Edward H. White High School

Edward H. White High School is a public high school operated by the Duval County Public Schools. It is located on Jacksonville's Westside. It is almost exclusively referred to by Jacksonville denizens as "Ed White High School", not "White High School".

History

Ed White opened in 1971, and was named in honor of Edward Higgins White, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and NASA Astronaut, the first American to conduct a spacewalk, who was killed in the fire aboard Apollo 1 on January 27, 1967 along with fellow astronauts “Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee.

Colonel White had been named by NASA as the Commander of the First Planned Moon Mission, and had he lived, would have been the "First Man To Step Onto The Moon." After his death, that honor passed to Neal Armstrong.

When the school first opened, like all high schools in Duval county, it served students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. In 1991 the Duval County School Board implemented a change in grade distribution that affected nearly all schools in the county. 9th graders, who had previously attended "junior high schools", were switched to traditional high schools, matching the four-year pattern found in the vast majority of high schools in the United States. Since August 1991, Ed White has been one of these four year high schools, serving 9th through 12th grades.

Upon opening in 1971, Ed White took overflow students from Forrest High School and Paxon High School, also on the west side.

When first built:

• there was no "BELL" ringing between classes, instead, "MUSIC" was played for 5 minutes between classes. All students had to be in their next class when the music ended. The music itself came from an "8-TRACK PLAYER" that was hooked into the school intercom system in the front office. The "Senior Class" held weekly surveys to decide what music would be played. (later removed, and now uses standard "bell" ringing)

• some of the bathrooms were fully carpeted. (later removed)

• the Gymnasium had a state-of-the-art "rubber" floor for basketball (later changed to wood decking)

• the Cafeteria served "Milkshakes" (unfortunately also since removed)

• the School experimented with the "Open Planning" concept popular in Europe at that time, through the use of 24 "three-walled" classrooms called "MODS". The 24 MODS were grouped in 3 sets (also called MODS) of 8 classrooms (4 classes on each side of a central open space). All 24 classrooms had only 3 walls and "NO CHALK-BOARDS". "ALL 3 WALLS WERE MADE OF PLASTIC COATED METAL, and the Teachers attached papers to the walls with magnets, AND WROTE ON THE WALLS WITH SPECIAL MARKERS. In 1987, due to "sound" issues, the "Open Planning" concept was deemed a failure by the School Board, and a 4th wall, with door, was installed in each of the 24 MODS. During that same renovation, normal chalkboards were installed.

• the school was one of the first High Schools in Duval County to have a "NJROTC" (Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) unit. That NJROTC unit still exists.

Miss Ed White Title Holders

1973 Muriel Moore
1974 Kim Hollinger
1975 Betsy Graham
1976 Sandy Croft
1977 Joanne Crumpton
1978 Dawn Walklett
1979 Tracie Brinkley
1980 Cindy Rhoden
1981 Velvet Williams
1982 Darlene Hagan
1983 Sherry Jenkins
1984 Tammy Green
1985 Jennifer Gandy
1986 Tina Mulholland
1987 Amy Leggett
1988 Bonnie Dennard
1989 Jennifer Heath
1990 Danese Hupp
1991 Casey Gibson
1992 Tracy Briggs
1993 Majorie Charles
1994 Allison Clarke
1995 Cheri Lee
1996 Kathy Pierce
1997 Jennifer Willis
1998 Erica Prescott
1999 Crissie Nolan
2000 Amy Lynskey
2001 Apple Guioa
2002 Janita Ocana
2003 Jennifer Veal
2004 Ashley Garelick
2005 Ashley Blakely
2006 Kristin Woodard
2007 Emily Thrift
2008 Marci Vann
2009 Janaye Rodgers
2010 Priscilla McDonald
2011 Kayla Perry

2012 Catherine Enguerra

Improvement needed

Ed White was given a grade of "C" by the Florida Department of Education in 2004-2005.
Ed White was given a grade of "D" by the Florida Department of Education in 2006-2007.^[1]
Ed White was given a grade of "F" by the Florida Department of Education in 2007-2008.^[2]
Ed White was given a grade of "D" by the Florida Department of Education in 2008-2009.^[3]

Advanced curriculum

Ed White currently offers 20 Advanced Placement courses to challenge the brightest students.^[4]

Edward H. White High School is also a Candidate School for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - making it among six in Duval County to pursue this prestigious program.

Model United Nations Program

Ed White High School is one of very few Model UN programs in the Northeast Florida region, and has been successful at conferences throughout the state including KnightMUN, GatorMUN, BullMUN, the Volusia County Model UN, and most importantly, FHSMUN (the Florida High Schools Model United Nations).

Performance History at Florida High Schools Model United Nations

In May 2009, the team also participated at the 10th Annual UNA-USA Model United Nations Conference held in New York City. As Peru, the team won Honorable Mention in General Assembly Sixth Committee and UN Climate Change Conference: Latin America.^[5]

Swimming Pool

The school has an outdoor pool which is used by the athletic teams and physical education classes during the academic year; then it becomes a free public pool operated by the City of Jacksonville Parks & Recreation Department during the summer months.

Notable alumni

• Laura Croft- "Holly's World" star and Playboy Playmate Miss July 2008

• Anthony Winns- Class of 1974. "Vice Admiral", US Navy, US Naval Academy, Annapolis Graduate 1978

• Tom Brodmerkel - Class of 1975. NJROTC Cadet. "President", Coventry Healthcare, US Naval Academy, Annapolis Graduate 1980

References

External links

• Ed White High School website
• Duval County Public Schools website