Gainesville High School, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gainesville High School is a high school in Gainesville, Florida. The first public high school in Gainesville, Florida was established in 1906 in what is now known as the Kirby Smith Building on East University Avenue. The school consisted of grades 1-12 and was known generally as the "Gainesville graded high school." Today the high school is operated by the Alachua County School District.

The current principal is Dr. R. Wiley Dixon who joined the GHS staff in July of 2002. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Florida (also in Gainesville) in 1971, received his Specialist in Education from UF in 1982, and earned his Ph.D. also from UF in 1984.

In 2006, Gainesville High School was re-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Contents

[edit] History

The construction for the first school to be explicitly known as Gainesville High School was completed in 1923 near the intersection of SW 7th Street and West University Avenue. The school lasted at this location for over thirty years with Rhodes Scholar Principal, F.W. Buchholz at the helm for almost all of this period. With the construction of the present day campus at 1900 NW 13th Street in 1955, the former high school building served as Buchholz Junior High School until the roof collapsed in the mid-1960's.

From 1906 until 1970 Gainesville High School was the only high school serving the city of Gainesville. However, because of large growth in the city throughout the 60's the capacity of GHS became strained forcing the school district to plan for a new high school. Because of the complications surrounding integration in the 1969-1970 school year, two new high schools opened in the city for the 1970-1971 school year. These two schools, F.W. Buchholz and Eastside continue to be arch-rivals of Gainesville High to this day.

In the mid-1990s, construction of a new wing on the Northwest corner of the campus was undertaken to ease further over-crowding and foster better integration of incoming 9th grade students. The new wing, referred to as the "9th Grade Center" houses 4 full-service computer labs, nearly 20 state-of-the art classrooms and science labs and a cafeteria. The construction project also helped to bolster the school's new magnet program, the Institute of Health Professions (IHP), which is housed in the building.

In 2004, the school took on a new academic magnet program aimed at attracting some of the top academic talent from the county's middle schools. The new "Cambridge Program" offers an international, pre-university curriculum and examination system that emphasizes the value of a broad and balanced study for academically able students. The Cambridge curriculum aims to encourage the skills of independent research and investigation, the use of initiative and creativity and the application of knowledge and skills. A range of assessment techniques is used. Emphasis is placed on the use of externally marked examination papers by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and on compulsory practical work where appropriate. GHS will graduate its first class of Cambridge educated seniors in 2008. As of the 2006-2007 school year, GHS is the only high school in the district teaching the Cambridge curriculum.

Today, GHS' student-run school newspaper, formerly called the Hurricane Herald and the Hurricane Watch, is now called Eye of the Storm. GHS also has a Web site on the Internet, also completely managed by students. In the 1980s and 1990s, the school boasted an award-winning television production lab that attracted national awards and acclaim.

In 2005 the Purple Hurricane Marching Band won twin Grand Championships within the Florida Marching Band Tournament, first at the "Southern Showcase of Champions" competition in which they defeated their rival Port Charlotte with an 87.50, and again at the Azalea Marching Band Festival, in which they soundly defeated rivals Lincoln, Santa Fe, and Winter Park High School. They achieved not only the highest score in their history, a 92.50, but also received the highest finals score out of any FMBC competition that year. Later that year, they received second place im Class AAA at FBMC State Championships with a score of 89.00 at their preliminary preformance and a score of 83.55 at finals. They concluded their season by attending the ABC Channel 6 Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA. In 2006 they had a "Wild Ride" with placement ranging from eighth place to maintaining their Grand Champion status at "Southern Showcase".

Overall, the school's performing arts programs are thriving, with recent graduates entering prestigious programs at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and the School for Film and Television in New York.

[edit] Athletics

Gainesville High School competes under the name "The Purple Hurricanes." Coach Jim Niblack brought football fame to GHS during the 60's, 70's, and 80's. During these three decades, Niblack led teams that were often considered to be among the best in the state and in contention for state titles. In 1980, the Canes, under Niblack, beat the Titusville Terriers to win the State Football Championship, the first ever for any Gainesville School. A popular chant during this time was: "We are the mighty, mighty (pause)...hurricanes" causing foes to tremble. Interestingly, all home football games for the 'Canes in the 1970's were played at nearby Florida Field, home of the Fightin' Gators. Currently, the Hurricanes play their home games at Citizen's Field, which is also used for home games by other Gainesville schools Eastside High School and Buchholz High School.

The basketball program has enjoyed a good amount of success, especially near the turn of the 21st century. Gainesville won its first state championship in 1969, and added two more in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, the 'Canes, backed by future NBA guard Orien Greene, dominated in-state rival Wolfson for their first state title in 30 years, winning by double digits. In 2000, Gainesville compiled a 33-2 record to repeat as state champions, as the team included two-sport athlete Vernell Brown, who later went (along with center Ian Scott) to play for the University of Florida football program, along with the returning star Orien Greene, whose Number 5 was retired following his performance which earned him the title of Florida's Mr. Basketball in 2000 and earned him a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Florida, although he later transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette before leaving college for the NBA due to lack of playing time. In addition, GHS won the 2005 title for its district.

They also excel in a variety of other sports, such as Volleyball, Tennis, Soccer, Baseball, and Swimming. Their track and field programs are extensive as well.

[edit] Notable Graduates

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../g/a/i/Gainesville_High_School%2C_Florida_28b2.html"