Andrew Jackson High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Jackson High School is the oldest fully accredited high school in Duval County, Florida
. It is located just north of downtown Jacksonville
on Main Street (US Highway 17). It opened in 1927, followed by Robert E. Lee High School, which opened in 1928. It was originally an all-white school, but the school became integrated in 1970. It is named for U.S. President
Andrew Jackson
, an important figure in the history of Florida
, after whom the city of Jacksonville is also named.
Jackson has the city's oldest athletic rivalry with Robert E. Lee High School. For many years the Jackson-Lee football game was played in the Gator Bowl Stadium
on Thanksgiving Day, and it was a major event for students and alumni of both schools. The girls varsity basketball team were 2007 Gateway Conference Champions, beating out Samuel W. Wolfson High School. They won this award three consecutive years.
Jackson is the only high school in Duval County with an off-campus football stadium. The stadium is located about three-fourths of a mile north of the campus on Main Street, adjacent to North Shore Elementary School. Prior to the construction of this facility the Tigers played their home football games at the Gator Bowl
. Jackson's step team, People of Prosperity (an organization composed of the Brothers of Honor and Sisters of Integrity) has participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade, along with AFJROTC.
When Duval County Schools were first being established, Jackson was on the verge of losing accreditation due to roof leaks, cracks and window damage. These problems were fixed and the school now hosts magnet programs.
In 2008 Andrew Jackson High School celebrated its 80th anniversary.
program, the Air Force
ROTC military magnet program, or the medical program. The school also offers the BCE program which is partnered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. Junior students are hired to work part time on campus and have the opportunity to continue that career after graduation. The school currently has a F as of 2009 on the Florida School Accountability Grading Scale.
for inclusion in the EXCELerator
School Improvement Model program beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
.
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
. It is located just north of downtown Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
on Main Street (US Highway 17). It opened in 1927, followed by Robert E. Lee High School, which opened in 1928. It was originally an all-white school, but the school became integrated in 1970. It is named for U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, an important figure in the history of Florida
History of Florida
The history of Florida can be traced back to when the first Native Americans began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago. Recorded history begins with the arrival of Europeans to Florida, beginning with the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who explored the area in 1513...
, after whom the city of Jacksonville is also named.
Jackson has the city's oldest athletic rivalry with Robert E. Lee High School. For many years the Jackson-Lee football game was played in the Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, it was radically reconstructed in 1994 in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season and became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field. It is most notable for hosting the Gator...
on Thanksgiving Day, and it was a major event for students and alumni of both schools. The girls varsity basketball team were 2007 Gateway Conference Champions, beating out Samuel W. Wolfson High School. They won this award three consecutive years.
Jackson is the only high school in Duval County with an off-campus football stadium. The stadium is located about three-fourths of a mile north of the campus on Main Street, adjacent to North Shore Elementary School. Prior to the construction of this facility the Tigers played their home football games at the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, it was radically reconstructed in 1994 in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season and became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field. It is most notable for hosting the Gator...
. Jackson's step team, People of Prosperity (an organization composed of the Brothers of Honor and Sisters of Integrity) has participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade, along with AFJROTC.
When Duval County Schools were first being established, Jackson was on the verge of losing accreditation due to roof leaks, cracks and window damage. These problems were fixed and the school now hosts magnet programs.
In 2008 Andrew Jackson High School celebrated its 80th anniversary.
Feeder Schools
- Northwestern Middle School
- Matthew Gilbert Middle School
- Eugene Butler Middle School
- Kirby Smith Middle SchoolKirby Smith Middle SchoolKirby Smith Middle School is one of the 47 middle schools in the Duval County Public Schools system. It is located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Currently the principal is June Marshall....
Swimming Pool
The school has an outdoor pool which is used by the athletic teams and physical education classes during the academic year; then it becomes a free public pool operated by the City of Jacksonville Parks & Recreation Department during the summer months.Academics
Magnet students may go into the criminal justiceCriminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
program, the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
ROTC military magnet program, or the medical program. The school also offers the BCE program which is partnered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. Junior students are hired to work part time on campus and have the opportunity to continue that career after graduation. The school currently has a F as of 2009 on the Florida School Accountability Grading Scale.
Improvement
Jackson was one of 16 schools nationwide selected by the College BoardCollege Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
for inclusion in the EXCELerator
EXCELerator
' is a school improvement model developed with the College Board. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation agreed to fund a five-year pilot project with a $16 million grant...
