Winter Haven High School
Encyclopedia
 | |
| Principal | Gina Williams |
| School type | Public (U.S.) |
| Religious affiliation | None |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Location | Polk County, Florida Polk County, Florida Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its... , Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,487 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk County... |
| Enrollment | 1761 students http://www.polk-fl.net/schools/geninfo.asp?id=35, |
| Campus surroundings | Urban |
| Contact | 600 Sixth Street, SE Winter Haven, FL 33880 863-291-5330 http://schools.polk-fl.net/whhs/generalinformation.html |
| Mascot | Blue Devils |
| School colors | Blue and Gold http://schools.polk-fl.net/whhs/generalinformation.html |
| Homepage | http://schools.polk-fl.net/whhs/ |
Winter Haven High School is a four-year public high school located in Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,487 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk County...
, a city of 27,855 (2004 census).
History
The school opened in 1886 on the second floor of Boyd’s Hall, currently where City Hall stands. In 1890, a frame school building was built at the corner of Central Avenue and First Street.When the student population reached 200 in 1912, more space was added onto the structure. Three years later a brick building replaced the wood-framed ones to make room for all elementary and high school students in 12 grades.
In 1922, an eight-room structure for the high school was built on Fourth Street, the present annex at Denison Junior High School. In 1925 a large stucco building was built on the adjacent lot for the high school, and the smaller building became a junior high department.
The current structure was built on Sixth Street in 1955 on a 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) tract of land. The late 1980s and 1990s saw a tremendous expansion of the campus, including a new gymnasium, music building and administrative offices.
Using funds raised by a half-cent sales tax passed by voters in 2004, renovations to the school’s cafeteria will begin later this year. The cafeteria will be expanded to 5000 square feet (464.5 m²) and equip it with new air conditioning units, a renovated kitchen and a new sitting area that will accommodate about 600 students at a time.
Future construction projects include a two-story library with classrooms on the top floor and the installation of elevators for the handicapped.
The school held a “Celebrate Blue and Gold” event Sept. 15, 2006 to mark the school’s 120th anniversary.
Sports
Winter Haven High School is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association and is in Class: 4A, District: 12.The school’s Athletic Director is Mr. Jim Morrison. The varsity football team is led by Head Coach Charlie Tate. After three consecutive seasons with a 3-7 record, Coach Tate turned the program around by taking them to the 2005 Regional Finals. He followed a great 1st season with Winter Haven by beating Florida powerhouse Armwood the next season.
The girls basketball team won the state championship in 2005 & 2007. USA Today currently ranks then 15th in the nation. Coach LaDawn Gibson has won coach of the year for 11 consecutive years.
The Varsity Baseball team is coached by David Saliba and the Junior Varsity team is coached by George Meyer.
The girls varsity soccer also known as Association football team was lead by Coach Scott Short for 12 years until his retiring after the 2009- 2010 season. In the 2008-2009 season he led the blue devils to a district runner up title. In 2009-2010, Coach Scott led the blue devils to a district title.
In the 2010-2011 varsity girls soccer season the blue devils ended the season with 21 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie. They brought home the district title for the second time in a row this season. They were lead by Benji Works.
In 2011-2012 they were lead by Coach Josh Williams, his second year coaching. First year was for junior varsity and he now coach's the varsity squad.
Band
The WHHS band program, which dates from 1936, is led by band director Sean Luce, Devilette Instructor Leslie Roberts and Percussion Instructor Todd Betz. The program consists of the "Pride of Winter Haven" Marching Band, including the Devilette Dance and Flag Ensemble, the Symphonic and Concert Bands, Jazz Band,Percussion Ensemble and many student led ensembles.Over 100 strong, the The Winter Haven High School Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Winter Haven," performs at football games, marching band competitions, community events and local and national parades. It has performed in many national events, including, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the mid-1990s and then later in 1998 St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.
The Symphonic Band performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 24, 2008 with two other ensembles, The Caltech-Occidental Concert Band from California and Jackson High School Wind Ensemble from Washington.
Blue Devil Drama
Blue Devil Drama, the school's drama program, produces two or three shows a year. Every year, it runs a straight play in the fall season and a musical in the spring season. Some years they even throw in a Mystery dinner. The program has performed many shows such as the hits Lady Pirates of Captain Bre, Anything GoesAnything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
, It's a Wonderful Life, The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
, Shakespeare Comes to Calimity Creek, Who Killed Elvis?, and The Goodbye Girl. The fall play for 2008 was The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood. The spring musical for 2009 was Pom Pom Zombies The WHHS drama program is currently headed by Mr. Fritz. The school is the only one in Polk County to have a working Improv
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
program.
Notable students
- Gram ParsonsGram ParsonsGram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
- Legendary singer/songwriter who was later a member of The ByrdsThe ByrdsThe Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, founder of The Flying Burrito BrothersThe Flying Burrito BrothersThe Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
, discoverer of Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
and is generally credited as the "Father" of Country RockCountry rockCountry rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
. Attended WHHS from 1961-1963. - Stephen ChristianStephen ChristianStephen Christian is the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Anberlin and his side-project Anchor & Braille. He and his bandmates started Anberlin in 2002, after the demise of their previous group, known as SaGoh 24/7...
