Nathan Bedford Forrest High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Encyclopedia
Nathan Bedford Forrest High School is a public high school
in the Duval County School District
located on the Westside of Jacksonville
, Florida
. Forrest opened in 1959 in Jacksonville's Wesconnett neighborhood, at the site of present-day J. E. B. Stuart Middle School. Forrest moved to its current location on Firestone Road in 1966. The facility on Firestone Road was a duplicate of the design used for Samuel W. Wolfson High School
, the work of Jacksonville architect Taylor Hardwick
. The school is named for the first Grand Wizard
of the Ku Klux Klan
, Nathan Bedford Forrest
.
was a Confederate
general
during the American Civil War
, and later became and the first Grand Wizard
of the Ku Klux Klan
. As of 2011, it is only one of two high schools named after Forrest; the other is located in his hometown of Chapel Hill, Tennessee
. Prior to the school's opening in 1959, many Jacksonville organizations suggested names for the new school, to be voted on at a school board meeting. After many ballots, "Nathan Bedford Forrest High School," suggested by the Daughters of the Confederacy, won.
of Duval County Schools by federal district court order introduced a more diverse population, based on geographic attendance districts. Currently, over 1800 students attend Forrest, 54% of whom are African-American.
In November 2006, the latest in a long line of petitions to change the name of the high school was submitted to the Duval County School Board. Some students from the Florida Community College at Jacksonville
wanted to have the school renamed in honor of Eartha M. M. White
, a Jacksonville native and philanthropist, due to Forrest's connection with the Klan. In November 2008, the Duval County School Board voted 5-2 to keep the name the same.Florida board keeps Klan leader's name at high school
, baseball
, swimming
, basketball
, volleyball
soccer and wrestling
, among others. The wrestling program is almost certainly the most successful sports program at the school, having won the Gateway Conference championship in 2008 for the 20th time over all. The school mascot is the Confederate Rebel, modeled in appearance after Colonel Reb
, the former mascot of the University of Mississippi
.
Their most famous athletic alumni is basketball guard/forward Otis Smith
, who played at Jacksonville University
after graduating from Forrest in 1982, then went on to play for the NBA Denver Nuggets
for two seasons, Golden State Warriors
for the 1987-88 season, then three seasons with the Orlando Magic
. He retired as a player in 1992 and is now the current general manager of the Orlando Magic
.
The school also has a large AFJROTC program, including three unarmed drill teams, a sabre guard, an armed drill team, and a color guard.
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.
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 the Duval County School District
Duval County Public Schools
Duval County Public Schools is the public school district for Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida. As of 2011, the district had an enrollment of over 123,000 students, making it the 15th largest school district in the United States, and 6th largest school district in Florida...
located on the Westside of 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...
, 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...
. Forrest opened in 1959 in Jacksonville's Wesconnett neighborhood, at the site of present-day J. E. B. Stuart Middle School. Forrest moved to its current location on Firestone Road in 1966. The facility on Firestone Road was a duplicate of the design used for Samuel W. Wolfson High School
Samuel W. Wolfson High School
Samuel W. Wolfson High School is a public high school, named after Samuel W. Wolfson, located in the Duval County Public School district, serving students of the diverse south side area of Jacksonville, Florida. Samuel W. Wolfson High School serves grades 9-12 in the Duval County Public Schools...
, the work of Jacksonville architect Taylor Hardwick
Taylor Hardwick
Taylor Hardwick is an American architect, interior designer, filmmaker, and educator who designed hundreds of buildings throughout northeast Florida, predominantly in and near the city of Jacksonville....
. The school is named for the first Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard was the title given to the leader of the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan which existed from 1866 to 1871.In 1915, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was created, initially as a fraternal organization. The highest-ranking leader of the latter organization was the Imperial Wizard. National...
of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
.
Namesake
Nathan Bedford ForrestNathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
was a Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and later became and the first Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard was the title given to the leader of the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan which existed from 1866 to 1871.In 1915, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was created, initially as a fraternal organization. The highest-ranking leader of the latter organization was the Imperial Wizard. National...
of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. As of 2011, it is only one of two high schools named after Forrest; the other is located in his hometown of Chapel Hill, Tennessee
Chapel Hill, Tennessee
Chapel Hill is a town in the northeastern part of Marshall County, Tennessee, United States. The town was named after Chapel Hill, North Carolina by settlers from that area...
. Prior to the school's opening in 1959, many Jacksonville organizations suggested names for the new school, to be voted on at a school board meeting. After many ballots, "Nathan Bedford Forrest High School," suggested by the Daughters of the Confederacy, won.
History
From its opening in 1959 Forrest High School remained an all-white school until the fall of 1966, when a small and carefully selected number of African-American students were allowed to enroll. Beginning in 1971, mandatory integrationDesegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of Duval County Schools by federal district court order introduced a more diverse population, based on geographic attendance districts. Currently, over 1800 students attend Forrest, 54% of whom are African-American.
