St. Stephens High School

St. Stephens High School is a high school located in Hickory, North Carolina, United States. It is in Catawba County, and is part of the Catawba County School district.

History
St. Stephens was formed when Allen Frye, Peace Academy, Lail, Sandy Ridge, and Cloninger combined into one school. The school first opened in the fall of 1934, with R. N. Hoyle serving as the first teacher and principal. The first school building was used by elementary through high school students until 1953, when a new building was provided specifically for St. Stephens High School.

General info
As of 2021, the principal is Kyle Stocks. St. Stephens enrolls approximately 1,250 students each year. Harry M. Arndt Middle School is the feeder school of St. Stephens.

The school colors are red, black, gray, and white.

St. Stephen's team's name is the "Indians". An "Indian" mascot is considered a racist trope. Even after local Native Americans protested of use of an "Indian" as the school's mascot, the school administration ignored concerns of local Indigenous American citizens and used an "Indian" as their mascot.

Athletics
St. Stephens is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and are classified as a 3A school. It is a member of the Western Foothills 3A Conference.

Sports at St. Stephens include cross country, cheerleading, football, soccer, golf, tennis, volleyball, basketball, indoor/outdoor track, wrestling, swimming, lacrosse and baseball.

St. Stephens won three straight NCHSAA state championships in 2A baseball in 1971, 1972 and 1973. The wrestling team won the 3A dual team state championship in 2019, going 43–0 on the season.

Notable alumni

 * Mark K. Hilton, member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 96th district
 * Andy Houston, former NASCAR driver in the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch Series, and Winston Cup Series
 * Shane Huffman, former NASCAR driver and current crew chief
 * Drew Starkey, actor