Vocalist for the internationally known rock band AnberlinAnberlinAnberlin is an American rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young.Members of Anberlin originally formed...
, signed to major label Universal Republic in 2007 after a successful career on Tooth and Nail/ EMI records. Published his first book "The Orphaned Anythings," in 2008. Currently a resident of Los Angeles, California. - Otis BirdsongOtis BirdsongOtis Lee Birdsong is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons in the NBA and appeared in four NBA All-Star Games....
led WHHS to the state basketball championship before going onto a long NBA career and being the first player to sign a contract for $1 million a year. - Kenneth BrokenburrKenneth BrokenburrKenneth Brokenburr is a former American sprinter. He won an Olympic gold medal as part of the 4x100 meter relay team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.-Early life:...
- A 1987 graduate of Winter Haven High School, he won a gold medal as part of the 4x100 meter relay team at the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. He currently resides in nearby Auburndale, FloridaAuburndale, FloridaAuburndale is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,032 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 12,381... - Rowdy GainesRowdy GainesAmbrose Gaines IV is a former American swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, Olympic three-time gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame...
- A 1977 graduate of WHHS, won three gold medals in swimming at the 1984 Olympic Games1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. He now lives in Birmingham, AL., and works as a swimming analyst for television networks ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
including coverage of the AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, his third as a TV commentator. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of FameInternational Swimming Hall of FameThe International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
. - Lawrence ScarpaLawrence ScarpaLawrence Scarpa is an architect based in Los Angeles, California.He is known for the creative use of conventional materials in unique and unexpected ways...
- A 1977 graduate and internationally known architect. He has won over fifty major design awards and designed projects for such Hollywood notables such as Danny DeVito, Jennifer Lopez, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jessie Dylan, Marshall Herskovitz and Brad Pitt. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and in Newsweek. He now lives in Venice, California. - Ron Scarpa - A 1981 graduate is a legend in the water skiing world. He is the 5-time world overall champion and the 8-time overall USA champion. He holds almost every major record in the sport and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records Video Clip.
- Sally WheelerSally WheelerSally Wheeler, , is an American television actress, probably best known for her role in short-running series Two of a Kind alongside Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen....
- Actress who portrayed Carrie in the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen show Two of a KindTwo of a KindTwo of a Kind may refer to:*Two of a Kind , a 1951 film starring Lizabeth Scott*Two of a Kind , a 1983 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John* Two of a Kind , soundtrack of the 1983 film...
. A 1985 graduate of WHHS. (IMDB article) - Scott HelvenstonScott HelvenstonStephen "Scott" Helvenston was a former United States Navy SEAL, and worked as a security contractor for Blackwater Security when he was killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush within days of arriving in Iraq....
- Youngest Navy SEAL ever admitted to their training program, at age 17. A football player at WHHS. Later a military consultant for the films G.I. JaneG.I. JaneG.I. Jane is a 1997 American action film directed by Ridley Scott, produced by Largo Entertainment, Scott Free Productions and Caravan Pictures, distributed by Hollywood Pictures and starring Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen. The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo training...
and Face/OffFace/OffFace/Off is a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an FBI agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another....
and a contestant on the TV reality show Combat Missions. He was one of four contractors shot and killed in FallujahFallujahFallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on March 31, 2004. He was 38. (IMDB article) - Kevin R. Wright - Tenor singer in the a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group RockapellaRockapellaRockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. Their name is derived from the words "rock" and "a cappella". They sing original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music...
from 1997 to 2009. - Andre BertoAndre BertoAndre Michael Berto is a Haitian-American professional boxer. On June 21, 2008, Berto became the WBC welterweight champion by defeating Miguel Rodriguez by seventh round technical knockout. He lost his WBC welterweight title on April 16, 2011 to Victor Ortiz via unanimous decision...
Boxer. Current WBC Welterweight Champ of the World - Joey Milligan - Guitarist for the band AnberlinAnberlinAnberlin is an American rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young.Members of Anberlin originally formed...
. - John Covington- Safety for Notre Dame and Indianapolis Colts 1991-1994
- James ((Jim) Sweet - Headed Scotty'sScotty's Builders SupplyScotty's Builders Supply was an American retailer of home improvement, construction products and services. The company that at its peak operated approximately 150 stores, closed its doors in 2005....
for 40 years after he took over the reins from his father who started Scotty's in 1924. - Jordan SchaferJordan SchaferJordan James Schafer is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Houston Astros.-Baseball career:...
2005 Graduate now playing Center Field for the Atlanta Braves. - James H. AmmonsJames H. AmmonsDr. James H. Ammons, is currently the president of Florida A&M University . He is a native Floridian who grew up in the heart of Florida's citrus belt. He graduated from Winter Haven High School in 1970 and entered Florida A&M University on the Thirteen College Curriculum Program during the fall...
A 1970 Graduate, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University President.