Paxon School for Advanced Studies

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Paxon School for Advance Studies
Motto: “Caritas, Constantia, Excellentia, Integritas”
Established: 1954
Type: Magnet school - College Preparatory
Principal: Carol Daniels
Staff: 107
Students: 1,500
Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Colors: Navy Blue █ and Gold █
Mascot: Eagle
Website: http://www.duvalschools.org/psas

Paxon School for Advanced Studies (PSAS) is one of three International Baccalaureate senior high schools (the others being Stanton College Preparatory School, and Jean Ribault High School) in Duval County, Florida. According to the College Board's Advanced Placement Report to the Nation, Paxon has one of the strongest math and science Advanced Placement programs in the state of Florida. Because of this outstanding accomplishment, Paxon is one of a select group of Florida schools invited to apply for the Semens Advanced Placement High School Award. Only about ten to fifteen schools per state have been invited to apply. For the past few years, the valedictorians have been accepted to Cornell University and other Ivy League schools.

Contents

[edit] History

The school was built on an area Native American burial ground in 1954. Before the school was built, the land was the location of Paxon Air Field. The school was originally named Paxon Field Junior-Senior High School and contained 7th through 12 grades. In 1957, Paxon Junior High was built across the street, and the older building became simply, Paxon High School. In 1996, Paxon became a college preparatory school and an International Baccalaureate school, and took on its present-day name. Today, Paxon considers its chief rival to be Stanton College Preparatory School, another Jacksonville IB school. In 2003 and 2008 Paxon School for Advanced Studies was ranked number 3 of the 100 best high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine. [1]

[edit] Student Life

Paxon has a very relaxing atmosphere, but the students drive themselves to perform academically at a higher level than most public high schools expect. The teachers also rank at the top of their fields. Paxon's AP teachers have some of the highest passing rates in the state.

[edit] Magnet Program

At Paxon School for Advanced Studies, we strive to prepare students for post-secondary education by replicating the college experience now. Our highly acclaimed and highly qualified faculty, many of whom hold advanced degrees, consists of over 100 teachers whose awards range from district Teacher of the Year to National Board Certification. Our teachers are chosen to be members of our faculty not only for their qualifications, but also for their commitment to students’ success. Every teacher at our school offers "tutoring" sessions before or after school and participates in regular collaboration with colleagues to better assess student needs and gain increased performance results; the Paxon family prides itself on fostering a rigorous, innovative, and caring academic environment in which our students can begin to achieve their lifelong goals. In addition to our rigorous and storied academic program, our 88 acre campus, complete with full athletic facilities including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, web access in every classroom, a professional grade television production studio, state-of-the-art science labs, and a newly constructed black butt theater offers students a taste of the college life. We offer a wide variety of sports teams, including football, golf, soccer, lacrosse, stickball, wrestling, and bowling, many of which have competed at district and regional levels. Our diverse student body gives rise to a vibrant campus life where all students can find their niche through a wide array of community, academic, and social clubs, including the prestigious National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and Youth Leadership for Change. Allow Paxon School for Advanced Studies the privilege of nurturing and guiding your child through his or her high school career and you will be rewarded with a well-rounded young adult whose transition to college will be smooth---because he or she will have been there already.

Magnet Lead Teachers History:

Our Magnet Leads have a history of becoming top administrators.

Mary Buchanan 2003-2005 (Asst. Principal, First Coast 2005-Present) Julie Dupries 2005-2006 (Asst. Principal, Stanton 2007-Present) Cheryl Hough 2006-2007 (Longtime Admin., Paxon 2006-) Tonya Marx 2007-

Current Department Chairs;

Social Studies: Leonora St Laurent English: Denise Rambach Science: Bill Keels Math: Elizabeth Allen

[edit] International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program was initially formed in 1968. Paxon established an IB program in 1995, was approved in 1997, and had our first graduating IB class in 2000. Since then, Paxon continues its commitment to this pre-university liberal arts curriculum with the attitude of our motto, “Caritas, Constantia, Excellentia, Integritas” (Caring, Constancy, Excellence, Integrity). Our four-year program consists of two parts: Pre-IB and IB. Pre-IB prepares students for the rigorous two year, pre-university liberal arts course of study. We are part of an international curriculum recognized and desirable by colleges and universities worldwide IB Diploma graduates are among the most prepared and successful when they enter they enter the university system., However, our goal is for students to be successful when they enter the world as respectful, well-rounded global citizens of the world. For this reason, students not only are held to high academic standards, but are expected to maintain a high level of integrity.

[edit] Courses

All Advanced Placement and International Baccaulaurete are in Caps.

  • Fine Arts
    • Visual Art
      • 2-Dimensional Art
        • Draw & Paint I
        • Draw & Paint II
        • Portfolio I / Portfolio II
        • ADVANCED PLACEMENT ART 2-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN PORTFOLIO
        • ADVANCED PLACEMENT ART/DRAWING PORTFOLIO
        • STANDARD LEVEL IB ART
        • HIGHER LEVEL IB ART
      • 3-DIMENSIONAL ART
        • Sculpture I
        • Sculpture II
        • Sculpture III
        • Portfolio I (3-D)
        • Portfolio II (3D ART)
        • ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDIO ART THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN PORTFOLIO
        • AP ART HISTORY
    • Band
      • Basic Band
      • Concert Band - (BAND I, II, III, IV, V)
      • Symphonic Band-(BAND I, II, III, IV, V)
      • Instrumental Techniques I & II
      • Instrumental Techniques III & IV
      • Jazz Ensemble I, II, III, IV
      • Music Theory I
      • ADVANCED PLACEMENT MUSIC THEORY

CHORUS

Paxon's Choral Program is considered one of the best in northeast Florida. The 80-voice Honors Chorus is in high demand to perform throughout the city and state. Chorale, the 16-voice SATB ensemble is the main traveling choir, providing workshops and seminars for elementary and middle schools as well as performing for dignitaries and visitors from across the country. Paxon has just added a Musical Theatre course to its curriculum. The major focus will be composing original musicals with an emphasis on the study and production of classic American Musicals. Paxon's IB Music Program is a 2-year college level Composition/Performance program where students receive hands-on individualized instruction in music theory, music appreciation, music theory as well as writing and performing. Other choruses include Mens Chorus, Womens Chorus and a 16 voice Show Choir.