School Improvement Model program beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
.
Notable alumni
- W. Haydon BurnsW. Haydon BurnsWilliam Haydon Burns was the 35th Governor of Florida from 1965 to 1967. He was also Mayor of the city of Jacksonville, Florida from 1949 to 1965.-Early life:...
- mayor of Jacksonville 1949–1965 and Governor of Florida 1965–1967 - Lou RitterLou RitterLouis Hampton "Lou" Ritter was an American politician and lobbyist. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1965 until 1967. A Democrat, he assumed office when W. Haydon Burns, mayor since 1949, resigned to become Governor of Florida...
- mayor of Jacksonville 1965–1967 - Jake GodboldJake GodboldJake Maurice Godbold is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1978–1987....
- mayor of Jacksonville 1978–1987 - Timothy Jackson- Former NFL player, current business owner and licensed barber.
- Tommy HazouriTommy HazouriTommy Hazouri is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represents Duval County School District 7 in the Duval County School Board, and previously served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives .-Early life:Hazouri was born and raised...
- mayor of Jacksonville 1987–1991 - Rocco MorabitoRocco MorabitoRocco Morabito was an American photographer who spent the majority of his career at the Jacksonville Journal....
- Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning photographer - Robert Edward FemoyerRobert Edward FemoyerRobert Edward Femoyer is one of only eight known Eagle Scouts who also received the Medal of Honor; the others are Aquilla J. Dyess, Eugene B. Fluckey, Charles P. Murray, Jr., Mitchell Paige, Ben L. Salomon, Leo K. Thorsness and Jay Zeamer, Jr. He served in the U.S...
- Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient and WWII Army Air Corps navigator - Judy Roberts - Pulitzer Prize winner, investigative journalism, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, 1970's - Wanda HendrixWanda HendrixWanda Hendrix was an American film and television actress.Born Dixie Wanda Hendrix in Jacksonville, Florida, Hendrix was performing in her local amateur theater when she was seen by a talent agent who signed her to a Hollywood contract...
- 1940s Hollywood actress - A. C. LylesA. C. LylesAndrew Craddock "A. C." Lyles is an American movie producer for Paramount Pictures who is best known for producing a variety of westerns in the 1950s and 1960s.-Career:...
- long-time Hollywood producer - Micah RossMicah RossMicah Ross played wide receiver in the NFL for four seasons. He attended Jacksonville University from 1995–1998. While at JU, he played basketball from 1995 to 1998 when his years of basketball eligibility were up he walked on to JU's American football team, only playing one year. In 2001, he...
- former member of the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
NFL franchise - James CollinsJames Collins (basketball)James Edgar Collins is an American professional basketball player whose last team was Indesit Fabriano of the Italian second division in 2006/07 season....
- professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA - Dennis Yost - lead singer of 1960s pop group Classics IVClassics IVThe Classics IV were a band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965, given credit for beginning the "soft southern rock" sound...
- Rita CoolidgeRita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
- Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning singer - Judy CanovaJudy CanovaJudy Canova , born Juliette Canova, was an American comedienne, actress, singer and radio personality. She appeared on Broadway and in films...
- comedian - Connie HainesConnie HainesConnie Haines was an American singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra...
- big-band singer - Leon WashingtonLeon WashingtonLeon Washington is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. He is married to Charity Washington with whom he has a son...
- NFL running back, Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Jeff Lee - Talk Show Host on America's first black station WDIAWDIAWDIA is an AM radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America. Its radio frequency is 1070 kHz. In 1962 it became the first U.S. radio station programmed by African-Americans, though its ownership was white.-History:...
/Memphis, TN - T. Terrell SessumsT. Terrell SessumsThomas Terrell Sessums was the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 1974-1976. Mr Sessums went onto a life of leadership and public service.-Early life:...
- Speaker of Florida House of Representatives and Chairman of the Florida Board of Regents. - Jeron HarveyJeron HarveyJeron E. Harvey is a gridiron football wide receiver who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
- Former Wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
of the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and current wide receiver for the Jacksonville SharksJacksonville SharksThe Jacksonville Sharks were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They competed for part of the 1974 season in the World Football League, a failed attempt to launch a major professional football league in the United States in competition with the National Football...
.