In November 2006, the latest in a long line of petitions to change the name of the high school was submitted to the Duval County School Board. Some students from the Florida Community College at Jacksonville
Florida Community College at Jacksonville
Florida State College at Jacksonville is a state college in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S., and part of the Florida College System. It is one of several institutions in the Florida College System designated a "state college", as it offers a greater number of four-year bachelor's degrees than...
wanted to have the school renamed in honor of Eartha M. M. White
Eartha M. M. White
Eartha Mary Magdalene White was an American humanitarian, philanthropist, and businesswoman.-Early life:...
, a Jacksonville native and philanthropist, due to Forrest's connection with the Klan. In November 2008, the Duval County School Board voted 5-2 to keep the name the same.Florida board keeps Klan leader's name at high school
Feeder schools
- J.E.B. Stuart Middle School
- Cedar Hills
- Sadie Tillis
- Stonewall Jackson
- Timucuan
- Wesconnet
- Jefferson Davis Middle School
- Cedar Hills
- Chimney Lakes
- Enterprise
- Gregory Drive
- Hyde Grove
- Jacksonville Heights
- Normandy Village
- Sadie Tillis
- Oak Hill
- Wesconnett
Academics
The school currently has a pending grade. The results of the school grade will be known in November, 2010. In 2009 the school earned a "D" grade. The school earned an "F" the two years before. But as of now (2010) the school is known to be "exceeding expectations" as their motto states.Athletics
Like typical American high schools, Forrest fields sports teams in footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
soccer and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, among others. The wrestling program is almost certainly the most successful sports program at the school, having won the Gateway Conference championship in 2008 for the 20th time over all. The school mascot is the Confederate Rebel, modeled in appearance after Colonel Reb
Colonel Reb
Colonel Reb is the former sporting mascot of Ole Miss Rebels, the collegiate athletic teams of the University of Mississippi . Designed in the 1930s, the figure served as the teams' official or near-official mascot from 1979 until 2003...
, the former mascot of the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
.
Their most famous athletic alumni is basketball guard/forward Otis Smith
Otis Smith (basketball)
Otis Fitzgerald Smith is a retired American professional basketball player and current general manager of the NBA's Orlando Magic...
, who played at Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
after graduating from Forrest in 1982, then went on to play for the NBA Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
for two seasons, Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
for the 1987-88 season, then three seasons with the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
. He retired as a player in 1992 and is now the current general manager of the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
.
The school also has a large AFJROTC program, including three unarmed drill teams, a sabre guard, an armed drill team, and a color guard.
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.
Notable alumni
- Gene DeckerhoffGene DeckerhoffEmerson Eugene "Gene" Deckerhoff, Jr. is the radio play-by-play announcer of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a post he has held since 1989...
- Radio play-by-play announcer of the NFL's Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, and broadcaster of Florida State SeminolesFlorida State SeminolesThe Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
athletics. - Otis SmithOtis Smith (basketball)Otis Fitzgerald Smith is a retired American professional basketball player and current general manager of the NBA's Orlando Magic...
- Former Jacksonville UniversityJacksonville UniversityJacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
standout, retired AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and current general manager of the NBA's Orlando MagicOrlando MagicThe Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
. - Scott SpeicherScott SpeicherMichael Scott Speicher was a United States Navy pilot who was shot down over Iraq during the Gulf War. He was the first American combat casualty of the conflict. His remains were not recovered until Aug. 2, 2009...
- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
pilot who was killed when his F/A-18 HornetF/A-18 HornetThe McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
fighter was shot down over Iraq on January 17, 1991, the first night of Operation Desert Storm. - John Rutherford (sheriff)John Rutherford (sheriff)John Henry Rutherford is a career law enforcement officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. He has served as Duval County Sheriff since his election to the office in 2003; his current term expires in 2014.-Education:...
- Jacksonville Sheriff's OfficeJacksonville Sheriff's OfficeThe Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is a joint city-county law enforcement agency, which has primary responsibility for law enforcement, investigation, and corrections within the consolidated City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, United States... - Allen CollinsAllen CollinsLarkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...
- Musician - Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird... - Bob BurnsBob Burns (drummer)Bob Burns is an American drummer who was in the original line-up of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Burns helped to form the band in 1964 with Gary Rossington and Larry Junstrom and remained until 1974, although by some accounts he left the band for a while during the early 1970s...
- Musician - Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird... - Don BarnesDon BarnesDon Barnes is an American rock vocalist and guitarist. He is one of the founding members of the Southern rock band .38 Special...
- Musician - 38 Special - Brandon Hicks - Former student at University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
who now plays professional football for the NFL's 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... - Dave Lubec - Muscian - Molly Hatchet (band)
- Jeff Carlisi - Muscian - 38 Special