Howard W. Blake High School
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| Howard W. Blake High School | |
| Home of the Yellow Jackets | |
| Established | 1956 |
| School type | Public/Magnet |
| Principal | Jacqueline Haynes |
| Location | Tampa, Florida |
| Enrollment | 1,680 |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Homepage | Official website |
Howard W. Blake High School opened originally in 1956 in Tampa, Florida. In 1997, the school moved to its current Tampa location on North Boulevard.
The school is named in honor of Howard W. Blake, a Tampa native who attended Florida A&M University, Claflin University, and Atlanta University. Blake's entire life was geared toward guiding young people to their optimal education and vocational potential.
Blake was originally open to only African-American students in the Tampa area as one of the two black schools during segregation in Tampa, the other being its current rival school Middleton High School. After Tampa integrated the schools, Blake was shut down until 1997. Upon re-opening in 1997, the school added a magnet program for the visual, communication and performing arts. The magnet program has continued to make headlines and win countless awards within each of its departments over the years.
Blake also boasts a strong academic curriculum, featuring over 15 Advanced Placement programs in which nearly all of the classes score higher on their AP tests than the National average.
Blake's current principal is Ms. Jaqueline Haynes. It is well know for its Musical Theater, Acting, Drama, Journalism, Creative Writing, Art, Voice, Costume Design, Music (Band, Chorus, Orchestra) and Dance departments.
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[edit] Mission
The mission of Howard W. Blake High School is to guide all students to achieve their full potential in academics and the arts within an interactive environment. Blake High School will partner with students to attain the highest level achievement in the academics and the arts.
[edit] Visual Arts
Although blatantly left out of the description of the school, Blake High School has a very active and important Visual Arts department. Probably the most active and beneficial to Blake thus far. Raising more money than any other program at Blake High School, and not to mention one of the most advanced visual art departments in all of Florida for a just only a high school. The Blake Visual Arts department has a very dedicated and hard working staff that even allow students to work on projects outside of class with the guidance and assistance of teachers or volunteer parents, from the also very dedicated students.
[edit] Liberal Arts versus Performing Arts
The Magnet Program was designed to bring students from suburban Hillsborough County into downtown Tampa, where the school is located. Howard W. Blake High School is, therefore, more diverse than it would be without the magnet program. Students who go to Blake because it is the school that is assigned to their geographic area are predominantly black and Latino liberal arts students. Fine arts magnet students, who are bussed to Blake from all over Hillsborough County are, for the most part, caucasian. Although it is possible for a fine arts student to go through four years of high school without taking more than six classes with a liberal arts student, and vice versa, the opportunity for daily interaction with students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds is significantly increased by the magnet program.
[edit] Accelerated Education
Blake Accelerated Curriculum Program is an online high school magnet program in the School District of Hillsborough County. Our is one of seven franchises of Florida Virtual School. Our online program has certified teachers that are innovative and motivated to teach in an online format. This program allows students to complete about 95% of their coursework online. Students only report to campus for midterms, final exams, tutoring, and other testing settings. Students can actually customize their education to become accelerated or to just accommodate their needs. Some students accelerate their high school career by 1-2 years early.
[edit] Creative Writing and Yellow Jacket Press
Yellow Jacket Press is produced by the Journalism Department at Blake School of the Arts in Tampa, Florida. The Creative Writing Department (a different Department from the Journalism Department) is home to the Yellow Jacket Press Chapbook Contest for Florida Poets. The participants in this contest include students of Blake and professional poets and writers from all around the state of Florida. Visit the Yellow Jackets press web page click here
[edit] Performing Arts
The performing arts program provides a structured opportunity for the study of music, drama, musical theatre and technical theatre as primary divisions of art and literature, the performance and production of plays, and the personal growth and development of the individual.
[edit] Music
The music programs at Blake High School are some of the finest in the county and in the state of Florida. Blake High School offers a wide music curriculum consisting of orchestra, choir, band, guitar, piano, harp, jazz ensembles and marching band in addition to theory and history courses. The faculty of the Music Department is comprised of eight highly skilled instructors in their respective fields. There are many opportunities for music students to perform in the community in All-State, All-County, Music Performance Assessment, and Solo and Ensemble festivals.
[edit] Dance department
The dance department has been through many changes but has never been exploding with so much success as right now. Currently is headed by two teachers who teach ballet, and different modern techniques. Throughout the year there are master classes and the department is host to guest faculties.
The dance department hosts many classes from Dance Repertory, Ballet, Modern,(Jazz,Pilaties)Master Classes, Choreography I&II, Dance Honors and Senior Projects. With these the department hosts five shows a year, two faculty shows, two student choreographies and one Senior Showcase.
Some students may participate in Youth American International Grand Prix. This is for the teachers to decide.
Dancers are chosen from audtions beforehand. Such dancers have been accepted and received schlarships to summer dance intensives at Alvin Ailey,Boston Conservatory,Atlanta Festival Ballet,Bates,Lines Ballet,Paul Taylor,The Rock School and many more.
[edit] Athletics
The school colors are black and gold.
Men's sports the school offers include Basketball, Baseball (male only), Cheerleading, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Track and Field, Tennis, and Wrestling.
Women's sports the school offers include Basketball, Softball (female only), Cheerleading, Football, Golf, Soccer, Track and Field, Tennis, Volleyball (female only), and Wrestling.
The club sport of rowing was started in 2004 for both men and women, by several students and under the sponsorship of the Stewards Foundation.
The school has a very successful arts program, busing students in from all over Hillsborough County to study subjects such as dance, theatre, visual arts, creative writing, television, journalism, and music.
