User:Hannahbeasley17/Paragould High School

Paragould High School is a public school serving grades nine through twelve located in Paragould, Arkansas. The campus is located at 1701 West Court Street in Paragould and is administered by Paragould School District. Oak Grove High School (mascot: rams) and Paragould High School (mascot: Rams) consolidated into Ridgecrest High School in 1986 and it was voted to change the nickname to the Rams to accommodate this consolidation. After the 1996-1997 school year, the school's name was changed back to Paragould High School.

=Academics= The assumed course of study follows the Smart Core curriculum developed by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Students complete regular (core and career focus) courses and exams and may select Advanced Placement (AP) coursework and exams that provide an opportunity for college credit. The school is accredited by the ADE and is a charter member and accredited by AdvancED (formerly North Central Association) since 1925. 

Test Scores and Advanced Placement
Paragould High School's graduation rate is 95%. They are ranked 42% in reading and 19% in math. Paragould offers 10 AP courses that can be taken for concurrent credit at accommodating colleges. AP enrollment is 29% and the AP pass rate is 21%.

=Extracurricular Activities= Paragould offers many extracurricular activities pertaining to athletics, drama, academic clubs, and band.

The Paragould Rams compete in the Class 5A-East conference of the Arkansas Activities Association. Sports offered at Paragould High School include: football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball, golf, tennis, swimming, and track & field.

Football
The Paragould Rams are coached by Michael Sloas. Paragould High School and their cross-town rival, Greene County Tech, compete annually for the coveted Bell Trophy. The Bell Trophy is a three-foot, bronze bell with small engraving plates on either side wood frame that tells the year in which it was won and by whom. Paragould has won this trophy 11 times since its introduction in 1999 and it currently resides at Paragould.

Basketball
Paragould High has enjoyed success on the hardwood under direction of Coach Robert H. "Doc" Paynter. Paynter coached the Bulldogs/Rams for several decades and made several trips to the state tournament, with multiple semi-finals and finals appearances. Coach Paynter was posthumously inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016. The Rams were coached by Ben Lindsey until the end of the 2018 season where he was replaced by current coach Jace Watson.

The Paragould Lady Rams, formerly known as Ridgecrest Lady Rams were coached by Kevin Gill. Gill led them to two back to back state appearances in 1993 and 1994. The Lady Rams played rivals Greene County Tech both years and came out on top in '94 with the championship title. The Lady Rams have also been coached by former Arkansas State University Men's Basketball assistant coach Jay Cook; Cook's first year was the 2008–09 season. Cook coached his team to several state tournament appearances through the years and eventually secured a second state championship title for the Lady Rams in the 2014 season. Jay Cook left the Lady Rams in 2019 as the head coach of girls' basketball and was replaced by Arkansas State Alumna Sonja Tate.

Band
The Paragould Pride Band, directed by Richie Williams, Cody Ballard, Joshua Mobley, and Carlos Serna, has quickly grown to become of the district's crowning programs. In the 2014 marching season, the band took home 3 Grand Championships, 1 Reserve Grand Championship, 6 overall and class Drum Major Championships, 6 overall and class percussion Championships, and 1 class color guard Championships, as well as Class A Champions at BOA St. Louis, making the Pride the first Arkansas band to ever win Class A at a BOA event.

Volleyball
The Paragould Lady Rams Volleyball team was coached by Angie Donnor from 2007-2014. Donnor led the Lady Rams to several state tournament appearance and a state championship in the 2013-2014 season. Donnor retired in 2015 and the Lady Rams are currently coached by Reed Fogleman for the start of the 2016-2017 season.

=External Links= Paragould School District Official School Website

=References=