| Boca Ciega High School | |
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Deeds are Ours–Results are God's
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| Location | |
| 924 58th Street South Gulfport, Florida, 33707-2548 United States |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public, secondary |
| Opened | September 1953 |
| School district | Pinellas County Schools |
| Principal | Michael Vigue |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 1,683 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Gold, white and navy |
| Fight song | "Colonel Bogey March" |
| Nickname | Pirates |
| Accreditation(s) | Florida Department of Education |
| Newspaper | 'Hi-Tide' |
| Yearbook | 'Treasure Chest' |
| Website | Boca Ciega High School |
Boca Ciega High School (BCHS) is an American four-year public high school in Gulfport, Florida, south of the St. Petersburg city line, and is part of the Pinellas County Schools district. Commonly referred to as Bogie by students and staff, the school has a student enrollment of 1,683 and 98.5 teachers (FTE) (2009–10 school year).[1]
Boca Ciega's nickname is the Pirates and its colors are gold, white and navy (originally gold, white and red). Its interscholastic teams compete in the Pinellas County Athletic Conference.
Any student in the county may enroll in the BCHS "school-within-a-school" Fundamental Program, which emphasizes a “back-to-basics” educational structure, student responsibility and mandatory parental involvement.[2] Boca Ciega is also home to the Center for Wellness and Medical Professions, a county-wide magnet program for students interested in careers in healthcare.
BCHS juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.0 and higher may be eligible to earn high school and college credit through dual enrollment coursework at St. Petersburg College.[3]
A new campus on the current site is under construction.
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Ground was broken for a new $1.34-million school in December 1952, the first new high school built in southern Pinellas County in 26 years. It was an open-air style campus, with a central administration building and classrooms extending out as series of parallel wings to take advantage of the Florida weather by providing a maximum amount of natural light and exposure for each classroom.[4] In July 1953, the school board chose Boca Ciega (after the nearby bay) as the school's name over Gulfport, Sunshine City, Sun City, Central, Gulf Coast, 58th Street, and Southwest St. Petersburg. Prospective students chose gold (for the Sun) and white (for sand) as the school colors and "Rebels" as the nickname. In September 1953, BCHS opened with 964 students in grades 9–12. The first principal, Richard L. Jones, declared there would be no "rebels" at his school; in another vote, students chose "Pirates."[5] Ironically, Rebels was later adopted as the nickname of the school's cross-town rival, Dixie Hollins High School.
On March 13, 1954, Christine J. Baker, choir director from 1953–72, directed the first spring concert. She supervised several singing groups, notably the Baker's Dozen, who performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair after raising $12,000 to make the trip.[6] The school band performed in Nassau, Bahamas on April 23, 1960, the first out-of-the-country performance by a St. Petersburg-area high school.[7] In 1970, the band visited Bogota, Colombia. On July 11, 1976, the BCHS Jazz Band performed at the US Bicentennial celebration at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The 1964 Mrs. America Pageant was held at the BCHS auditorium.[8]
In its inaugural 1953 football game, BCHS defeated Gulf High School of New Port Richie 24-6. In the first athletic meeting between the two schools in January 1954, St. Petersburg High School defeated Boca Ciega 43-39 in basketball as 2,100 fans packed St. Pete High's gym. A field house and 2,250-seat bleachers were added to the football field in 1962[9] and were ready for the 1963 season.[10] During August 1966, the Miami Dolphins practiced at BCHS before their first season in the NFL while using St. Pete Beach as their training camp.[11]
In 1967, a portion of the student body was transferred to the new Lakewood High School. Gordon Young became principal in 1968. BCHS, by then only grades 10–12, had been an all-white school until that year, when 85 black students were transferred from then-overcrowded Lakewood High. It led to the first of several racial disturbances at the school over the next five years, the first on April 23, 1969.[12] Court-ordered desegregation took place in 1971, which sparked a week of racial disturbances in December.[13] Hugh B. Kriever became principal in 1973. That year, racial violence again broke out at the school on February 5;[14] and on April 11, which was later labeled by a hearing examiner as "a full-fledged racial riot".[15]
In September 1970, BCHS students organized to fight for the abolition of the county-wide student dress and grooming code, which had been liberalized that spring through student pressure.[16] The movement spread to other schools[17] and the code was finally relaxed in January 1971.[18]
John C. Demps was named principal in 1976, serving until Barbara Paonessa became the first female (and longest-serving) principal from January 1987 to May 2003. Drainage renovations were completed in 1980, improving swampy conditions on campus which had been prone to flooding. In November 1987, the football stadium was dedicated in memory of Charles C. Beauchamp, who died in 1967 from injuries playing baseball for BCHS. An Army Junior ROTC program was established in 1988, and a Sports Hall of Fame was created in December 1993.[19]
Boca Ciega underwent a major renovation from 1990–93, which included a new music building (named in memory of Baker), remodeling the gymnasium (named in memory of basketball coach Kenneth T. Robinson), restructuring the administration building and installing central air conditioning. Classrooms were restored, asbestos floor tiles were removed and carpeting installed. The auditorium and library were updated. In the fall of 1997, the 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) Center for Wellness and Medical Professions magnet facility opened.[20] John M. Leanes served as principal from 2004 until his retirement in April 2007, followed by Paula-Gene Nelson.[21] Michael Vigue became principal in October 2010.
From 1992–2011, the Lady Pirates basketball team reached the playoffs for 19 seasons, the third-longest streak in the state; including two consecutive Class 5A state championships.[22]
Construction of a new school began in January 2008 on the existing site. While BCHS remains occupied and functional, demolition and new construction proceeded in phases throughout the campus. The new school is being built using the Daggett Model School concept and will feature different buildings, or "learning communities", for each grade. The existing gym; field house; and music, aerospace and medical magnet buildings are being renovated.[23] A new 103,000-square-foot (9,600 m2) administration, media center, cafeteria and classroom building opened on October 28, 2011.[24]
The new 266,600-square-foot (24,770 m2) facility, built on a 40-acre site, will accommodate up to 2,550 students. Completion is scheduled for early 2012.[25]
Boca Ciega High School has many clubs such as:
(Reference: Florida High School Athletic Association Championship Record Books)
Boca Ciega has an estimated 28,000 graduates and an active alumni association. Notable alumni include actresses Angela Bassett (1976) and Barbara Bosson, former Major League Baseball player Hal Lanier, NFL player Darren Howard, and country music artist Darrell Clanton.[30]
The 1982 film, Porky's, was based on incidents in the early 1960s at BCHS and writer-director Bob Clark's alma mater, Fort Lauderdale High School.[31]