Atkins High School (Arkansas)


Atkins High School is a comprehensive public high school located in the rural, distant community of Atkins, Arkansas, United States. The school provides secondary education for students in grades 9 through 12. It is one of nine public high schools in Pope County, Arkansas and the sole high school administered by the Atkins School District on the district's campus.

Academics

Atkins High School is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education and the assumed course of study follows the Smart Core curriculum developed by the ADE, which requires students complete at least 22 units prior to graduation. Students complete regular coursework and exams and may take Advanced Placement courses and exam with the opportunity to receive college credit.
In 2012, Atkins High School was listed and unranked in the Best High Schools Report developed by U.S. News & World Report.

Extracurricular activities

The Atkins High School mascot and athletic emblem is the Red Devil with scarlet and white serving as the school colors.

Athletics

The Atkins Red Devils compete in interscholastic activities within the 3A Classification via the 3A Region 4 Conference, as administered by the Arkansas Activities Association. The Red Devils field teams in golf, basketball, track and field, baseball, and competitive cheer. Led by All-State QB Charlie Sorrels and All-State receiver Robert Norman, Atkins won the 1971 state Class A football championship, posting an 11-2-0 record under legendary coach Carl Sorrels. Between 1947 and 1958, Atkins won six Class B state track and field championships. One of Atkins' greatest all-time student-athletes is the late Sammy May who went on to be a three-time All-AIC running back at Arkansas Tech. May also excelled in baseball and track and field while a student-athlete at Atkins. A member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Raymond "Rabbit" Burnett was an Atkins High graduate who went on to coach Little Rock High School to a mythical national championship in 1946 and then coached Arkansas Tech to back-to-back AIC football championships in 1948–1949. Wilson Matthews, another Atkins High graduate, also coached at Little Rock High School where he won a mythical national high school football championship in 1957. Matthews later coached at the University of Arkansas.

Clubs and traditions

Beyond sports, Atkins students participate in competitive debate and speech competitions. Students may also engage in a variety of clubs and organizations such as: Future Farmers of America, FCCLA, Student Council, Beta Club, Future Business Leaders of America, and Quiz Bowl.

Notable people

The following are notable people associated with Atkins High School. If the person was an Atkins High School student, the number in parentheses indicates the year of graduation; if the person was a faculty or staff member, that person's title and years of association are included