Choctawhatchee Senior High School
Encyclopedia
Choctawhatchee Senior High School is a high school
in Fort Walton Beach
, Florida
. It is the only school in Okaloosa County to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
. It also offers the Advanced Placement Program
and honors classes; AFJROTC
, an aviation program, (offered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), and pre-engineering classes (offered by the University of West Florida). It's newest innovation is the Information Technology Institute housing the Academy of Web Design as well as the Academy of Digital Design. Choctaw has received Florida's highest rating of A+ for many years. The school mascot is the Big Green Indian and the school colors are kelly green and white.
, on September 22, 1952. It was filled over its capacity of 500 students, enrolling 625 students in grades 7 through 12. The local news held a contest to name the school, and thus Choctawhatchee, or "coming together," was picked. Later it was relocated to its current location in Fort Walton Beach, Florida
. Choctawhatchee is also the name of a major local river
and bay.
and percussion. The drumline at Choctaw has been best in the state of Florida, next to Chamberlain High School (with a score of 98 in 2006 and 97.5 in 2007), in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The winter percussion ensemble has placed in the top 12 at the WGI
World Championships since 1998. In 2004, they placed 12th, in 2005, 8th in 2006, 6th, and in 2007 &2008 they placed 4th in the Scholastic World Division. The Winter Color Guard has also been a finalist for many years at the WGI National Championships, including 2007, 2006, 2004, and 2003. The academic team won the Cox Cable's Gulf Coast Academic Tournament 2006. Both Smoke Signals (monthly newspaper) and WBGI (in-school television productions) receive local awards. The Smoke Signals paper also won a top award from the Florida Scholastic Press Association in 1998. The Tomahawk Yearbook has won numerous state and national awards.
, French
, Music
, Art
, and Science
Honor, as well as National Honor Society
, Beta Club
, Thespians, Mu Alpha Theta
, and Academic Team.
, Wheelettes, Interact, Optimiss, and Octagon.
, Wordsmiths, Minority
Council, Political Theory, Pie
Club, Book
Club, Bowling
Club, SOUL, Aviation Club, Anime
Club, Ultimate Frisbee Club, Fellowship of Jewish Athletes, Swing Dance Club, Movie Club, and the Technology Club.
, in fact it is opposite that, as accounted for by the former football coach and athletic director, Wyman Townsel. Ann Bowden, wife of Florida State University football coach, Bobby Bowden
, attended a Choctaw football game in the 1970s, saw the horse run, and told her husband that it would be a good idea for FSU.
In front of the school stands a totem pole, although originally there were three. It is a symbol of school pride and represents various aspects of student life. It has withstood hurricanes, attacks by rivals, and continues to serve as an emblem of the Choctaw High School family.
Also in front of the school are engraved bricks, purchased by students and then engraved so that they may forever be a part of the school.
The Alma Mater
was written during the school's first year by the band director, Jim Leonard. The tune is a World War I
song, "Long, Long Trail Awinding." In 1956, Bryan Lindsey came to Choctaw as choral director, and began writing words to "Big Green Indian." Lindsey collaborated with Leonard to compose the song. It became the school's fight song.
Choctaw is home to many school-spirited students, none more so than the Teepee Crew and the Warchiefs. The Teepee Crew consists of upperclassmen males who send smoke through the teepee, which is located just past the endzone, whenever the football team makes a touchdown. The Warchiefs is a group of highly motivated, spirited students who attend all of the football and basketball games and cheer along with the cheerleaders.
Choctaw is also home to the AFJROTC group FL-22. This is one of the oldest AFJROTC units in the state of Florida
. They participate in community events, like the service clubs. They have posted the colors at every single home game and at the homecoming
game they also provide a sabre team to arc for the homecoming
court.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Fort Walton Beach
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach was 19,992, and as of 2010, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach is 19,507 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It is the only school in Okaloosa County to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
. It also offers the Advanced Placement Program
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
and honors classes; AFJROTC
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
, an aviation program, (offered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), and pre-engineering classes (offered by the University of West Florida). It's newest innovation is the Information Technology Institute housing the Academy of Web Design as well as the Academy of Digital Design. Choctaw has received Florida's highest rating of A+ for many years. The school mascot is the Big Green Indian and the school colors are kelly green and white.
