CMS picks ‘Ballantyne Ridge’ for new south Charlotte high school name. Here’s why
Ballantyne is one of Charlotte’s fast-growing communities, and now it’ll have a namesake high school.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education members on Tuesday picked the name Ballantyne Ridge for a new south Charlotte high school as part of their consent agenda, which is used for items without opposition. It was the top choice of three finalists that drew inspiration from the school’s location and a prominent civil rights activist.
The Ballantyne Ridge name broadly refers to the community at Mecklenburg County’s southern tip, where the district’s 34th school serving high school grades will be located. And that community’s name comes from a mixed-use development started in the 1990s. A summary included with Superintendent Crystal Hill’s recommendation says the word “ridge” reflects a significant drop-off near the back of the school property at 12218 North Community House Road.
“Ballantyne Ridge High School would be a fitting name for the school that will include the children from this community and surrounding areas — a welcoming, diverse, vibrant community where all feel valued and included,” the superintendent’s recommendation states.
Ballantyne Ridge was picked over Creekside High and Reginald Hawkins High — the two other finalists.
The school is expected to open in August 2024. Its creation resulted in a contentious rezoning process this summer and a 7-2 vote on a new attendance map.
Ballantyne Ridge will draw students from current Ardrey Kell and South Mecklenburg high schools, but this summer’s vote changed attendance zones for Providence and Myers Park high schools, too.
Other names besides Ballantyne Ridge
Creekside would refer to the school’s location near McAlpine and 4 Mile creeks.
Picking Reginald Hawkins would have honored a civil rights activist and dentist. Nicknamed “Hawk,” Hawkins was key in integrating Charlotte schools, hospitals and public spaces, according to NCpedia, a website managed by a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
He graduated from Johnson C. Smith University, earned a dental license from Howard University and returned to Charlotte, according to NCpedia. He was active in the NAACP. In 1968, he became the first African-American to run for North Carolina governor since Reconstruction, with a campaign focused on addressing inequality and poverty.
Other names that didn’t make the final three included: Queen City High, Toringdon High, Thaddeus Tate High, Big Rock High, Liberty High, Trailview High and McAlpine Creek.
