Booker High School (Sarasota, Florida)

Booker High School is a high school located in Sarasota, Florida. It is located in the northern area of Sarasota and is part of the school district of Sarasota County. The athletic teams are known as the Tornadoes.

History

Booker High School is named after a teacher and educational leader in Sarasota's black community, Emma Edwina Booker. Booker moved to Sarasota in 1910 and soon helped start Sarasota Grammar School, for the education of young black children. In 1925 she led a procession of students and teachers from the old school (in Knights of Pythias Hall) to a new school built next to the railroad tracks at Lemon and Thirteenth Street (now Seventh Street) by the Rosenwald Fund. Booker served as an inspiration to many of her students and was eventually commemorated by having three schools named in her honor: Emma E. Booker Elementary, Booker Middle School, and Booker High School. [http://www.scgov.net/CommunityServices/HistoryCenter/Historic_Sarasota/booker.asp]

Academic Extras

Booker High School offers students power over what they choose to learn, with several "Academies" within the school.

The goal of the JROTC is to teach its "cadets" to appreciate the ethical values that underlie good citizenship, to develop leadership potential, and to learn to live and work cooperatively with others. This program is greatly influenced by the armed forces and strives to instill military conduct principles in students.

Visual and Performing Arts Program (VPA)

Art

The Booker High Art program has helped develop talented artists including Bill Corso, who won the Oscar for "Best Makeup" in 2005, and Jack Mac Kinnon. Honorable teachers who taught Jack Mac Kinnon and other talented students who attend the VPA art program in the last few years are Nancy Skwire and Steve Strenk. Mr. Bill Corso, the 2005 Oscar winner attended Booker before Ms. Skwire and Mr. Strenk joined the faculty. His artistic abilities were enhanced by the fine instruction of long time BHS teacher, Mr. Gary Bowen.

Dance

The Dance program has many talented dancers who consistently perform at events and shows all over the Sarasota/Bradenton area.

Music

The students who play wind instruments performed at Carnegie Hall in March 2007. They have also many awards at the Berklee Jazz Festival with their vocal jazz ensemble who has successfully won each year they've competed, they are also the only competitors who have earned perfect scores in the compitition. Booker's Renowned V.P.A. Program is so competitive that out of the original 142 students who started off in the Music V.P.A. program in 2002, in 2006 that same graduating class graduated with about 11 students with a music V.P.A. degree. Music V.P.A offers theoretical music education that is comparable to college-level courses, enabling students to compose and analyze musical works. Music V.P.A also offers extensive music history classes which cover music throughout written history.

Television and Film

Booker's TV/Film program is one of the most high quality high school television programs in the country. It inheirited a news station's equipment and set, with which they produce a morning show everyday. The program is part of the V.P.A program and holds a bi-annual Film Showcase.

Theatre

The Theatre department of Booker High is renowned in the state as one of the best. Students in the program choose to either specialize in acting or technical work.Actors are required to audition for every show of the program's four-show seasons, and do up to six Shop Hours a period. They take classes in acting, Voice and Music Theory, Dance - Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Broadway, History of Theatre, Directing, Script Analysis and Film acting. Technical students help to build sets, run lights, sound, and manage what goes on backstage, in addition to learning the tricks of the technical trade.

During the 2004-2005 school year, the Theatre department placed first in both the Florida Theatre Conference and the South-Eastern Theatre Conference with their production of "Seussical the Musical". The following school year, the Theatre department was the runner-up with the senior class' original play written by H. Scott Keys , "The Alchemist", based on the book of the same name. In 2006-2007 school year, the Theatre department took "Children Of Eden" to the Conference and won the Best Technical Award for their design of the Garden of Eden. In 2007-2008 the senior class will be taking another original work by H. Scott Keys entitled, "Ta2".

The Theatre department is also home to 2005 graduate Syesha Mercado, an American Idol Top 3 Finalist. Currently attending Booker High school's Theatre program is American Juniors winner Danielle White. She will be a part of the 2010 graduating class.

VPA Theatre Teachers Past and Present

*H. Scott Keys- Teaches Level One and Four, Directing, Script Analysis,Make-up, Directs Two Musicals
*Candace Artim- Teaches Level Two, Directs One Play, Her last year was 2008
*Nataila Mock- Teaches Level Three, Directs One Play
*Johnnie Mnich- Teaches Voice and Music Theory, Musical Director
*Ken Wiegers- Head of VPA Theatre and Teaches Level One Through Four Tech, Designs Sets
*Cynthia Ashford - Dance Instructor

Athletic Program

Football

The Booker High School varsity football team has had a successful run for 3 of the last 4 years, reaching the Class 3A State Semifinal game in 2003, the 2005 Class 3A State Finals game (Lost to St. Augustine Yellow Jackets 31-15), and the 2006 Class 3A Regional Semifinals game. A well-known rivalry occurs each season between Booker and neighboring school, Sarasota High.

Basketball

Keeping with school tradition, the 2006 Boys Basketball were State Champions. They have five state basketball championshipa in school history, and are the only school in sarasota county to win a basketball state championship.The girls basketball team was also succssesfull in 2007-2008 whaen they became district champions.

Baseball

Booker has historically had one of the poorest baseball programs in the area. Controversy has plagued the leadership and kept many able players from participating. Likewise, several good baseball players who would normally be Booker students have opted to attend other schools in the area with better and more experienced leadership in the baseball program.

Tennis

2006- Anthony Lipe-Ladenheim & Cody Gusto finished 3rd in States for doubles competition.

2007- District Champions. State contenders.

Notable Alumni

*Bill Corso- Academy Award Winner for Achievement in Makeup for Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events
*Miles Fox- Contestant on MTV's Room Raiders Miami
*Sarah Inbar- Broadway Actress/Mama Mia, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Chorus Line
*Syesha Mercado- Contestant on American Idol Season 7/Finished 3rd
*Darren Ritchie- Broadway Actor/Bells Are Ringing, Dracula, Les Misérables
*Danielle White- Winner of American Juniors on FOX
*Ruby Garrard Woodson - educator specializing in chemistry and physics, founder of the Cromwell Academy in Washington, D. C. and of the Florida Academy of African-American Culture in Sarasota, two private institutions devoted to advancing the education of gifted minority students

ecurity

In addition to several security aides and SROs (School Resource Officers), Booker High School also contains 52 strategically-placed security cameras, which are regularly monitored in the Administration building.

Contact information

*3201 North Orange Avenue
*Sarasota, Florida 34234
*(941)-355-2967

External links

* [http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/bhs/ Booker High School]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/fl/2798 School profile]

References