George S. Middleton High School

Middleton High School is a public high school in Tampa, Florida named in honor of George S. Middleton, an African American businessman and civic leader who moved to Tampa from South Carolina in the late 19th century. Middleton was established for black students in 1934 during the segregation era. The current facility opened in 2002 on North 22nd Street in East Tampa.

Middleton's mascot is the Tiger. Its rival school in Hillsborough County is Howard W. Blake High School.

A historical marker recounts the school's history.^[1] It was an all-black school for nearly 40 years and remains predominantly black along with its surrounding neighborhood.

In 2002 it reopened with community support.

In 2008, a report recounted the school's struggles to improve academic achievement.^[2]

History

Middleton High School was the first high school for African Americans in Hillsborough County when it opened in 1934 on 24th and Chelsea Streets in East Tampa. Booker T. Washington School in Tampa had previously accommodated junior and senior high students.

A 1940 fire destroyed the school and it was rebuilt through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). There was a second fire in 1968.^[1]

Middleton closed in 1971 as a result of desegregation, becoming Middleton Junior High School and renamed A.J. Ferrell Middle School of Technology in 1993.

The high school reopened in a new location in 2002 with the support of alumni.^[2]

Graduation rate

In 2012 Middleton's graduation rate was 59% as compared to a statewide rate of 74.5% and a Hillsborough County rate of 72.6%.^[3]

Florida Department of Education grade

• 2013 - C^[3]
• 2012 - B^[3]
• 2011 - D^[3]
• 2010 - C^[3]
• 2009 - D^[3]
• 2008 - D^[3]

Magnet programs

The magnet school programs at Middleton High School are designed to help students enter career paths in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The objective is to give students a balanced and rigorous curriculum leading directly to industry, technical school, or university training. Students take science, mathematics, and technical classes leading to college credit through Advanced Placement, dual-enrollment, and/or articulated agreements. Middleton graduates have computer experience and take elective classes in fine art, performing arts, business, and journalism, in addition to participating in clubs and organizations.^[4]

Magnet students at Middleton choose one magnet program for their major, but are encouraged to explore classes in other magnet programs that may be of interest to them. Magnet students may complete more than one magnet program, although they are only required to complete their major. Taking online classes with Florida Virtual School is recommended so that students can complete all their required and elective classes by graduation.^[4]

The school offers magnet programs in Urban Teaching, Biomedicine, Computer Systems Technology, Computer Game Design, and Engineering. Both biomedicine and engineering are Project Lead the Way programs.^[4]

Engineering

The engineering program is based on the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) model, a nationally recognized high school pre-engineering curriculum.^[5]

PLTW courses in this curriculum include:

• Introduction to Engineering (Honors)
• Principles of Engineering (Honors)
• Digital Electronics (Honors)
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing (Honors)
• Civil Engineering/Architecture (Honors)
• Aerospace Engineering (Honors)
• BioTechnical Engineering (Honors)
• Engineering Design & Development (Senior capstone project; Honors)

After completing Middleton’s Engineering Magnet Pathway, students are well-prepared for the rigors of engineering courses at the university level.

Middleton is a certified PLTW high school, which means students can earn college credit for their engineering classes at PLTW engineering universities, such as Purdue and Duke.

Academy of Computer Game Design

The Academy of Computer Game Design prepares students for video game design and animation. Students practice skills in programming, graphic design, management, and 3D modeling. Creating games includes the building and management of complex databases.

Students receive hands-on experience in planning and building their own original games. Games can be designed to play on multiple platforms such as personal computer, cellphone, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360.

Students are educated with the foundational knowledge to pursue further training and a career in game design and animation. They may earn industry certifications, such as MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist), Adobe Certified Associate-Photoshop, Adobe Certified Associate-Flash, and Autodesk Certification (3D Studio Max or Maya). They learn complex technology skills that can be transferred to other careers, such as database development and management for business systems.^[6]

Computer Systems Engineering - Honors

The Cisco Networking Academy is a program that teaches students how to design, build, troubleshoot, and secure computers and computer networks for increased access to career and economic opportunities.

