Gaither High School
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| Gaither High School | |
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| Location | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | "Reach for the stars..." |
| Established | 1984 |
| Principal | Brenda Grasso |
| Faculty | includes Connie Delaney, Anthony Jones, Lauren Otero, Henry Strapp, and Brad Woods |
| Enrollment | 2,350 |
| Information | (813) 975-7340 |
| Colors | Silver, White and Blue |
| Website | http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/~gaither.high/ |
Vivian Gaither High School (commonly abbreviated to simply Gaither or GHS) is located in the Greater Northdale area of Hillsborough County, Florida. It is a senior public high school, serving grades 9-12, operated by the Hillsborough County Public School System. It serves the communities of Northdale, Cheval, Country Place, North Lakes, Lutz, and other parts of northern Hillsborough County. Students from Buchanan and Ben Hill (Gaither's "feeder schools") usually attend Gaither for grades 9-12.
Gaither is named for former Hillsborough High School administrator, Principal Vivian Gaither. He served over 40 years in the Hillsborough County School System.
History
Gaither opened its doors in 1984. It first only housed 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. The following year and until 1997, it only accommodated 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Today, Gaither is used for all of 9th-12th grades.
Gaither's closest rival is Sickles High School, which opened in 1997. Other rivals include Chamberlain High School, and Freedom High School.
The Class of 1996's Drama and Musical Theatre productions were very widely recognized. Gaither's theatrics department is considered to be one of the most talented; this and subsequent classes have been led through many sold out and flawless performances. Most notable actresses were Shannon Clemmons, Beverly Sinacori, and Dawn Schaeffler.
In 2003, Gaither High School adopted the vision, "Gaither will be among the top 5% of high schools in the state," and mission, "Gaither will provide all students with the opportunity and skills needed to maximize their potential as life–long learners and productive citizens."
During the Fall of 2003, a clustered case of respiratory Stridor hit Gaither's Starettes, the dance and cheerleading squad. Anywhere from 10 to 14 members of the Starettes as well as a few members of the Marching Cowboys contracted the illness during the months of October and November, following July band camp at the school which all were present at. During that same time the school gym floor was refinished and the auditorium painted; it is likely that the Starettes' practice area, where they spent considerable time between the two locations, predisposed them (as opposed to the entirety of the marching band, which usually practiced in the band room) to a mixture of and higher-than-normal volumes of fumes (which many complained of). The most newsworthy facet of this incident was the spotless air-quality test result mandated by County health officials and performed by both the SDHC's Safety Department and independent private environmental consultants Chastain-Skillman; the exact causes of the episode are still a mystery. As such it was featured on an episode of NBC's Today. As of December, 2003 the afflicted students' health had improved or was improving.
In April of 2004, a wall above the auditorium collapsed due to heavy wind and rains, and crews pulled the rest down to prevent any further collapsing. The wall was rebuilt but water purportedly continues to come in through the ceiling.
In 2005, the Gaither Marching Band participated in the Inaugural Parade for George W. Bush.
In 2006, the Gaither Vocal Chorus traveled to New York City and performed at St Patrick's Cathedral.
During the Fall and Spring semesters comprising the 2005-2006 school year, Spirit Week (the once-a-year week wherein students can dress to various school-related "themes") was cut down to three days instead of the usual five. To make up for what the students felt was a school-spirit deprivation (as there was no conceivable or announced reason for the decrease in the number of Spirit days), the student population created their own "themes" for the first two days of the week: Pirate day and Ninja day. On both days, students who dressed up were required by administration to change clothes.
