St. Stephens High School

History

St. Stephens High School was formed when Allen Frye, Peace Academy, Lail, Sandy Ridge, and Cloninger combined into one school. The school first opened in the fall of 1934, with R. N. Hoyle serving as the first teacher and principal. The first school building was used by elementary through high school students until 1953, when a new building was provided specifically for St. Stephens High School students.

As of 2025, the principal is Kyle Stocks. St. Stephens enrolls approximately 1,250 students each year. Harry M. Arndt Middle School is the feeder school of St. Stephens.

St. Stephen's team's name is the "Indians". In 21st century America, an "Indian" mascot is widely considered to be a racist trope. Even after the local Cherokee, a federally recognized Native American nation, protested use of an "Indian" as the school's mascot, the school administration ignored their concerns and retained it.

Athletics

St. Stephens is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and is classified as a 6A school. It is a member of the Northwestern 6A/7A Conference. The school colors are red, black, gray, and white. Listed below are the different sport teams at St. Stephens:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Competition Cheerleading
• Cross Country
• Football
• Golf
• Marching Band
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track & Field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

The school won three straight NCHSAA 2A baseball state championships in 1971, 1972 and 1973. The wrestling team won the NCHSAA 3A dual team state championship in 2019, finishing 43–0.

Notable alumni

• Mark K. Hilton, member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 96th district
• Andy Houston, former NASCAR driver in the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch Series, and Winston Cup Series
• Shane Huffman, former NASCAR driver and current crew chief
• Drew Starkey, actor

References

References

1. [https://ststephenshs.catawbaschools.net/about About Us - St. Stephens High School] {{Webarchive. link. (23 January 2021 . Retrieved December 16, 2020.)
2. "Saint Stephens High". National Center for Education Statistics.
3. "Summary of the APA Resolution Recommending Retirement of American Indian Mascots".
4. williamson, Sarah Newell. (2008-09-06). "Man urges new mascots for area schools".
5. Bryant, Joel. (March 6, 2025). [https://www.highschoolot.com/story/here-are-the-new-nchsaa-conferences-for-2025-29/21895802/ Here are the new NCHSAA conferences for 2025-29]. ''highschoolot.com''. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
6. [https://www.nchsaa.org/sites/default/files/attachments/BASE%20State%20Champions%2008092021.pdf Baseball State Champions] {{Webarchive. link. (15 August 2022 . ''NCHSAA''. Retrieved August 15, 2022.)
7. [https://hobbsdailyreport.com/high-school-wrestling/state-dual-team-wrestling-championships-unbeaten-st-stephens-wins-3a-championship/ Unbeaten St. Stephens wins 3A wrestling championship - Hobbs Daily Report] {{Webarchive. link. (28 November 2021 . Retrieved November 27, 2021.)
8. [https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/41275/mark-hilton#.XJzpoutKgxc Vote Smart] {{Webarchive. link. (28 March 2019 . Retrieved 28 March 2019.)