Dr. Phillips High School
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| Dr. Phillips High School |
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| Motto | "Never less than the best!" |
| Established | 1987 |
| Type | Public |
| Principal | Eugene P. Trochinski |
| Students | 3,500 (approx.) |
| Location | 6500 Turkey Lake Rd Orlando, FL USA |
| Colors | Navy blue & Carolina blue |
| Mascot | Panther |
Dr. Phillips High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida.
The area of Dr. Phillips, Florida is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, a physician who later became a Central Florida citrus magnate. He was responsible for several key innovations in the processing and packaging of orange juice. He owned thousands of acres of groves, stretching across nine Central Florida counties. One of his biggest groves extended from present-day Conroy Road on the north to the south end of the Sand Lake Chain, encompassing all of what is now Bay Hill, Orange Tree, Sand Lake Hills and Turkey Lake Park.[1]
Dr. Phillips High School is perhaps best known for the fact that it is located directly across the street from Universal Studios Florida. Students can actually hear screaming roller coaster riders through the windows of some of the classrooms on campus.
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[edit] Campus history and details
Dr. Phillips High School opened in fall of 1987 and was built for approximately 2,500 students. The booming Doctor Phillips, Florida area of Southwest Orange County, Florida quickly made it one of the largest high schools in Florida. Enrollment peaked in the 2000-2001 school year at over 4,200 before neighboring Olympia High School opened in the fall of 2001.
The campus is situated on 80 acres just inside the boundary of the Orlando city limits. However, most of the area zoned for DPHS is unincorporated Orange County.
The school's first Principal, Bill Spoone, went on to be elected to the Orange County School Board. The football stadium is named after him. The school's gymnasium is named after its second Principal, Dr. Larry Payne, and is nicknamed "The House of Payne."
The school's press box is dedicated to Mike Murray, "The Voice of the Panthers" since the school opened its doors in 1987. A full-time employee of a large aerospace contractor and not formally employed by the school, Murray was elected to their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
The school opened with enrollment above capacity and began using portable classrooms on the North Campus, formerly known as the 9th Grade Center. Due to overflow from main campus, many non-freshman classes were moved into additional portable classrooms at the 9th Grade Center. Because the students attending classes at the 9th Grade Center were of mixed grade-level, the name was changed to North Campus with the main campus being changed to South Campus. Portable classrooms are still used on the North Campus and are primarily for freshman-level classes.
[edit] Magnet Programs
Dr. Phillips is home to the OCPS Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and Center for International Studies (CIS) magnet programs. The VPA program consists of art, dance, music, theater, and television-production departments.
Dr. Phillips has been recognized as having excellent music studies, especially due to the VPA magnet which attracts aspiring musicians. Music classes offered include band, orchestra, and chorus as well as more advanced classes such as Music Theory. The Theatre Department has been internationally recognized as providing excellence in the performing arts, as seen at District competitions and at the world-renown Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The CIS program places an emphasis on awareness of global issues, an understanding of other cultures, and the attainment of multilingual abilities necessary for international business and diplomacy.The Center for International Studies (CIS) is designed to develop cross-cultural awareness and a global perspective for participating students. CIS students are exposed to major concepts of economics, politics, humanities, business and law, as these fields operate in an international arena. The CIS Magnet program has taken students to travel abroad to countries such as China, Japan, India, France, Spain, England, Ireland, Greece, and Italy. Students sometimes participate in homestays. CIS offers opportunities for their students to host other students from countries such as France, China, and Denmark. As part of their commitment to international studies, students also become proficient in their chosen foreign language while developing skills in a second, uncommon language.
[edit] Athletics
The mascot for Dr. Phillips is the Panther; specifically, the Florida panther. The Panthers have won FHSAA state championships in the following sports:
- Baseball 1996
- Basketball (Women's) 1992
- Golf (Men's) 1990, 1991, 1997, 1999
- Golf (Women's) 1993, 1994
- Swimming (Men's) 1995
- Swimming (Women's) 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
[edit] Notable Alumni
Enterainment/Pop Culture
- Joey Fatone, singer for the group 'N Sync
- Wayne Brady, an improv actor on the ABC television show Whose Line is it Anyway, talk show host and Miss America host
- Valery Ortiz, an actress who starred in the 2006 film Date Movie.
- Kenny King, Professional Wrestler
- Ashley Drane, an actress who has appeared in episodes of That's So Raven and Phil of the Future
Athletics
- Johnny Damon, star from the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship team and current New York Yankees team member
- A.J. Pierzynski, star from the Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series Championship team
- Doug Gabriel, NFL player for the Oakland Raiders
- Damien Wilkins, NBA player for the Seattle Supersonics and son of former NBA player Gerald Wilkins
- Ike Charlton, NFL player for the New England Patriots
- Dan Miceli, pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
- Mark Ruiz, diver at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Patrick Damron, Professional golfer
- Ty Tryon, Professional golfer
- Robert Damron, Professional golfer
- Braniff Bonaventure, who played for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League.
Politics/Government
- Tiffany Moore, Orange County, FL Commissioner, District 6
[edit] School Demographics
As of the 2005-2006 school year, the racial makeup of the school was 42% White, 29% African American, 22% Hispanic, 6% Asian and 1% from other races.[2]
[edit] School Principals
- Mr. William C. Spoone (1987-1992)
- Dr. Lawrence Payne (1993-1997)
- Mr. K. Alan Cox (1997-2000)
- Mr. Rudolph Tapia, Acting Principal (2000-2001)
- Mr. Eugene P. Trochinski (2001-Present)