    • Drama
      • Drama I, II, III, IV
      • Stage Craft I and Stage Craft II
      • IB THEATRE I—SL
      • IB THEATRE II—SL/HL
  • Foreign Language
    • FRENCH I/FRENCH I PIB
    • FRENCH II/FRENCH II PIB
    • FRENCH III/ FRENCH III IB
    • AP FRENCH IV/V FRENCH IV/V IB
    • LATIN I/LATIN I PIB
    • LATIN II/LATIN II PIB
    • LATIN III/LATIN III IB
    • AP/IB LATIN VERGIL
    • SPANISH I/SPANISH I PIB
    • SPANISH II/SPANISH II PIB
    • SPANISH III/SPANISH III IB
    • AP SPANISH IV/V IB
    • AP SPANISH LANGUAGE
  • Health
    • Life Management Skills
    • Personal, Social and Family Relationships
  • Physical Education
    • Personal Fitness
    • HOPE
    • Team Sports I
    • Team SportsII
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Weight Training: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
  • JROTC
    • Leadership Education Training I/II/III/IV
  • Language Arts
    • Required Courses
      • English Honors I
      • English Honors I PRE-IB
      • English Honors II
      • English Honors II- PRE-IB
      • IB ENGLISH III (AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION)
      • AP ENGLISH III (AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION)
      • AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
      • IB ENGLISH IV (AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION)
    • Language Arts Electives
      • Critical Thinking
      • CREATIVE WRITING I
      • CREATIVE WRITING II
      • DEBATE I
      • DEBATE II
      • GREAT BOOKS (ADVANCED READING)
      • HUMANITIES I: THE FOUNDATIONS (WITH DUAL-ENROLLMENT WITH FCCJ)
      • HUMANITIES II: MAINSTREAMS OF CULTURE (WITH DUAL-ENROLLMENT WITH FCCJ)
      • INTENSIVE READING / DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE THRU ESOL
      • JOURNALISM I
      • JOURNALISM II-IV
      • IB FILM I/II
      • IB RESEARCH
      • Speech I/II
      • Speech III
      • TEST PREP-VERBAL (Research I)
      • TOK – IB THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
      • TV Productin I, II, III, IV
      • Yearbook II, III, IV
  • HEALTH
    • IFE MANAGEMENT SKILLS
    • PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
  • PHYSICAL EDUCATION
    • PERSONAL FITNESS
    • TEAM SPORTS I
    • TEAM SPORTS II
    • BASKETBALL
    • VOLLEYBALL
    • WEIGHT TRAINING BEGINNING / INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

[edit] Extracurricular Activities

  • Band
  • Bible Club
  • Brain Brawl
  • Chorus
  • Classics Club
  • Creative Writing Club
  • Dance Troupe
  • Drama Club
  • Ecology Club
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes
  • FISH
  • French Club
  • Freshman Class
  • ICOM
  • Junior Clas
  • JROTC
  • Math for Girls
  • Mock United Nations
  • Mu Alpha Theta Math Club
  • Pride of Paxon
  • Sophomore Class
  • Spanish Club
  • Student Government
  • Youth for Change
  • Zoology Club

[edit] Athletic Teams

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Girl's Bowling
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross Country
  • Flag Football
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Lacrosse
  • Soccer
  • Varsity Softball
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Volleyball
  • Wrestling

[edit] Facts

  • Ranked as the #8 public school in the United States by Newsweek Magazine in 2008
  • 2008 Gold Medal winner, ranked as 30th best High School is the US by US News & World Report [2]
  • Ranked as the #29 public school in the United States by U. S. News Magazine in 2007
  • Ranked as the #17 public school in the United States by Newsweek Magazine in 2007 [3]
  • Ranked as the #28 public school in the United States by Newsweek Magazine in 2006 [4]
  • Ranked as the #7 public school in the United States by Newsweek Magazine in 2005

[5]

  • Newspaper: The Eagle, selected as the #1 high-school paper in Jacksonville by the Florida Times-Union in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
  • Football Stadium: Pajcic Stadium
  • Army JROTC Detachment: Golden Eagle Battalion (Honor Unit with Distinction)
  • Freedom Award Winner
  • The graduating class of 2001 was the largest graduating class ever to be seen by the school.

[edit] Notable Alumni

The website for alumni is: http://www.paxon.us/

  • Former teacher Mae Boren Axton was instrumental in launching Elvis Presley's singing career by interviewing him on the radio in Jacksonville on July 28, 1955. She is probably more well-known, however, for later co-writing Presley's first #1 hit song, "Heartbreak Hotel."

Graduated from Paxon in 1961 and he went on to become an astronaut for NASA. The street upon which Paxon is located now carries his name (Norman E. Thagard Blvd.).

Gary Pajcic and his brother Steve established a million dollar endowment at the University of North Florida to pay the full tuition of any graduate of their alma mater, Paxon High School, who was accepted and enrolled at UNF. The football field at Paxon now carries their name

  • Dr."Fantabulous" Williams

Former principal of Paxon.