James S. Rickards High School
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| James S. Rickards High School | |
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| Type | Public coeducational secondary |
| Motto | New heights and rising! |
| Established | 1960 |
| Principal | Dr. Michelle Gayle |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,118 |
| Color(s) | Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | Raiders |
| Website | http://www.rickards.leon.k12.fl.us/ |
James S. Rickards High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida. Rickards was ranked 49th in Newsweek's list of 1,000 top high schools in 2009,[1] due to the high number of AP and IB exams taken by its students. Currently, 1,318 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: Danny Whitfield
- I.B. Coordinator: Joe Williams
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 S.O.S., 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 2008. In addition, they performed at the Orange Bowl 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 performed in Washington, D.C. for the National Independence Day Parade in 2009. Recently, the Marching Band was invited to perform in the Florida Classic Battle of the Bands. There, they received a standing ovation and great amazing feedback on how great the band performed.
Athletics
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Achievements in mathematics
The James S. Rickards Math Team is currently ranked second in the nation in Mu Alpha Theta and is coached by mathematics instructor, Elizabeth Funk.
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. Three 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. Most recently, they were the runner-ups at the 2010 National Mu Alpha Theta Convention in Washington, D.C.
Other clubs
Rickards has a multitude of clubs and after school activities. Some other clubs include:
- Rickards Scientific Society (RSS)
- P.H.A.T.E - Preventing HIV AIDS Through Education
- Peace Jam/Peace Alliance
- Drama Club (Sponsored by Mr. Harrington)
- The Drama Club members would like to say how much they appreciate Mr. Matthew Harrington's sponsorship and effort.
- National Junior Classical League (JCL)
- Yearbook Club
- ITV Club
- Brain Bowl
- Junior Engineering Technical Society
- Chess Club
- National Honor Society
- Key Club
- Student Government Association
- Future Business Leaders of America FBLA
- Model United Nations
- Florida's Future Educators of America
- French Club
- Greek Club
- Spanish Club
- Spanish National Honor Society
- Gospel Choir
- ROTC
- 20th Century: before and after school programs
- Black History Brain Bowl
- Reading Raiders Book Club
- Extraordinary Sisters with a Purpose
- Art Club
- Garden Club
Notable alumni
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- Singer/Rapper T-Pain[2]
- International Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion Travis Walker
- Professional Football Player Corey Fuller
- Professional Football Player Kolby Smith Running Back - Kansas City Chiefs
- Professional Football Player William Gay (cornerback) - Pittsburgh Steelers
- Rapper, activist, and author stic.man of dead prez
- Comedian, Writer Richard Lewis
Death of young scholar in the Raider Nation
On August 31, 2010 a Rickards HS scholar was lost to the Raider Nation. [1]
As Dr. Gayle states:
"Good morning –
We have experienced a loss this morning involving one of our scholars. The parents of the scholar have been informed of our tragic loss. Our Superintendent, members of the district leadership team, Dr. Randy Pridgeon (Secondary Schools Executive Director), and grief counselors from throughout the district are on site to help our school community deal with this loss.
Please keep the family of our scholar in your thoughts and prayers."
Dr. Michelle Gayle