History
Choctawhatchee originally opened its doors in Shalimar, FloridaShalimar, Florida
Shalimar is a town in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 718 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 738...
, on September 22, 1952. It was filled over its capacity of 500 students, enrolling 625 students in grades 7 through 12. The local news held a contest to name the school, and thus Choctawhatchee, or "coming together," was picked. Later it was relocated to its current location in Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach was 19,992, and as of 2010, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach is 19,507 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. Choctawhatchee is also the name of a major local river
Choctawhatchee River
The Choctawhatchee River is a river in the southern United States, flowing through southeast Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida before emptying into Choctawhatchee Bay in Okaloosa and Walton counties...
and bay.
Extracurriculars
Choctawhatchee, or Choctaw for short, has a history of successful extracurricular activities. The cheerleaders were back-to-back National Champions for 2004–2005 and 2005–2006, as well as being Florida's 7-Time Defending State Champion. In 1990, the football team was the 5A State Champion. Several sports consistently do well in districts and beyond, including cross country, track and field, tennis, soccer and basketball, golf, weightlifting, and wrestling. The school's marching band, known as the Style Marchers, were back-to-back 5A Florida State Champions in 2004-2005, 2005–2006, and were runners-up for 2006-2007. The Stylemarchers came back on top for another back-to-back 5A Florida State Championship for 2007–2008, 2008-2009. The Choctawhatchee Style Marchers also marched at the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in N.Y. The choral and band departments annually send students to All-State and make superiors at their respective district festivals. Choctaw is especially known for its drumlineDrumline
A drumline is a section of percussion instruments usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. High school and college marching bands, drill and drum corps, drum and bugle corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands usually incorporate drumlines; however, drumlines can exist...
and percussion. The drumline at Choctaw has been best in the state of Florida, next to Chamberlain High School (with a score of 98 in 2006 and 97.5 in 2007), in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The winter percussion ensemble has placed in the top 12 at the WGI
Winter Guard International
Spawning from the organization Drum Corps International , Winter Guard International was founded in 1977. WGI is a visual performing arts organization that hosts regional and national competitions for color guard and indoor percussion ensembles. Contests are held in the U.S...
World Championships since 1998. In 2004, they placed 12th, in 2005, 8th in 2006, 6th, and in 2007 &2008 they placed 4th in the Scholastic World Division. The Winter Color Guard has also been a finalist for many years at the WGI National Championships, including 2007, 2006, 2004, and 2003. The academic team won the Cox Cable's Gulf Coast Academic Tournament 2006. Both Smoke Signals (monthly newspaper) and WBGI (in-school television productions) receive local awards. The Smoke Signals paper also won a top award from the Florida Scholastic Press Association in 1998. The Tomahawk Yearbook has won numerous state and national awards.
Honor Clubs
SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, and Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
Honor, as well as National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, Beta Club
National Beta Club
The National Beta Club is an organization for 5th-12th graders in the United States, recognizing academic achievement, leadership, character and service....
, Thespians, Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 89,000 student members in more than 1,800 schools worldwide. Its main goals are to inspire keen interest in mathematics, develop strong scholarship in the subject, and promote the...
, and Academic Team.
Service Clubs
Key ClubKey Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, Wheelettes, Interact, Optimiss, and Octagon.
Special Interest Clubs
Future Educators of America, War Chiefs, SADD, Fellowship of Christian AthletesFellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
, Wordsmiths, Minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
Council, Political Theory, Pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
Club, Book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
Club, Bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
Club, SOUL, Aviation Club, Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Club, Ultimate Frisbee Club, Fellowship of Jewish Athletes, Swing Dance Club, Movie Club, and the Technology Club.
