Stanton College Preparatory School

History

Shortly after Emancipation, a group of African Americans from Jacksonville organized the Education Society, and, in 1868, purchased the property on which the Old Stanton school now resides. It was their intent to erect a school building to be known as the Florida Institute. Financial problems, however, delayed progress on the building until December of that year when the first school was built and incorporated through the aid of the Freedman's Bureau. This wooden structure was named in honor of Edwin McMasters Stanton, President Abraham Lincoln's second Secretary of War. He was an ardent champion of human rights and an advocate of free formal education for Negro boys and girls. It was the first school of education for black children in Jacksonville and its surrounding counties, and the first school for black children in the state of Florida.

For a number of years, the Freedman's Bureau conducted the school. Northern white teachers were employed until the county leased the property for the purpose of opening a public school. The first building was destroyed by fire in 1882. Another building constructed the same year was also destroyed by fire on May 3, 1901, a fire that destroyed much of Jacksonville. A new school was constructed in 1902 and remained in operation until 1917.

Originally the school mascot had been the Blue Devil. Because the school had burned and been rebuilt twice, the Phoenix rising from ashes would eventually be adopted as a second mascot. Today both mascots are used, with the Blue Devil used as the mascot for sports and other activities, and the Phoenix used as a symbol of the school itself, along with the most current logo, a royal blue Superman "S" symbol.

On May 23, 1914, the Circuit Court of Duval County appointed nine trustees to manage the school and its property. They were Robert B. Archibald, S. H. Hart, A. L. Lewis, J. W. Floyd, W. L. Girardeau, I. L. Purcell, B. C. Vanderhorst, J. E. Spearing, and W.H. H. Styles. Archibaid and Hart resigned and were replaced by J. M. Baker and L. H. Myers.

The deteriorating and unsafe condition of the poorly constructed school building prompted the Board of Public Instruction, the Stanton School trustees, and interested citizens of Jacksonville, to jointly agree to replace the wooden structure with a good fire-proof building. In 1917, the building, which stands at Ashley, Broad, Beaver, and Clay Streets, was completed. Stanton became the main focus for the education of black children in Duval County and the surrounding areas. The Edwin M. Stanton School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

An equally impressive record of academic expansion has accomplished the physical growth of Stanton. Beginning as an elementary school with six grades under the administration of J. C. Waters as the first principal and D. W. Gulp who followed as principal, Stanton gradually became known throughout the state for the high educational standards which it still maintains today. The eighth grade was added under the leadership of Principal W. M. Artrell. Principal James Weldon Johnson started the move toward a high school department. The addition of the twelfth grade made Stanton an elementary, junior, and senior high school.

Stanton continued as a school for all grades through the administrations of I. A. Blocker, G. M. Sampson and J. N. Wilson. In 1938, with F. J. Anderson as principal, Stanton became a senior high school exclusively. J. L. Terry served as the last principal of Stanton Senior High School, #101.

In 1953, the Stanton Senior School name was transferred to a new facility on 13th Street and was renamed New Stanton Senior High School. Charles D. Brooks was the first principal of the new school. Under his leadership, Stanton continued to foster the same traditionally high standards which befit its rich heritage, and flourished as the oldest and most important high school for blacks in Jacksonville.

Beginning in 1953, the Board and Ashley Street facility became known as "Old" Stanton. The Old Stanton building was used as a junior high school in 1953-1954. In August 1954, it was converted into Stanton Vocational High School and functioned as a vocational training center, adjusting its curriculum to train and graduate students in technical skills of the day. At night, it became a center for the Adult and Veterans Education Program.

From 1969-1971, the focus of New Stanton Senior High School began to change from academic to vocational under the leadership of Principal Ben Durham, the former principal of Stanton Vocational High School. In 1971, the Old Stanton High School building was again placed under control of the trustees of Stanton and the student body was transferred to New Stanton Senior High School where the revised curriculum now provided for both the academic and the vocational interests of the students

In 1981, Stanton College Preparatory School became the Duval County School System's first magnet school. Beginning with grades 7-10, and adding one grade level each succeeding year, the first senior class of 54 students graduated in 1984. Stanton College Preparatory School now serves secondary students living within the 841 square miles (2,180 km²) of the Duval County school district and leads the Duval County Public Schools in academic achievement.

