Gaither High School

Infobox_School | name = Gaither High School


motto = "Reach for the stars..."Fact|date=May 2008
established = 1984
type = Public
principal = Brenda Grasso
faculty = includes assistant principals Donna Cason (Curriculum), Henry Strapp (Administration), Matthew Smith, John Olewski, Lauren Otero (Student Affairs)
enrollment = 2,350
free_label = Colors
free_text = Silver, White, and Blue
location = 16200 N Dale Mabry Hwy 33618, USA
information = [phone]
website = [http://www1.sdhc.k12.fl.us/~gaither.high/main/gindex.htm Gaither High Official Website]

Vivian Gaither High School opened in 1984 and is located on 16200 Dale Mabry Highway in the Greater Northdale area of Hillsborough County, Florida. For 13 years it only housed 10th-12th grades and 9th grade was added in 1997. It serves the communities of Northdale, Cheval, Country Place, North Lakes, Lutz, and other parts of northern Hillsborough County. [ [http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/schools/bound/1551.pdf/ Boundary Map] ]

Gaither High School is named for the late Hillsborough High School administrator, Principal Vivian Gaither. He served over 40 years in the Hillsborough County School System.

=Administration=

Gaither High has had three principals in its history.
*Ron Allen [{http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/19/Hernando/From_principal_to_fru.shtml From principal to fruit stand vendor] ] 1984 - 1993
*Ken Adum 1993 - 2003
*Brenda Grasso 2003 - present

=Information=

The enrollment is 2,300 students. Most of these students have attended one of two middle schools; James Buchanan Middle School and Ben H. Hill Middle School.

During the design of the school, Hillsboroguh County Public Schools purchased one architectural design for use on two new high schools (Gaither High, and Bloomingdale High School which is located across county in Valrico, Florida). Gaither is painted white and Bloomingdale is painted a reddish-brown colour. In 2000, several classrooms were added to the southern part of campus [ [http://www.sptimes.com/News/060700/TampaBay/Bay_area_briefs.shtml Gaither Expands] ] . Twelve more will be needed to comply with a state mandated class size limit [ [http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/16/news_pf/Northoftampa/ Adding_classroom_wing.shtml Adding New Wings] ] The only serious damage to the school occurred in April 2004, when a wall above the auditorium collapsed due to heavy wind and rains [ [http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/13/Weather/Cold_front_sweeps_in_.shtml Cold front damages school.] ] .

=Academic achievements=

Gaither has "Teacher of the Year" nominations regularly bestowed onto faculty. Gaither offers several advanced placement courses including math, languages, social sciences and literature. According to the most recent grades, Gaither is a "B' school. In 2003, the school adopted the vision, "Gaither will be among the top 5% of high schools in the state," and mission, "Gaither will provide all students with the opportunity and skills needed to maximize their potential as life–long learners and productive citizens."

In 2008 Gaither was ranked in the top 100 high schools in Florida as designated by "Newsweek" [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?s=FL America's Top High Schools] ]

Gaither also hosts the Special Olympics Stampede [ [http://www.sptimes.com/2003/01/10/Northoftampa/Special_Olympics_is_a.shtml Gaither Hosts Special Olympics Stampede] ] which is sponsored by the Civettes and FFA clubs.

=In the news=

In 2005, the marching band participated in the Inaugural Parade for George W. Bush.

In 2006, the vocal chorus traveled to New York City and performed at St Patrick's Cathedral.

In January 2007, Gaither was named the demonstration high school for best practices for inclusive education (BPIE) by the state of Florida for Hillsborough County.

=Demographics=As of September 1 2006, Gaither High School demographics are: [ [http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/schools/ Hillsborough County Public Schools>] ]

* 57.74% - White/Caucasian, non-Hispanic (1,357 students)
* 28.34% - Hispanic, of any race (666 students)
* 7.32% - Black/African-American, non-Hispanic (172 students)
* 3.15% - Multiracial/ethnic (74 students)
* 2.85% - Asian/Pacific Islander (67 students)
* 0.60% - American Indian/Alaskan Native (14 students)

* 25.57% of students are economically disadvantaged (601 students)
* 4.3% of students have limited proficiency in the English language (101 students)
* 11.87% of students have disabilities (279 students)

=Athletics=Gaither's closest sports rival is Sickles High School, located in Citrus Park and opened in 1997. Before 1997 the main rivalry existed between Chamberlain High School, and [Leto_Senior_High_School|A. P. Leto Comprehensive High School] in [Town_'n'_Country,_Florida|Town 'n Country] . Other closely located high schools include Freedom High School in [New_Tampa,_Florida|New Tampa] , and Plant High School located closer to [Hyde_Park,_Tampa,_Florida|Hyde Park] .

=Notable alumni=
*Kevin Cash, Boston Red Sox catcher
*Melinda Hohmann, XM Radio host
*Kenny Majid, choreographer America's Best Dance Crew
*Carlton Mitchell, USF wide receiver
*Tina Novak, singer
*Alesha Oreskovich, model/ Playboy bunny
*Lydell Ross, former Ohio State Buckeyes running back
*J.R. Russell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
*James Smith, guitarist of band Underoath
*Brittany Snow, actress
*Jenn Sterger, photo model
*Chad Zerbe, San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
*Channing Tatum, actor and former model
* Seth Kushner, Morning Radio personality, Tampa, Fisher and Boy

=References=

=External links=
* [http://www1.sdhc.k12.fl.us/~gaither.high/index.htm Gaither High website]
* [http://www.gaitherband.org Gaither High Marching Band]
* [http://www.gaithercowboysfootball.com Cowboy football]