Jones High School (Florida)

Infobox School
name=Jones High School
type=Public
location=801 South Rio Grande Avenue
flagicon|USA Orlando, FL
information=[phone]
established=1895
grades=9-12
enrollment=1,141
mascot=Tiger
colors=Orange and Green
district=Orange County Public Schools
Principal=Bridget Williams
website=http://www.joneshigh.ocps.net

Jones High School is located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood in the urban heart of Orlando, Florida at 801 S. Rio Grande Avenue. It is a public school in the Orange County School District. The school mascot is the Tiger and the colors are orange and green.

In May 2008, Newsweek named Jones to its annual America's Top Public High Schools list. [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?s=orlando The Top of the Class]

History

The first public school for blacks in Orlando was formed in 1895 and housed in a building on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street. The school was renamed Johnson Academy and moved to a new building on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Jefferson Street. In 1921, a brick Colonial Revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street at a cost of $34,000. The school was renamed for the final time in honor of L. C. Jones, a longtime school principal and donor of the property. [ [http://www.cfhf.net/orlando/1921.htm orlando Florida history ] ]

In 1952, the school moved west of downtown to its current location on Rio Grande Avenue. A new campus consisting of a two-story academic building, separate buildings for science, technology, and music, an administrative building, cafeteria, gymnasium, media center, and dedicated historical museum was constructed during the period 2001-2004. During construction, students attended classes in portables across the street from the campus. The new campus was opened for the start of the 2004-2005 school year.

In 1988, as part of a schoolwide project, Jones entered the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the World's Largest Box of Popcorn. Aided by a propane-powered air popper designed by engineering students from the University of Central Florida, Jones students popped 3787.5 cubic feet of popcorn. [http://books.google.com/books?id=Tp10j1elTfMC&pg=RA1-PA50&lpg=RA1-PA50&dq=jones+high+school+world's+largest+box+of+popcorn&source=web&ots=Mc6GlVBEmG&sig=ztTUH1304-XTvAuZlfM-9zPxJxo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result] Orville Redenbacher, whose company donated the unpopped corn, mentioned the feat during a broadcast of the now-defunct Pat Sajak Show.

Academics

Jones High is a comprehensive high school. It is an IB Middle Years Programme school. It is also a certified AVID site. Students may progress through a college-focused academic program featuring numerous Advanced Placement courses or elect to dually enroll at one of Orange County's technical education centers. Jones also offers dual enrollment courses through Valencia Community College.

Extracurriculars

The Marching Tiger Band is well-known throughout the Central Florida area. They marched in the 2004 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Recently, the band performed at WrestleMania XXIV, playing John Cena's entrance theme music "The Time Is Now".

Athletics

Jones High fields varsity sports teams in baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, flag football (girls), football, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting. [http://www.joneshigh.ocps.net]

Jones is well-known in the Central Florida area for talented, tenacious teams. The varsity football team plays its home games in the Citrus Bowl. At the end of the 2007-08 school year, former University of Miami star and NFL player Kenard Lang was named the head coach of the Tigers.

The Jones High boys basketball team won the Florida 3A state championship in 2006 under Coach Jerry Howard [ [http://www.fhsaa.org/bbb/2006/ FHSAA.org: Boys Basketball: 2006 ] ] . The girls basketball team has won two Florida state championships, in 2004 under Coach Jimmy Mincy, and in 1997 under Coach Kelvin Harris. [ [http://www.fhsaa.org/bbg/2004/ FHSAA.org: Girls Basketball: 2004 ] ] Standout players from the 2004 team, Jessica Lawson and Shavonte Zellous, signed NCAA Division I scholarships to play for the University of California and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively.

Notable Alumni

*David L. Brewer III, Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District
*Jerry Demings, Orange County Public Safety Director; first African-American Chief of Police for the City of Orlando
*Sylvester James Gates, Ph.D., noted theoretical physicist
*Arthur "Pappy" Kennedy, first African-American elected City Commissioner of Orlando
*Kevin Lewis
*Dr. Portia Maultsby, ethnomusicologist
*Nate Newton
*Tim Newton
*Belvin Perry, Chief Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida (Orange/Osceola)
*Eric Powell (American football)
*Curtis Rayam, operatic tenor
*Wesley Snipes
*Charlie B. Walker, former Fire Chief, City of Orlando

ee also

*Orlando, Florida
*Citrus Bowl
*List of high schools in Florida

ources

*http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/fl/2096
*http://www.cfhf.net/orlando/1921.htm

External links

* [http://www.wesh.com/education/education/4585303/detail.html FCAT Failure]
* [http://www.wesh.com/education/4507752/detail.html# 10^th Grade FCAT Reading]
* [http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/16/State/Plan_would_force_chan.shtml Effort to Reform]
* [http://jhsmarchingtigerband.tripod.com Marching Tiger Band Website]
* [http://www.joneshigh.ocps.net/index.html School Website]

Notes