| Crestview Senior High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 1250 North Ferdon Blvd. Crestview, Florida, 32536 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public |
| Motto | "Pathway to Success" |
| School board | Okaloosa District Schools |
| Superintendent | Dr. Alexis Tibbets |
| Principal | Bob Jones |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Campus | Rural |
| School Color(s) | Red, White, and Black |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Team name | Bulldogs |
| Rival | Niceville High School, Pace High School, Baker School |
| Yearbook | Crimson Crest |
| Athletic Director | Kevin Pettis |
| Band Director | Joseph Dunn II |
| Choral Director | Kevin Lusk |
| Vice Principals | Gregory Brock, Dexter Day, Jason Driver |
| Website | http://www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us/crestview/ |
Crestview High School (also known as CHS) is the only high school in the city of Crestview, Florida. It is the largest in Okaloosa County.[1] The mascot of the school is the bulldog. In January 2007, Ed Coleman replaced Andy Johnson as principal after serving as vice principal at Niceville High School. Crestview High School is known for its curriculum in several career choices such as the Aviation and Aerospace program, sponsored by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Information Technology Institute, Army JROTC, mechanical and electrical engineering classes, culinary arts, music and drawing.
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Crestview High School has been known for its success in athletics around the Northwest Florida area. The football team, coached by Matt Brunson, was a contender for the 3A State Title in 2002 where they went 13-1 losing only the championship game to Rockledge High School. The basketball team won a state title in basketball in 1985, coached by Duane Kenneth Rogers, the only team in Okaloosa County to ever do so, led by eventual NBA Lottery pick Tom Hammonds (drafted 9th overall to the Washington Bullets in 1989). The CHS Baseball team, under the direction of CHS alumnus and former Atlanta Braves farmhand Tim Gillis, remains competitive in district play.
The first school in Crestview was a two-story frame building. It opened in 1879 on Highway 85, where the cemetery is today. The family names of some of the students who attended this school are still familiar today, among them Lance Richbourg, the Ferdon brothers, Opal Clark, R.D. Bush, and Alice Hart. At that time, the students went to school only four months out of the year. They learned the three "R's" during school and battled hogs at lunchtime.
In 1916, the original school was destroyed in a fire. Okaloosa County had just been formed and had appointed its first Superintendent, W.G. Prior. Until they had a new school, the students were taught in a room at a small church. The church stood were the Harris Building and the Church of Christ are today.
In 1917, the school was replaced by a small building across from the courthouse. It had only five rooms and 70 students. At that time, there was only two people in the faculty - Carey Rice (who was a principal, teacher, and general handyman) and her assistant principal. This school had increasing enrollment until it was destroyed by fire in 1920. After that, the students then crammed into an old Baptist Tabernacle for classes.
For the next six years, the county consolidated its school system. The schools went from 64 one-room buildings to 14 larger institutions with varied equipment and curriculum. The first seniors graduated from Crestview in 1924. There were only three - Purl Adams, Julia Adams, and Alton Clary.
In 1926, there was another new Crestview School, this one located at U.S. Route 90 and Florida State Road 85. In 1928, Crestview High School became an accredited institution. By 1937, Crestview High School contained 200 students from grades one to twelve. The population of Crestview had reached 3000.
During World War II, Eglin Air Force Base was built. The money from the national defense effort helped Okaloosa County progress. Education facilities were expanded and re-built. In 1942, Northwood Elementary School was built and grades one through eight were moved there. Crestview High School housed ninth through twelfth grade.
In 1953, disaster struck again, in the form of another fire. It was only a few hours before the students were going to be released for Christmas break. So, another new school was built - what is now the former Richbourg Middle School. It had 23 classrooms, a library, an office, a gym, a clinic and a lunchroom. The school cost $519,000 to build. There were 22 teachers that taught the 520 students enrolled there.
In 1969, Crestview High School had expanded so drastically that it was necessary to build another school building. This new campus is the present day school.
The Crestview High School Band, nicknamed 'The Big Red Machine', was organized in 1938 and has become a major organization in Crestview. The band has traveled to many locations across the United States, with recent trips including the 1997 Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, the 2000 Marshall Field's Jingle Elf Parade in Chicago, Illinois, the 2002 Hollywood Christmas Parade in Hollywood, California, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In 2005, band director David Cadle led the Big Red Machine in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as the official "Santa band". In honor of this event, December 6, 2005 was proclaimed "Crestview High School Band Day" by Mayor George H. Whitehurst. Following the 2005-06 school year, David Cadle retired from his position as Band Director at Crestview High School. His assistant, Joseph Dunn, replaced him. David Cadle won the election as Crestview's new mayor in 2007.[2] Joseph Dunn is now the head band director of the Big Red Machine.
The band has been selected to perform in the 2012 New Year's Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on January 2, 2012.