegee airmen instructor dies in Savannah". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. September 16, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2008.

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