Melbourne High School (Melbourne, Florida)

Last updated

Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School (Florida).jpg
Location
Melbourne High School (Melbourne, Florida)
74 Bulldog Boulevard

,
32901

United States
Coordinates 28°05′24″N80°37′14″W / 28.0900157°N 80.6206091°W / 28.0900157; -80.6206091
Information
Other namesMel-Hi, Mel-High, MHS, Melbourne Senior High School
School typePublic secondary High School
Established1894
School district Brevard Public Schools
PrincipalJames C. Kirk, Ed.D.
Staff97.50 (FTE) [1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,226 (2024–25)
Student to teacher ratio23.07 [1]
Campus size40 Acres
Color(s)Green and white   
MascotBulldog
YearbookStepping Stone
Website www.brevardschools.org/MelbourneHS
Last updated: August 21, 2025

Melbourne High School,Mel-Hi, Mel-Hi, or MHS is a public secondary school located in Melbourne, Florida, United States and operated by Brevard Public Schools.

Contents

History

Old Melbourne High School, early 2000s Old Melbourne High School (Florida) front 001 crop.jpg
Old Melbourne High School, early 2000s

The first mention of a "Melbourne High School" was back in 1894. This school was a one-room schoolhouse similar to the Little Red Schoolhouse and Professor Winters from Stetson University served as the teacher and admitted students to the Stetson University.

By 1897, William T. Wells and Nora Wells constructed a larger school building and kept Professor Winters as the teacher. This building was also shared with the First Methodist Church of Melbourne.

An official school building was constructed on East New Haven Avenue in 1919, though it was shared with elementary children. An official high school (grades 7-12) was constructed east of the 1919 building and became Melbourne High School. By 1928, two other buildings were constructed on the eight acre property to create the Melbourne School Complex. By 1940, extra one-room buildings were constructed on the site to accommodate more students.

In 1948, Eau Gallie High School on Pineapple Avenue closed. Their former students were bused to Melbourne High. [2] Rotary International chartered their first Interact service club ever with 23 students at the school in 1960. [3]

In about 1953, Zora Neale Hurston staged the school's first integrated concert, though the school had not yet been integrated itself. [4] She also served as a substitute teacher around this time. The school experienced race riots during the period of integration from 1969 to 1976. [5]

In 1953, a new school complex was being constructed off Babcock Street. At the time, the area was pretty undeveloped and places such as the airport were the only other items in that area. The school relocated and started classes on the new campus in 1956. Subsequent additions such as a larger library (1963), larger cafeteria (1966), Home Economics Building (1966), and an automotive garage (1966) allowed the school to handle Melbourne and West Melbourne's growing student populations. The Melbourne School Complex continue to house Melbourne Elementary (closed in 1975) and Brevard Junior College. [6]

In 1976, Melbourne High School constructed their own Liberty Bell to celebrate the country's bicentennial anniversary. The bell was constructed out of concrete and had a base with the Four Freedoms (Freedom from Want, Fear, and Freedom of Speech and Worship). The campus had various murals and other landmarks such as a fountain, Victory Bell, and The 'Bulldog Tower'. [6]

In the early 1980s, the two 1928 additions to the Melbourne School Complex were demolished to make room for Trinity Towers South. The school's International Baccalaureate Prep program started in 1981. [7] Phil Roberts painted murals in the Melbourne High Cafeteria in the early 1980s as a school wide beautification effort began. [6]

By the early 1990s, the Mid-Century Modern campus began to deteriorate. Palm Bay High School was also facing issues, however there was only enough money within Brevard Public Schools to fix one of the campuses. The end argument was that it would be best for both schools for the money to be split between the two, Palm Bay High gets renovations, while Melbourne High gets a partial campus restructure. In 1994, all of the multipurpose classroom buildings (which were two story rectangular buildings with outdoor hallways) and the automotive garage were demolished in phases and replaced with 50 portables. [6]

On December 10, 1997, the new Melbourne High Campus was completed and dedicated. The school built three new classroom buildings, while kept other buildings such as the auditorium, gym, and library (though money was invested into them a few years later). Another 25-room classroom building was constructed in 2000 while a new gym was built in 2008 and a new science building in 2009. [6]