The Networking Academy provides online courses, interactive tools, and hands-on learning activities to help prepare students for careers in virtually every type of industry.

Students begin the program by studying the hardware and software of personal computers in preparation for the nationally recognized A+ Certification Exam. Hands-on labs and virtual desktop learning tools help students develop critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills. The Cisco CCNA curriculum provides an integrated and comprehensive coverage of networking topics, from fundamentals to advanced applications and services, while also providing opportunities for hands-on practical experience and soft-skills development. Students will be prepared for the CCNA and CCENT exams. Upon completion of the Cisco Academy curriculum, the student moves into the Security+ and Cyber Security class to finish the program.

This program allows students to develop the skills necessary to enter all fields of computer programming and computer engineering at the post-secondary level.^[6]

2013/2014 SkillsUSA State champions. 2013/2014 Future Business Leaders of America State and National Champions are presently in this class.

Biotechnology/Biomedical Sciences

Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts; work in biotechnology includes genetic engineering as well as cell culture and tissue culture technologies. Students in this magnet program take a total of eight courses, four courses in Biotechnology and four in the Biomedical Sciences PLTW Program:

• Biotechnology 1 - 9th Grade
• Genetics (Honors) - 10th Grade
• Microbiology (never offered in Florida high schools) (Honors) - 11th Grade
• Internship (at a research facility) - 12th grade^[7]

PTLW classes contain some science but the courses also involve marketing. In fact, science is emphasized only in a marketing perspective rather than a medical perspective.

Robotics

Middleton is home to FRC Team 1369 Minotaur, which won the 2003 Peach Tree Regional and the 2007 Palmetto Regional.

The school also has three FTC teams: 1369 Minotaur, 3846 Maelstrom, and 4997 Masquerade. All three compete against teams from all over the world in the FIRST Tech Challenge. Teams Minotaur and Masquerade won the Florida state championship at Embry-Riddle University on February 18, 2012. Masquerade was one of only three teams in the state of Florida and the only team in Hillsborough County to earn a spot in the world championship held in St. Louis, Missouri. After some mechanical difficulties, Masquerade was selected as first pick for what turned out to be the winning alliance, thus earning the title 'World Champion'.^[8]

For the 2012-2013 FTC season, team 3846 was renamed Maelstrom and won the Florida state championship by beating Middleton's team 4997 Masquerade in the finals. Maelstrom earned a bid to the world championships in St. Louis, placed as second seed after the qualifying rounds. They then won their division championship, but lost in the finals.

In the 2012-2013 school year, Middleton also created two teams for the VEX robotics competition, Team 6260 Minotaur and Team 6260B Theseus.

In the 2013-2014 FTC season, an alliance of teams 3846 Maelstrom and Team 4997 Masquerade were part of the alliance that won the FL state championships, earning them bids to the new 'super-regional' in Texas. Team 1369 Minotaur also won a bid to Texas. At the super-regional, all three teams won bids to the world championships to be held in St. Louis. Team 4997 Masqueradey was the alliance captain in the semi-finals and placed third at the FTC 2014 World Championship{{^[9]}}

Mu Alpha Theta

Middleton's Mu Alpha Theta team is one of the highest-ranked in the nation. In 2007, their team placed ninth in the FAMAT state convention, and seventh in the Mu Alpha Theta National Convention.

Rivalry

The school's rival high school is Howard W. Blake High School (Middleton and Blake were the two African-American high schools during segregation). The yearly football game, held at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, is highly anticipated.^[10]

As of 2010, the Blake vs. Middleton game was held at Blake High School; Blake won.

In 2013, the game was held at Middleton High School on October 10. Middleton won.

Ethnicity / demographics

^[11]

FCAT proficiency

During the 2009 school year, only 25% of students scored "proficient" on the reading section of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, while 53% passed Mathematics and 90% passed Writing. The average among the Hillsborough County School District (SDHC) is 61% for Reading, 68% for Mathematics, and 96% for Writing.

References