Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology is a public, magnet high school

Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...

 located in Jacksonville, Florida

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...

. The school is based around Arts and Technology-based programs, such as Commercial Arts, Graphic Design, Computer programming Television Production, Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Aviation Technology, Childcare as well as a program for Agriculture Science.

Students at Peterson earn an Industry Certificate of Completion as well as a High School Diploma. Peterson Academies also offers some 20+ Advanced Placement courses. Frank H. Peterson is a Duval County Career and College Preparatory High School, One of only two in the county.

Majors

Majors at Peterson include:

Communications Academy:
The sub-categories under the "Communications" umbrella at Frank H. Peterson are Television Production, Graphic Design

Graphic design

Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...

, Commercial Art

Commercial art

Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...

s, and Computer Programming

Computer programming

Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...

.

Aviation Academy:
The Aviation

Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

 Academy teaches aircraft design and maintenance, flight technology, and engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

.

Culinary Arts Academy:
The Culinary Arts Academy teaches students food service, food preparation, and restaurant hospitality.

Automotive Technology Academy:
Students in the Automotive Technology Academy study to become Automotive Technicians and Engineers.

Early Childhood Education Academy:
The Childhood Development Academy teaches childcare as well as child development (psychological as well as physical.)

Cosmetology Academy:
The Cosmetology department teaches cosmetology skills - hair cutting, make-up, waxing, and all the basics in salon care.

Student body

Students are 44% African American, 39% Caucasian, 10% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 3% Mixed. Peterson Academy has an average enrollment of 1,200 students in grades 9 - 12.

Extra-curricular activities

The high school offers several extra-curricular activities including Student Government, Student Council

Student council

Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...

, Yearbook, Guitar Club, Anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 Club, Computer and Radio Technology Club, Drama Club, National Honor Society

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

, National Technical Honor Society

National Technical Honor Society

The National Technical Honor Society is an honor society for outstanding career and technical students of workforce vocational education institutions in the United States....

, National Beta Club

National Beta Club

The National Beta Club is an organization for 5th-12th graders in the United States, recognizing academic achievement, leadership, character and service....

, Cosmetology

Cosmetology

Cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....

 Club, Spanish Club, Rocket

Rocket

A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...

ry Club, Martial Arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 Club, Water Sports Club, Bible Club, Cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

, Dance Team, Communities in Schools, SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 320,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations. Since 2010, SkillsUSA has had Thomas...

(formerly V.I.C.A.), Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Peterson Roses, Silver Eagle Ambassadors, and men’s and women’s Basketball Teams. The school is currently awaiting approval from the Florida High School Athletic Association to start a football team. After approval it will be at least 2 years before one will be started.

History

The school was originally built as the Westside Skills Center in 1969. Students from neighborhood high schools attended the Skills Center for half-day programs where they studied vocational programs and attended their neighborhood high schools for standard academic classes. The Skills Center was closed and the school converted to a college preparatory Magnet School in 1999 and no longer offered programs to students who attended other schools.

Standards

Students are accepted in the Peterson on a lottery system and must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in order to remain enrolled. Peterson, like all public schools in the state of Florida, is held to the FCAT Testing Standard and is rated as a high C.

External links

• Frank H. Peterson Website