Leon High School
Encyclopedia
Leon High School is a public high school
in Tallahassee, Florida
. For the 2007-2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education
gave the school an "A" rating after its students scored well above the state average on standardized tests in reading and in math. Leon also offers twenty-two Advanced Placement courses; a standard that further distinguishes Leon High in the county, state, and country. Leon High School was ranked 110th in Newsweek
' s list of 1,000 Best High Schools in America in the 2004-2005 school year.
Palmetto North Apartments, the designated family housing area of Florida A&M University
, is zoned to this school.
Leon High School has always been a part of Tallahassee history, and is one of the oldest high schools in the country. It was founded 14 years before Florida entered into statehood. It was originally founded as Leon Academies in 1831 in Tallahassee, Florida
, Leon County
and helped shape education in the Capital City. Later in 1903 it would become the Leon County Graded and High School, which was originally set as the first public high school for whites on the corner of Duval, Tennessee and Bronough Streets.
In 1911, a need for more room for the growing student population led to the construction of a second Leon High School where the LeRoy Collins Public Library now stands.
The current building at 550 East Tennessee Street was built in controversy. Built by the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) for $500,000, citizens thought the high school was too expensive, too far out of town and way too big with the three stories. The builder was Thomas Monk, who built dozens of high schools and commercial buildings around Florida, including the Monk Building in downtown Bradenton, renovated in 2000. In Tallahassee, Monk also built the Mayo Building in the Capital area, and a house in Los Robles for his daughter and son-in-law.
On April 14, 2007, Leon High School celebrated 100 years of graduates with a grand reunion of all classes.
productive citizens in an ever-changing world and global society."
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 Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. For the 2007-2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education
Florida Department of Education
The Florida Department of Education is the state education agency of Florida. It governs public education and manages funding and testing for local educational agencies . It is headquartered in the Turlington Building in Tallahassee.The Florida Commissioner of Education manages the day-to-day...
gave the school an "A" rating after its students scored well above the state average on standardized tests in reading and in math. Leon also offers twenty-two Advanced Placement courses; a standard that further distinguishes Leon High in the county, state, and country. Leon High School was ranked 110th in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Palmetto North Apartments, the designated family housing area of Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, the state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida...
, is zoned to this school.
History
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, Leon County
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
and helped shape education in the Capital City. Later in 1903 it would become the Leon County Graded and High School, which was originally set as the first public high school for whites on the corner of Duval, Tennessee and Bronough Streets.
In 1911, a need for more room for the growing student population led to the construction of a second Leon High School where the LeRoy Collins Public Library now stands.
The current building at 550 East Tennessee Street was built in controversy. Built by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
(WPA) for $500,000, citizens thought the high school was too expensive, too far out of town and way too big with the three stories. The builder was Thomas Monk, who built dozens of high schools and commercial buildings around Florida, including the Monk Building in downtown Bradenton, renovated in 2000. In Tallahassee, Monk also built the Mayo Building in the Capital area, and a house in Los Robles for his daughter and son-in-law.
On April 14, 2007, Leon High School celebrated 100 years of graduates with a grand reunion of all classes.
Mission statement
Leon's mission is to "prepare all our students to be lifelong learners andproductive citizens in an ever-changing world and global society."
Athletics
Leon High School's mascot is the Lion, and their colors are red and white. Leon has thirty-four athletic teams: sixteen boys teams and eighteen girls teams. The boys football team is the winningest football team in the state of Florida.- Boys' Sports
- Basketball-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Baseball-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Cross Country
- Football-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Swimming and Diving
- Track and Field
- Tennis
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
- Girls' Sports
- Basketball-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Cheerleading-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Crew
- Cross Country
- Dance Team
- Flag Football
- Golf
- Soccer-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Softball-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Swimming and Diving
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball-Varsity and Junior Varsity
- Weightlifting
Activities
- Amitie French Club
- Anchor Service Club
- Art Club
- Art National Honor Society
- Bowling Club
- Brain Bowl
- CBE/Business Entrepreneurs
- ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Club - Chorus
- Concert Band
- Cosmos
- Culinary Arts
- Diversified Career Technology
- El Cid Spanish club
- Exchangettes Service Club
- Future Business Leaders of America
- Fellowship of Christian AthletesFellowship of Christian AthletesThe 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...
- French National Honor Society
- Frets and Strings guitar club
- Frisbee Club
- Gay-Straight Alliance
- Interact Service Club
- Jazz Band
- Key Club
- Ladies of Distinction
- Leon High Life student newspaper
- Lion Steel
- Lion's Tale (yearbook)
- Lyonz Read
- Marching Redcoats
- Mane Event
- Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Junior Reserve Officers' Training CorpsJunior Reserve Officers' Training CorpsThe Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States... - Mock trial
- Literature and Art Magazine
- Mu Alpha ThetaMu Alpha ThetaMu 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...
- Peace Jam
- Pierian National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- Phoenix
- Rebus Gestis Latin club (A Chapter of the Junior Classical League)
- Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society
- Science National Honor Society
- Student Government Association
- Spanish National Honor Society
- Symphonic Band
- Tech Minions
- Thespians
Notable alumni
- Loranne AusleyLoranne AusleyLoranne Ausley is a politician and attorney from Tallahassee, Florida-Background:With over 20 years of public service at the State and Federal level, Ausley, a Democrat, was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, 9th District, from 2000 - 2008...
, State RepresentativeFlorida House of RepresentativesThe Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
(Class of 1981); - LeRoy CollinsLeRoy CollinsThomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
, Governor of Florida (Class of 1927) - Mary Call Darby CollinsMary Call Darby CollinsMary Call Darby Collins was the widow of Governor LeRoy Collins and First Lady of Florida from 1955-1961.- Early years :...
, Florida's First Lady - Ricky CarmichaelRicky CarmichaelRicky Carmichael is a racer known for his success in Motocross. He is currently competing in NASCAR. He drives the #4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series and the #30 Chevrolet Impala part-time for Turner Motorsports in the Nationwide Series...
, Motocross rider - Brad CulpepperBrad CulpepperJohn Broward "Brad" Culpepper is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League for nine seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...
, Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer (Class of 1986) - Faye DunawayFaye DunawayFaye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
, Actress (Class of 1958) - Tony HaleTony HaleTony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...
, Actor (Class of 1988) - Cheryl HinesCheryl HinesCheryl Ruth Hines is an American actress and director, known for her role as Larry David's wife Cheryl on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She currently appears on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory...
, Actress (Class of 1983) - Allison MillerAllison MillerAllison Miller is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Michelle Benjamin on the NBC series Kings.-Early life:...
, Actress - Wyatt SextonWyatt SextonWyatt Sexton is a former National Collegiate Athletic Association American football quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles. Sexton is well known for his performances on the field and for his suffering from the effects of Lyme disease...
, Former Florida State quarterback (Class of 2002) - Sonny ShroyerSonny ShroyerOtis Burt "Sonny" Shroyer, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in various television and movie roles. He is best known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He also starred in a spin-off called Enos based on his Dukes of Hazzard character...
, Actor - E. Lee SpenceE. Lee SpenceEdward Lee Spence is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor , and magazine publisher ; and a...
, Underwater Archaeologist (Class of 1966) - George TabbGeorge TabbGeorge Tabb is a founding member and song writer in such punk bands as Roach Motel, Atoms for Peace, False Prophets, Letch Patrol, Gynocologists, Iron Prostate and Furious George....
, Punk rock guitarist/songwriter, author, television host