Vanguard High School
Encyclopedia
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7 Northwest 28th Street
Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
1969
Public secondary
Richard (Rick) Lankford.
1743
Coeducational
9 - 12
Florida State Department of Education
Marion County School Board
Knight
Red, White, and Blue
Link
Vanguard High School is one of eight high schools in Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, 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...
. The school serves the northeast area of Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
. Vanguard offers the International Baccalaureate program for students, which accepts pupils from outside districts and makes up about 25% of the student population. Vanguard's mascot is a Knight and the school colors are red, white, and blue. One notable alumnus is NFL football player Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
. The Vanguard Knight's cross-town rivals are the Forest High School Wildcats. Progress Energy Inc
Progress Energy Inc
Progress Energy , headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and...
is the school's business partner. 1
The student population as of the 2006-2007 school year is 1743 students.
In the 2005-2006 school year, there were 1796 students, 441 of which were in the IB program.
The school is staffed by 150 people.
IB Program
In 1996, Vanguard began involvement with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. It was the 26th High School in the state of Florida and is currently the only school in all of Marion CountyMarion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
besides Lake Weir High School
Lake Weir High School
Lake Weir High School is a public high school located in unincorporated southeastern Marion County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Marion County School District and serves students residing in southeastern Marion County, including the Ocala National Forest, Silver Springs Shores and...
to offer this curriculum. 1
Pupils accepted into the program take special classes for their Freshman and Sophomore years, which prepare them for the actual IB courses taken in Junior and Senior years. Students can be accepted into the program as ninth or tenth graders, but eleventh and twelfth graders can only transfer in from another IB school. The first two years are termed as Pre-IB and consist of a combination of AP/Pre-IB/Honors courses designed to prepare students for the actual IB courses and exams.
The school currently has seven of Marion County's National Merit semifinalists, all seniors enrolled in Vanguard's IB Program.
Renovation
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
. The existing lunch room will most likely be turned into an auditorium, of some sort.
With the new construction came preparations. Everything needed to be removed from the classrooms, as the buildings were stripped down to their shell. The construction was set to start during the summer, as its initiation would not obstruct teaching.
The portable classrooms have been relocated to what was a field, and a new pathway of sidewalks connect them to the rest of the buildings on campus.
After the first semester of the 2006-2007 school year, the school changed their policy on parking due to the construction. Only Seniors with parking permits and staff are currently allowed to use the parking in the front of the school, while other people must park in the rear of the school. Additionally, students must be dropped off and picked up in the back as well.
The asphalt from the former faculty parking lot has been ripped out. It is in the process of being resurfaced. Towards the rear of the school, the foundation for the new building has been laid and the cinder blocks that form its wall are being put together.
Students will be using the new buildings, including a new cafeteria, and two new classroom buildings, in the second semester of the '07-08 school year. At the same time however, the main building (dubbed the "round building") will be closed for renovations, forcing many classes to be moved into portable classrooms placed on the school track.
Integration
Vanguard was the first integratedRacial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
school in Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
.
Notable alumni
- Nick Dash - actor/comedian known for his work in several major motion pictures.
- Daunte CulpepperDaunte CulpepperDaunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
– quarterback for the Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the NFL - Deanna WrightDeanna WrightDeanna Wright is an American actress and former fashion model.-Early life:Deanna Wright was born January 11, 1980 to Robert and Sharon Duncan. She lived in Ocala, Florida until she turned 17, when she moved to Miami....
– actress known for playing in the soap opera PassionsPassionsPassions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008.... - Drayton FlorenceDrayton FlorenceDrayton Florence, Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
– cornerback for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the NFL - Dustin MoskovitzDustin MoskovitzDustin Moskovitz is an American internet entrepreneur who co-founded the social networking website Facebook along with Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin and Chris Hughes. Moskovitz owns a 6% share of Facebook. He is also a co-founder and the CEO of Asana. Moskovitz is Jewish...
- co-founder of the social networking site FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. - Steve Rhem – former wide receiver for the New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in the NFL - Kenny Clark – former wide receiver for the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in the NFL
See also
International BaccalaureateIB 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...
National Merit Scholarship Program
National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...