- Henry B. Plant High School
Infobox Secondary school
name = H.B. Plant High School
motto = "Strength Through Unity"
established = 1926
type = Public Secondary,Coeducational
principal= Robert A. Nelson
students = ~2200
grades = 9–12
city = Tampa
state =Florida
country = USA
district = Hillsborough County School District
accreditation = Florida State Department of Education
colors = Black, and Gold
mascot = Panther
website = http://plant.mysdhc.orgH.B. Plant High School was opened in 1926 on South Himes Avenue in
Tampa, Florida . The school is named in honor ofrailroad and hotel tycoonHenry B. Plant . The school mascot is the Panther. The school motto is "Strength Through Unity." Plant High School currently has enrolled more than 2,700 students.The athletic stadium is named Dad's Stadium, with the water tower in behind the stadium now reading, "Plant Panthers, Home Of State Champions" and hosts football, soccer and lacrosse games, track and field meets, and pep rallies. The flag team is known as the Pantherettes and the dance team is known as the Danceros.
The school has a notable academic reputation, and is consistently ranked among the 100 Best High Schools in America (as designated by "
Newsweek "). [cite web | url = http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380| title = America's Top Public High Schools | last = | first = | date = 2008-05-18 | publisher = "Newsweek" | accessdate = 2008-07-21] Plant High also offers freeAdvanced Placement Program testing as early as freshman year.Competition for school choice (a new program in Florida that allows students to apply to attend school outside of their district) is fierce, as Plant is overcrowded and thus not an available choice to students living outside the school district's boundaries. There is a zero-tolerance policy towards the common practice of claiming a relative or friend's in-district address to attend the school.
Notable alumni
*
Wade Boggs , World Series-winning third baseman and Baseball Hall of Famer
* Gallagher, American comedian and prop comic, most popularly known for smashing watermelons as part of his act
*Sam Gibbons , Unites States Congressman.*
D. James Kennedy , television evangelist
* Mike Williams,National Football League player
*Robert Marve , starting quarterback for theUniversity of Miami Band, chorus and drama
The Marching Panther Band performed their show "Havana Nights" in 2007–2008, which included such songs as the Stan Kenton classic "Malaga", a slow moving Latin swing piece called "Harlem Nocturne", and an arrangement of Santana's "Da Le Yaleo" to finish the show.The Marching Panthers' songs played in the stands include Hey, Let's Go, Vehicle, and Come Out and Play, as well as an all-new arrangement of the song "The Final Countdown". In addition to the Marching Panthers, the school also has a jazz band, who have won many awards and recognitions for their performances for the last two school years.Fact|date=July 2008 Also, the Plant High "Wind Ensemble" features classical performances.
The Plant High School Orchestra of 75 members plays four concerts a year, as well as performing throughout the community in service oriented playing.
Performances by the school's chorus of more than 250 members include several
Madrigal dinner performances and an annualrevue called "Rick's Cafe". Past shows have featured numbers from "Rent", "Grease", "Chicago", "", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Oklahoma", "West Side Story ", and "Mary Poppins".Members of the drama program put on plays and musicals every year. Recent shows include "Psycho Night at the Paradise Lounge", "
Alice In Wonderland ", "Old Saybrook ", "The Curious Savage ", "Grease", "A Midsummer Night's Dream ", "The Odd Couple:Female Version", "Bathroom Humor ", and the award winning "Mystery of Twicknam Vicarage". The Drama Club participates each year in Winter Wonderland, raising money forBroadway Cares , and other fund raisers. Each year closes with an award banquet entitled "The Henry's", in which new members are inducted into the Thespian Troupe, awards are distributed, board members are announced, and Senior students are given a final goodbye.Service clubs
Plant High School enjoys a fine tradition of community service, as shown by the seven
service club s (boys and girls) on campus. Students who are interested in joining are assigned to a random club and are "tapped" during homeroom. These clubs perform a variety of services to the community and loyalty to one's club is strong.Boys' Service Clubs:
*Key
*Sertoma
*DelphiGirls' Service Clubs:
*Kiwanettes
*La Sertoa
*Zeta
*AnchorVarsity football team
The 2006 Plant Panthers completed an undefeated season, winning their first Florida State Football Championship on
December 9 ,2006 , by defeating the defending 2005 champions, Nease High School, 25-21. [cite web | url = http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/12/Hillsborough/The_new_pride_of_Tamp.shtml| title = The New Pride of Tampa | last =Zayas | first =Alexandra | date = 2006-12-12 | publisher = "St. Petersburg Times" | accessdate = 2008-07-21] A touchdown pass from future Miami Hurricane, Robert Marve to Derek Winter with 17 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter put the Panthers ahead for the win. Also in the game, Marve broke the record for completions, attempts, and TDs (48) in a season, a record previously held by former Nease High School QB and currentFlorida Gators standout,Tim Tebow .The week before, Plant High School made history when the team won their first state semi-final game against Booker T. Washington; a team who had previously made the semi-final game for four years in a row. Plant High School's team had previously made it to the semi-final game in 1973, 1976, and 1978 but had gotten no further. In 2003, the Panthers were 1-9. Under Coach Robert Weiner along with 10 other players, the team had a 3-7 season in 2004, 9-3 in 2005, and finally in 2006, a 15-0 state championship. In 2007, new quarterback Aaron Murray led the Panthers to an 11-2 season.
Varsity Sailing Team
The Plant High School Flying Panther Sailing Team is another premier club at H.B. Plant High School. Founded during the 2001-2002 school year, the sailing team practices at Davis Island Yacht Club and races all over the continental U.S.Fact|date=July 2008 The Panther sailing team started with a strive toward excellence by qualifying for the 2002 ISSA national championship in San Fransico, California where they placed 15th overall. The Panthers have since attended four other national championships, in 2005 the panthers finished 13th overall, in 2006 the team attended the ISSA national championship in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, finishing 11th, and in 2007 they finished fifth at the fleet racing nationals and third in the team race nationals.Fact|date=July 2008 The ISSA National Championship is an invitation only regatta that only the top three teams from the South Atlantic Interscholastic Saling Association are able to attend.In the 2007-2008 season the panthers came in first in the southeast regional regatta.
References
External links
* [http://www.plantband.com/ The H.B. Plant High School Marching Panther Band]
* [http://Plant.Mysdhc.org Henry B. Plant High School website]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7761678/site/newsweek/ 100 Best High Schools in America - Newsweek Website]
* [http://www.phsdl.com/ PHSDL.com - Plant High School Drum Line]
* [http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/ School District of Hillsborough County Website.]
* [http://www.highschoolsailingusa.org/ High School Sailing USA website.]
* [http://www.plantsings.org/ PHS Chorus Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/planthighjazz Plant High School Jazz Ensemble]
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