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{{Short description|Public high school in Miami, Florida, United States}}
{{About|the high school in Miami, Florida, USA|other similarly-named high schools|Miami Senior High School (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the high school in Miami, Florida, USA|other similarly-named high schools|Miami Senior High School (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox school
{{Infobox school
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| schooltype = [[High school#United States|high school]]
| schooltype = [[High school#United States|high school]]
| district = [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools]]
| district = [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools]]
| grades = [[ninth grade|9]]-[[twelfth grade|12]]
| grades = [[ninth grade|9]]–[[twelfth grade|12]]
| principal = Benny Valdés
| principal = Benny Valdés
| address = 2450 Southwest 1st Street
| address = 2450 Southwest 1st Street
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| zipcode = 33135
| zipcode = 33135
| country = United States
| country = United States
| enrollment = 2,845 (2018–19)<ref name=NCES>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1200390&SchoolPageNum=23&ID=120039000606|title=MIAMI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>
| enrollment = 2,905 (2022–23)<ref name=NCES>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1200390&SchoolPageNum=23&ID=120039000606|title=MIAMI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=June 28, 2024}}</ref>
| ratio = 22.23<ref name=NCES />
| ratio = 24.21<ref name=NCES />
| teaching_staff = 128.00 (FTE)<ref name=NCES />
| teaching_staff = 120.00 (FTE)<ref name=NCES />
| yearbook = The Miahi
| yearbook = The Miahi
| mascot = "Whippy" the Stingray [[Image:Mshslogo.png|56px]]
| mascot = "Whippy" the Stingaree<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miamiseniorhigh.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=201118&type=d&pREC_ID=401135|title=Home - School Profile - Miami Senior High School|access-date=28 April 2023}}</ref> [[Image:Mshslogo.png|56px]]
| nickname = Stingarees<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miamiseniorhigh.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=201447&type=d&pREC_ID=401495|title=Home - Principal's Message - Miami Senior High School|access-date=28 April 2023}}</ref>
| colors = Blue and gold {{color box|blue}} {{color box|gold}}
| colors = Blue and gold {{color box|blue}} {{color box|gold}}
| homepage = {{url|https://www.miamiseniorhigh.org/}}
| homepage = {{url|https://www.miamiseniorhigh.org/}}
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| embed = yes
| embed = yes
| image = Miami Senior High School July 2013.jpg
| image = Miami Senior High School July 2013.jpg
| caption = Miami Senior High School July 2013
| caption = Miami Senior High School, July 2013
| coordinates = {{coord|25.7711|-80.2360|region:US-FL_type:edu|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|25.7711|-80.2360|region:US-FL_type:edu|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Miami, Florida#USA Florida#USA
| locmapin = Miami, Florida#USA Florida#USA
Line 39: Line 42:
| }}
| }}


'''Miami Senior High School''' is a [[public high school]] located at 2450 SW 1st Street in [[Miami]], [[Florida]], [[United States]], and operated by [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools]]. Founded in 1903, it is one of the oldest high school in [[Miami-Dade County]]. The school building is famous for its [[architecture]] and is a historic landmark. Miami Senior High School has a rich [[alumni]] base, with many graduates of the high school going on to varied, prominent careers. The high school originally served the earliest settling families of Miami in the first half of the 20th century. By the late 1960s, with an increase in Miami's population, its student body grew at a fast pace.
'''Miami Senior High School''', also known as '''Miami High School''', is a [[public high school]] located at 2450 SW 1st Street in [[Miami]], [[Florida]], and operated by [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools]]. Founded in 1903, it is one of the oldest high schools in [[Miami-Dade County]]. The school building is famous for its [[architecture]] and is a historic landmark. Miami Senior High School has a rich [[alumni]] base, with many graduates of the high school going on to varied, prominent careers. The high school originally served the earliest settling families of Miami in the first half of the 20th century. By the late 1960s, with an increase in Miami's population, its student body grew at a fast pace.


