St. Augustine High School (St. Augustine, Florida)

St. Augustine High School is the oldest public high school

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 the St. Johns County School District

St. Johns County School District

St. Johns County School District is the public school district for St. Johns County, Florida. St. Johns County is home to three of the nation's best high schools according to Newsweek Magazine in 2008 .-History:*1866 - St...

, located in Saint Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida

St. Johns County, Florida

St. Johns County is a county located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 190,039. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the highest-income counties in the United States....

. Its students are grades 9 through 12. SAHS is home to a notable athletics department, performing arts department, Aerospace Academy and AICE program.

AICE Program

The Advanced International Certificate of Education

Advanced International Certificate of Education

The Advanced International Certificate of Education is an academically rigorous, internationally used, specialized, English language curriculum offered to students in the higher levels of secondary school intended to prepare them for an honours programme during tertiary education...

program, administered by Cambridge International Examinations

Cambridge International Examinations

University of Cambridge International Examinations is a provider of international qualifications for students between the ages of 14 and 19, offering examinations and qualifications in more than 150 countries. It is an Examination Board under Cambridge Assessment, founded in 1858 as a department...

, has been hosted at SAHS since 1998, and makes advanced college-level courses available to high school students. The program challenges students academically with an accelerated curriculum. Dena Bechtle is the guidance counselor and program coordinator. Dawn Sapp, Assistant Principal, also takes an active role in overseeing this program.

The AICE program is a 4 year set of courses. Students 9th and 10th grade years will be introduced to the IGCSE program, then later move to the AICE courses.

The program offers a rigorous international pre-university curriculum and examination system which emphasizes the value of broad and balanced study for academically advanced students.

The AICE Diploma is a group certificate which requires students to draw from three curriculum areas. The areas are Mathematics and Sciences, Languages, and Arts and Humanities. Students must pass a total of six exams with at least one in each of the three curriculum areas.

Students who earn an AICE diploma and have completed 75 hours of community service qualify for the 100% Bright Futures Scholarship, and the SAT/ACT requirement is waived.

Aerospace Academy

Mission Statement: To provide a supportive small learning community for students to explore careers in aerospace. Student will develop skills that mold them into confident, college-prepared individuals. The Aerospace Academy is affiliated with Embry Riddle University.

Jacket Battalion

St.Augustine highschool also has its own JROTC battalion. The Jacket Battalion has been an honor unit with distinction for the last five years, gone to state competition for the last five years ( Unarmed platoon drill), and is the leading battalion in North East Florida, and the greater Jacksonville area.

The Cadre

The Battalion is currently run by Senior Army Instructor Lt.Col(retired) Fitzsimmons, Army Instructor 1st SGT(retired) Carlton Brown

Special teams

The Jacket Battalion is home to a Raiders, Color Guard, and Drill Team ( Unarmed Squad and Platoon, starting Armed this year). All three teams are the best in the region, having taken first and second at every competition this year.

Varsity Football

The St. Augustine High School football team was the 2005 class 3A champions in varsity football, beating Booker High School from Sarasota, Florida with a score of St. Augustine High School 31 and Sarasota Bookers' 15.
They are one of only two teams to finish and win its respective bracket undefeated {the other being the Lakeland Dreadnaughts}. This marks the first time in school history that the team had won a State Championship.They have been to 3 state championship games(2001,2005,2007) in the past 10 years winning in 2005. Joey Wiles began his tenure as head coach in 1996. The Jackets have won 9 districts titles since the 2000 season. The school is one of only 8 in the state with 500 wins.

