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Pensacola High School is a public high school located near downtown Pensacola.
The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001 and graduated its 100th class of seniors in 2005; however, the school has not always been at its current location. It was moved to Maxwell Street in 1952. In 1969, a fire gutted the previous school building on Lee Square, prompting its demolition. Currently, it is the oldest secondary school in Pensacola.
The school is part of the Escambia County School District. The former principal, Norm Ross, is now the Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the county. Currently, the principal is David Williams.
After Hurricane Ivan, which struck the Pensacola area on September 16, 2004, Pensacola High School was damaged, especially in the gym (one of the four towering walls was completely destroyed). While large renovations were needed, the school remained open and in operation. The gymnasium, which had only recently been remodeled, was demolished in June 2005 and was rebuilt by the end of the 2007-2008 school year.
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International Baccalaureate
Pensacola High School is the only school in the county to have an International Baccalaureate program as well as a Health Occupation Students of America honors program. The International Baccalaureate program was introduced in 1986 as a last-ditch effort to keep the school open; many students had performed poorly, and there were high dropout rates. The school district had given the administration an ultimatum: improve the numbers or be shut down. With the introduction of the IB program, the higher test scores helped bring up the average and kept Pensacola High open.
The IB program at Pensacola High was developed by Donna Dunson. Richard Kuhn served as the coordinator from 1994 until 2002. Under his guidance the program achieved great success, all the more impressive when considering the poor funding provided to the county. Upon his resignation, former teacher Colleen Boyett served as coordinator. Due to the successful AP and IB course offerings, the IB program at Pensacola High was named as one of the top ten high school programs in America by Newsweek magazine in May of 2005. As of 2006, the coordinator is Dr. K. Joy McMichael.
Notable Alumni
- Fred Levin - Famed civil trial lawyer for whom the Law School at the University of Florida is named as well as sometime lawyer and advisor to boxer Roy Jones Jr.
- Michelle Snow - WNBA basketball player and former University of Tennessee Standout
- Neal Boortz - Libertarian talk-show host
- Hunter Scott - History activist
- Reubin O'Donovan Askew - Former Governor of Florida
National Recognition and Prominence
In May 2005, the newsmagazine Newsweek published a list of the Top 1000 high schools in the United States, as dictated by a ratio of the average number of International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement tests taken by each graduating senior. In the list, Pensacola High School ranked #8 in the country, and #4 in the state of Florida. In 2006 it was again ranked in the top 50, this time at 38.
Extracurricular programs
PHS features a variety of Athletic programs many of which often do well at the District and occasionally state level. Among those are:
- Boys Football
- Girls Volleyball
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Baseball/Softball
- Cross Country
- Track and Field
- Swimming & Diving
- Tennis
- Boys Weightlifting
- Boys Golf
PHS also currently features two strong academic extracurricular activities which have enjoyed great success on the county level:
- Scholars/Quiz Bowl (Academic Team) which has recently won first place at a tournament at FSU and third place at a tournament in Florida. Even the JV team won first place in their division at the Florida tournament.
- Mu Alpha Theta (Math Team)
There are also Band and Cheerleading programs as well as an active Student Government Association.