Walter M. Williams High School

Walter M. Williams High School, one of the flagship schools of the Alamance-Burlington School System, is a high school (grades 9–12) in Burlington, North Carolina. The school was named in honor of philanthropist, industrialist, and former Burlington City Schools chairman Walter M. Williams. The school will enter its seventh decade of operation on August 25, 2011.In past years, the school has been recognized by the United States Department of Education as one of the top six high schools in North Carolina, and received the Blue Ribbon School designation in 1993.. This designation is considered the highest honor that an American school can achieve. As of 2008, 30% of the staff held advanced degrees, and eleven staff members held national board teacher certification (2007-08 NC School Report Card).The school itself has been recognized by the nearby Ramada Inn Convention Center, where a meeting room is named for the high school (the only high school in the district to be so honored) while all other meeting rooms are named for prominent North Carolina colleges and universities. In addition, the popular Mayberry restaurant across the street is a favorite student hangout and has several items on its menu named in honor of the school's mascot. Artwork by Williams students hangs in the McDonald's on Huffman Mill Road.The campus is bordered on the north by Sunset Drive and Parkview Drive, to the east by Arlington Avenue, to the southeast by South Church Street (on which street the campus actually has its address), to the south by Country Club Drive (an homage to the property being the former site of a country club), and to the west by Tarleton Avenue. Bulldog Alley, a north–south private campus street, intersects the campus with athletic facilities to the west and academic facilities to the east.