Olive Branch High School (Olive Branch, Mississippi)

Olive Branch High School is a suburban public high school in Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States, part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Its mascot is a conquistador and its school colors are blue, gold, and white. Olive Branch is a part of the DeSoto County School District.

Original Olive Branch High School
Although the town of Olive Branch was extremely small for much of the 20th century, with a population of about 400 during the 1930s, newspaper records indicate the existence of a high school in the town no later than 1936. At that time the school had approximately 120 students, implying that students from outside city limits also attended.

In the era of formalized racial segregation in Mississippi, it appears there were both black and white high schools in Olive Branch.

Integration
Today's Olive Branch High School was established in 1970 after amalgamating Olive Branch High School and East Side High School. The school's mascot — the Conquistador — was chosen because "it was neither black nor white. It was seen as a conqueror to overcome the racial segregation of the past."

The high school moved into its new and current building in 1996.

Teams
Olive Branch's athletic teams are nicknamed the Conquistadors and the school's colors are white, gold, and blue. Olive Branch teams compete in the following sports:


 * Baseball
 * Basketball
 * Bowling
 * Cross Country
 * Football
 * Golf
 * Powerlifting
 * Soccer
 * Softball
 * Swimming
 * Tennis
 * Track and Field
 * Volleyball

State championships
Football
 * 2011 Mississippi 6A State Champions

Basketball
 * 2018 Mississippi 5A State Champions

Notable alumni

 * Kelvin Bell, former NCAA Iowa Hawkeyes football player; current Hawkeyes assistant coach
 * Daren Bates, NFL linebacker for the Tennessee Titans
 * Shon Coleman, NFL offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns
 * Jalen Collins, NFL Free Agent cornerback
 * Ed Easley, Former MLB Catcher St. Louis Cardinals
 * D. J. Jeffries, college basketball player for the Mississippi State Bulldogs
 * Fabien Lovett, College football defensive tackle for the Florida State Seminoles
 * Wynton McManis, CFL linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders
 * Jeff Walker, NFL offensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints
 * K. J. Wright, NFL linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks