Apopka High School
Location
555 West Martin Street
Apopka, Florida
Coordinates28°41′32″N 81°31′21″W / 28.69211°N 81.522556°W / 28.69211; -81.522556
Information
Former nameApopka Memorial High School
TypePublic
MottoHoka Hey
Established1885
School districtOrange County Public Schools
PrincipalLyle Heinz
Staff147.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment3,395 (2019–20)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.10[1]
Color(s)Blue and White    
MascotDewey Darter & Daisy Darter[2]
NicknameBlue Darters
Websitedarter.ocps.net

Apopka High School is in Apopka in northwest Orange County, Florida, United States. The school has been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.[3]

The school serves grades 9 through 12,[1] and has a preschool with a main teacher and student teachers.

History

According to a historical marker placed by the Apopka Historical Society, "Apopka's first public schoolhouse [was] built in 1885. It was a small three-room building that stood beside the original Apopka Baptist Church, west of the site known as the Old Church Cemetery... In 1891, the schoolhouse at this site burned down, forcing classes to be relocated to another building for the remainder of the year."[4]

Apopka Union School, circa 1901

The historical marker continues, "In 1896, voters approved the construction of a new schoolhouse on Fourth Street, later Main Street. The new school opened for the 1897 school year."[4] In 1901 the State of Florida accredited the school, which was named Apopka Union School.[5] That school building was destroyed by a tornado in 1918, and was rebuilt by May 1925.[6][7]

To honor WWII veterans, in 1953 the school's name was changed to Apopka Memorial High School, serving grades 7–12.[8]

In 1976, according to the school's alumni association, "Orange County Public Schools built a new school at the current location on Martin Street modifying the name to Apopka High School, and in 2009, the school was completely rebuilt."[8]

Apopka High's accreditation was last renewed in 2010 by AdvancED: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[9]

Desegregation

According to Orange County Schools History,

The 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruling made segregation unconstitutional; however, it was several years before desegregation began in Orange County. For years, black senior high-school students from... Apopka were transported as far as 25 miles to Hungerford High School in Eatonville... In 1956, Superintendent Judson Walker recommended senior-high facilities for black students be created in Apopka... by adding grades to existing schools for black students... after being sued in 1962, Orange County was under Federal court oversight until 2010, when the district was finally granted "Unitary Status," indicating that the district had erased all vestiges of past discrimination.[10]

In 1969, the first Black faculty and some students from all-Black Phyllis Wheatley High School (previously known as Apopka Colored School) were admitted to the school. Nine of the school's 63 faculty members that year were Black, as were 336 of the school's 1,269 students.[11]

A large percentage of residents of both races opposed the plan. 95% of Black residents wanted Wheatley to stay open, but most white residents did not want integration at all.[12][13] As a result, over 3,000 students boycotted the schools.[14][15] Despite these issues, the consolidation was described as one of the smoothest in Orange County.[16]

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. 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.[17][18][19] The Apopka High School football team competes in District 4, Region 1 of FHSAA Class 8A. They hold an overall record of 106-29 since 2005. Darlington left Apopka after the 2018 season, and currently coaches football at DeLand High School.[20]

Apopka High School boys varsity bowling 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.

The boys basketball team won the 1962 Class A state championship.[21]

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.[22] Adult education courses have been provided since at least 1974.[23]

Demographics

Enrollment for the 2021–2022 school year included 1,120 Hispanic students, 1,083 Black students, 1,066 White students, 67 Asian students, 6 American Indian/Alaska Native students, and 75 students of two or more races.[1]

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Apopka High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ Tenbrook, Robbie; Williams, Bea (October 12, 1973). "Mascot Peps up Apopka". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Blue Ribbon Schools Program Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002" (PDF). ed.gov/programs. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  4. 1 2 "Apopka Schoolhouse Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  5. ↑ Images of America: Apopka. Arcadia Publishing. 2004. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7385-1611-0.
  6. ↑ "The Apopka tornado of 1918 remembered on Thursday". The Apopka Voice. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  7. ↑ "Apopka High-School Commencement Held in New Auditorium". Orlando Evening Star. 1925-05-16. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  8. 1 2 "The Foundation for OCPS - Apopka High School Alumni Association". www.foundationforocps.org. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  9. ↑ "Accreditation". apopkahs.ocps.net. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  10. ↑ "Rapid Growth (1940-1969)". anniversary.ocps.net. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  11. ↑ Hudak, Stephen (September 14, 2020). "A teacher, Billie Dean helped integrate Apopka High School". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  12. ↑ Ormund Powers (March 21, 1969). "Why Apopka Fights for own school (part 1)". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. ↑ Ormund Powers (March 21, 1969). "Why Apopka Fights for own school (part 2)". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "School Boycott". Orlando Evening Star. March 20, 1969. Retrieved 11 June 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "School Boycott". Orlando Evening Star. March 20, 1969. Retrieved 11 June 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Clipped from the Orlando Sentinel". The Orlando Sentinel. 21 July 2007. pp. B2.
  17. ↑ "FHSAA Championship Record Books". Florida High School Athletic Association. FHSAA. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "Apopka wins 2nd state football title in 3 years".
  19. ↑ "Apopka High School's Connection with College Football is Deeply Rooted". The Apopka Voice. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  20. ↑ "DeLand High names Rick Darlington as new football coach". delandhsathletics.org. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  21. ↑ Buchalter, Bill (February 11, 1990). "APOPKA HIGH TO HONOR FORMER BASKETBALL COACH". Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "OCPS Graduation requirements" (PDF). ocps.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Apopka adults earn diplomas". Sentinel Star. February 3, 1974. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  24. ↑ Manis, Debbie. "Country singer John Anderson will perform at Cattle Barons' Ball". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "Ex-Apopka star thrives".
  26. ↑ "Rogers Beckett". databaseFootbal.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Rod Brewer".
  28. ↑ "Jalen Carter - 2021 - Football". University of Georgia Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  29. ↑ "Former Blue Darter hoops star signs NBA deal". The Apopka Voice. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  30. ↑ Hays, Chris. "Auburn commit Chandler Cox of Apopka is one special person". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  31. ↑ "Kenny Edenfield (Football Coach) Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth". Wiki: Biography & Celebrity Profiles as wikipedia. 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  32. ↑ "Predators Add Former Apopka High School Star Jeremy Gallon". OurSports Central. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  33. ↑ "Zack Greinke Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Former Apopka DE Trey Hendrickson of FAU poised to realize NFL dream". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Former Apopka, Gators OT Martez Ivey hoping to stick with Carolina Panthers". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  36. ↑ "Aaron Jones". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  37. ↑ "James McKnight". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  38. ↑ "#19 Brandon Meriweather". University of Miami. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  39. ↑ Decotis, Mark (15 August 2008). "Apopka to honor 'Fireball' Roberts". Florida Today. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  40. ↑ "Warren Carlos Sapp". databaseFootbal.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  41. ↑ "USA Track & Field | Donald Scott". usatf.org. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  42. ↑ "Sammie Lee Smith". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  43. ↑ "Michael Taylor Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Football Recruiting - Kyle Wilber - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  45. ↑ "J.T. Wise". LSU. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
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