Charlotte High School (Punta Gorda, Florida)

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Charlotte High School
Aerial image of the Charlotte High School campus
Location
1250 Cooper Street
Punta Gorda, Florida, USA
Information
Principal Bernard Duffy
Students 2,006 (as of 2006-07)[1]
Type Free public secondary
Grades 9–12
Campus size 325,000 square feet (30,200 m²)[2]
Mascot Fighting Tarpons
Color(s) Blue and gold          
Established 1926
Homepage
Charlotte High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Main building after hurricane, prior to deconstruction
Main building after hurricane, prior to deconstruction
Coordinates: 26°55′39.77″N 82°2′22.02″W / 26.9277139, -82.03945Coordinates: 26°55′39.77″N 82°2′22.02″W / 26.9277139, -82.03945
Architectural style(s): Masonry Vernacular with Neo-Classical elements[3]
Added to NRHP: December 12, 1990
NRHP Reference#: 90001796[4]
Governing body: Charlotte County Public Schools

Charlotte High School is a historic public high school in Punta Gorda, Florida, United States serving ninth through twelfth grade students. The school is part of the Charlotte County School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Established in 1926, Charlotte High is located at 1250 Cooper Street. The school carries the slogan of "Charlotte County's First and Finest" since it remained the only high school in Charlotte County, Florida for many years[5] until its top rival schools, Port Charlotte High School and Lemon Bay High School, respectively, were built.

On December 12, 1990, the main three-story building was added to the United States' National Register of Historic Places.[4] After suffering from severe damage due to Hurricane Charley, this building along with the rest of the campus is currently being rebuilt in five phases at a cost of at least $87 million with an expected completion date in mid-2010.[2]

Contents

History

Punta Gorda Grammar and High School had an enrollment of 150 students when it open in 1928. Construction of a new school on Taylor Street began in 1911 due to overcrowding issues. However, by 1926 after the construction of the first bridge to cross Charlotte Harbor, bussing increased Punta Gorda's enrollment to 1,000 which in turn lead to the construction of Charlotte High School.[6]

Hurricane Charley hit the Punta Gorda area at the beginning of the school year on August 13, 2004 as a Category 4 hurricane, causing major damage to the high school. After seventeen days of hiatus, the students attended Port Charlotte High School during the 12:45 - 6 p.m. afternoon shift[7] for most of the 2004-2005 school year. Afterwards, the students were moved back on campus to portables.[8] Charlotte High was one of the six schools in the county that were destroyed or heavily damaged[9] however the cafeteria, one of the gyms and the auditorium, CPAC, still remained intact. Despite the severe damage the three-story main building sustained, it was decided to try to save this historical landmark. The plan incorporated this building to have its entire interior to be redone, but its facade will remain and the rest of the campus will be built around its neoclassical style. A ceremony took place in late May of 2007 for the groundbreaking of the aforementioned building and the new facility that will group up to 1,800 students by class and provide a courtyard inside the linked structures. Harvard Jolly is the architectural firm working on the project.[8]

The History Channel's inaugural Save Our History Grant was awarded in 2005 to the Charlotte County Historical Society, in partnership with high school students from Charlotte High School and Port Charlotte High School. Putting aside academic and athletic rivalry, the students collaborated to preserve their community's experience through oral history.[10]

Academics

The school has received a "C" rating from the Florida Department of Education for the 2006-2007 school year. The school has received ratings ranging from "B" to "D" from 1999 to 2007. This rating is based on the school's overall performance on the FCAT.[11] Despite the honorable efforts of the Charlotte County School Board to achieve student success, CHS sadly received a D grade in the 2003-04, which was the year before hurricane Charley. This is sad because this was the only time any school in the CCPS district ever obtained a grade below C, breaking the district's flawless record.[12]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ 2006/2007 Demographic Makeup By School of Attendance. Your Charlotte County Public Schools. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  2. ^ a b Dale, Kevin (2007-05-24). A new day for Charlotte High. Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  3. ^ Florida's History Through Its Places - Charlotte County. Myflorida.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  4. ^ a b FLORIDA - Charlotte County. National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
  5. ^ About Charlotte High School. Tarpon Alumni. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  6. ^ Our History. Your Charlotte County Public Schools. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
  7. ^ Tierney, Dan (2004-08-25). School times set. Sun-Herald. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
  8. ^ a b Quinn, Carolyn (2007-05-24). Charlotte High begins rebuilding. Sun-Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  9. ^ Alain Jehlen / Dave Winans (November 2004). NEA Today Storm Season. National Education Association. Retrieved on 2007-02-04. “In Charlotte County, where 6 of 21 schools were destroyed or heavily damaged, students were forced to attend the remaining safe schools in shifts. Some start as early as 6 a.m. Others end as late as 7:10 p.m.”
  10. ^ Historical Society Receives Save Our History Grant (PDF). Florida Preservation News pp. 5. Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources (2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
  11. ^ School Level Details. Florida Department of Education. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
  12. ^ School Accountability Reports. Florida Department of Education. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
  13. ^ Maffezzoli, Dennis (2007-05-25). Corsaletti gets taste of majors with Rocket. Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  14. ^ Maffezzoli, Dennis (2007-06-08). Milwaukee Brewers selects LaPorta. News-Press. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  15. ^ Scott, Anna (2006-01-10). James Lawless, former schools superintendent, dies at 86. Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  16. ^ 5 SFWL players named to State All-Time Prep Football Top 100. MSNBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  17. ^ Fineran, John. Baseball's return tops 2006 stories. Sun-Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  18. ^ Fineran, John. "FOREMAN RESIGNS AMID SEX SCANDAL", Sun Coast Media Group. Retrieved on 2008-01-12. 

External links