==History==
==History==
Miami Senior High School was established in 1903 and was the first [[high school]] in [[Miami-Dade County]]. Originally, high school classes took place in Miami's first schoolhouse, a two-story frame structure that was built in 1898 on what is now NE 1st Avenue, between 3rd and 4th Streets. This building, considered temporary, was a one-story frame [[bungalow]] addition built directly behind the existing schoolhouse. It opened its doors on September 18, 1905, with 29 girls and 20 boys in attendance.<ref name="preservationreport">{{cite web |url = http://www.historicpreservationmiami.com/pdfs/First%20Miami%20High%20School.pdf |title = Report on the Potential Designation of the First Miami High School as a Historic Site |last = City of Miami Historic Preservation Officer |publisher = City of Miami |date = 16 March 2004 |website = City of Miami Planning Department |access-date= 14 April 2014 }}</ref>
Miami Senior High School was established in 1903 and was the first [[high school]] in what is now [[Miami-Dade County]]. Originally, high school classes took place in Miami's first schoolhouse, a two-story frame structure that was built in 1898 on what is now NE 1st Avenue, between 3rd and 4th Streets. This building, considered temporary, was a one-story frame [[bungalow]] addition built directly behind the existing schoolhouse. It opened its doors on September 18, 1905, with 29 girls and 20 boys in attendance.<ref name="preservationreport">{{cite web |url = http://www.historicpreservationmiami.com/pdfs/First%20Miami%20High%20School.pdf |title = Report on the Potential Designation of the First Miami High School as a Historic Site |last = City of Miami Historic Preservation Officer |publisher = City of Miami |date = 16 March 2004 |website = City of Miami Planning Department |access-date= 14 April 2014 }}</ref>


In 1909, the school board decided to build a new schoolhouse to again house all grammar and high school students together. In 1911, a new three-story concrete schoolhouse opened its doors. The original one-story high school building was moved to SW 12th Street and 1st Avenue, repainted, and opened as the Southside Elementary School. After a [[Southside School (Miami, Florida)|new Southside Elementary School]] was constructed in 1914, the original high school building fell into decades of neglect, operating as a boarding house for 90 years. It was "discovered" in 1983 by a local historian and, in January 2003, was moved to its current location in Southside Park, where it has since been renovated and opened as a community center.<ref name="preservationreport" />
In 1909, the school board decided to build a new schoolhouse to again house all grammar and high school students together. In 1911, a new three-story concrete schoolhouse opened its doors. The original one-story high school building was moved to SW 12th Street and 1st Avenue, repainted, and opened as the Southside Elementary School. After a [[Southside School (Miami, Florida)|new Southside Elementary School]] was constructed in 1914, the original high school building fell into decades of neglect, operating as a boarding house for 90 years. It was "discovered" in 1983 by a local historian and, in January 2003, was moved to its current location in Southside Park, where it has since been renovated and opened as a community center.<ref name="preservationreport" />
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Miami Senior High School's current building is its fourth home. The school board selected a fifteen-acre campus in the middle of what was then a [[southeastern conifer forests|pine forest]]. Groundbreaking occurred early in 1926, but due to the [[Great Miami Hurricane]] of 1926, the school's opening was delayed. Finally finished in 1928, the building was designed in a [[Mediterranean Revival architecture|Spanish Mediterranean style]] with [[Moorish Revival architecture|Moorish]] and [[Byzantine Revival architecture|Byzantine]] details by Richard Kiehnel of [[Kiehnel and Elliott]], one of the great early Miami architects. He gave the school an impressive entrance off Flagler Street "of three arched portals befitting a Gothic cathedral," according to the [[American Institute of Architects]]' Miami architecture guide.<ref name="herald1">{{cite news |first1=Andres |last1=Viglucci |title=Miami High restored as resplendent castle of learning |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/10/4052224/miami-high-restored-as-resplendent.html |work=[[Miami Herald]] |date=April 11, 2014 |access-date=April 11, 2014}}</ref> The building is listed on the [[United States|U.S.]] [[National Register of Historic Places]].
Miami Senior High School's current building is its fourth home. The school board selected a fifteen-acre campus in the middle of what was then a [[southeastern conifer forests|pine forest]]. Groundbreaking occurred early in 1926, but due to the [[Great Miami Hurricane]] of 1926, the school's opening was delayed. Finally finished in 1928, the building was designed in a [[Mediterranean Revival architecture|Spanish Mediterranean style]] with [[Moorish Revival architecture|Moorish]] and [[Byzantine Revival architecture|Byzantine]] details by Richard Kiehnel of [[Kiehnel and Elliott]], one of the great early Miami architects. He gave the school an impressive entrance off Flagler Street "of three arched portals befitting a Gothic cathedral," according to the [[American Institute of Architects]]' Miami architecture guide.<ref name="herald1">{{cite news |first1=Andres |last1=Viglucci |title=Miami High restored as resplendent castle of learning |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/10/4052224/miami-high-restored-as-resplendent.html |work=[[Miami Herald]] |date=April 11, 2014 |access-date=April 11, 2014}}</ref> The building is listed on the [[United States|U.S.]] [[National Register of Historic Places]].


