Winter Springs High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winter Springs High School, is a high school in Winter Springs, Florida. It was founded in 1996 as the seventh full-time high school in Seminole County.
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| Principal | Dr. Michael R. Blasewitz |
| School type | Public |
| Religious affiliation | none |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Location | Winter Springs, Florida |
| Enrollment | 2759 |
| Faculty | 155 |
| Campus surroundings | Suburban |
| Sports teams | Bears & Lady Bears |
| Mascot | Bear |
| School color(s) | Purple & gold |
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[edit] History
Winter Springs High School first opened in 1997 as the latest high school of Seminole County. Plans had gotten under way three years earlier as a result of overcrowding at Oviedo, Lake Howell and Lyman High Schools. The small community of Winter Springs successfully lobbied to have the school built in their town as a way of creating a "town identity and center, and not just be an outgrowth of the surrounding cities". [1]
A.W. Epps was the school's first principal. When the school opened in 1997, it housed only 9th and 10th grade students, with the first class graduating in 2000. Dr. Elise Gruber became principal in 2000, and was succeeded by Dr. Michael R. Blasewitz in 2004.
[edit] Students
As the school grows, its enrollment has been steadily increasing. In the 2004-2005 school year, there were 2759 students, up from 2347 in 2001-2002, 2449 in 2002-2003 and 2689 in 2003-2004.
[edit] Sports
The sports teams train and play on the A.W. Epps Sports Complex, named after the high school's first principal, or Central Winds Park, a city-run facility within walking distance.
[edit] Football
The head coach is Steve Katz. Katz replaced the first coach in the team's history, Mick Harris. The team has had four state playoff appearances, in 2001 and 2003-2005. The most wins in school history is seven in 2004. The team has expanded its dominance the past five years since Katz has taken over the team. The team plays at A.W. Epps Sports Complex.
- Playoff Appearances: 4 (2001,2003,2004,2005)
- Most Wins in a Season: 7 (2004)
- Number of SAC Championships: 3 (2001,2004,2005)
- Playoff Appearances 4 (2001,2003,2004,2005)
[edit] School rankings
The Florida Department of Education gave the school an "A" rating in the 2003-2004 school year. It also had an A rating in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. In addition, the school is a Florida 5-star school and is also accredited by the Florida Department of Education.
This school is ranked #231 on Newsweek's 2005 list of the Best High Schools in America.[2].
[edit] National Prominence
In 2004, Winter Springs High School gained national attention for its excellent Safe-School Ambassador program and was featured in a segment on MSNBC. In 2005, Winter Springs High School gained national attention yet again when several Winter Springs students, riding in a limousine to prom, stopped the drunk driver and called police. This story gained national headlines, and the students were featured on several national talk shows. In addition, the major news companies, including NBC, CBS, and ABC, all aired coverage of the event. CBS News Story In 2005 the school was recognized as having the second largest number of National Merit semifinalists in the state of Florida. The story was featured on the front page of the Orlando Sentinel.
