Winter Springs High School
Encyclopedia
Winter Springs High School, is a high school
in Winter Springs, Florida
. It was founded in 1997 as the seventh full-time high school in Seminole County
. The school is operated by Seminole County Public Schools
.
, Lake Howell
and Lyman High School
s. The small community of Winter Springs
successfully lobbied to have the school built in their town as a way of creating a "town identity and center, and not just be an outgrowth of the surrounding cities".
Although, the school first opened in 1997 as Winter Springs High School, the school had first opened its doors as a temporary home to the student body, faculty and staff of nearby Lake Howell High School the previous year while the Lake Howell campus underwent major renovations.
A.W. Epps was the school's first principal. When the school opened in 1997, it housed only 9th and 10th grade students. The school housed grades 9-11 in 1998-1999, and the first class graduated in 1999-2000. Dr. Elise Gruber became principal in 2000, and was succeeded by Dr. Michael R. Blasewitz in 2004. The school's bell schedule has been adjusted to a modified block format, to accommodate student needs.
Playoff appearances: 5 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009)
.
In the 2009-2010 season, the team won their third straight district championship, but were soundly defeated by the eventual State Champion Winter Park Wildcats.
Girls Basketball won the school's only two state championships going back to back in 1999 and 2000. Following a rebuilding winless 2008-2009 campaign, the team rebounded strongly to finish over .500 and compete well in the district playoffs.
This school is ranked #334 on Newsweek
's 2008 list of the Best High Schools in America.http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?q=2008/rank/301/.
s Sam Hendley and Neal Romberg. Their 2011 Halftime show is themed around The Who
. In April 2011, the Band of Gold was invited to perform at Stetson University
's prestigious band invintational, performing a repertoire that included Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)
. The previous year, the Band of Gold won the highly coveted Otto Kraushaar Award for the third straight year. The Band also received straight superiors in both marching and concert MPA
s. The Band of Gold traveled to Washington, D.C.
in January 2009 for the inauguration of President Obama
, as well as performing at the President's Park in Williamsburg, Virginia.
.
In 2005, Winter Springs High School gained national attention yet again when several Winter Springs students, riding in a limousine to prom, stopped the drunk driver and called police. This story gained national headlines, and the students were featured on several national talk shows as well as NBC
, CBS
, and ABC
. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/12/national/main687643.shtml
In 2005 the school was recognized as having the second largest number of National Merit semifinalists (19) in the state of Florida. The story was featured on the front page of the Orlando Sentinel.
In 2007, Kenneth Colonel, a graduate of the class of 2007, was named the National Champion at the National Forensic League
National Speech and Debate Tournament
in the Student Congress House of Representatives
.
In 2009, Robert Colonel, brother of national champion Kenneth Colonel and a graduate of the class of 2009, was named the State Champion at the Florida Forensics League State Speech and Debate Tournament in Student Congress. Later in 2009 he was also named National Champion at the National Forensic League
National Speech and Debate Tournament
in the Student Congress Senate
.
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 Winter Springs, Florida
Winter Springs, Florida
Winter Springs is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 31,666 at the 2000 census. According to the 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 32,727...
. It was founded in 1997 as the seventh full-time high school in Seminole County
Seminole County, Florida
Seminole County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. Located between Orlando to the south and Deland and Daytona Beach to the north, it is part of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. Its county seat and largest city is Sanford...
. The school is operated by Seminole County Public Schools
Seminole County Public Schools
Seminole County Public Schools is a public school district that covers Seminole County, Florida. As of September, 2006, the total district wide enrollment was 66,351 students in 2006.- School Board :...
.
History
Winter Springs High School first opened in 1997 as the latest high school of Seminole County. Plans had gotten under way three years earlier as a result of overcrowding at OviedoOviedo High School
Oviedo High School is a grade 9-12 public secondary school set on a campus in Oviedo, Florida, a growing community situated in southeastern Seminole County operated by Seminole County Public Schools. The “Oviedo School” was established in 1932 as a comprehensive K-through-12 educational facility; ...
, Lake Howell
Lake Howell High School
Lake Howell High School is a comprehensive four-year high school located in Central Florida, USA. Home of the Silver Hawks, it has been designated a "B" High School by the Florida Department of Education in 2009. It was previously an "A+" high school in 2008...
and Lyman High School
Puppy
A puppy is a juvenile dog. Some puppies may weigh , while larger ones can weigh up to . All healthy puppies grow quickly after birth. A puppy's coat color may change as the puppy grows older, as is commonly seen in breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier...
s. The small community of Winter Springs
Winter Springs, Florida
Winter Springs is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 31,666 at the 2000 census. According to the 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 32,727...
successfully lobbied to have the school built in their town as a way of creating a "town identity and center, and not just be an outgrowth of the surrounding cities".
Although, the school first opened in 1997 as Winter Springs High School, the school had first opened its doors as a temporary home to the student body, faculty and staff of nearby Lake Howell High School the previous year while the Lake Howell campus underwent major renovations.
A.W. Epps was the school's first principal. When the school opened in 1997, it housed only 9th and 10th grade students. The school housed grades 9-11 in 1998-1999, and the first class graduated in 1999-2000. Dr. Elise Gruber became principal in 2000, and was succeeded by Dr. Michael R. Blasewitz in 2004. The school's bell schedule has been adjusted to a modified block format, to accommodate student needs.
Sports
Winter Springs High School sponsors many interscholastic sports teams including football, cross country, volleyball, golf, track and field, lacrosse, wrestling, swimming, water polo, bowling, baseball, basketball, soccer, weightlifting, softball and tennis. The Winter Springs teams compete at the A.W. Epps Sports Complex, named after the high school's first principal.Football
District championships: 0 (Have been district runner-up 4 times)Playoff appearances: 5 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009)
- Despite a 3-7 record, the 2009 WSHS football team made the state playoffs in their first year in division 5A before losing to an unbeaten Lakeland team.
Basketball
The WSHS Boys Basketball team has won back to back district championships, making the State Final Four in 2007 and the Final 16 Regional Final Round in 2008 before losing to Winter Park High SchoolWinter Park High School
Winter Park High School located in Winter Park, Florida is one of seventeen public high schools in Orange County. Winter Park High School is a magnet school for the International Baccalaureate program.-History:...
.
In the 2009-2010 season, the team won their third straight district championship, but were soundly defeated by the eventual State Champion Winter Park Wildcats.
Girls Basketball won the school's only two state championships going back to back in 1999 and 2000. Following a rebuilding winless 2008-2009 campaign, the team rebounded strongly to finish over .500 and compete well in the district playoffs.
Wrestling
The Wrestling team won the 2001, 2009, 2010 and 2011 FHSAA District Championship and well as the 2010 and 2011 FHSAA Regional Championship. In 2011 the Winter Springs Bears finished 3rd in the state with 112 team points and 6 state place winners (both school records). "THE SUPER SIX" Brothers Eric O'Neill and Robert O'Neill won state championships this year becoming the seventh pairs of brothers to both win state titles. Other state placers include, Areil Serrano (4th), Kyle Gach (5th), Ryan Petro (2nd), and Scott Accomando (4th).Baseball
The Bears baseball program began in the spring of 1998 the same year the school opened. Inaugural Head Coach Harold Hitt quickly placed the program in the spotlight when in 1999, in only its second year of competition, the Bears managed a Class 3A District 13 runner-up finish. The Bears would go on to upset West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman 4-2 in the first round of regional play and thus capture its first ever playoff victory. After taking heavily favored Miami Gulliver Prep into extra innings in the Regional Semi-Final game, the Bears would end what was a very successful season. WSHS baseball has continued its success through the years under Jeff Perez. Perez followed Hitt as Head Coach, taking over in 2000, and still remains just the 2nd coach to ever lead the Bear sluggers. In his tenure Perez has sent several players to the college level with a few of them having come back to now coach in the program. He has 2 district championships as well as a district runner-up bid. In 2007 he assembled what would be the best team in Winter Springs history. The talent rich group finished 27-2, the best record in history, and earned rankings as high as 4th in the state and 11th nationally while capturing the 6A District 3 championship.This school is ranked #334 on 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...
's 2008 list of the Best High Schools in America.http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?q=2008/rank/301/.
Band
The Winter Springs High School Band of Gold is under the direction of J. Adam McIntyre and Drum MajorDrum Major
A drum major is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble regarding...
s Sam Hendley and Neal Romberg. Their 2011 Halftime show is themed around The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. In April 2011, the Band of Gold was invited to perform at Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
's prestigious band invintational, performing a repertoire that included Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)
Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)
The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, was completed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1886 at what was probably the artistic zenith of his career. It is also popularly known as the "Organ Symphony", even though it is not a true symphony for organ, but simply an orchestral symphony where two sections out...
. The previous year, the Band of Gold won the highly coveted Otto Kraushaar Award for the third straight year. The Band also received straight superiors in both marching and concert MPA
MPA
-Academic degrees:* Master of Professional Accountancy* Master of Public Administration* Master of Public Affairs* Master of Physician's Assistant-Chemicals:* Medroxyprogesterone acetate, also known by the brand name Depo-Provera* Morpholide of pelargonic acid...
s. The Band of Gold traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in January 2009 for the inauguration of President Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, as well as performing at the President's Park in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Chorus
The Winter Springs High School Chorus program is under the leadership of Kara Knowles. The program currently includes the Combined Women's (which includes the beginner, intermediate, and advanced women), Men's, Mixed Concert (which includes the men and advanced women), and Advanced Women's choirs.National Prominence
In 2004, Winter Springs High School gained national attention for its excellent Safe-School Ambassador program and was featured in a segment on MSNBCMSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
.
In 2005, Winter Springs High School gained national attention yet again when several Winter Springs students, riding in a limousine to prom, stopped the drunk driver and called police. This story gained national headlines, and the students were featured on several national talk shows as well as NBC
NBC
The 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...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/12/national/main687643.shtml
In 2005 the school was recognized as having the second largest number of National Merit semifinalists (19) in the state of Florida. The story was featured on the front page of the Orlando Sentinel.
In 2007, Kenneth Colonel, a graduate of the class of 2007, was named the National Champion at the National Forensic League
National Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
National Speech and Debate Tournament
National Speech and Debate Tournament
The National Speech and Debate Tournament is a week-long high school championship forensics competition hosted by the National Forensic League...
in the Student Congress House of Representatives
Student Congress
Congressional Debate is a form of high school debate in the United States and Pakistan. The National Forensic League , National Catholic Forensic League , many national debate tournaments, State Forensic Associations, and the IEEE Pakistan Student Congress all offer Congressional Debate as an event...
.
In 2009, Robert Colonel, brother of national champion Kenneth Colonel and a graduate of the class of 2009, was named the State Champion at the Florida Forensics League State Speech and Debate Tournament in Student Congress. Later in 2009 he was also named National Champion at the National Forensic League
National Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
National Speech and Debate Tournament
National Speech and Debate Tournament
The National Speech and Debate Tournament is a week-long high school championship forensics competition hosted by the National Forensic League...
in the Student Congress Senate
Student Congress
Congressional Debate is a form of high school debate in the United States and Pakistan. The National Forensic League , National Catholic Forensic League , many national debate tournaments, State Forensic Associations, and the IEEE Pakistan Student Congress all offer Congressional Debate as an event...
.