1968 was a significant year for Miami Senior High School. Structural changes were made to accommodate a newly installed air conditioning system that closed off the building's high ceilings. The original windows on the building were sealed with bricks before the completion of the work, and students suffered in hot classrooms for a large portion of the year. This was also the year of the major [[Florida statewide teachers' strike of 1968|Florida statewide teachers' strike]], which caused students classes to be in chaos due to having many newly hired substitute teachers, while their regular teachers walked [[picketing (protest)|picket]] lines for weeks.
1968 was a significant year for Miami Senior High School. Structural changes were made to accommodate a newly installed air conditioning system that closed off the building's high ceilings. The original windows on the building were sealed with bricks before the completion of the work, and students suffered in hot classrooms for a large portion of the year. This was also the year of the major [[Florida statewide teachers' strike of 1968|Florida statewide teachers' strike]], which caused students’ classes to be in chaos due to having many newly hired substitute teachers, while their regular teachers walked [[picketing (protest)|picket]] lines for weeks.


==Demographics==
==Demographics==
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As of 2013, Miami Senior High School is 94% Hispanic (primarily [[Cubans|Cuban]], [[Hondurans|Honduran]], [[Guatemalans|Guatemalan]], and [[Salvadorean]]), 3% White (non-Hispanic), and 3% Black.<ref name="demo">{{cite web|url=http://www.greatschools.org/florida/miami/805-Miami-Senior-High-School/?tab=demographics|title=Explore Miami Senior High School in Miami, FL|website=GreatSchools.org}}</ref>
As of 2013, Miami Senior High School is 94% Hispanic (primarily [[Cubans|Cuban]], [[Hondurans|Honduran]], [[Guatemalans|Guatemalan]], and [[Salvadorean]]), 3% White (non-Hispanic), and 3% Black.<ref name="demo">{{cite web|url=http://www.greatschools.org/florida/miami/805-Miami-Senior-High-School/?tab=demographics|title=Explore Miami Senior High School in Miami, FL|website=GreatSchools.org}}</ref>


By the 1950s a large Jewish minority had developed at Miami Senior High School, and Jews made up the majority of the students in some advanced-level classes. During that decade some Jewish students were in the attendance zone for [[Coral Gables High School]] but were instead sent to Miami High; this was especially the case with girls, as many high status girls' clubs at Coral Gables High did not admit Jews. A patio called "Little Jerusalem" or "LJ" (initially "Little Israel" in the 1950s) was where Jewish students socialized.<ref>[[Deborah Dash Moore|Moore, Deborah Dash]]. ''[[To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A.]]''. [[Harvard University Press]], 1994. {{ISBN|0674893050}}, 9780674893054. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Je26PhbW3hQC&pg=PA87 87].</ref>
By the 1950s, a large Jewish minority had developed at Miami Senior High School, and Jews made up the majority of the students in some advanced-level classes. During that decade some Jewish students were in the attendance zone for [[Coral Gables Senior High School]] but were instead sent to Miami High; this was especially the case with girls, as many high-status girls' clubs at Coral Gables High did not admit Jews. A patio called "Little Jerusalem" or "LJ" (initially "Little Israel" in the 1950s) was where Jewish students socialized.<ref>[[Deborah Dash Moore|Moore, Deborah Dash]]. ''[[To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A.]]''. [[Harvard University Press]], 1994. {{ISBN|0674893050}}, 9780674893054. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Je26PhbW3hQC&pg=PA87 87].</ref>


