Cox Mill High School

Cox Mill High School is a comprehensive public high school in Concord, North Carolina. It opened with grades 9–11 on August 25, 2009, and graduated its first senior class on June 11, 2011.

Background

In 2006, Cabarrus County officials began looking for land in the western portion of the county for a high school that would alleviate the overcrowding at Northwest Cabarrus High School and Jay M. Robinson High School. Land was found in the burgeoning Cox Mill area of Concord, near the Odell Community, approximately three miles from the Mecklenburg County line.

On October 8, 2007, the name "Cox Mill High School" was chosen by the Cabarrus County Board of Education over other candidates including "Odell High School", "West Winds High School", and "Bernie Edwards High School" (in honor of the longtime Northwest Cabarrus football coach and Concord mayor). Cabarrus schools superintendent Harold Winkler's name was also considered by the board, but Winkler himself asked that it be removed from consideration.^[1]

On March 21, 2008, Robinson High School principal Todd Smith was named the principal of Cox Mill High School. In October 2008, the school announced that its official mascot would be called the Cox Mill Chargers. As of September 2017, Todd Smith is still the principal. Yolanda Blakeney, Mark Lowry, and Deborah Walker hold assistant principal positions.

Academics

In its first year, Cox Mill High School was awarded with the title of a School of Excellence. The designation of School of Excellence is achieved if a school has at least 90% of their students performing at or above a Level 3 on end-of-course testing.

Bands

The "Spirit of Cox Mill" Band program was established by Joseph Earp in 2009. It consists of concert, symphonic, wind ensemble, jazz, percussion ensemble and marching band. The band also participates in a pit orchestra for the theater department's musicals in the spring semester.

The program has earned many superior ratings and awards. Some of the major accomplishments of the Cox Mill program under Mr. Earp’s baton (2009-2017) include:

• Symphonic band’s first grade six superior and appearance during the 3rd year of the school’s opening.
• Marching band earning its’ first grand champion in the 2nd year of the program.
• Marching band appearing in a nationally televised commercial for SHOWTIME for the hit series HOMELAND.
• Marching band competing in its‘ first Bands of America Super Regional (2013).
• Symphonic band performing for the 2013 North Carolina Music Educators State Conference.
• Competing with the marching band, symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, percussion ensemble and winter guard in Disney World’s Festival Disney (2011, 2015 and 2017).
• Earning top placements and ratings and sweeping the areas of concert band, jazz band and percussion ensemble at the Williamsburg, Virginia – Music in the Parks (2013).
• Earning consistent superior ratings with all of the concert, jazz and percussion ensembles at the Carowinds Festival of Music (numerous years).
• The spring of 2016 marked the first superior rating earned from the Cox Mill Wind Ensemble at the masterwork level with their performance of Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy.

In 2017, Joseph Earp left Cox Mill to become Assistant Director of Bands at Limestone College, and was replaced by Adam Singer who is currently the Director of Bands at CMHS. In 2018, the concert band, as well as the Wind Ensemble, achieved the rating of superior at MPA.

Athletics

Cox Mill's first year of athletics looked promising. Though not winning many games, the Chargers football team improved tremendously. <bish where???> The swim team also excelled, taking third in conference and sending many kids to regionals and states. The women's tennis team was undefeated. In the 2010–2011 year, all sports teams improved, including the football team winning 7 games and making the playoffs.

In 2011, Cox Mill's women's soccer team earned the school's first-ever conference championship in any sport, sharing the South Piedmont Conference title with Jay M. Robinson. The Chargers finished the regular season with an 18-3-1 record (13–1 in conference play) and earned the school's second NCHSAA playoff berth in as many years. The 2011–2012 wrestling coach was Jimmy Meyers. In 2012, the men's junior varsity basketball team were undefeated. In 2013, the men's varsity basketball team won the SPC Championship against the Concord Spiders 7-4. Also, in 2014, the men's varsity basketball team won the SPC Championship.

The 2016-2017 school year came with tremendous success for Cox Mill High School's athletic program. The Women's Volleyball team earned the NCHSAA 3A State Championship title for the Fall 2016 season, after remaining undefeated with a 35-0 record. The Men's Basketball team also won the title of State Champions for their season.

In the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year the CMHS Cross Country team started to make a name for itself, winning and even sweeping meets consistently at Frank Liske Park, Vietnam Veteran's Park, Central Cabarrus High School, and McAlpine Greenway Park. Northwest High School was the biggest rival of the team in the beginning of the season, but was quickly forgotten as the Hickory Ridge High School team became a fierce competitor. The CMHS Cross Country team won the Regional Championship at Frank Liske Park on October 3, 2017 for the first time in the school's history. The CMHS Cross Country Women, and selected Men went to compete in States. The Women's Varsity Golf Team had a successful season as well. They won their conference tournament and earned their first-ever regional title. All members of the team are working hard in their off-season and are eyeing the State Championship title for next year.

Feeders

The middle school that feeds into Cox Mill High School is Harris Road Middle School, located in Concord, North Carolina. Odell Elementary School and Cox Mill Elementary School feed directly into Harris Road Middle School.

References

Coordinates: 35°23′42″N 80°43′49″W / 35.3949232°N 80.7302935°W / 35.3949232; -80.7302935