Gadsden County High School

Last updated
Gadsden County High School
Gadsden County High School sign.jpg
entrance
Location
Gadsden County High School
27001 Blue Star Highway
Havana, Florida

United States
Coordinates 30°33′13″N84°29′28″W / 30.5537°N 84.4912°W / 30.5537; -84.4912
Information
Type Public
Motto"Go Jaguars"!
Established2003
School district Gadsden County Schools
NCES School ID 120060004082 [1]
PrincipalChelsea Franklin [2]
Faculty56 (on FTE basis) [1]
Grades 9 to 12
Enrollment977 [3]  (2017-18)
Student to teacher ratio22.72 [1]
Color(s)     
North Carolina blue, Navy Blue, Maroon, Black and Silver
MascotJaguar
Nickname GC
Website www.eghs.gcps.k12.fl.us

Gadsden County High School, known as East Gadsden High School (EGHS) until 2016, was a public high school in unincorporated Gadsden County, Florida, operated by Gadsden County School District. It is between Havana and Quincy, [4] and it has a "Havana, Florida" postal address. Starting in fall 2017 it is the zoned high school of all of Gadsden County. It closed in 2018 and was succeeded by Gadsden County High School with a student body 70 percent African American and about 25 percent Hispanic. [5]

Contents

As of 2019 it has approximately 961 students. [6] The school colors are: North Carolina blue, navy blue, maroon, black, and silver. The school mascot is the Jaguar. [7]

History

School building Gadsden County High School building.jpg
School building

It was formed from the combination of Havana Northside High School in Havana and James A. Shanks High School in Quincy. [6] Both schools were formerly athletic rivals and represented their respective towns. Gerald Ensley of the Tallahassee Democrat wrote that "It is also a symbolic merger of [the two communities], which is eliciting concern as well as optimism." [8] Upon its opening it was to serve Midway in addition to Quincy and Havana. [9]

A committee of 26 students nominated proposals for various details, including the school's official mascot, emblem, colors, and flower, as well as the contents of the student handbook, that were voted upon by students at two middle schools and the two high schools that merged into East Gadsden High. A Florida Department of Education program for rural schools funded the construction, which began in March 2002. [8] The total cost was $29.6 million. Ajax Building Corporation built the school. [9]

The school was established on July 30, 2003, [6] and opened on August 11 of that year, with at least 130 employees and 1,200 students. The mascot of East Gadsden High was the jaguar, the flower was the Rosa'American Beauty' rose, and a lighted torch was the school emblem. There were three school colors: Carolina blue, silver, and light. The motto was "Lighting the path to excellence." [8] The opening ceremony featured Al Lawson, a member of the Florida Senate from Tallahassee. [9]

Immediately after the school's opening the administration made efforts to improve FCAT scores, including partnerships among teachers of separate subject areas and intensive mathematics classes; its two predecessor schools had previously scored poorly on the FCAT. [10]

Joey Striplin, previously the head American football coach at West Gadsden High School, became the head coach at East Gadsden High in January 2017. [11]

As of March 2017 East Gadsden High was 54% occupied. [12] On Tuesday April 4, 2017 the school board was scheduled to vote on whether East Gadsden High and the high school portion of West Gadsden High should consolidate into a single high school. [13] The board voted 3-2 to consolidate. [14]

Prior to the 2017 consolidation, the school colors of East Gadsden were just North Carolina blue and silver. [6] As part of the consolidation process, the colors from the former West Gadsden High School were added. The school mascot remained as the Jaguar. The previous principal of East Gadsden, Sonya Jackson, became the principal of West Gadsden Middle School. The former principal of West Gadsden High, Juliette Jackson, became the principal of the consolidated Gadsden County High. [7]

Campus

The campus is 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Havana and 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Quincy, [8] along U.S. Highway 90. One Tallahassee Democrat article stated the complex was on a 75-acre (30 ha) plot of land, [4] and another stated it was 100 acres (40 ha). Its capacity is for 1,200 students. [9]

The complex houses eight academic buildings, all blue-trimmed and in brick. [9] It also has a gymnasium with a 2,500 seats for spectators, and a 2-acre (0.81 ha) grassed area. The academic complex has a hallway the length of a football field. The gymnasium houses a dance studio, a wrestling room, a weight room, and a treatment clinic. Food is served in a combined cafeteria and performance stage; there are five serving lines. [8] The ROTC complex includes a firing range. There is also a television studio. [4]

Athletics

Brian Miller of the Tallahassee Democrat stated that the 2000s high school mergers damaged the school athletic spirit in the county as the former school identities were discarded. A school football coach quoted in a Tallahassee Democrat article, Abdual Howard, stated that at East Gadsden the school colors and sports regalia had a lack of history and needed time to get more spirit behind them. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gadsden County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826. Its county seat is Quincy. Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is the only majority African-American county in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattahoochee, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Its history dates to the Spanish era. The population was 3,652 as of the 2010 census, up from 3,287 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Chattahoochee sits on the banks of the Apalachicola River, and is separated by the Apalachicola and Victory bridges from neighboring Sneads, Florida, which is in Jackson County. Chattahoochee has its own police force with over ten sworn officers and a police chief. Chattahoochee is a name derived from the Creek language meaning "marked rocks".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensboro, Florida</span> Town in the state of Florida, United States

