- Niceville High School
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Niceville Senior High School Motto "As the eagle does, soar!" Established 1964 Type Public secondary Principal Marcus Chambers, M.Ed. Faculty 159 Students 1900 Grades 9–12 Location 800 E John Sims Parkway
Niceville, Florida, USACampus Suburban Colors Maroon, Gold and White Mascot Eagle Rival Choctaw High School Yearbook Aquila Newspaper Eagle Echo Website nicevillehighschool.org 
Niceville Senior High School (also known as NHS) is a public high school in the city of Niceville, Florida. The school is SACS-accredited and considered to be the top high school within its high performing district. In 1996 NHS was selected as one of 226 secondary schools (private and public) to be designated as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.[1] NHS was also named a New American High School in 2001, one of only 13 in the nation to earn that honor. The State of Florida Department of Education rated the school an A+ in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005.[2]
The current location of NHS atop a hill running parallel to John Sims Parkway was not the original site of the school, opened in 1964; NHS was initially located in a dance hall on Howell Avenue and once held classes at what is now Edge Elementary.
Contents
Athletics
Niceville High School has gained some notoriety for its athletics program. In 2009 the Niceville High School Football team was runner up in the 4A division of Florida.[3] In addition, Niceville has in years past fielded highly competitive baseball teams earning places in the 1989 and 2008 Florida State Final Four and posting district championships in 1991, 2002, 2004 and 2005, 2008, and 2009.[4] In 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010 the NHS wrestling team also posted district championships.[5] The boy's soccer team also has consistently posted district championships winning titles every year from 1995 through 2001 and 2004 through 2007.[6] On June 5, 2008, NHS star left-handed pitcher Brett DeVall[7] was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. On August 30, 2008 Niceville High School sophomore wide receiver Taylor Haugen died after taking a particularly hard hit from two opposing players.[8] The Taylor Haugen Foundation [9] was created to honor his memory in spirit of his extraordinary character. The mission of the foundation is to provide scholarships to faith-based, outgoing, community-oriented, academically-proficient athletes in the local community. Girls Soccer has won the past 8 district consecutive titles, and making it to State Final Four in 2006. Niceville High School's first State Title came in 1987 when the Boy's Cross Country team won the State Title in Titisville, FL. Additionally, the Basketball team made it to the Final Four in the 2009-2010 season. The Volleyball team also made a run to the Final four in 2010.
Student activities
Beyond athletics, Niceville High School has won accolades for many of its student-run activities. In 2007, a team from the school took honors at the Ocean Sciences Bowl. During the same year seven students from the school were sent to Tanzania to participate in Natural Geography of In-Shore Areas project sponsored by University of Kyoto, Japan.[10] In 2003 a team from NHS posted 43rd out of almost 200 teams in the Super Bowl of High School Calculus.[11]
Niceville High School also offers other activities such as SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Manga Club, Philosophy Club, and countless others.
Also, The Niceville High School Forensics Team has won many competitions in the south Florida region, including the prestigious University of Blue Key Tournament.
In 1981 and 1982 Tony Phillips won the National Science Fair for his research on the effects of sunspots and coronal mass ejections on the earth. Tony went on to a successful career in NASA after earning his Ph.D from CalTech.
Niceville Girl’s Softball Eagles had advanced to the Class 5A regional semifinals in 2009-2010 and were the runner-ups. In 2010-2011 they became the 5A State Champions with an overall score of 23-2-0. In the semifinals the Niceville Eagles Softball team won Friday's Playoff game against the Wellington Wolverines by a score of 5-0. In the Finals, they beat Bartow with a score of 2 –1. In the Xcellent 25 Writers' Poll Niceville is currently ranked 7th
AFJROTC
Niceville High also supports an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. The Corps is sponsored by the nearby Eglin AFB's 33rd Fighter Wing. Belonging to the 33rd for three years will advance you two paygrades in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and one paygrade in the United States Marine Corps upon Enlistment. In addition to the advancement, cadets are awarded the "Three Year Coin", a challenge coin to keep as a trophy for completing three years of Jr. ROTC. The Corps has four drill teams, Armed Regulation, Un-Armed Exhibition, Un-Armed Regulation, and Armed Exhibition, in addition to an Honor Guard, Sabre Team, and a Rocket Team that fires off rockets during the National Anthem at home football games. The FL-33rd is currently under the command of Retired CMSgt Roy Taylor, and Retired MSgt Danny Hensley. The current Corps Commander is Cadet Colonel Thomas Joseph Brown.
