consists of several detached buildings, many of which have interior courtyards. Near the center of campus sits a unique circular building with a conical roof, which served as the original library. It has since been converted into classroom space and much of the interior integrity has been lost. A new two-story library was added in the 1970s. The campus was considered state-of-the-art when it first opened, winning many architectural awards for its unique modern buildings. Garinger was featured in a 1962 edition of National Geographic as Charlotte-Mecklenburg's showplace high school. Traditions Garinger has many long standing traditions, many of which were carried over from Central High. The teams are known as the "Wildcats," and the school colors are blue and white; high school teams under that nickname and colors have played since 1908 at Charlotte High/Central High. Fight song Garinger's fight song is based on The Washington and Lee Swing. Willow tree The official symbol of Garinger High School is the weeping willow tree. The school's annual literary magazine is called Under the Willow Tree. Sports Garinger's mascot is a wildcat, and the school colors are royal blue and gray. These traditions harken back to the days of Charlotte Central High School. Garinger competes as a North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 4A school. While competitive and occasionally successful in basketball, track and field, and golf, the Wildcats have struggled greatly in other sports, most notably football (discussed below). Garinger often sells out its intimate 600-capacity gym for basketball games against West Charlotte and Independence. One of Garinger's historic forms, Charlotte (later Central) High School, was a football powerhouse and used American Legion Memorial Stadium as its home field in its latter days. Garinger's current stadium is Phil Hughston Memorial Stadium, named for a player who died from injuries sustained in a 1971 football game. Honors NCHSAA State Championships: Baseball (1930*, 1932*, 1965) Men's basketball (1931*, 1932*, 1933*, 1934*, 1989) Football (1916*, 1917*, 1923*, 1929*, 1930*, 1932*, 1936*, 1937*, 1943*, 1959) Men's Outdoor Track & Field (1923*, 1924*, 1925*, 1926*, 1927*, 1929*, 1930*, 1931*, 1933*, 1937*, 1938*, 1941*, 1942*, 1944*, 1952*, 1990) (*) As Charlotte or Central High Football losing streaks Garinger won a North Carolina football state championship the first year the school went under the name Garinger High in 1959. In the ensuing next couple decades, the team saw relative success, and produced NFL players such as