In 1984, the student newspaper declared [[Spanglish]] the official language of Miami Senior High School. Then, like today, most students at the school spoke fluent [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and English.
In 1984, the student newspaper declared [[Spanglish]] the official language of Miami Senior High School. Then, like today, most students at the school spoke fluent [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and English. 69% of the school's students graduate, and it has an overall dropout rate of 4%.<ref name="demo" />

69% of the school's students graduate, and it has an overall dropout rate of 4%.<ref name="demo" />


==Historic architectural restoration==
==Historic architectural restoration==
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[[File:Miami High School, Miami, Florida.jpg|thumb|right|U.S. Secretary of Education [[John King Jr.]] speaks at Miami High School, 2016]]
[[File:Miami High School, Miami, Florida.jpg|thumb|right|U.S. Secretary of Education [[John King Jr.]] speaks at Miami High School, 2016]]


Beginning in 2010, Miami Senior High School underwent a four-year historic restoration, renovation, and remodeling project at a cost of approximately $55 million. Project architect Thorn Grafton of Zyscovich Architects, who is the grandson of Miami Beach pioneering architect Russell Pancoast, was one of the people who undertook the renovation project. Completed in April 2014, the project did away with the dropped ceilings that had accommodated an old air conditioning system, and restored the original high ceilings and decorative cast-stone vent screens in the halls. It also reopened the original second story arcade, removed an office expansion that had blocked part of the courtyard, and restored the original 14-foot arched windows and steel-trussed cathedral ceiling in the old library (now a media center).<ref name="herald1" />
Beginning in 2010, Miami Senior High School underwent a four-year historic restoration, renovation, and remodeling project at a cost of approximately $55 million. Project architect Thorn Grafton of Zyscovich Architects, who is the grandson of Miami Beach pioneering architect [[Russell Pancoast]], was one of the people who undertook the renovation project. Completed in April 2014, the project did away with the dropped ceilings that had accommodated an old air conditioning system and restored the original high ceilings and decorative cast-stone vent screens in the halls. It also reopened the original second-story arcade, removed an office expansion that had blocked part of the courtyard, and restored the original 14-foot arched windows and steel-trussed cathedral ceiling in the old library (now a media center).<ref name="herald1" />


==Notable alumni==
==Notable alumni==
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* [[Doug Edwards]] - NBA player, [[Atlanta Hawks]]
* [[Doug Edwards]] - NBA player, [[Atlanta Hawks]]
* [[Robert L. Floyd]] - former [[Mayor of Miami]], State Representative, Judge, and Miami Sheriff
* [[Robert L. Floyd]] - former [[Mayor of Miami]], State Representative, Judge, and Miami Sheriff
* [[Ileana Garcia]] - Member of the Florida Senate
* [[Luis Garcia (outfielder)|Luis Garcia]] - MLB player, [[Baltimore Orioles]]
* [[Luis Garcia (outfielder)|Luis Garcia]] - MLB player, [[Baltimore Orioles]]
*[[Christopher George]] (1929–1983) - film and television actor, star of ''[[The Rat Patrol]]'' and U.S. [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]]<ref>Boxoffice Magazine, 'Former Miamian Chris George has been at the Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami to Plug his latest Film,' page SE7, 12 March 1973</ref>
*[[Christopher George]] (1929–1983) - film and television actor, star of ''[[The Rat Patrol]]'' and U.S. [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]]<ref>Boxoffice Magazine, 'Former Miamian Chris George has been at the Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami to Plug his latest Film,' page SE7, 12 March 1973</ref>
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* [[Phil Graham|Philip L. Graham]] - publisher of ''[[Washington Post]]''
* [[Phil Graham|Philip L. Graham]] - publisher of ''[[Washington Post]]''
* [[Anthony Grant (basketball)|Anthony Grant]] - head basketball coach, [[University of Alabama|University of Dayton]]
* [[Anthony Grant (basketball)|Anthony Grant]] - head basketball coach, [[University of Alabama|University of Dayton]]
* [[Carol Hanson]] - [[Florida State Representative]] (1982-1994) and Mayor of [[Boca Raton]] (1995-2001)<ref name=sunsentinel>{{cite news|first=Kathy|last=Bushouse|title='The People's Candidate' |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-03-31/news/0303300356_1_town-boca-raton-tears |work=[[Sun Sentinel]] |date=2001-03-31 |access-date=2013-07-14}}</ref>
* [[Carol Hanson]] - [[Florida State Representative]] (1982-1994) and Mayor of [[Boca Raton]] (1995-2001)<ref name=sunsentinel>{{cite news|first=Kathy|last=Bushouse|title='The People's Candidate' |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-03-31/news/0303300356_1_town-boca-raton-tears |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233219/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-03-31/news/0303300356_1_town-boca-raton-tears |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |work=[[Sun Sentinel]] |date=2001-03-31 |access-date=2013-07-14}}</ref>
* [[Udonis Haslem]] - NBA player, [[Miami Heat]]; 3-time NBA champion
* [[Udonis Haslem]] - NBA player, [[Miami Heat]]; 3-time NBA champion
* [[Steve Hertz (third baseman)|Steve Hertz]] - MLB player and [[Israel Baseball League]] manager
* [[Steve Hertz (third baseman)|Steve Hertz]] - MLB player and [[Israel Baseball League]] manager
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*[[Delrish Moss]] - Miami law enforcement veteran appointed as Police Chief of [[Ferguson, Missouri]], a suburb of St. Louis known for racial unrest
*[[Delrish Moss]] - Miami law enforcement veteran appointed as Police Chief of [[Ferguson, Missouri]], a suburb of St. Louis known for racial unrest
* [[Gardnar Mulloy]] - tennis player, 4-time U.S. Open doubles champion
* [[Gardnar Mulloy]] - tennis player, 4-time U.S. Open doubles champion
* [[Fred Ottman]] - professional wrestler<ref>{{Cite web|title=Incredible bulk|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/320242219/|access-date=2024-02-28|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Alfred Browning Parker]] - architect<ref name="miamiherald.com"/>
* [[Alfred Browning Parker]] - architect<ref name="miamiherald.com"/>
* [[Roscoe Parrish]] - NFL wide receiver, [[San Diego Chargers]]
* [[Roscoe Parrish]] - NFL wide receiver, [[San Diego Chargers]]
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* [[George Smathers]] - [[U.S. Senator]]
* [[George Smathers]] - [[U.S. Senator]]
* [[Bob Stinson (baseball)|Bob Stinson]] - MLB player for six teams
* [[Bob Stinson (baseball)|Bob Stinson]] - MLB player for six teams
* [[Mario Valdez]] - [[MLB]] player ([[Chicago White Sox]], [[Oakland Athletics]])
* [[Mario Valdez (baseball)|Mario Valdez]] - [[MLB]] player ([[Chicago White Sox]], [[Oakland Athletics]])<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Phil |title=For the Sox, it's Miami twice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-for-the-sox-its-miami/124492672/ |access-date=12 May 2023 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=10 |date=June 19, 1997}}</ref>
* [[Brent Wright]] - professional basketball player in Europe
* [[Brent Wright]] - professional basketball player in Europe
* [[Felix Semper]] - World renowned Artist/Sculptor stretchable paper sculptures, Graduated Miami high 1983


==In pop culture==
==In pop culture==
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File:JEFF COOPWOOD.jpg|[[Jeff Coopwood]], Emmy-nominated actor, broadcaster and singer, 1970s
File:JEFF COOPWOOD.jpg|[[Jeff Coopwood]], Emmy-nominated actor, broadcaster and singer, 1970s
File:Andre Johnson 2010.jpg|[[Andre Johnson]], [[NFL]] football player, Class of 1999
File:Andre Johnson 2010.jpg|[[Andre Johnson]], [[NFL]] football player, Class of 1999
File:UdonisHaslem.jpg|[[Udonis Haslem|Udonis Haselm]], [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] Basketball Player, Class of 1996
File:UdonisHaslem.jpg|[[Udonis Haslem]], [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] Basketball Player, Class of 1996
</gallery>
</gallery>


Latest revision as of 23:29, 21 September 2024

This article is about the high school in Miami, Florida, USA. For other similarly-named high schools, see Miami Senior High School (disambiguation).

Miami Senior High School
Address
Map
2450 Southwest 1st Street

Miami
,
Florida
33135

United States
Information
School typePublic, high school
MottoNon verbis sed operis (Not by words, but deeds)
Established1903[1]
School districtMiami-Dade County Public Schools
PrincipalBenny Valdés
Teaching staff120.00 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,905 (2022–23)[2]
Student to teacher ratio24.21[2]
Color(s)Blue and gold    
Mascot"Whippy" the Stingaree[3]
NicknameStingarees[4]
YearbookThe Miahi
Websitewww.miamiseniorhigh.org
Miami Senior High School
Miami Senior High School, July 2013
Miami Senior High School is located in Miami
Miami Senior High School
Miami Senior High School is located in Florida
Miami Senior High School
Miami Senior High School is located in the United States
Miami Senior High School
Coordinates25°46′16″N 80°14′10″W / 25.7711°N 80.2360°W / 25.7711; -80.2360
Area19 acres (7.7 ha)
Built1928
ArchitectKiehnel and Elliott
Architectural styleLate 19th- and 20th-century revivals,[5] Mediterranean Revival with Moorish elements
NRHP reference No.90000881[5]
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1990

Miami Senior High School, also known as Miami High School, is a public high school located at 2450 SW 1st Street in Miami, Florida, and operated by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Founded in 1903, it is one of the oldest high schools in Miami-Dade County. The school building is famous for its architecture and is a historic landmark. Miami Senior High School has a rich alumni base, with many graduates of the high school going on to varied, prominent careers. The high school originally served the earliest settling families of Miami in the first half of the 20th century. By the late 1960s, with an increase in Miami's population, its student body grew at a fast pace.

History

[edit]

Miami Senior High School was established in 1903 and was the first high school in what is now Miami-Dade County. Originally, high school classes took place in Miami's first schoolhouse, a two-story frame structure that was built in 1898 on what is now NE 1st Avenue, between 3rd and 4th Streets. This building, considered temporary, was a one-story frame bungalow addition built directly behind the existing schoolhouse. It opened its doors on September 18, 1905, with 29 girls and 20 boys in attendance.[6]

In 1909, the school board decided to build a new schoolhouse to again house all grammar and high school students together. In 1911, a new three-story concrete schoolhouse opened its doors. The original one-story high school building was moved to SW 12th Street and 1st Avenue, repainted, and opened as the Southside Elementary School. After a new Southside Elementary School was constructed in 1914, the original high school building fell into decades of neglect, operating as a boarding house for 90 years. It was "discovered" in 1983 by a local historian and, in January 2003, was moved to its current location in Southside Park, where it has since been renovated and opened as a community center.[6]

Miami Senior High School's current building is its fourth home. The school board selected a fifteen-acre campus in the middle of what was then a pine forest. Groundbreaking occurred early in 1926, but due to the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, the school's opening was delayed. Finally finished in 1928, the building was designed in a Spanish Mediterranean style with Moorish and Byzantine details by Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott, one of the great early Miami architects. He gave the school an impressive entrance off Flagler Street "of three arched portals befitting a Gothic cathedral," according to the American Institute of Architects' Miami architecture guide.[7] The building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

1968 was a significant year for Miami Senior High School. Structural changes were made to accommodate a newly installed air conditioning system that closed off the building's high ceilings. The original windows on the building were sealed with bricks before the completion of the work, and students suffered in hot classrooms for a large portion of the year. This was also the year of the major Florida statewide teachers' strike, which caused students’ classes to be in chaos due to having many newly hired substitute teachers, while their regular teachers walked picket lines for weeks.

