Gaither High School

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Gaither High School
"Reach for the stars..."
Address
16200 North Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, Florida, 33618
United States
Coordinates 28°06′11″N 82°30′14″W / 28.1030709°N 82.5039843°W / 28.1030709; -82.5039843Coordinates: 28°06′11″N 82°30′14″W / 28.1030709°N 82.5039843°W / 28.1030709; -82.5039843
Information
Type Public high school
Established 1984
School district Hillsborough County Public Schools
Principal Thomas Morrill
Assistant principals Donna Cason (Curriculum), Rory Beauford (Administration), Matthew Smith, Taryn Anello, Greg Lewandowski (Student Affairs)
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2,350
Color(s) Silver, White, and Blue               
Mascot Cowboys
Rival Steinbrenner High School
Newspaper The Pony Express
Yearbook Silver Star
Information (813) 975-7340
Website Gaither High School

Gaither High School is a public high school located in the Northdale area of Hillsborough County, Florida. It opened in 1984 and is located on 16200 North Dale Mabry Highway. Bloomingdale High School, located in Valrico, Florida, was built around the same time and has the same architectural design.

The school serves the communities of Northdale, Carrollwood Village, Lake Magdalene and other parts of northern Hillsborough County.

Gaither High School is named for the late Hillsborough High School administrator, Principal Vivian Gaither. He served over 40 years in the Hillsborough County School System.

History and traditions

When Gaither first opened up its doors in 1984-85, Seniors were not in attendance, and the school served only 9th-11th graders (Gaither did not have a class of 1985). In the 1985-86 year, (class of 1989) Gaither kept its doors open to 9th graders. The following year in 1986-87, Gaither ceased to include 9th graders and began to only house the 10th-12th grades until 1997 when Gaither reinstated a four-year program. Gaither‘s graduating class of 1988 was the very first group of students that included all four years. Graduating class of 1989 would be the second.

On January 31, 2009, Gaither High School hosted the 7th annual Snoop Bowl, a youth football game, under the direction of James Bothwell, which puts a youth team coached by Snoop Dogg up against a youth team coached by an NFL player. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott was selected to coach the 2009 team made up of all-star little leaguers from the Tampa Bay area. Snoop Dogg improved his record in Snoop Bowl games to 6-1 by defeating the Alsott led "Gators" 22-6 in front of a record 3,000 spectators at Death Vally Stadium, now called James Bothwell Stadium.[1]

The school's most historical rival is Chamberlain High School, however Sickles High School became a prominent rival school for the Cowboys when it opened in 2001. Contemporarily, the school's most modern and primary rival is Steinbrenner High School, established in 2009. Students from Ben Hill and Buchanan Middle School make up the majority of the population of Gaither students, however there are also many students from Martinez, Adams, and Walker Middle Schools.

Each year, the school hosts a Special Olympics and a Multicultual Assembly. The school's Homecoming is called Starlight.

Arts

Gaither High School offers many courses in performing and fine arts. Such courses include: Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Guitar, Keyboarding, Theatre/Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre/Stagecraft, TV Production, and many other visual arts such as but not limited to Drawing and Ceramics.

Gaither Chorus

The Gaither High School Choral Department features a Men's Ensemble, Women's Chorus, Concert Chorus (an upper level mixed choir), and Showcase (show choir/vocal ensemble). Under the direction of Mrs. Debbie Cleveland, a barbershop quartet singer from the championed world renown barbershop quartet The Buzz, the Gaither Chorus Department performs concerts and performs at various venues throughout the year. Barbershop Quartet singing is also popular and is often showcased throughout the year as well. The school's annual pop show Spectrum, is held in the spring and is performed by Concert Chorus, Men's Ensemble, and Showcase.

Athletics

Gaither High School offers a variety of seasonal sports for student participation. Such sports include:

  • Football
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross Country
  • Golf
  • Swimming
  • Volleyball
  • Basketball
  • Soccer
  • Wrestling
  • Baseball
  • Softball
  • Flag Football
  • Tennis
  • Track

Clubs/Extracurriculars

The school offers many clubs and extracurricular activities for its students. Types of clubs include: Co-Curricular Clubs, Interest Clubs, Honor Clubs/ Societies, Student Government/ Senate, and other organizations. For more information and list of clubs offered see http://gaither.mysdhc.org/clubs

Alma Mater

"On our city's northern border,

Reaching toward the sky,

Proudly stands our Alma Mater,

Gaither Senior High, Let our voices come together,

Hear the trumpets sound, And Forever will the Cowboys, Always stand as One,

With the Sliver, White, and Blue of

Gaither Senior High. "

— Words by Class of 1985 Student Senate, Music by Jerry Skorra

Notable Alumni


References

  1. ↑ Boundary Map
  2. ↑ Barancik, Scott (2001-06-22). "FBI agents raid Bilzerian home". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2012-11-08. 
  3. ↑ Abrahamian, Atossa (2012-02-12). "Special Report: Passports ... for a price". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-11-08. 

External links

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