Gulf High School (Florida)

History

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

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," 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.

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," 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Enrollment

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

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.

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.

Clubs

Comedy Club

Notable alumni

Mike McGill (Class of 1982) - skateboarder, inventor of McTwist

Chuck Pitcock (Class of 1976) - professional football player; Tampa Bay Bandits; Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Alexander Snitker (Class of 1993) - Libertarian Party U.S. Senate candidate in 2010, and talk radio host

Darron Stiles (Class of 1991) - professional golfer

Leon Orr - (Class of 2010) defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins

Sara Walsh (Class of 1996) - anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter

Kevin White - athletic director at Duke University