Demographics

[edit]

Located in the Little Havana neighborhood, the school was founded in 1903. Since the late 1960s, the high school has traditionally had a Cuban-American majority. Today, a growing number of students are of Central American descent, reflecting demographic changes in Little Havana since the 1990s.

As of 2013, Miami Senior High School is 94% Hispanic (primarily Cuban, Honduran, Guatemalan, and Salvadorean), 3% White (non-Hispanic), and 3% Black.[8]

By the 1950s, a large Jewish minority had developed at Miami Senior High School, and Jews made up the majority of the students in some advanced-level classes. During that decade some Jewish students were in the attendance zone for Coral Gables Senior High School but were instead sent to Miami High; this was especially the case with girls, as many high-status girls' clubs at Coral Gables High did not admit Jews. A patio called "Little Jerusalem" or "LJ" (initially "Little Israel" in the 1950s) was where Jewish students socialized.[9]

In 1984, the student newspaper declared Spanglish the official language of Miami Senior High School. Then, like today, most students at the school spoke fluent Spanish and English. 69% of the school's students graduate, and it has an overall dropout rate of 4%.[8]

Historic architectural restoration

[edit]
Miami High Media Center
U.S. Secretary of Education John King Jr. speaks at Miami High School, 2016

Beginning in 2010, Miami Senior High School underwent a four-year historic restoration, renovation, and remodeling project at a cost of approximately $55 million. Project architect Thorn Grafton of Zyscovich Architects, who is the grandson of Miami Beach pioneering architect Russell Pancoast, was one of the people who undertook the renovation project. Completed in April 2014, the project did away with the dropped ceilings that had accommodated an old air conditioning system and restored the original high ceilings and decorative cast-stone vent screens in the halls. It also reopened the original second-story arcade, removed an office expansion that had blocked part of the courtyard, and restored the original 14-foot arched windows and steel-trussed cathedral ceiling in the old library (now a media center).[7]

Notable alumni

[edit]

In pop culture

[edit]

Movies including The Substitute and Porky's were filmed at MHS, as well as the music videos for Gloria Estefan and NSYNC's "Music of My Heart" and Drake's "God's Plan".[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/19/2470343_p2/miami-high-school-a-moorish-palace.html [dead link]
  2. ^ a b c "MIAMI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Home - School Profile - Miami Senior High School". Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Home - Principal's Message - Miami Senior High School". Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. ^ a b City of Miami Historic Preservation Officer (March 16, 2004). "Report on the Potential Designation of the First Miami High School as a Historic Site" (PDF). City of Miami Planning Department. City of Miami. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Viglucci, Andres (April 11, 2014). "Miami High restored as resplendent castle of learning". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Explore Miami Senior High School in Miami, FL". GreatSchools.org.
  9. ^ Moore, Deborah Dash. To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A.. Harvard University Press, 1994. ISBN 0674893050, 9780674893054. p. 87.
  10. ^ Boxoffice Magazine, 'Former Miamian Chris George has been at the Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami to Plug his latest Film,' page SE7, 12 March 1973
  11. ^ Bushouse, Kathy (March 31, 2001). "'The People's Candidate'". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  12. ^ "Incredible bulk". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  13. ^ Rogers, Phil (June 19, 1997). "For the Sox, it's Miami twice". Chicago Tribune. p. 10. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  14. ^ "Drake Filmed the "God's Plan" Video at a Miami High School". July 31, 2018.
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