William Amos Hough, Jr., in 1966, during his tenure as principal of North Mecklenburg High School.

Vote honors the longtime principal who led integration efforts and was known as ‘Mr. North Meck’

By LAURIE DENNIS
DavidsonNews.net

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted Tuesday night to name the new high school on Bailey Road in Cornelius after a well-known principal from years past, W.A. Hough Jr.

For those who knew Mr. Hough, principal of North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville from 1955 to 1974, the vote has deep and emotional significance. Mr. Hough, who died in 1998, is remembered as “Mr. North Meck,” a man devoted to his students and known for his fairness. He also shepherded an anxious and fearful student body through racial integration during the contentious 1960s, meeting behind the scenes with parents, pastors, politicians and whoever else it took to keep the school running smoothly.

“The name is pretty much a history lesson in itself as relates to race relations in this area,” said Garfield Carr, a former Davidson Town Commissioner who served on the committee that recommended the Hough name.

Davidson Mayor John Woods, a 1967 North Meck graduate, said: “This is a decision that honors the history of our community and honors a man who had a tremendous impact on generations of students.” Mayor Woods spent much of the past year lobbying to get the new high school named after Mr. Hough.
Read the full story

The new high school under construction on Bailey Road will soon have an official name.

Name of principal who integrated N. Meck HS is a finalist for the name; board votes Tuesday

By LAURIE DENNIS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson mayor John Woods describes him as a man who was everywhere – mowing the school lawn, driving the after-school activity bus, helping out with batting practice. But beyond being a beloved educator and principal, W.A. Hough was also the man who successfully integrated North Mecklenburg High School in 1966-67. Like his colleague Ed Sanders at Charlotte’s Central High, Mr. Hough did it without the ugly headlines that accompanied the controversial integration of Charlotte’s Harding High. That’s why Mayor Woods and others lobbied so hard to get the new high school on Bailey Road named for Mr. Hough (pronounced “Huff”).

On Tuesday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education will vote on whether to accept the naming committee’s recommendation of W.A. Hough for the new high school, set to open in fall 2010. Read the full story

Three students at Davidson Elementary - (from left:) Mayella Strodel, Kylie Skovira and Merritt Strodel - had a good idea that turned into a wildly successful book drive.

The good ideas of our local kids provide the focus of this week’s School Notes.  At Davidson Elementary, a surplus of books on the shelves led three readers to launch a book drive that surprised everyone by collecting over 5,000 volumes. Meanwhile, at Woodlawn School, friends Scott Murr and Darius Knott have paired up to organize a charity golf tournament that will result in scholarships for kids to attend the popular Davidson College lake campus summer camps.  The scholarships will be given in the name of Scott’s father, G. Michael Murr, who died of cancer when Scott was five and who loved boating on the lake.

Also in the news this week is a “Midnight Madness” hoops night being hosted by Davidson Day, and a full calendar of upcoming school events, including the Nov. 15 charity concert at Davidson College that will benefit PTA-Too, a program for special needs children at Davidson Elementary. Read the full story

The latest issue of the Lake Norman Magazine is chock full of Davidson neighbors: 43-year-old sprinter Maryline Roux of River Run, who it turns out is a world record holder; Davidson Day headmaster Bonnie Cotter, whom the magazine describes as a “Rebel with a Cause”; and David Boraks, editor of DavidsonNews.net, who shares a favorite dish from Asia. Links below … Read the full story

Rhonda Lennon, speaking at a candidate forum in Davidson.

Updated Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.

Rhonda Lennon of Huntersville is the new District 1 representative on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board.

“I’m so excited,” she told DavidsonNews.net Wednesday morning, after staying up until 2 a.m. to follow election results and then getting back up at 6 a.m. to pack her kids off to school.

Lennon gathered just under half the votes in the three-way race to represent northern Mecklenburg County on the school board.  She called her 49.81 percent win “close enough” to her goal of 50 percent.  She defeated Robin Bradford, who came in second with 30.7 percent of the vote, and Gail Summerskill, who was a distant third, for the seat held by Larry Gauvreau, who did not seek re-election.  Ms. Lennon won 19 of the 29 precincts in District 1, including both in Davidson.

Ms. Lennon said she received a congratulatory call from Davidson Mayor John Woods, and also had a post-election phone conversation with Ms. Bradford, who was the top vote-getter in 10 precincts, all at the edges of the city of Charlotte.  Read the full story

Jenny Falcone

Jenny Falcone, a junior at Davidson Day School, won the N.C. Independent Schools state tennis 1A championship Sunday.

Falcone defeated Katy Cananda of Elon in straight sets of 6-0, 6-0.  The tournament was held at Barton College in Wilson. Read the full story

Chris Bradfield (at left) and Ian Chesser.

Davidson can claim both of North Meck High’s semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program.  Find out more below on how Chris Bradfield and Ian Chesser are connected to Davidson and what they consider the key to their academic success.

Find out also about this weekend’s performance of Edgar Allan Poe classic tales at Davidson Day, and the success of the Bailey Middle volleyball team.  Plus, our events calendar lists Friday’s holiday bazaar at Cannon School and a Nov. 8 charity golf tournament being organized by two Woodlawn School students. Read the full story

The three candidates for the District 1 seat on the Board of Education faced the audience for Thursday's forum, held at St. Alban's. (David Boraks photo)

The three candidates for the District 1 seat on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education met for a second forum in Davidson Thursday night, answering questions about how to keep public schools in Davidson competitive, the importance of middle school sports, and how to prevent re-segregation. Read the full story