North Marion High School is a public Double A high school in the U.S. state of West Virginia, with a current enrollment of 851 students. North Marion High School is located approximately 4 miles from Farmington, West Virginia on US Route 250 north. While it is closer to the city of Mannington, West Virginia, and is often considered to be located in Rachel, West Virginia, the school mailing address is Farmington. Rachel is a small coal mining community located adjacent to the school, and is an unincorporated municipality. North Marion High School is represented as "Grantville High School" in the popular alternative history novel 1632 by writer Eric Flint. The novel is set in the fictional town of Grantville, which is based on the real town and surroundings of Mannington.
History
North Marion High School was completed and opened in September, 1979, and, with over 1,600 students, was at the time one of the largest high schools in West Virginia. The school is a consolidated high school made up of four former high schools that closed in the consolidation: Barrackville, Monongah, Mannington and Fairview. Farmington High School, which closed in 1975 because of structural problems caused by mine subsidence, is often considered to be part of the consolidated group. The four former high schools were converted to middle schools, with all four buildings remaining in current use. One of which, Mannington Middle is the oldest currently used school in West Virginia, opening in 1902.
Nickname & Colors
North Marion students, teams and alumni are known as Huskies. The school colors are black and silver. The mascot and colors were chosen by the students of the various consolidated high schools in an election in the spring of 1979. For the first several years the students enjoyed an unofficial “Husky Lunch” consisting of a Moon pie and an RC Cola until outside vending was closed.
Athletics & Academics
After completion of the original facility, the building process continued sporadically. A local group calling themselves the "Wood Cutters" completed, with mostly volunteer labor and materials, the addition of a facilities building, football stadium, practice field and softball field. Without the work and efforts of the volunteers, many of the improvements of the school would not have been possible and the continued improvement of the grounds has become a source of community pride. The school continues to enjoy strong local fan and booster support. In 2014, turf was added to Husky Field. And a Track and Field track was built in 2015. North Marion has been known for its outstanding athletic teams including 1980, 1981 and 1997 Class AAA Football Championships, the 1999 Class AAA Boys' Basketball Championship and 2009, 2010, and 2011 Class AAA Girls' Basketball Championship.
Natalie Tennant, 1986 graduate: First female to represent West Virginia University as the Mountaineer Mascot; Prominent television anchor and reporter, working in both the Clarksburg and Charleston television markets; Current WV Secretary of State, elected in 2008.
In the media
North Marion High School was used by author Eric Flint to create Grantville High School in his 1632 series of books about the fictional town of Grantville, West Virginia, transported in time and space to 1632 Thuringia, Germany. Much of Grantville High was based directly on the architecture of North Marion High, including its trophy case, history of state championships, and other elements.
