Cocoa High School

Cocoa High School
Location
Cocoa, Florida United States
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	June 15, 1917
School district	Brevard Public Schools
Principal	Stephanie Soliven
Staff	78
Grades	7-12
Number of students	1272
Color(s)	Orange and Black
Mascot	Tiger
Website	Cocoa high school homepage

Coordinates: 28°22′57.28″N 80°46′7.97″W / 28.3825778°N 80.7688806°W

Cocoa High School is located in Cocoa, Florida and is part of the Brevard Public Schools District. 1272 students attend.^[1] There are 78 faculty members, giving a student/teacher ratio of 17.8.^[2] The principal is Stephanie Soliven.^[3]

History

Cocoa High School's first building was dedicated June 15, 1917.^[4][5] It was located on the site now occupied by Mr Stor-It (formerly Montgomery Wards).

On September 14, 1925, Cocoa High School officially opened in a newly constructed four-story building.^[6] These buildings were later used by Brevard Community College in 1960 when they first started.^[7]

In 1966, the first black teacher was assigned to the formerly all-white staff, as assistant principal.^[8]

In 1970, the school moved to its current site in Cocoa Florida, taking its mascot with it.^[8]

That part of Rosetine Street bordering the Cocoa High campus, was renamed "Tiger Trail" in honor of the school's mascot. Renaming streets after bordering high school's mascots is traditional in Brevard County.

In 2010, the football team played three out-of-state games in an effort to be nationally ranked.^[9] In September 2010, the school was ranked 12th in the nation.^[10] It also set a county record for number of consecutive football victories, 31.^[11]

Campus

The school campus contains 18 single-story buildings located on Tiger Trail, in Cocoa, Florida. ^{[12] [13]} A 1,000 seat auditorium was built in 2010.^[14]

Sports

• Football State Champion. Class 3A 2008,^[15] Class 2A 2009^[16] Class 2A 2010
• Basketball State Champion. 1960 Class A. Team Record 29-1^[17] Class 4A 2009^[18]

Activities

The school offers students the following activities:

Student Government Association Robotics National Honor Society Drama Club Mu Alpha Theta J. Kyle Braid Leadership Club Yearbook Key Club Best Buddies International National Beta Club Academic Team

Spanish Club Future Business Leaders of America Science Engineering Communications Music Organizations Marching Band Orchestra Chorus Science Research JROTC

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) problems

At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Brevard Public School District conducted an internal investigation of Cocoa High which resulted in the removal of four of the school's principals. The administration at the school inaccurately reported its FCAT information. The District found that the school's principal, and three assistant principals, were involved in the scandal. All four administrators were removed from their positions.^[19]

In 2007, the school scored a "D" based on the standardized testing for the year, the lowest score in the district.^[20] This was raised to an "A", using different criteria in 2010, after state officials decided the old standards were too high. It is one of five high schools in Brevard to have this grade.^[21]

Notable alumni

• Emory L. Bennett (Class of 1948), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient.^[22]
• Michael C. Blake, first African American mayor of Cocoa and first African American President of the Space Coast League of Cities.^[23]
• James Folston (Class of 1989), professional American football player.^[24]
• Ronald Patrick (Class of 2009), professional American football player.
• Jesse Lee Kercheval (Class of 1974, graduated 1973), author, poet, and professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.^[25]
• Scott Thompson alias Carrot Top (Class of 1983), comedian.^[26]
• Vassar Carlton {1932} 18 varsity letters for football, basketball, baseball; U-Fla. letterman in football, baseball. Retired as Chief Justice Florida Supreme Court.
• Bob Anderson {1956} All-State football, basketball, baseball, track; school, county first All-American in football. Two-time All-American at West Point; Heisman Trophy finalist twice. Professional football New York Giants.^[27]
• Bobby Barnes {1953} Standout in football, basketball, baseball, All-State each sport. Two-time first team All SEC and First Team All-American in baseball at two different positions: outfielder and catcher. Chosen as 100 greatest athletes at U-Florida.

Footnotes

1. "Cocoa High School - Cocoa, Florida - FL - school overview". Greatschools.net. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
2. "Cocoa High School, Cocoa Florida / FL school information". Schooldigger.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
3. "Administration of CHS".
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
5. A black plaque is displayed on the front of the main office building commemorating the original opening of the school
6. Dates in Cocoa History Cocoa Village Archived July 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
7. Spitzer, Michelle (7 November 2010). "BCC looks beyond half-century". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. p. 1A.
8. Kennerly, Brett (March 20, 2016). "Space, Race, and War". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 9A. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
9. Florida Today retrieved 5 August 2010 Archived September 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
10. Mccallum, Brian (2010-09-15). "Cocoa 12th in national poll". Florida Today. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
11. McCallum, Brian (15 October 2010). "Cocoa rolls sets record for victories". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1C.
12. "Aerial view". 2000 Rosetine St: Maps.google.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
13. Cocoa High School
14. "Veterans Day Events:Cocoa Beach High School" (PDF). The Intercom. 34 (1): 12. January 2011.
15. retrieved January 25, 2009,2010
16. retrieved December 13, 2009 Archived December 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
17. Karasotis, Peter (27 February 2011). "BLACK or WHITE". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. p. 1C.
18. They're grrreat! Cocoa Tigers win state title retrieved March 10, 2009
19. "High school principal retires over FCAT scandal". Tampa Bay 10. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
20. Downs, Megan (March 16, 2008). School aims to succeed. Florida Today.
21. Spitzer, Michelle (8 December 2010). "With new rules, Cocoa High revels in first-ever A grade". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
22. Hill, William D.A. "Vets' home named for local hero". p. 1B. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
23. Black History: Michael C. Blake - Central Florida News 13 Archived April 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
24. "James Folston Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. 1971-08-14. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
25. Kenyon Review Archived October 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
26. "Cocoa High School - Thompson, Scott (1983) Profile". Alumnivillage.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
27. "Bob Anderson". databasefootball.com. Retrieved October 20, 2016.