| Jones High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 801 S. Rio Grande Avenue Orlando, Florida 32805 |
|
| Information | |
| Founded | 1895 |
| School district | Orange County Public Schools |
| CEEB Code | 101295 |
| Principal | Valerie maxwell |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,141 |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Slogan | Paving Our Way to an "A" |
| Athletics | Football Basketball (Boys & Girls) Baseball Softball Soccer (Boys & Girls) Bowling Golf Weightlifting (Boys & Girls) Flag Football (Girls) Cross Country (Boys & Girls) Track & Field (Boys & Girls) Volleyball (Boys) |
| Mascot | Tiger |
| Rival | Maynard Evans High School Oak Ridge High School |
| Newspaper | Tiger Beat |
| Yearbook | Tiger Paw |
| Website | http://www.joneshigh.ocps.net |
Jones High School is located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood in the urban heart of Orlando, Florida at 801 S. Rio Grande Avenue. It is a public school in the Orange County School District. The school mascot is the Tiger and the colors are orange and green.
In May 2008, Newsweek named Jones to its annual America's Top Public High Schools list.[1]
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The first public school for African Americans in Orlando was formed in 1895 and housed in a building on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street. The school was renamed Johnson Academy and moved to a new building on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Jefferson Street. In 1921, a brick Colonial Revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street at a cost of $34,000. The school was renamed for the final time in honor of L. C. Jones, a longtime school principal and donor of the property.[2]
In 1952, the school moved west of downtown to its current location on Rio Grande Avenue. A new campus consisting of a two-story academic building, separate buildings for science, technology, and music, an administrative building, cafeteria, gymnasium, media center, and dedicated historical museum was constructed during the period 2001–2004. During construction, students attended classes in portables across the street from the campus. The new campus was opened for the start of the 2004–2005 school year.
In 1988, as part of a schoolwide project, Jones entered the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the World's Largest Box of Popcorn. Aided by a propane-powered air popper designed by engineering students from the University of Central Florida, Jones students popped 3,787.5 cubic feet (107.25 m3) of popcorn.[3] Orville Redenbacher, whose company donated the unpopped corn, mentioned the feat during a broadcast of the now-defunct Pat Sajak Show.
Jones High School is an International Baccalaureate World School, offering the Diploma Programme for juniors and seniors and the Middle Years Programme for freshmen and sophomores in articulation with Memorial Middle School.
Jones High students may also enroll in its Medical Arts Magnet Program or in an advanced studies program of multiple Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP Courses offered include Art History, Biology, Calculus (AB), Chemistry, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, European History, French Language, Human Geography, Music Theory, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, Spanish Language, Statistics, Studio Art, United States Government and Politics, United States History, and World History.
Selected students who show academic promise who are also among the first in their families to go to college are invited to participate in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program.
The Marching Tiger Band is well-known throughout the Central Florida area. They marched in the 1976 United States Bicentennial Parade in Washington, DC, 2003 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, prior to Macy's they also marched at the 2002 Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA. Recently, the band performed at WrestleMania XXIV, playing John Cena's entrance theme music "The Time Is Now".
Jones High fields varsity sports teams in baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, flag football (girls), football, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting.[4]
Jones is well-known in the Central Florida area for talented, tenacious teams. The varsity football team plays its home games in the Citrus Bowl. At the end of the 2007–08 school year, former University of Miami star and NFL player Kenard Lang was named the head coach of the Tigers.
The Jones High boys basketball team won the Florida 3A state championship in 2006 under Coach Jerry Howard.[5] The girls basketball team has won two Florida state championships, in 2004 under Coach Jimmy Mincy, and in 1997 under Coach Kelvin Harris.[6] Standout players from the 2004 team, Jessica Lawson and Shavonte Zellous, signed NCAA Division I scholarships to play for the University of California and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively.
Zellous was drafted 11th in the first round of the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock. As a rookie in 2009, Zellous ranked second among rookies in points (11.9), was second overall in the league in free throws made (155) and averaged 1.8 assists per game.[7] Zellous scored in double-digits in 21 of the 34 games played during her first season and earned honors by making the WNBA All-Rookie Team, the lowest draft selection to ever make the All-Rookie team up until that point.