Demographics
As of September 1, 2006, Gaither High School demographics are as follows[1]:
- 57.74% - White/Caucasian, Non Hispanic (1,357 students)
- 28.34% - Hispanic, of any race (666 students)
- 7.32% - Black/African-American, Non Hispanic (172 students)
- 3.15% - Multiracial/ethnic (74 students)
- 2.85% - Asian/Pacific Islander (67 students)
- 0.60% - American Indian/Alaskan Native (14 students)
However, these numbers may not be exact, because students whose ethnic information is unknown or not listed on school records are automatically sorted into the "White/Caucasian, Non Hispanic" category. The School District of Hillsborough County does not follow the United States Office of Management and Budget policy on racial classification; they put all Hispanic students into one category, regardless of race. This is most likely done to calculate how many students have limited English-speaking ability. However, as can be seen from the following data, the percentage of Hispanic students is not related in any way to the percentage of students who have limited proficiency in the English language.
- 25.57% of students are economically disadvantaged (601 students)
- 4.3% of students have limited proficiency in the English language (101 students)
- 11.87% of students have disabilites (279 students)
2005-2006 Policy Controversy
During the 2005-2006 school year, Gaither's administration enacted new policies which have had positive effects despite negative reactions from some students. A new tardy policy went into effect; in contrast to earlier policy, tardies would be logged across all classes as opposed to per class, with increased penalties for infractions. A great number of students were concerned by this change, as the heavily populated school had densely packed hallways which made it difficult to arrive on time. However, the harsher consequences motivated students who would previously obstruct the hallways to move to their classrooms sooner, allowing students who would otherwise be late to arrive on time. Many students have agreed that the new policies have been a resounding success, since the data demonstrated a dramatic drop in tardies after the institution of the new policy. As must be expected, though, other sub-populations of the student body continue to voice contempt for the new policies.
In the same year, a policy requiring students to wear their Gaither ID cards was enacted. The policy has been surprisingly uneffective, due to the fact that many teachers do not enforce it, allowing students to walk around the school for the entire day without an ID, making it impossible to tell who is and isn't a Gaither student. It should also be noted that the IDs could be easily counterfeited on any home computer, due to their lack of holograms or any other security features.
Blüe Crüe
During the 2005-2006 school year, many students participated in body painting in an effort to raise school spirit. They made appearances primarily at football games, but were known to make surprise entrances at pep rallies as well. Founded by a small group of students and led by senior Jonny Arcila, the "Blüe Crüe,” as they dubbed themselves, have been involved and implicated in many skits and school pranks, consisting of everything from a large scale pillow fight to hosting free barbecues in the north (senior) parking lot. Their Friday-night antics, though, are what cemented the Crüe's existence at Gaither. Limited not to just cheering, the Blüe Crüe often created chants to antagonize the other team or call out opposing players in a humorous but playful manner.
Staying true to the efforts of their predecessors, the Blüe Crüe carried into the 2006-2007 school year, this time with an almost entirely different corps of members. Led by senior Keith Odle, the Crüe continued to put on a show at all football games and school pep rallies. Rather than relying on chanting like the prior year, however, the 2006-2007 Blüe Crüe introduced more props and novelty items to the games including a shopping cart converted into a look-alike of a horse, a battle axe, and a dress-wearing inflatable alligator. Although the Crüe was visibly smaller due to the graduation of many of its founding members, it gained popularity with many students who normally would not have felt comfortable enough to paint up and join the foray.
At the end of the 2006 football season, it was announced that junior Maris Janavs would be taking over as the Blüe Crüe captain in 2007-2008 for the graduating Odle. Many have high hopes for Janavs, known for his strange, yet entertaining, dancing skills.
Location
Vivian Gaither High is located on North Dale Mabry Highway: roughly 15 miles north of downtown Tampa, 20 miles east of Tarpon Springs, and about 10 minutes East-northeast of Sickles High School.
Sister School
Hillsborough County used the layout of Gaither to build Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Florida. Many Bloomingdale students believe that their school was built first, when in reality Gaither was built in 1984, and Bloomingdale wasn't built until 1987.
The only differences between the two schools are the colors, with Bloomingdale's black and red earning it the infamous moniker "Satan Gaither" among Gaither attendees.