Traditions
At the beginning of each home football game, the school Indian, or student mascot, rides a horse across the field and throws a spear midfield. Although many think that the idea was borrowed from Florida State UniversityFlorida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, in fact it is opposite that, as accounted for by the former football coach and athletic director, Wyman Townsel. Ann Bowden, wife of Florida State University football coach, Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, attended a Choctaw football game in the 1970s, saw the horse run, and told her husband that it would be a good idea for FSU.
In front of the school stands a totem pole, although originally there were three. It is a symbol of school pride and represents various aspects of student life. It has withstood hurricanes, attacks by rivals, and continues to serve as an emblem of the Choctaw High School family.
Also in front of the school are engraved bricks, purchased by students and then engraved so that they may forever be a part of the school.
The Alma Mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
was written during the school's first year by the band director, Jim Leonard. The tune is a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
song, "Long, Long Trail Awinding." In 1956, Bryan Lindsey came to Choctaw as choral director, and began writing words to "Big Green Indian." Lindsey collaborated with Leonard to compose the song. It became the school's fight song.
Choctaw is home to many school-spirited students, none more so than the Teepee Crew and the Warchiefs. The Teepee Crew consists of upperclassmen males who send smoke through the teepee, which is located just past the endzone, whenever the football team makes a touchdown. The Warchiefs is a group of highly motivated, spirited students who attend all of the football and basketball games and cheer along with the cheerleaders.
Choctaw is also home to the AFJROTC group FL-22. This is one of the oldest AFJROTC units in the state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. They participate in community events, like the service clubs. They have posted the colors at every single home game and at the homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
game they also provide a sabre team to arc for the homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
court.
Notable Graduates
- Richard Oswalt Covey Class of 1964 – NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Astronaut Colonel, USAFUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of... - Henry DittmanHenry Dittman- History :He has performed on TV shows such as Crossing Jordan, Zoey 101, Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty, General Hospital, Titus, Hang Time and Felicity , as well as being a contributing writer and regular performer on The Chris Wylde Show Starring Chris Wylde on Comedy Central.Dittman has...
Class of 1990 – Voice Actor, Actor - Kristina Cook Class of 1987 – Author of historical romance (as Kristina Cook and Kristi Astor) and YA/teen fiction (as Kristi Cook)
- Shane Gibson (musician)Shane Gibson (musician)Shane Gibson is best known for being the backing guitarist for the American metal group Korn, after the departure of Brian "Head" Welch in February 2005. He also plays the lead guitar for the solo tour of Jonathan Davis from Korn....
Class of 1997 – Well-known heavy metal guitarist - D. J. HallD. J. HallMartinez D. Hall is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Alabama.-Early years:Hall attended Choctawhatchee High School in Ft. Walton...
Class of 2004 – Former University of Alabama football playerAlabama Crimson Tide football|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
who is currently a free agentFree agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise.... - Brian MarshallBrian MarshallBrian Aubrey Marshall is an American musician and songwriter best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He also co-owns a bed and breakfast called Mango Moon in Costa Rica.-Early life:...
Class of 1991 – Former Bassist For Creed And Current Bassist For Alter Bridge. - Carolyn MurphyCarolyn MurphyCarolyn Murphy is an American model and actress.-Biography:Carolyn Murphy was born in Panama City, Florida and grew up mainly in Northwest Florida, with brief periods in England and Maryland, as a result of her parents’ divorce. Her career began when at the age of 16, her mother enrolled her in a...
Class of 1991 – Model, Actress - Rick MalambriRick MalambriRick Malambri is an American actor, dancer and model. He is the star of the movie Step Up 3D, released in theaters on August 6, 2010.-Life and career:...
Class of 2001 – Actor, lead actor of film Step Up 3D