Maynard Evans High School
Coordinates: 28°34′46″N 81°26′57″W / 28.579477°N 81.449167°W
Maynard Evans High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
4949 Silver Star Road Orlando, Florida United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public School |
Motto | "A Place of High Achievement!" |
Established | 1955 |
Principal | Jenny Gibson-Linkh |
Grades | 9th-12th |
Enrollment | 2,500 (approx.) |
Color(s) | Green and White |
Athletics |
Football Basketball Baseball Softball Soccer Weightlifting Flag Football Track & Field Volleyball Swim team (Started in 2016) *swim team was there in 1970's |
Mascot | Trojans |
Rival |
Jones High School Oak Ridge High School Winter Park High School |
Website | https://www.ocps.net/lc/north/hev/Pages/default.aspx |
Maynard Evans High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States, served by Orange County Public Schools. The school's name is often shortened to "Evans High School", and the mascot for the school are the Trojans.
It primarily serves students from Pine Hills in addition to some students from nearby Clarcona and Lockhart. The original main campus is located on Silver Star Road at the intersection of Pine Hills Road. Starting in 2010, the entire school was demolished and completely rebuilt; with construction completed in December, 2011. The new campus reopened in 2012.[1]
Evans High's academic performance, based upon results of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), was consistently rated at a "D" or "F".[2] However, the school improved in 2011 by earning a "C" for the first time in the school's history.
As of the 2012-2013 school year, Evans received its first "B" in the school's history.
The 9th Grade Center served as the main campus during construction, and the new campus was opened for classes on January 3, 2012.
History
Plans to build a new high school in Pine Hills began in the early 1950s. Until then, students in Pine Hills were bussed to Edgewater High School, Apopka High School and, to a lesser extent, Winter Park High School. Evans High opened in 1958 with grades 7, 8 and 9 and was officially named "Maynard Evans High School". It was named in honor of a local pharmacist, Maynard Evans, who owned a pharmacy and soda shop in downtown Orlando named "Evans Pharmacy". The following year, grades 10, 11 and 12 were added. The first graduating class was the Class of 1960.
Evans High was built during the height of segregation and it wasn't until 1971 when the school was finally desegregated.
During the 1960s and into the 1970s, the campus grew to include a gymnasium, media center, auditorium, and a stadium shared by Edgewater High School named the "Double E Stadium".
In the 1980s up until the mid-1990s, Evans High was one of the largest schools in Orange County. The student population peaked at 4,500 and in 1993 the 9th Grade Center opened 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west of the main campus. Evans' demographics also began to change in the 1980s as newer high schools were constructed on its periphery, removing previous students from its catchment area. This also coincided with a demographic shift in its core catchment area of Pine Hills as that community fell into decline. Today, as a near total reversal from its pre-1971 status, the school is now minority majority.
By 2005, declining conditions on the main campus proved detrimental to the students' education. The Orange County school board planned to build a new $37 million school on board owned land adjacent to the 9th Grade Center Campus. This plan was met with fierce opposition by the mayor of Ocoee and nearby residents; prompting the Orange County Board of County Commissioners to reject the school board's plan in 2008. The school board thus decided to build a new school on the main campus at a cost of $75 million.[3] The 9th Grade Center served as the main campus during construction and the new campus was opened for classes on January 3, 2012. The 9th Grade center is supposedly is being used as "Trojan academy".
Demographics
In the 2007–2008 school year, the racial makeup of the Evans student body is: 84% Black, 9% Hispanic, 3% White, and 2% Asian and Pacific Islander. (Source: FL Dept. of Education, 2007–2008)
Evans High School has the largest percentage of Haitian students in Orlando.[4]
Athletics
Evans High's current rival is Jones High School. Football games between the schools are called "The Soul Bowl."
The Evans High School basketball team were the 1975 Class 5A State Champions in 1975.
Evans High School's football team were the 1991 Class 5A State Champions.
Evans High also features baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, bowling, track, lacrosse, wrestling, soccer, and swimming.
In 2016, the Evans High School girls' wrestling team finished the season 4th in the state.
The Green Machine
Evans High School's marching band is called "The Green Machine", their motto is discipline pride respect and their motto is "The Best Band in the Land". As of the 2009–2010 school year, The Green Machine is under the direction of Mr. Melvin Wright.[5]
Alumni
- Chucky Atkins, NBA basketball player
- Anthony Bernard, NFL Colts
- Kerlin Blaise, NFL player
- Horace Copeland, former NFL football player Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders
- Darryl Dawkins, former NBA basketball player. First NBA draftee out of high school
- Jamie Dukes, former NFL football player Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals
- Charles McArther Emmanuel, the son of Liberian president Charles Taylor[6]
- Kenard Lang, NFL Denver Broncos
- Tony McCoy, NFL Colts
- Dimitri Patterson, NFL Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles
- Leon Searcy, NFL football player
- Derrick Sharp, American-Israeli professional basketball player
- Brandon Siler, NFL Football player
- Jeff Zimmerman, former NFL football player – Dallas Cowboys
- Brian McKnight, multi-platinum selling singer, producer
References
- ↑ http://www.wmfe.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=12292&news_iv_ctrl=1041
- ↑ "Orlando Sentinel – School Grades: Record number earn A's and B's, but high schools lag @ Jay Wheeler". Jaywheelerosceola.com. June 19, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Orange County school superintendent: Rebuild Evans High on current campus". orlandosentinel.com. February 3, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ↑ https://www.ocps.net/_layouts/viewDetails.aspx?list=a7a2049d-36b3-4e96-bcfa-ab56f9aad3e2&item=199
- ↑ "MEHS "Green Machine" Band". Greenmachineband.tripod.com. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ↑ Dwyer, Johnny. "The all-American warlord" (Archived 2015-04-26 at WebCite). The Guardian. November 23, 2008. Retrieved on April 27, 2015.