Athletic Achievements
Baseball
The year 2005 was a good one for the Gaither Cowboys' Baseball team. In Coach Permuy's 21st year coaching at Gaither he led the Cowboys to a Tony Saladino Tournament win and a Class 5A State Championship game against Davie Nova, the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The Cowboys lost to Davie Nova 3-0 ending their season with a record of 26-6. Although the season ended in a down note, it is the farthest level the Cowboys' baseball program has ever reached in the play-offs. Coach Permuy credited the team with all the success mentioning "This is the best group of seniors we have ever had. The Best. They were the leaders of this team. A team of 27 guys and everybody knows their role. That's a real team." The group of seniors included: Mario Duarte, Gus Fernandez, Caleb Graham, Kris Loper, Bralio Pardo, Ryan Plate, and Chris Thompson. Now its up to the 2006 seniors to reach that final level in the play-offs and bring a State Championship back for Coach Permuy and the Gaither Cowboys.
Soccer
The Cowboys 2006 soccer team has had the best season of the school's history. Gaither went undefeated in the regular season with 21 wins and 2 ties, something no other Gaither soccer team has done before. The 2006 soccer team only lost one senior due to graduation last year and they are coming back to win it all. The team is very solid featuring players like Eddie Ababio, who could likely be considered the best player in the county. He leads the team with 19 goals and also has 9 assists under his belt. Ababio is accompanied by midfielder Trent Anderson who leads the team in assist with 17. With Antonio Cotroneo being a solid goalkeeper these Cowboys will be a force to reckon with in the playoffs. The defense is held down by star forward, Bruno Bustamante who regularly provides a rallying speech to push the team over the top. In 2000, the boys soccer team won the whole thing. And even though an undefeated regular season is a great statistic, it would be overshadowed in comparison to another State Championship.
Volleyball
The 2004 girls volleyball squad was a senior dominated team who were coming back to make another run at the State Championship. The team was led by senior Kaley Brown who filled the new "libero" position and had about 200 digs throughout the whole season. Audrey Campbell, another senior, standing at 6-foot-1 is the tallest player on the team and a dominating force at the net. Campbell had about 75 kills and 55 solo blocks leading into the playoffs. Katie Whitescarver is the best hitter the team has. The 5-8 senior leads her team in the kills category with 125. Jessica Harris is another front row senior who has used her aggressive playing style to smack down 74 kills for her team. Of course, all of these kills would not have been possible if it weren't for quality setting. Casey Smith, the daughter of Coach Cindy Smith, fills that position. Casey aided the team with 426 assists during the season and she also led the team in service aces. The final senior on the team is Donelle Goff who is a defensive specialist. Kaley, Audrey, Casey, and Donelle also play soccer for the Cowboys.
Track
The last great Track and Field accomplishment was Dara Altman's consecutive Pole Vaulting State Titles, in 2001 and 2002, followed closely by hurdler Joel Eastlick's District Champion title in 2001.
Football
The boys varsity football team had a winning record in 2005/2006 but did not make the post-season. The Cowboys finished their 2006/2007 regular season at 6-4 and second in the district, but continued to the post-season, making it to the second round of the playoffs.
Swimming
Led by captains Brett Davis and Frank Rivera, the 2006 Gaither boys swim team had a good season with a final record of 7-3. The team had several members go to regionals and had four members on the All-Conference team: Brett Davis, Christian Bernuil, Matt Mallory, and Joe Frasier. The four boys on the All-Conference team had one of the top times for their 200m Freestyle Relay at the FHSAA regional finals, despite the fact that two members were disqualified for diving early.
Famous alumni
- Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Devil Rays catcher
- Albert Derenches, Seattle Mariners Pitcher 1999
- Tina Novak, singer
- Alesha Oreskovich, model/ Playboy bunny
- Lydell Ross, former Ohio State Buckeyes running back
- J.R. Russell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
- James Smith, guitarist of band Underoath
- Brittany Snow, actress
- Jenn Sterger, photo model
- Chad Zerbe, San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
Administration
Gaither High has had three principals in its history.
- Ron Allen 1984 - 1993
- Ken Adum 1993 - 2003
- Brenda Grasso 2003 - Present