Bainbridge High School is a public high school located in Bainbridge, Georgia, United States. The school is part of the Decatur County School District, which serves Decatur County.
History
When education first started in the town, there were two buildings, a grammar school and high school. The grammar school building was constructed in 1913 by Wm. A. Edwards of Atlanta. The high school building was erected in 1922 by G. Lloyd Preacher of Atlanta.
The school's curriculum includes the following departments: mathematics, science, languages, history, English, home economics, commercial, and diversified occupations. Extracurricular activities include athletics, band, glee club, piano, spoken English, 4-H Club, Beta Club, Tri-Hi-Y, and Hi Y.
Bainbridge High School opened around September 1966 as an all-white school, and became integrated around 1970.
On April 25, 1964 the senior class sponsored, for the first time, the Miss Bainbridge High School contest. Each class chose one girl to represent it in the contest. Eligibility required that the girl possess good grades, personality, talent, and beauty. Seventeen young ladies participated in the pageant. One of the most capable and personable belles of BHS, Mary Ann Ward, was the first to be crowned Miss Bainbridge High School of 1964. A sophomore Joyce Wells received the second place title, and placing third in the pageant was Bunny Mills.
Bainbridge High School’s first foreign exchange student was Ana Ary, from Fortaleza, Brazil. She graduated with the class of 1977 and later returned to Brazil to continue her studies.
In 1994, soccer was introduced to Bainbridge High School, coached by Richard Colon.
In August 2009, students from Decatur County went to a new high school located on Highway 84. The old high school is now home for Bainbridge Middle School (grades 7-8), while Hutto Middle School holds grades 5-6.
Notable alumni
- James Butler - player for NFL's St. Louis Rams
- Cathy Cox - former Georgia Secretary of State and current president of Young Harris College
- Jason Lancaster - vocalist for Go Radio
- Brian Powell - former professional baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies)
- Ken Rice - former Buffalo Bills NFL player in the 1950s
- Ernest Riles - former Major League Baseball player in the 1980s
- Kirby Smart - head football coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs
