Belmont Middle School
Encyclopedia
Belmont Middle School is a public middle school
in the Gaston County Schools
school district located in Belmont
, North Carolina
, United States
.
The campus of Belmont Middle School is one of only five sites in the United States of "The Spirit of the Fighting Yank," a sculpture by Ernest Moore Viquesney
. Based on the original created in 1943, this cast-zinc statue portrays a determined-looking GI carrying a Thompson sub-machine gun by his left side (later lost in the case of this statue, now sporting a wooden block), about to lob a grenade with his right hand. While Viquesney produced many GI-themed pieces with the coming of World War II, most of them were miniatures and this was the only one produced as a life-size monument. It is believed to have been cast by the Raphael Groppi Studio of Chicago, Illinois. This particular statue was dedicated in 1946 after Viquesney's death.
Belmont Middle is recognized as a North Carolina School of Distinction.
The girls fastpitch softball team followed in the fall and also had a perfect 12-0 season.
The Lady Wildcats defeated archrival Chavis Middle School 5 to 4 in the county championship game. This is the first time the Lady Wildcats finished the season with a perfect record.
One week later Belmont Middle School defeated Southwest Middle School to win the county championship and finish the season with another 12-0 perfect record.
This may be the first time in history that a Gaston County middle school had three sports teams complete back to back to back perfect seasons.
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in the Gaston County Schools
Gaston County Schools
Gaston County Schools is a public school district located in Gaston County, North Carolina. With 32,437 students enrolled in 54 schools as of the 2008/09 academic year, it is the seventh largest public school district in North Carolina.-Schools:...
school district located in Belmont
Belmont, North Carolina
Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about west of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina and east of Gastonia. The population was 8,705 at the 2000 census. Once known as Garibaldi, the city named in honor of August Belmont, a prominent New York banker...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The campus of Belmont Middle School is one of only five sites in the United States of "The Spirit of the Fighting Yank," a sculpture by Ernest Moore Viquesney
E. M. Viquesney
Ernest Moore Viquesney American sculptor best known for his very popular World War I monument Spirit of the American Doughboy, installed in front of many American city halls and courthouses and in public parks and cemeteries in the years 1920 through 1940...
. Based on the original created in 1943, this cast-zinc statue portrays a determined-looking GI carrying a Thompson sub-machine gun by his left side (later lost in the case of this statue, now sporting a wooden block), about to lob a grenade with his right hand. While Viquesney produced many GI-themed pieces with the coming of World War II, most of them were miniatures and this was the only one produced as a life-size monument. It is believed to have been cast by the Raphael Groppi Studio of Chicago, Illinois. This particular statue was dedicated in 1946 after Viquesney's death.
Belmont Middle is recognized as a North Carolina School of Distinction.
Sports
In 2009, the middle school had an outstanding year on the athletic field. Starting in the spring of 2009, the baseball team recorded a perfect 12-0 season capped off by winning the Gaston County Championship.The girls fastpitch softball team followed in the fall and also had a perfect 12-0 season.
The Lady Wildcats defeated archrival Chavis Middle School 5 to 4 in the county championship game. This is the first time the Lady Wildcats finished the season with a perfect record.
One week later Belmont Middle School defeated Southwest Middle School to win the county championship and finish the season with another 12-0 perfect record.
This may be the first time in history that a Gaston County middle school had three sports teams complete back to back to back perfect seasons.