History
In the late 19th century in the northeastern part of Henry County, a community school named Union Grove Academy opened its doors. In 1904 the Academy’s board of directors petitioned the county to accept it as a public school. The school thrived for several decades, but after the disastrous boll weevil invasion and consequent hard times, 25% of the area’s population moved away. In 1945 the school closed. Fifty-five years later Union Grove High School opened its doors in 2000 with a small student body of 801. The fourth high school opened by the Henry County School System in modern times, it chose as its mascot the Wolverine, with school colors of burgundy and silver.
Today Union Grove is home to over 1700 students and over 150 faculty and support staff. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the school staff is proud that it has had students accepted at 140 different colleges, universities, and technical schools including Harvard, Vassar, Emory, Stanford, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia. It has also had students accepted at the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy. Union Grove was recognized by Newsweek magazine in 2005 as among the top 10 percent of public schools in the nation. In 2006 Newsweek placed the school among the top 5% of national public schools. In 2005 the school was awarded the Governor’s Cup for having a significant increase in SAT scores. Additionally, the school traditionally has the largest number of students of all Henry County schools participating in the state Governor’s Honors program.
In addition to its strong curriculum and student support system, Union Grove offers students the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports activities including football, basketball, and wrestling along with many others for a total of 18 sports opportunities. There are also more than 30 co-curricular and extra-curricular clubs available. These include honor societies such as the National Honor Society and the National Science Honor Society, as well as areas of student interest such as the Fishing Club and the Guitar Club. Staff club sponsors and coaches use these opportunities to build strong relationships with their students and increase school spirit.
Union Grove also has a Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps battalion. The cadets and their instructors lay claim to the best unit in the nation after winning the NJROTC National Orienteering Championships for three consecutive years, winning the National championship for Drill, Athletic, and Academics in 2011, and possessing many other state and national titles since the unit's formation.
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