Greensboro is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 602 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gretna, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Gretna is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population is majority African American and was 1,460 as of the 2010 census, down from 1,709 at the 2000 census. It is on U.S. 90 approximately 8 miles (13 km) south of the Florida-Georgia border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana, Florida</span> Town in the state of Florida, United States

Havana is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Tallahassee. The population was 1,754 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after Havana, Cuba, located about 530 miles (850 km) to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midway, Gadsden County, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Midway is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,004 at the 2010 census, up from 1,446 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, the population of Midway is more than 85 percent African American.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quincy, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Quincy is a city in and the county seat of Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,970 as of the 2020 census. Quincy is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallahassee Community College</span> Public community college in Tallahassee, Florida, United States

Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 12</span> Highway in Florida

State Road 12 (SR 12) is an east–west route in the Florida Panhandle, running from SR 20 in Bristol to U.S. Route 27 (US 27) in Havana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pleasant, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, U.S.

Mount Pleasant is an unincorporated community in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. It is located near the intersection of Veterans' Memorial Highway and Mt. Pleasant Road. Mt. Pleasant borders the city of Gretna and the St. John/Robertsville community. It also borders the city of Chattahoochee.

Lincoln High School, also known as Lincoln Academy, was a high school for African Americans in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is commonly referred to as "Historic Lincoln High School" or "Old Lincoln". There is no connection with Leon County's current Lincoln High School other than name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Shanks High School</span>

James A. Shanks High School (JASHS) was a senior high school in Quincy, Florida. It was a part of the Gadsden County School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana Northside High School</span> United States historic place

Havana Northside High School was a senior high school in Havana, Florida, and a part of the Gadsden County School District. The school mascot was the gladiator and the school colors were brown and gold. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Wetumpka is an unincorporated community in Gadsden County, in the U.S. state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gadsden County School District</span>

Gadsden County School District (GCPS), or Gadsden County Schools (GCS), or Gadsden County Public Schools (GCPS), is a school district headquartered in the Max D. Walker School Administration Building in Quincy, Florida. It serves Gadsden County as its sole school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Gadsden High School</span> Defunct school in Florida, United States

West Gadsden High School was a public secondary school in unincorporated Gadsden County, Florida, operated by Gadsden County School District. It is adjacent to the city of Greensboro, and served grades 5–12. Its building now houses West Gadsden Middle School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattahoochee High School (Florida)</span> Defunct high school in Florida, United States

Chattahoochee High School (CHS) was a public middle and high school in Chattahoochee, Florida. It was a part of the Gadsden County Public Schools. In its final years it was also known as Chattahoochee High Magnet School (CHMS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallavana Christian School</span> School

Tallavana Christian School (TCS) is a private K–12 school Christian school in unincorporated Gadsden County, Florida, near Havana, that was founded as a segregation academy. It is a ministry of the Tallavana Church, and it is in proximity to Quincy and Tallahassee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensboro High School</span> Defunct high school in Florida, United States

Greensboro High School was a public high school in Greensboro, Florida. It was a part of Gadsden County Public Schools. West Gadsden High School, established in 2004, absorbed students who formerly attended Chattahoochee High School and Greensboro High School. The former Greensboro High campus was used for several years as the site of West Gadsden High; it now houses Greensboro Elementary School.

Kathy L. Garner is a judge for Gadsden County, Florida, and is the county's first black female judge. She has been noted for her work with juvenile cases in the county, and has been credited with helping reduce the number of juvenile arrests and re-offenders.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Search for Public Schools - East Gasdsden High School (120060004082)". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Alumna changing lives at Gadsden County High". The FAMUAN. 27 October 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ "GADSDEN COUNTY HIGH". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Brian (2015-08-19). "Reviving football history in Gadsden County". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  5. ↑ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/florida/districts/gadsen-district-school-district/gadsden-county-high-school-5023
  6. 1 2 3 4 "About the School." East Gadsden High School. Retrieved on April 5, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Jiwanmall, Stephen (2017-05-30). "Gadsden County School Board Approves High School Details". WTXL . Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Ensley, Gerald. Tallahassee Democrat . "NEW SCHOOL IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN: EAST GADSDEN HIGH TO DEBUT NEXT MONTH." July 24, 2003: p. A1. Retrieved on August 15, 2017. ProQuest document ID 1002686756.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Aetna. "'THEY'RE ALL JAGUARS' NOW: RIVAL SCHOOLS SHANKS, NORTHSIDE COMBINE." Tallahassee Democrat . September 15, 2003. p. B1. ProQuest document ID 1002667386.
  10. ↑ "New High School Has High Hopes for FCAT". WCTC. 2004-01-26. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  11. ↑ Miller, Brian (2017-01-30). "Striplin goes from West Gadsden to East, schools likely to consolidate". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  12. ↑ "SCHOOL MERGERS NOT POPULAR AT WEST GADSDEN". Havana Herald. 2017-03-03. Archived from the original on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  13. ↑ Dailey, Ryan (2017-04-03). "Gadsden school board to vote on district shake-up". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  14. ↑ Jiwanmall, Stephen (2017-04-04). "Gadsden County Schools to Consolidate in 2017-18". WTXL . Retrieved 2017-04-06.
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