Performing and visual arts

St.Augustine High School is also known as the Center of the Arts (Also known as SJCCA, or St. Johns County Center of the Arts) high school for St. Johns county. It features Band, Chorus, Dance, Guitar, Theater, and Visual Arts. It is currently under the direction of Mr. Jeff Dodd

Band

The St. Augustine High School Department of Bands is currently under the direction of Mr Ryan Davenport. Mrs. Laura Beard was director from fall 2006 to spring 2009. In the 2005-2006 school year the band was under the direction of Mr. Steven Knob; prior to Mr. Knob, Mr. Al (Dewey) Dodds held the post for 18 years. Under the direction of Mr. Dodds the Jazz program enjoyed great successes. Its top band, "The Jazz Ambassadors", was invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival on two occasions (1996 and 1999) as well as the Umbria Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival. For the 2006 season the marching band placed 7th at the Florida Marching Band Coalition (FMBC) preliminaries in St.Petersburg, Florida, besting the 13th place received in 2005, but not the 2nd place from the year 2000. In the 2007 season Mrs. Beard led the marching band to an appearance in the FMBC State Finals at the Tropicana Dome for the first time since 2000 when FMBC was in its infancy.
http://www.floridabandtournament.com/2008%20Web%20Pages/History%202008.html
In 2007 the band also received straight "Superior" ratings at the Florida Bandmaster Association District Marching Festival for the first time since records began being posted on the FBA website in 2000. In March of 2010 Mr. Ryan Davenport led the concert band to their first "Superior" rating in the history of the school earning straight "Superior" ratings at the Florida Bandmaster Association (FBA). http://www.flmusiced.org/fba/dnn/Performances/MPAResults/Archive2000to2007/tabid/151/Default.aspx
The main performance groups are: Wind Ensemble, Percussion, Concert Band, and Jazz Band.

Guitar

The SAHS Guitar program is led by Trey Brewer and consists of three levels of Guitar classes, Guitar One, Guitar Two and the Classical Guitar Ensemble. The Guitar Ensemble is a smaller group of students selected based on superior skill and talent. The Ensemble has performed at numerous public events including two trips to the growing Florida Guitar Association in Tampa, Fla.. In addition to this the Ensemble has played for world-famous classical guitarist Pepe Romero

Pepé Romero

Pepe Romero is a world-renowned classical and flamenco guitarist. He is particularly famous for his outstanding technique and colorful musical interpretations on the instrument....

Chorus

The Chorus of SAHS is run by Mr. Jeff Dodd. Starting in the 2007-2008 school year, 3 classes developed in the program. Treble Chorus, SAHS Singers and Chamber Singers. In addition, there are afterschool programs that include Masters Track, Show Choir, and Madrigal Singers. Due to the massive amount of students that joined the Chorus program for the 2008-2009 year, the classes were rearranged, now making it 4 groups: Chamber, SAHS Singers, Women's Chamber and Concert Chorus. The Chorus department of SJCCA is also responsible for the school musical. Some of the past achievements of the chorus have been performing in the Disney Candlelight service in Epcot, and receiving state Superiors and Excellents. Mr. Dodd was named St. John's County Teacher of the Year for 2008.

Recent FVA Ratings

2008/2009 - Solos ranged from Excellents to Superiors. The following groups received Superior : Chamber Women's, Mens Ensemble and Show Choir. The following groups received Excellents : Women's Chamber, Madrigal. In addition, the Chamber Chorus, Mens Chorus, Women's Combined Chorus and Women's Chamber received Superiors at District FVA. Out of which, Chamber Chorus received straight superiors across the board.

Student publications

There have been two student produced publications at SAHS. The Jacket Journal: the official school newspaper, is created by students under the direction of English Teacher Scott Benyacko. Students write about events pertinent to the school in The Jacket Journal.

Notable alumni

Brandon James
Brandon James
Brandon Keith James is an American professional football wide receiver and kick returner for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League...

, University of Florida football player
Steven L. Sears
Steven L. Sears
Steven Lee Sears is an American writer and producer primarily working in television. He is perhaps best known for writing and co-executive producing the popular series Xena: Warrior Princess, as well as his subsequent creation Sheena, based on the comic book of the same name.While he initially...

- Television writer/producer
Scott Player
Scott Player
Scott Darwin Player is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Birmingham Barracudas as a street free agent in 1995...

- Arizona Cardinals Punter