Gulf High School

Gulf High School is a four-year public high school in New Port Richey, Florida. It is part of the Pasco County School System in Pasco County, Florida. It is the first high school in western Pasco County and the second school in Pasco County to offer the International Baccalaureate Program, the other being Land O' Lakes High School. Gulf High School is so named because it was originally located less than one mile from the Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf High School
Address
5355 School Rd

New Port Richey
,
Florida
34652-4322

United States
Coordinates28.235328°N 82.717220°W / 28.235328; -82.717220
Information
TypePublic
MottoSailing the Rising Tide
Established1922
LocaleNew Port Richey, Florida
PrincipalJames Morgenstein
Faculty78.20 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Number of students1,561 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio19.96[1]
Color(s)Green, White, and Black
            
MascotBuccaneer
Websiteghs.pasco.k12.fl.us
Gulf High School Buccaneers.

History

Gulf High School opened on September 18, 1922, with an initial enrollment of 39 students and a faculty of three teachers.[2] There were no seniors during the first school year; the first graduation took place on April 29, 1924, with eleven seniors.[3]

Although Gulf High School remained the only high school in western Pasco County for over fifty years, enrollment remained small through the 1950s and local residents feared the state might close the school.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the sports teams were nicknamed the "Cooties,"[4] from a shortened name for the Pithlachascotee River, on which the school was situated.

In 1931, a dispute between the school trustees and the county school board over the selection of a principal was appealed to the Florida Supreme Court.[5]

In 1938, football was revived after an absence of several years and in November of that year the Tampa Tribune said that the team was the "losingest team in the country,"[6] as it had been outscored by 442-0 thus far in the season. However, the 1941-42 football team had a 9-1 record and won the Gulf Coast Conference championship.[7]

In 1961, Gulf High School moved into a new building,[8] and in 1977 it moved to its third and current location at 5355 School Road, New Port Richey FL 34652.[9]

The building which now houses Gulf High school opened as Gulf Junior High School (now Gulf Middle School) in 1971; in 1977 the two schools switched buildings.

Schools in Pasco County were racially integrated in the 1960s, and the first black students to attend Gulf High School were enrolled at the start of the 1966-67 school year.[10]

In April 2007, the International Baccalaureate Organization approved a diploma program for Gulf High School.[11]

In 2009, Gulf High School's first IB Senior class graduated.

In 2010, the wrestling team won the Class A state championship.

Academics

Enrollment

In the 2009-2010 school year, Gulf High was projected to enroll 1328 students,[12] and enrollment is 1214 students for 2015-2016.[13]

Awards

Learning communities

Gulf High School currently offers five learning community options:

  • Institute of Health and Human Services
The focus of the IHHS, founded in 1996, is to facilitate students who aspire to pursue careers in health related fields or other human services. This learning community is heavily affiliated with the national student organization HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America). It offers a very hands-on approach to discovering where a student may best fit in the world of health and human services.
  • Corporate Education Clubs of Florida
The focus of the CCEF, founded in 1982, is to help students pursue careers in business. This learning community is heavily affiliated with the national student organizations ITS, IBT, and FBLA. It offers a hands-on approach to discovering where a student may best fit in the world of managing a future corporate organization or facility.
  • Institute of Communications and the Arts
The focus of this learning community is, in part, the fine arts and the appreciation thereof. Gulf High School has a very well developed fine arts program, with courses in photography, art, chorus, drama and several bands.
  • Institute of Business and Technology
  • Institute of Technical Services
  • International Baccalaureate Program
In June 2005, the Programme for Identifying Baccalaureate Students was started, thus giving West Pasco its first IB school and Pasco County its second IB school. In April 2007, the International Baccalaureate Organization approved a diploma program for Gulf High School. Gulf High School's first IB senior class graduated in 2009. The demanding coursework of the program challenges students, prepares them for college coursework, and gives them the chance to earn college credit by passing the IB exams at the end of the year and Advanced Placement classes taken throughout the year. Community service is also heavily emphasized through CAS. The decision to place the International Baccalaureate Program at Gulf High School was finalized after several other high schools in West Pasco were considered.

Extracurricular activities

Band and Color Guard

The Gulf High Marching Buccaneers have been an institution at Gulf High School since 1925. The school also has a jazz ensemble called Jazz Fusion, and a drumline called G-Force. The GHS Drumline won best in Pasco, finalizing against Pasco High School, at the King's High drum-off, Pasco bracket. The GHS color guard has earned a "Superior" rating 12 of the last 15 years at the district-wide assessment.[14]

Clubs

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Gulf High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  2. New Port Richey Press, Sept. 21, 1922
  3. New Port Richey Press, May 2, 1924
  4. New Port Richey Press, Feb. 21, 1936
  5. New Port Richey Press, Oct. 2, 1931
  6. Tampa Morning Tribune, Nov. 5, 1938
  7. Gulf High School 1942 yearbook
  8. New Port Richey Press, Sept. 7, 1961
  9. Gulf High School 1978 yearbook
  10. Gulf High School 1967 yearbook
  11. http://sptimes.com/2007/04/26/Pasco/Gulf_High_earns_IB_st.shtml
  12. http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/library/planning/freeze_final_adm.pdf
  13. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2010-01-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. http://ghs.pasco.k12.fl.us/ghsband/Gulf_High_School_Buccaneer_Band/Welcome.html
  15. "Libertarian Alex Snitker elbows his way into U.S. Senate race". Tampa Bay Times. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  16. http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1480786
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