Apopka High School
| Apopka High School | |
|---|---|
|
Hoka Hey | |
| Location | |
|
555 West Martin Street Apopka, FL | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1931 |
| School district | Orange County Public Schools |
| Principal | Matthew Arnold |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 3,200 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Blue Darter (Dewey Darter & Daisy Darter) |
| Website | darter.ocps.net |
Apopka High School is a high school located in Apopka in northwest Orange County, Florida, United States. The school has been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.[1]
The school serves grades 9 through 12. Apopka High School also has a preschool available for the "Baby Darters." The preschool has a main teacher and student teachers as well.
Relief school
In August 2007 a new school, Wekiva High School, opened to relieve Apopka, Evans, Edgewater, and Ocoee High School. Students from Apopka Memorial Middle School, Wolf Lake Middle School, and any other school in the Apopka area go to this school.
History
The school originated in what is now Apopka City Hall. In 1950, the school was moved to what is now Apopka Memorial Middle School, and then to its current location in 1976. In 2009, most of the campus was torn down and a new campus was constructed with the same layout as Timber Creek, Ocoee, Wekiva, and Freedom High Schools.
In spring 1932, students were asked to choose a mascot for the athletic teams. Dr. Carey C. Womble proposed the blue darter, which won. Before that the school mascot was a 'Blue Devil'.
Athletics
Apopka competes in the Florida High School Athletic Association and has about 26 total sports teams.
The football team won the class 6A State Championship in 2001. Since then the Apopka Blue Darters, led by Head Coach Rick Darlington, have collected two 8A state titles ('12 & '14) along with a 2013 state runner-up.[2] [3] The Apopka High School football team currently competes in District 4, Region 1 of FHSAA Class 8A. They hold an overall record of 106-29 since 2005.
Apopka High School boys varsity team had three consecutive undefeated seasons in 2013, 2014, and 2015. The boys varsity team won the 2013 and 2014 Men's bowling state championships undefeated both years with the same five starters on the team for both years.
Curriculum
Apopka High School has a dedicated classroom for students to work on their Florida Virtual School assignments, a new graduation requirement instituted first for the class of 2015.[4]
Notable alumni
- John Anderson (musician), American country musician[5]
- Steve Baylark, professional football player, Sacramento Mountain Lions[6]
- Rogers Beckett, former professional football player, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals[7]
- Rod Brewer, former MLB player (St. Louis Cardinals).[8]
- Zack Greinke, professional baseball player, Kansas City Royals, Anaheim Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks.[9]
- Aaron Jones, professional football player, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins.[10]
- James McKnight, professional football player, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants.[11]
- Brandon Meriweather, professional football player, New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, New York Giants.[12]
- Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, pioneer NASCAR driver.[13]
- Warren Sapp, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL Hall of Fame.[14]
- Sammie Smith, former professional football player, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos[15]
- Michael Taylor, professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox.[16]
- Kyle Wilber, professional football player, Dallas Cowboys.[17]
- Trey Jones, professional freestyle BMX rider
References
- ↑ http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf
- ↑ "Records". FHSAA. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ↑
- ↑ https://www.ocps.net/lc/north/hap/AC/Pages/Graduation%20Requirements.pdf
- ↑ Manis, Debbie. "Country singer John Anderson will perform at Cattle Barons' Ball". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ↑ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2006-09-27/sports/FBCBAYLARK27_1_tony-dorsett-ron-dayne-darlington
- ↑ "Rogers Beckett". databaseFootbal.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Rod Brewer".
- ↑ "Zack Greinke Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Aaron Jones". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ↑ "James McKnight". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ↑ "#19 Brandon Meriweather". University of Miami. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ↑ Decotis, Mark (15 August 2008). "Apopka to honor 'Fireball' Roberts". Florida Today. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ↑ "Warren Carlos Sapp". databaseFootbal.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Sammie Lee Smith". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ↑ "Michael Taylor Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Kyle Wilber". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
External links
- Apopka High School's Official Website
- A "Blue Darter" is a chicken hawk, or Cooper's hawk
- Apopka Class of 1982
Coordinates: 28°41′32″N 81°31′21″W / 28.69211°N 81.522556°W