Dr. Phillips High School
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| Motto | "Never less than the best!" |
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| Established | 1987 |
| Type | Public |
| Principal | Josh P. |
| Students | 3,500 (approx.) |
| Location | 6500 Turkey Lake Rd., Orlando, Florida, 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] History
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 press box at Bill Spoone Stadium 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's baseball facility is John Barbati Field. In 1992, the baseball facilities were completely renovated with a state of the art press box, team office and facilities. The new facilities were designed and constructed by William P. Riegert, CEO of Cox Associates, Architects, and donated to the OC School Board in a dedication ceremony on February 22, 1992. Accepting for the OC School Board were Assistant Superintendent Dave Wofford, Assistant Superintendent Dave Sojourner, Superintendent Don Shaw, Bill Spoone, and Bill Thompson. Today the Press Box and Field is dedicated to Scott Muhlhann, a baseball player and 1992 school valedictorian who died of cancer in 1998.
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 nonfreshman 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.
As of the 2005–2006 school year, the racial makeup of the school was 42% Caucasian, 29% African American, 22% Hispanic, 6% Asian, and 1% from other races.[2]
[edit] Principals
- William C. Spoone (1987–1992)
- Lawrence Payne (1993–1997)
- K. Alan Cox (1997–2000)
- Rudolph Tapia, Acting Principal (2000–2001)
- Eugene P. Trochinski (2001–Present)
[edit] Academics
[edit] Magnet Programs & Career Academies
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 advanced classes in music history, electronic music, and music theory. The Theatre Department has been internationally recognized for providing excellence in the performing arts, as seen at District competitions, state competitions, at their yearly spring Gala, and at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was recently listed in Stage Directions Magazine as one of the six best technical theatre programs in America.
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.
Dr. Phillips High School is also host to two career academies focusing on medical and business careers. The Business Academy is a program to assist students in preparing for a career or higher education in the business world. Business Academy is a college preparatory curriculum with a career theme, enabling students to see relationships among academic subjects and their application to a broad field of work.
Business Academy students focus on business fields such as Web design, digital design, legal aspects, accounting, and many other soft skills that give Business Academy students a competitive advantage in their journey to becoming successful businesspeople. The Business Academy offers guest speakers series, field trips, and many community service projects that give our students a well-rounded experience. The Dr. Phillips Business Academy is committed to providing students with an experience that not only enhances its students' high school career, but gives them an opportunity to be successful in life.
[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 & Diving (Men's) (1995)
- Swimming & Diving (Women's) (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
[edit] Notable alumni
Entertainment/Pop Culture
- Joey Fatone, singer for the group *NSYNC, current host of The Singing Bee.
- Wayne Brady, an improv actor on the ABC television show Whose Line is it Anyway, talk show host and Miss America host, and current host of Don't Forget the Lyrics.
- Valery Ortiz, an actress who starred in the 2006 film Date Movie.
- Kenny Layne, professional wrestler.
- Ashley Drane, an actress who has appeared in episodes of That's So Raven and Phil of the Future.
- Luis Fonsi, Latin pop singer.
Athletics
- Johnny Damon, star outfielder from the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship team and current New York Yankees team member.
- A.J. Pierzynski, star catcher 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 Detroit Lions.
- Dan Miceli, pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Mark Ruiz, member of the US Olympic Diving Team at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Ty Tryon, professional golfer.
- Robert Damron, professional golfer.
- Braniff Bonaventure, star quarterback at Furman University, who later played for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League.
- Chris Warren, star point guard for The University of Mississippi Men's Basketball Team.
Politics/Government Tiffany Moore, Orange County, FL Commissioner, District 6.