NHS Eagle Pride
With more than 250 members, the Niceville High School Eagle Pride is one of the largest high school bands in the region. They most recently attended the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, and in the same year their Wind Ensemble was one the select few high school concert bands to perform at CBDNA in Columbus, Georgia. In 2004 the Eagle Pride marched in the Fiesta Bowl Parade and took fourth place in the national marching band contest associated with the parade. In 2010, the Niceville Wind Ensemble performed at Carnegie hall in New York City. They perform every year at the Southeastern States Marching Festival at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. The Eagle Pride is well-known for their high-impact field shows and their quality of music.
Principals
- Marcus Chambers (2011-Present)
- Dr. Linda Smith, Ed.D. (2007–2011)
- Dr. Janie Varner, Ed.D. (2001–2007)
- Dr. David Morgan, Ed.D. (1994–2000)
- Jeanette Rhodes (1989–1994)
- Ashley Hutcheson (1971–1989)
- Colly V. Williams (1968–1971)
- Orus Kinney (1964–1968)
Quick facts
- Taylor Haugen's story was featured during CBS' broadcast of the 2009 SEC Championship Game.
- NHS's philosophy is, "Teachers teach. Students learn. Everyone else supports."
- The school features a state-of-the-art IT Institute, headed by Dean Patti Bonezzi. Since the institute opened in 2004, students have been awarded 250+ certificates in programs such as Microsoft, Certified Internet Web Professional, Oracle Corporation, Cisco, and Adobe Systems.
- The school's Eagle Pride marching band is one of the biggest in the state with 272 members. They marched in the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade.
- NHS won the Boys Cross Country State Title in 1987 and 1999.
- NHS won the state championship in football in 1988, went to the state semifinals in 2005, and was a State Runner-Up in 2009.
- Lacking a true "cross-town rival," Niceville's main rivals are Choctawhatchee High School and Fort Walton Beach High School, located in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
- The 2011 softball team won the State Championship in Clermont, FL, defeating Bartow High School 2-1.
Notable alumni
- Pam Oliver, Fox Sports sideline analyst
- Cris Judd, Music video director, choreographer, actor, and ex-husband of Jennifer Lopez
- Alan Ritchson, actor in Blue Mountain State Aquaman on Smallville and a previous 3rd season contestant on American Idol.
- Jeff McInnis, Contestant on TV series Top Chef on Bravo.
- Toby Turner, YouTube vlogger and comedian.
- Lewis Billups, NFL player for 7 seasons with the Bengals and Packers. Appeared in Super Bowl XXIII.
- Christina Leavenworth, CBS Reporter/Anchor, WWL-TV, Former Fox Affiliate WALA Reporter
References
- ^ "Archived: Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 (PDF)" (PDF). http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Niceville High School". Niceville High School. http://www.nicevillehighschool.org/profile.html. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ J.S (2009-10-17). "Final Super Florida 25". Superfloridahsfootball.blogspot.com. http://superfloridahsfootball.blogspot.com/. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Niceville High School Baseball". Nicevillebaseball.com. http://www.nicevillebaseball.com/. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Niceville High School Wrestling". Nicevillehighschool.org. http://nicevillehighschool.org/wrestling/schedule.html. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "NICEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL MEN's soccer". Nicevillesoccer.com. http://www.nicevillesoccer.com/. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Brett DeVall Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Minorleaguebaseball.com. 2011-03-25. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Brett%20DeVall&pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=543102. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Florida high school football player dies after injury". Usatoday.Com. 2008-08-30. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2008-08-30-florida-death_N.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Taylor Haugen Foundation". Taylorhaugen.org. 2008-08-30. http://taylorhaugen.org/. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Okaloosa County School District News". Okaloosaschools.com. http://www.okaloosaschools.com/okaloosaschools/absolutenm/templates/template_nimg.aspx?articleid=304&zoneid=3. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ Results of the 2003 Superbowl[dead link]
External links
- Official Niceville High School site
- Niceville Football
- Niceville High School Football
- Niceville High School Basketball
- Niceville High School Cross Country & Track
- NHS Eagle Pride Band site
Coordinates: 30°31′11″N 86°28′35″W / 30.5196415°N 86.4763386°W
Categories:- High schools in Okaloosa County, Florida
- Blue Ribbon schools in Florida
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