Robert E. Lee High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
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| Robert E. Lee High School | |
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| Established: | 1928 |
| Type: | Public magnet |
| Principal: | Denise Hall |
| Staff: | 100 |
| Students: | 2,100 |
| Location: | Jacksonville, Florida, USA |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Colors: | Blue and Grey |
| Nickname: | Lee |
| Mascot: | General |
| Website: | www.educationcentral.org/lee |
Robert E. Lee High School is a high school in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named after Civil War general Robert E. Lee and is one of the two oldest high schools in Jacksonville, the other being the school's traditional rival, Andrew Jackson High School.
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[edit] Enrollment
Enrollment rose from 954 the first year to about 2,000 in the 1950s. The school became predominately black after full racial integration was finally implemented in the early 1970s.[1]
[edit] History
The school was dedicated to Robert E. Lee on his birthday, January 19, 1928.
In 1965, a group of Lee High School students formed the band My Backyard. The band, led by singer Ronnie Van Zant, was renamed Lynyrd Skynyrd after their gym teacher at the school, Leonard Skinner.
On November 24, 1986, Lee was ravaged by a fire that destroyed the library and many classrooms. The fire damage was estimated at US$ 4.5 million. After the fire, the Robert E. Lee High School Restoration Committee was formed by Lee alumni to help raise money for restoration. The high school's marching band is called The Marching Generals and has been called one of the best marching bands in Jacksonville. Recently the Marching Generals went to the Florida Classics. They were the only band from Jacksonville to go to the Classics.
[edit] Improvement
Lee High School was one of 11 schools nation-wide selected by the College Board for inclusion in the EXCELerator School Improvement Model program beginning the 2006-2007 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Hans Tanzler, former mayor of Jacksonville
- Ander Crenshaw, Representative for the 4th district of Florida
- LeRoy Butler and Edgar Bennett, members of the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl champion team
- Mark McCumber, professional golfer
- Stephen Nicholas, National Football League player for the Atlanta Falcons
- Jessica Morris, actress who has appeared on American Soap Opera, One Life To Live
- Ron Meeks, defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.
[edit] References
- ^ Jung, William F. (Fall 2006). "The Last Unlikely Hero: Gerald Bard Tjoflat and the Jacksonville desegregation crisis – 35 years later". Duke Law Magazine 24 (2).
