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James S. Rickards High School

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Coordinates: 30°24′26″N 84°15′46″W / 30.40724°N 84.26269°W / 30.40724; -84.26269
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James S. Rickards High School
Location
Map
Tallahassee
,
Florida

USA
Information
TypePublic coeducational secondary
MottoNew heights and rising!
Established1960
PrincipalDr. Michelle Gayle some know her as Gayle ess
Grades9–12
Enrollment1118
Color(s)Blue and Gold
MascotRaiders
Website[1]

James S. Rickards High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida. For the 2004-2005 school year, the Florida Department of Education gave the school a C rating after its students scored poorly on standardized tests in reading and math. However, it was ranked 70th in Newsweek's list of 1,000 top high schools in 2008, due to the high number of AP and IB exams taken by its students. Currently, 1,118 pupils are enrolled, and the school has completed construction of a new office wing.

Rickards has hosted an International Baccalaureate program since 1994, creating a culturally diverse mix of students and a varied ethnic focus. The school has many programs that demonstrate cultural diversity and equality, one of which focuses on traditional dance and clothes.

The school's mascot, originally the Rickards Redskins, was changed to the Rickards Raiders in 2000 because of controversy over the term redskin and its racial connotations. The school colors are blue and gold.

Rickards is notable for its award-winning Mu Alpha Theta and National Junior Classical League teams, as well as its marching band, which is heavily influenced by Florida A&M University's Marching "100" under the direction of Mr. Quincy Griffin.

Mission statement

The mission of James S. Rickards High School is to produce graduates with skills and competencies to succeed on local, state, national, and international levels and who are responsible, self-supporting, and productive members of our society.

Administration

Principal: Michelle Gayle

Assistant Principal: Rusty Edwards

Assistant Principal: Patrick Wright

Assistant Principal: Vivian Cooley

Assistant Principal: Danny Whitfield

I.B. Coordinator: Sue Newman

Dean of Students:


Band

James S. Rickards High currently has an above average marching band, known for their unique high-stepping style, or "90 degree marching". It currently has over 100 members including auxiliary. Under the direction of Mr. Quincy Griffin, former member of The Marching "100", the band has reached new heights. The band's selection of music varies from popular tunes on the radio, to classic marching band tunes like "Flight Of The Bumblebee" (in 50 Beats per Minute), and stand tunes like "A Tribute To Bob Marley" and "Backstabbers". The Tuba section "Oh So Juicy" is an FBA All-District band section. This band has been featured in "The Recount", an HBO movie appearing in March of 2008. In addition, they performed at a battle of the bands in Miami in 2007 and received thirteen trophies, and three plaques. They won all first place awards in the AA division. Due to those awards, they performed during Pre-game at the Orange Bowl. The James S. Rickards Symphonic Band has also earned a Superior rating at district level FBA evaluation.

They have been invited to perform in Washington, D.C. for the National Independence Day Parade.

Athletics

Achievements in Mathematics

The James S. Rickards Math Team is consistently ranked among the top five high schools in the nation in Mu Alpha Theta.

The members of the Rickards Math Team have also participated in other national mathematics competitions such as the American Mathematics Competition (AMC - State and Regional Champions 2003-2007, 2nd Place Nationwide 2007), the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad, the Princeton University Math Competition, the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament, and the American Regions Math League. Two distinguished members of Rickards' Math Team have served as the captains of the state math teams that competed at ARML, HMMT, and PUMaC. The Rickards Math Team has also had a history of producing multiple USAMO qualifiers and attendees to the prestigious Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program.

Other Clubs

Rickards has a multitude of clubs and after school activities, though the Math club is the largest. Some other clubs include:

Notable alumni

30°24′26″N 84°15′46″W / 30.40724°N 84.26269°W / 30.40724; -84.26269

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