Needham B. Broughton High School


Needham B. Broughton High School, commonly known as Broughton High School, is one of the flagship schools of the Wake County Public School System. It is located at 723 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Broughton was named after businessman and politician, Needham B. Broughton, who contributed much to the public schools of the Raleigh area. Broughton is known for its castle-like stone facade design and tall bell tower. The architect was William Henley Deitrick.

History

Needham B. Broughton High School was established in 1929. It was not until the end of the first school year, that the facility was known other than New High School or West Raleigh High. At the request by a number of citizens, it was named for Needham B. Broughton. Broughton was a Baptist church leader, printer, and community leader who was instrumental in saving public schools in Raleigh from bankruptcy through advocacy of tax increase in 1888. The renaming ceremony took place in 1930.
Broughton was originally an all white segregated school. In 1971, it became fully integrated.

Racial controversies

In January 2018 there was controversy at the school when two students posted racist comments over social media, one of them making incendiary remarks about the student body of William G. Enloe High School.

Academics

Broughton offers 16 Advanced Placement courses as well as 28 International Baccalaureate courses. The school offers four foreign languages: French, German, Mandarin and Spanish. The school runs on a 4x4 modified block schedule.

Sports

Broughton's sports teams play under the name "Capitals", sometimes shortened to "Caps". The school has 18 varsity teams that compete with other 4A schools in the Cap-7 Conference and with schools around the state. Broughton's main sports facilities are the 3,000-seat Capital Stadium and the Holliday Gymnasium. In 2013, Broughton finished second in the Under Armor Finding Undeniable competition, which is a $140,000 prize toward a high school athletic program.
Broughton's historical rival is William G. Enloe High School.

Arts

Broughton has a band, orchestra, chorus, and dance program, among other groups. The "Carolina Spirit" show choir was known as the top show choir in the country during the 1990s, winning six consecutive Showstoppers National/International Championships. In 2007 the drama department produced Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun. In 2015 the drama team put on The Ugly Duckling at the Scotland Theater Festival.

Band

Broughton's award-winning band program has attended the 2008 and 2012 Tournament of Roses Parades. The 186 member band was one of fifteen bands selected to participate for the 2008 parade, and one of only six high schools. They were invited to march at the Inaugural Parade for N.C. Governor Bev Perdue. The Jazz I group also performed for President Barack Obama during his visit to Raleigh on July 29, 2009. Broughton also has a concert band, a symphonic wind ensemble, and a jazz band that performed for Jay Leno in 2011 and has made other appearances in Raleigh's "Pieces of Gold" at Memorial Auditorium, and played in Cameron Village's Chick-fil-A and Noodles restaurants.

Publications

Broughton's publications program includes the annual yearbook and newspaper. The yearbook is named the "Latipac" which is "Capital" spelled backwards. The school newspaper, the "Hi-Times", is published and distributed several times a year.

Dance

Students from Broughton's Dance Program regularly perform throughout the country and at arts functions around the state. They put on several concerts each year, including a benefit concert in December which is completely produced by the Broughton Dance Company. In 2017, the Broughton Dance Director, Betsy Graves, was named Wake County Public School System Teacher of the Year.

Community service

Students are required to perform 25 hours of service each year within the community. Students can also participate in service trips to Guatemala and in projects such as a school-sponsored Habitat for Humanity house.

Technology

Broughton is serviced by the adjacent Wade Edwards Learning Lab, a program established by former Senator John Edwards that provides after-school access to computers. Broughton's graphics department has also received an update.
From 2002 to 2004 Broughton underwent a $14 million renovation in which much of the school was gutted and refitted with state-of-the-art technology and new interiors. During the 2004–2005 school year Broughton received an additional $5 million to renovate its Holliday Gymnasium. One of the highlights of the renovations was the refurbishment of the newly titled Diane Payne Auditorium, named after the retired veteran principal.

WCAP

Broughton broadcasts its morning announcements via a closed-circuit network, headquartered from the WCAP media studio in the library. WCAP was founded in 1992 as a monthly, pre-recorded news production informing students of events happening around Broughton. By 1993 it had become a live, daily show broadcast from the media center. The set has undergone many renovations throughout the years, and WCAP celebrated its twentieth birthday on January 30, 2012.

In popular culture

The music video for the 1993 song "'74–'75" by The Connells features members of the Broughton High School Class of 1975 as they appeared in 1993 with juxtaposed images of their senior pictures. An update to the video was done in 2015.
Band members of The Connells who graduated from Broughton are bassist David Connell and former drummer for The Connells, Peele Wimberly.
Broughton High School is featured heavily in the popular satirical website ITB Insider, written primarily under the pseudonym of William Needham Finley IV.

Notable alumni