In 2009 Melbourne High School became a magnet school which includes an Academy of Business and Finance. This is a National Academy Foundation program. [8] In 2015, the Melbourne High Cafeteria was renovated, which nearly resulted in the loss of two of Phil Roberts murals. The murals were carefully removed and relocated in the Cafeteria by Hamilton Masonry. [9]

Academics

The school has an Academy of Business and Finance ("The Academy"), International Baccalaureate program, Advanced Placement program and dual enrollment. [10]

Athletics

The school's mascot is the bulldog. The school's rivals are Satellite High School, Eau Gallie High School, and Palm Bay High School. [11] [12]

Recognition

Campus

The current Melbourne High Campus was completed in 1997. The campus is a mix of Mid-Century Modern buildings and newer classroom buildings. The school takes up 40 acres in Midtown Melbourne, which is home to the Melbourne Shopping Center, Melbourne Orlando International Airport, and once the Brevard Mall and Sears. [6] In 2008, the school installed an artificial turf football field [22] and a new gym. [23] In 2008, the school board started construction on a new eight laboratory science building, which was completed in early 2009. [24]

Notable people

Alumni

Staff

References

  1. 1 2 "MELBOURNE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. EG Trail accessed February 28, 2008
  3. "WHAT IS INTERACT?". Rotary International. January 21, 2002. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
  4. Brotemarkle, Ben (February 4, 2014). "Zora Neale Hurston fond of writing in Eau Gallie cottage". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 9A. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  5. Florida Today obit on former superintendent accessed December 6, 2007 [ dead link ]
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Melbourne High School Archives
  7. "Message missing (possible session timeout)". Edline. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  8. "Success Stories". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  9. Glenn, Caroline. "Iconic Melbourne High mural saved from demolition". Florida Today. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  10. "Message missing (possible session timeout)". Edline. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  11. Gordon, Cheryl (October 14, 1986). "High School Coaches Have Mixed Reaction to New District Alignments". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida: Tribune Company. pp. D6. 'Crosstown rivals will remain crosstown rivals no matter what class or district you're in,' Melbourne Coach Tom McIntyre said. 'We'll still play Palm Bay...
  12. Zizzo, Mike (August 29, 1991). "Melbourne High Pitcher Transfers to Rival Eau Gallie". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida: Tribune Company. pp. F1.
  13. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. Cherry, Mike (February 13, 2009). "Melbourne girls' take state soccer title". Florida Today.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. Guthrie, Jarrett (21 February 2010). "Historic run". Florida Today. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015.
  17. Dowling, Lyn (February 10, 2013). "Penalty kicks cap off gritty comeback effort". Florida Today . Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1C.
  18. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. Cherry, Mike (March 26, 2009). "Zimmerman the man in the middle". Florida Today. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2009. the Class 6A state champion Bulldogs
  20. FHSAA Cross Country 4A 2007 State Meet Results Archived 2008-02-07 at the Wayback Machine accessed September 17, 2008
  21. FHSAA Cross Country 4A 2007 State Meet Results Archived 2008-10-23 at the Wayback Machine accessed September 17, 2008
  22. "Florida Today".
  23. Downs, Megan (March 23, 2009). "Melbourne High to honor McIntyre". Florida Today . Retrieved April 1, 2009.[ dead link ]
  24. "Melbourne High School: Comprehensive Additions and Renovations" (PDF). Brevard Public Schools. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
  25. Coconut, Commander (May 8, 2001). "Tuesday Column". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved April 13, 2009. Jorja Fox who plays Sara, went to Indialantic's Hoover Junior High and then Melbourne High School
  26. Biscardi, Sharon (January 19, 2003). "Celebrities meet in Brevard town". Florida Today . p. 1. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
  27. Sangalang, Jennifer (February 26, 2017). "No Oscar for Mel High grad Allison Schroeder". Florida Today . Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  28. Ruggieri, Melissa (March 9, 2007). "His life sounds just like a song: Nostalgia big part of Thompson's 'Just a Blur in the Rearview'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
  29. "Parrotheads and Palm Trees: 2009 State of the Chamber" (PDF). Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009. A Melbourne native and Melbourne High School graduate, Robbin Thompson[ dead link ]
  30. Stepping Stone, 1963
  31. "Inglewood Astronaut to Make 2 Spacewalks". NBC. December 17, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.