Marianna High School

Marianna High School
Address
3546 Caverns Road
Marianna, Florida 32446
United States
Information
School type public high school
Founded 1927
School board Jackson County School Board
Superintendent Steve R. Benton
Principal Hunter Nolan
Staff 46[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 771 (2015-2016)[1]
Language English
Campus Rural
Color(s) Purple and Gold         
Mascot Bulldogs
Website Marianna High School Online

Marianna High School is a public high school in Marianna, Florida. It enrolls 771 students in grades 9–12, and is the largest of five high schools in the Jackson County School Board. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The school's mission statement is:

Marianna High School, in partnership with parents and community, will prepare its students to achieve learning, thinking, and life skills necessary to become successful, respectful and productive citizens in today's diverse society through challenging and equitable learning experiences.[2]

Marianna High School offers technical and academic courses, dual enrollment, early admission to Chipola College, and in 2007 became the only school in the district to offer Advanced Placement.

History

Marianna High School was built in 1926.[3]

In 1939, about 500 students walked out of their classes in protest after the school board failed to reappoint their principal, E.T. Denmark. The students marched along city streets carrying placards and refused to return to class until their principal was reappointed.[4]

Fire destroyed the school's industrial arts building in 1970. No one was injured, and faulty wiring was blamed.[5]

The school gained media attention in 1972 after 5 black students were expelled following a fight. This led to a protest march on the state capital, and brought focus to racial tensions at the school.[6]

In 1987, a student was stabbed to death during a fight with a classmate, and the following year a student was found in possession of a handgun and crack cocaine. As a result, principals in all Jackson County high schools were provided with metal detectors.[7]

Construction of a new Marianna High School began in 2001, and was completed in June 2005. The following month, prior to opening to students, the new school—equipped with standby generators and designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane—sheltered evacuees fleeing Hurricane Dennis.[3] The new school building was 177,000 square feet (16,400 m2), occupied 62 acres (25 ha), and cost $21 million.[3]

On October 20, 2016, an anonymous student vandalized the school's Wikipedia page. They changed the Motto to "KMS because MHS", referencing suicide to when they attend the school. The student did this as a silent protest against Marianna High School and Jackson County School Board. Once discovered by other students, others began vandalizing the page as a joke, losing the original purpose of the hijacking. The anonymous student's reasons for the vandalism is mostly influenced by the district's dress code. Students spend too much time worrying about staying in dress code than focusing on schoolwork, and some students miss full days of school as they do not have clean uniforms. This is ironic as the school board created the policy to move focus from clothing to school studies, not vice versa.

Extracurricular activities

Original Marianna High School, c. 1930

Sports teams

Notable alumni

Graduation

Marianna High School has a graduation rate of 90 percent.

Most graduates who wish to continue their education attend Chipola College, a community college primarily offering associate programs, and a handful of bachelors programs. Marianna High School also has students who have gone on to attend the University of Florida, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, Emory University, Auburn University, University of Alabama, Huntingdon College, Flagler College, University of West Florida, and many other accredited colleges and universities in the United States.

References

Coordinates: 30°46′56″N 85°14′13″W / 30.7821371°N 85.2368738°W / 30.7821371; -85.2368738

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.