The Phoenix

The Phoenix is Stanton's yearbook, and is designed, edited, and managed by students.

Devil's Advocate

The Devil's Advocate, an award-winning student newspaper, serves as the official newspaper of Stanton College Preparatory School. It is produced monthly by members of the journalism class. The publication is a public forum for student expression, which encourages free exchanges of opinions concerning controversial and non-controversial community and school related issues. The journalism program provides the students enrolled in it with a rigorous training experience and fosters the belief of freedom of expression and creativity. The Devil's Advocate, prides itself on a lengthy journalistic tradition dating back to 1983, its first year of production.

The journalism program at Stanton College Preparatory School will provide students with training in the field of journalism. It will also give them the opportunity and experience of writing, designing, and publishing a student run newspaper. The program will help mentor students and give them the foundation needed to pursue a post secondary career in the field of journalism.

Through the school newspaper Stanton College Preparatory School community will be provided with the highest quality of news and information. There is a need for high school students to be informed about the events and issues taking place around them both on a local and national level. This program will serve as a vehicle for informing students and as a platform for their creativity, artistic self-expression.

Since Stanton is a magnet school in Jacksonville, a school that serves student who come from all over the city and county, the program would affect a wide range of people. Readers who do not attend the school will also be able to access the paper through its online presence; thereby expanding the reader base considerably.

The Devil’s Advocate celebrates diversity; the paper welcomes students reflecting a wide array of academic status and political, cultural, religious and ideological values. Students are expected to embrace this policy and demonstrate an open-minded attitude and create an open-minded culture within the staff room.

The publication maintains a website where readers may access a variety of articles, specialty features and photographs. The Devil's Advocate also maintains a digital archive of past issues where readers may access digitized copies of issues dating back to 2010.

For the past 25 years, the Devil's Advocate has participated in a number of state and local journalism award competitions. One competition, in which the paper has consistently participated in is High School Journalism Awards Competition sponsored by The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville's local daily newspaper. In 2001, 2003, 2007 2008, and 2016 the school's newspaper, the Devil's Advocate, under the advisership of Larry Knight, won the Florida Times-Union Henry A. Blumenthal Memorial Trophy for the Best Overall newspaper in Jacksonville. The paper won the overall 2nd place award in 2002, 2004, and 2013; it won the overall 3rd place award in 2005.

Devil’s Advocate Florida Times-Union Awards Legacy (2000-2016)

note: Best Overall denotes the receipt of the Henry A. Blumenthal Memorial Trophy

The Editors-in-Chief (since 2000)

Members of the Devil's Advocate, the Phoenix and the Live on 5 Crew are eligible to join Stanton's chapter of Quill & Scroll, an International Journalism Honor Society. The purpose of this club is to encourage and recognize individual student achievement in journalism and scholastic publication. The goal of this chapter of Quill & Scroll is to enhance journalism qualities and techniques to help students better perform their roles as student journalists within Stanton College Preparatory School.

Live on 5

Stanton has its own CCTV television station, which broadcasts a news show every morning. The news show is branded as Live on 5 and broadcasts throughout the school on channel 5. The news was formerly branded as Channel 5 News. Their studio features several sets, including the use of chroma key. Students are updated on the latest events, meetings, and other goings on at Stanton every morning during second period.

Live on 5 is produced entirely by advanced television production classes. In the beginner television production class, students are taught to use the equipment used to produce Live on 5, and are expected upon entrance into the advanced level to produce the news show independently.

Honor societies

Stanton has many honor societies that support students in multiple fields. Honor societies include:

Athletics

As well as being academically gifted, Stanton has a full athletics program to provide students with physical activity and morale. These sports include:

Notable alumni

Notable faculty