McDowell High School (Marion, North Carolina)

McDowell High School is a public high school located in the western North Carolina town of Marion. Known for its reputable NJROTC program, successful athletic teams, musical directors, and computer programming classes, the 4A school of approximately 1,700-1,800 students is the only high school in McDowell County. The school, built in 1971, has its own student-run newspaper, the Iliad, and literary magazine, The Muses (formerly known as the Aurora). McDowell High's yearbook finishes the trilogy of MHS publications, and is dubbed The Odyssey. Also there is now a T.V. show on YouTube entitled "MHS Titan News".Alma materThe first official performance of the McDowell High "Alma Mater" was on November 11, 1976, during a McDowell High School Band Concert. The first live performance of the McDowell High "Alma Mater" took place during a football game in the fall of 1976. The words were composed by Mrs. Alice Ostrom, a noted North Carolina poet, and Angela Israel, a student of Captain Ostrom. The musical score was composed by Capt. Ralph K. Ostrom, Ret. In addition to having served as band director at Marion High, Captain Ostrom studied with the United States Army Band and was director of the Tenth Division Band Training School.AthleticsMcDowell County is an area that values athletics, and its citizens show large support for their "Fightin' Titans." McDowell High School is well known throughout the state of North Carolina for its consistent success in both men's and women's basketball. In the 2006-07 season, the Men's squad advanced to the final four in the state. The women's team won the NC 4A State Championship in the 1990-91 season, and were runners up in 2003-04.