Rahul Sharma (Editor)

William M. Raines High School

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Type
  
Public school

Established
  
January 24, 1965

Number of students
  
1100

Phone
  
+1 904-924-3049

Color
  
Cardinal

Motto
  
Ichi ban!

Staff
  
92

Campus
  
Mascot
  
Viking

William M. Raines High School

Address
  
3663 Raines Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA

District
  
Duval County Public Schools

Similar
  
Trinity Christian Academy, Bishop Kenny High Sch, Oakleaf High School, Orange Park High School, Bolles School

the bone dance by william m raines high school of jacksonville florida


William Marion Raines Senior High School is a historically black high school in Jacksonville, Florida. The school is located off Moncrief Road in Jacksonville, Florida's northside. Located at the corner Raines Avenue in northwest Jacksonville, Raines serves approximately 1000 students. The school is 97 percent African-American, 1 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Mixed & 1 percent Caucasian. The campus was improved in 1990 & 2002 to include a new science wing, field house and administrative wing.

Contents

The school was named in honor of William Marion Raines, a prominent black educator in Jacksonville and principal at Matthew Gilbert High School from 1938 until his death in 1950.

History

In 1964, with an increase in Jacksonville's African American population, Duval County School Board decided to send African American students to Jean Ribault High School, but the all-white faculty and students rejected the idea. The school board then decided to build a new facility, costing two million dollars. School No. 165 opened its doors at 3663 Clarkson Avenue on January 25, 1965. The opening of the school brought about the reassignment of 1,305 black high school students in grades nine through twelve from Northwestern Junior-Senior High School to the new school. The 2000 student capacity high school was a $2 million project and duplicated the new Fletcher High School in the Beaches community. The school opened unnamed and was referred to simply as School No. 165. On June 10, 1965 at a school board meeting the school was officially named William Marion Raines Senior High School.renamed William Marion Raines Senior High School.

Dr. Andrew A. Robinson was appointed principal of the new school. Robinson, a 35-year-old African-American and Jacksonville native, held a Bachelor of Science degree from FAMU and a doctorate in education from Columbia U.

Raines remained an all-African American school until the Mims vs The Duval County Schools decision in 1971.

Raines was originally accredited in 1968. It was the first school in Duval County to achieve accreditation. Raines was re-accredited in 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008 and was given glowing compliments from the visiting boards.

Raines has been under the leadership of 12 principals: Dr. Andrew A. Robinson (1965–1969), Dr. Ezekial W. Bryant (1969–1972), Kernaa McFarlin (1972–1978), Ike James (1978–1979), Jimmie Johnson (longest serving principal 1979-1995), Dr. Milton H. Threadcraft (1995–1997), Dr. Roy I. Mitchell (1997–2002), Carol H. Daniels (first female principal 2002–2006), Nongongoma Majova-Seane (2006–2009), George E. Maxey (2009-2011), Ms. Shateena Brown (December 8, 2011 – 2013) & the 12th and current principal Vincent Hall (2013–Present). Vincent Hall is the first Raines graduate to serve as principal.

Raines became the county’s science, math and engineering magnet school in 1990. This new focus supported by the addition of the Andrew A. Robinson Science wing in that same year. Raines received its first ninth grade students as a part of the magnet program and additional personnel and programs have been added to help these students make the adjustment to high school.

The varsity boys’ basketball team won the state championship in 1991, 2003 & 2004. Our boys' track and football teams have also won state championships. We have 3 championships in boys' track the last achievement in 1997 & we received our first in football in 1998. The varsity football team is the only public high school in Duval County to earn a state championship in football. Most recently, our girls' track team won back to back state championships in 2008 and 2009, the first state titles for a female sport at Raines.

Improvement

Raines was one of 11 schools nationwide selected by the College Board for inclusion in the EXCELerator School Improvement Model program beginning the 2006–2007 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Principal George E. Maxey implemented several initiatives in the 2009-2010 school year to improve the school: after school tutoring, Saturday school, gender based courses & strict dress code policies. The result of those additions saw the schools grade improve. William M. Raines High School's grade improved to a "D" when the state released the school grades in October 2010. Alumnus Brian Dawkins donated $100,000 to refurbish the weight room and other areas of the schools field house, which afterward was named for him.

Alma Mater

Words By Deloris Mangram & the French Classes of 1965 Music By Dr. Julian E. White

Dear William Raines, The school we all adore: We thine alone will be for evermore; With love at heart, great heights ahead, We stand within thy walls, We cherish thee, we honor thee And love thee best of all. Dear William Raines, Glorious and free; We pledge our love, We pledge our love to thee. Dear William Raines, We pledge our love to thee.

Law and Politics

  • Mia L. Jones- Class of '86, member of the Florida House of Representatives District 14
  • Athletics

  • Derrick Alexander- Class of 1991, played from 1995-1999 in the National Football League
  • Gary Alexander- Class of 1987, played from 1993-1994 in the National Basketball Association
  • Ken Burrough - Class of 1966, played from 1970-1981 in the National Football League
  • Harold Carmichael - Class of 1967, played from 1971-1984 in the National Football League
  • Thornton Chandler - Class of 1980, played from 1986-1989 in the National Football League
  • Greg Coleman- Class of 1972, played from 1977-1988 in the National Football League
  • Vince Coleman - Class of 1979 played from 1985-1997 in Major League Baseball
  • Brian Dawkins- Class of 1991, played from 1996-2011 in the National Football League
  • Jackie Flowers - Class of 1976, played from 1983-1985 in the United States Football League
  • Derrick Gaffney- Class of 1973, played 8 seasons in the National Football League
  • Jabar Gaffney- Class of 1999, plays in the National Football League
  • Rod Gardner Class of 1996, played from 2001-2006 in the National Football League
  • DeJuan Green- Class of 1999, played in the National Football League
  • Shawn Jefferson - Class of 1987, played from 1991-2003 in the National Football League
  • Derwin Kitchen (born 1986) -- basketball player for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
  • Terry LeCount- Class of 1974, played from 1978-1987 in the National Football League
  • Ron Lewis- Class of 1985, played in the 1990-1994 in the National Football League
  • Calvin Muhammad- Class of 1976, played from 1982-1987 in the National Football League
  • Louis Nix - Class of 2009, plays in the 2014-present in the National Football League
  • Leonard Eugene Robinson- Class of 1970, played from 1974-1985 in the National Basketball Association
  • Dominique Ross- Class of 1989, played from 1995-1996 in the National Football League
  • Patrick Sapp- Class of 1991, played in the 1996-1999 in the National Football League
  • Lito Sheppard- Class of 1999, played in the 2002-2011 in the National Football League
  • Kevin Youngblood- Class of 1998, played in 2006 in the National Football League
  • Kion Wilson- Class of 2005, plays in the National Football League
  • Entertainment

  • Angela Robinson, actress
  • Brenda Jackson- Class of 1971, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
  • Lil Duval, Comedian & Actor
  • Ben Frazier Jr. - Class of 1968, first African American to anchor a major news show in Jacksonville, Florida
  • Business

  • Arthur J. Hill- Class of 1966, Appointed Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Bush
  • Michael Blaylock- Class of 1974, Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), Jacksonville, Florida
  • Cleve Warren- Class of 1969, former vice president of Barnett Bank
  • References

    William M. Raines High School Wikipedia