Cocoa High School

Coordinates: 28°22′57.28″N 80°46′7.97″W / 28.3825778°N 80.7688806°W / 28.3825778; -80.7688806

Cocoa High School is located in Cocoa, Florida and is part of the Brevard Public Schools District. 1272 students attend.^[1] There are 78 faculty members, giving a student/teacher ratio of 17.8.^[2] The principal is Stephanie Soliven.^[3]

History

In the eighteen hundreds the State of Florida consisted of only two Counties with "Mosquito" County the largest which included territory from what is now known as St. Johns, Volusia; Brevard; Indian river; St. Lucie; Palm Bach; Okeechobee; Orange; Osceola; Lake Counties. The School System had twenty-one "one room" school houses with one teacher. School Started in October/November and ended in April/May. The schools were: LaGrange; Titusville High; Titusville Colored; City Point; Shiverville; Rockledge; Eau Gallie; Merritt Island:Sanders; Merritt Island:Sams; Merritt Island:Martin; Melbourne; Ten Mile Creek {St. Lucie};Lake View {Osceola}; Willis {Osceola}; Crab Grass { Osceola}; Bassville {Lake}; Taylor {Okeechobee}; Ft. Drum {Okeechobee}; Drum Creek {Okeechobee}.

There has been some controversy as to when the "first" proud graduates received their diplomas? There have been a variety of explanations for 1917 being the founding year including the addition of four grades. The 1917 year may have been chosen because of three major events occurred. First the construction of a new reinforced concrete building on Forrest Avenue, second the Cocao tribune started publication, and third the completion of the bridge from Cocoa to Merritt Island.

The answer may be found at the old Federal Building 435 Brevard Avenue, now Headquarters of the Florida Historical Society and the official home of Mosquito Beaters Central. A copy of the 1914 School Year book the Cocoa Nut. The Senior Class shows only three students: Everett Devol, editor of the Year Book, Dixie Singleton, Class President; and Arlene Hendry, class secretary/treasure. Small as it was it appears there was a graduating class in 1914. The school only went to eighth grade.

Cocoa School {1906-1917} first building was a single story building with a Basement located on Willard Street next to the Post Office. The school housed grades 1-8 with only one teacher to teach all grades. The school was at that location for 11 years. A new two story building was constructed on Forrest Avenue down the street from the original location on Willard Street next to Forrest Park Complex and the name was changed to Cocoa High School. It housed grades 7-12. The original location became the Elementary School. After 7 years {1925} a new three story building was built on Forrest Avenue.

In September 2, 1952, Cocoa High School officially opened its new school building for grades 7-12 on Rockledge Avenue {present site of Rockledge High} and the Building on Forrest Avenue became the Junior High for grades 7-8th grades. In 1959 Clearlake Junior High was built on Clearlake Road for grades 7-9th grades. The Forrest avenue Building was used by Brevard Jr. College {founded in 1959} for two years.

In 1966 the school hired its "first" Black Staff Member Dr. Joe Lee Smith as Assistant Principal.

In 1970 {present site} a new school was built on Rosetine Street {Tiger Trail} with 18 separate buildings housing grades 9-12th grades. That part of Rosetine Street bordering the Cocoa High campus, was renamed "Tiger Trail" in honor of the school's mascot. Renaming streets after bordering high school's mascots is traditional in Brevard County.

In the 1974-75 School Year the School Board appointed its "first" Female to a High School Principalship: Ruth Anderson to Cocoa High. In the 1978-79 School Year the School Board appointed its "first" Black to a Principalship: Richard "Dick" Blake to Cocoa High.

In 2010, the football team played three out-of-state games in an effort to be nationally ranked.^[4] In September 2010, the school was ranked 12th in the nation.^[5] It also set a county record for number of consecutive football victories, 31.^[6]

Campus

The school campus contains 18 single-story buildings located on Tiger Trail, in Cocoa, Florida. ^{[7] [8]} A 1,000 seat auditorium was built in 2010.^[9]

Sports

Cocoa High was the "first" High School in the County to win an FHSAA State Championship in any Sport winning the Class "A" State Boys Basketball Championship in 1960. Jim Jenkins was the Head Coach and the team finished #1 in the State and had a 29-1 record. The school was also the County's "first" High School to win a Girl's FHSAA State Championship in any Sport winning the Class "AAA" Girls State Basketball Championship in 1978. The Coach was Rebecca "Rebbi" Benoit. Coach James Rowe's 2009 Boys Basketball Team won the school's second Basketball Championship winning the Class "AAA" Championship in 2009.

Coach John Wilkinson's 2008 "Tiger" Football Team won the Class "AAA" Championship. They repeated as Class "AA" State Champions in 2009 and again in 2010. They were the County's "first" Football Team to win three Championships in a row and in 2016 won a fourth Championship by winning the Class "AA" Championship. No other County school has won four State Championships in Football.

Bobby Barnes {1951} was the County and School's "first" High School All-American in Baseball. Bob Anderson {1956} was the County and School's "first" High School All-American in Football. Apryl Bigham was the County and School's "first" female to make All-American in any Sport {Swimming}.

Activities

The school offers students the following activities:

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) problems

At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Brevard Public School District conducted an internal investigation of Cocoa High which resulted in the removal of four of the school's principals. The administration at the school inaccurately reported its FCAT information. The District found that the school's principal, and three assistant principals, were involved in the scandal. All four administrators were removed from their positions.^[10]

In 2007, the school scored a "D" based on the standardized testing for the year, the lowest score in the district.^[11] This was raised to an "A", using different criteria in 2010, after state officials decided the old standards were too high. It is one of five high schools in Brevard to have this grade.^[12]

Notable alumni

• Emory L. Bennett (Class of 1948), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient.^[13]
• Michael C. Blake, first African American mayor of Cocoa and first African American President of the Space Coast League of Cities.^[14]
• James Folston (Class of 1989), professional American football player.^[15]
• Ronald Patrick (Class of 2009), professional American football player.
• Jesse Lee Kercheval (Class of 1974, graduated 1973), author, poet, and professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.^[16]
• Scott Thompson alias Carrot Top (Class of 1983), comedian.^[17]
• Vassar Carlton {1932} 18 varsity letters for football, basketball, baseball; U-Fla. letterman in football, baseball. Retired as Chief Justice Florida Supreme Court.
• Bob Anderson {1956} All-State football, basketball, baseball, track; school, county first All-American in football. Two-time All-American at West Point; Heisman Trophy finalist twice. Professional football New York Giants.^[18]
• Bobby Barnes {1953} Standout in football, basketball, baseball, All-State each sport. Two-time first team All SEC and First Team All-American in baseball at two different positions: outfielder and catcher. Chosen as 100 greatest athletes at U-Florida.

Footnotes