McArthur High School

Not to be confused with MacArthur High School (disambiguation).

McArthur High School
Address
6501 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood , Florida 33024 United States
Coordinates	26°00′38″N80°13′01″W / 26.01059°N 80.21697°W / 26.01059; -80.21697
Information
Type	Public
Established	1957
School district	Broward County Public Schools
Superintendent	Dr. Peter B. Licata
Principal	Mark Howard
Staff	78.53 (FTE) [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,050 (2022-2023) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	26.10 [1]
Campus type	Suburb
Color(s)	Green, White, and Orange
Website	Official website

Barack Obama at McArthur High School, 2012

McArthur High School is located in Hollywood, Florida. It serves students from both Hollywood and Pembroke Pines in grades 9 through 12. The school is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district.

History

Alfred Ryll (former Mayor of Hollywood—1954/'55—and now deceased ^[2] ) was McArthur's first principal, serving in that capacity into the 1960s. Mr. Todd J. Lapace was named the principal in 2010 until August 2019. Alfred Broomfield II was named as his successor to become the new principal of McArthur High School.

The school was founded in 1957 at its current location (on land donated by educator and dairy magnate, J.N. McArthur). That first year saw classes of 7th through 9th grades. Many classes in the early years were held in portable classrooms although construction of the gymnasium, auditorium, cafeteria, library, and administrative offices was soon begun. The existing student body as well as the new 7th Grade class entering in 1958 were served by those new facilities, although there were still several portable structures on campus.

Planning was already in progress for feeder schools (then called Junior High Schools, now known as Middle Schools), and in the Fall of 1959, the eventual Class of '64 left McArthur and attended Driftwood (students living north of Hollywood Boulevard) and Henry D. Perry (students living south of Hollywood Boulevard) Junior High Schools. In both cases, 8th Grade was in portable classrooms and 9th Grade was in new physical plants. Succeeding classes went directly to Driftwood and Perry.

1960 saw the first Senior Class graduating from McArthur and 1959/'60 saw the last 9th Grade class attending until the reorganization of the school structure. (need date) In the Fall of 1961, the last 7th Grade class to attend McArthur (and the classes following) returned to complete their Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years.

In 1967, McArthur played Ely in the season opener for both teams. This, along with another game in Broward County between Fort Lauderdale and Dillard the same night, was the first meeting between white and black teams. ^[3]

McArthur High has an FCAT school grade of "A" for the 2011–2012 academic year. ^[4]

The Boys Cross Country Team won the State Championship in 1964. The wrestling team won the 4A Florida High School State Championship in 1979 and the 3A State Championships in 1986, 88, and 89. The Girls Cross Country team won the 4A Florida High School State Championship in 1977,1978,1979 and 1980. The Girls Track and Field Team won the 4A Florida State Championship in 1978 and 1979.

In 2012 the school was the scene of a mass casualty response from state and local authorities, responding to a call of a mysterious rash. The local hazmat unit and firefighters evacuated 12 students and 2 teachers to a local hospital with police escorts. The Hollywood hazmat unit tested several objects from desks to door knobs but found no conclusive source of the rash. At the local hospital 30 staff members were ready to receive the students and decontamination showers were set up to process the students and teachers. The school board decided to open the school for students the next day and the rash was eventually identified as a prank using itching powder. ^[5]

In 2019, Alfred Broomfield II was hired as the school's new principal.

Demographics

As of the 2021-22 school year, the total student enrollment was 2,021. The ethnic makeup of the school was 51.8% White, 38.9% Black, 48.4% Hispanic, 4.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.4% Multiracial, and 1.4% Native American or Native Alaskan. ^[6]

Notable alumni

• Miriam Gonzalez - Playboy playmate^{[ citation needed ]}
• Erasmus James - NFL football player and first round draft pick^{[ citation needed ]}
• Oddibe McDowell - Major League Baseball player; one of 276 players to hit for the cycle ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Bryant McFadden - 2-time Super Bowl Champion, CBS Sports NFL/CFB Analyst^{[ citation needed ]}
• Damion McIntosh - NFL football player^{[ citation needed ]}
• Laura Purser-Rose - professional baseball player ^[7]
• Errict Rhett - NFL football player^{[ citation needed ]}
• Wayne Smith - Canadian Football League player

References

1. "MCARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
2. Ryll Obituary
3. Boetel, Ray (November 3, 1992). "Races Against Time Football`s Black And White A Pretty 25th Anniversary Picture". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
4. FCAT School Grades – High
5. Sentinel, Linda Trischitta, Sun. "Mysterious rash at McArthur High prompts mass casualty hazmat response". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
6. "2021-22 BENCHMARK DAY ENROLLMENT REPORT" (PDF). Broward County Public Schools. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
7. Patton, Robes (September 26, 1997). "Playing Professional Baseball--And In Fenway Park--Made For Quite A Summer For Hollywood's Laura Purser". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

External links

• Official website