- Vero Beach High School (VBHS) is located in Vero Beach, Florida, the county seat of Indian River County. Founded in 1925 (officially), VBHS is a large, comprehensive high school, located on Florida’s east coast. The high school serves 2,675 students in grades 9-12 who reside in the southern portion of Indian River County. The campus of VBHS encompasses approximately 77 acres, which includes the site of the Freshman Learning Center and main campus areas. The combination of school enrollment and the size of the physical plant make VBHS the largest high school in Indian River County. The Freshman Learning Center serves 700 9th grade students. Vero Beach High School has recently completed the second year of a three year, $51 million remodeling project.
- Vero Beach High School can trace its history back to the class of 1905, and a one-room schoolhouse, where children of all ages were taught. In 1925, the first official Vero Beach High School opened. It was located about a half-mile north of the current location, where Vero Beach High School's Freshman Learning Center (FLC) stands today. After Vero Beach High School moved to its present-day location in 1963, the old high school became Vero Beach Junior High School, and VBHS took on a new official name, Vero Beach Senior High School. In 1977, the junior high school was becoming insufficient for housing all of the county's junior high schoolers, and was torn down to make way for a new, smaller school, Indian River Middle 8- the present-day home of the Freshman Learning Center, and soon to become a middle school again, once all the renovations at Vero Beach High School are complete. Prior to the completion of Sebastian River High School, in 1994, Vero Beach High School was the only public high school in Indian River County.
- Former principal Jane Hudson retired at the end of the school year of 2008-2009. Vero Beach High School now has a new principal, Eric Seymour. Eric is a graduate of Vero Beach High School himself, but earned a Masters Degree at Nova Southeastern University. Afterward, Seymour became an administrator at Vero Beach High School, but left to become an assistant principal at Lincoln Park Academy in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Seymour said he is delighted to be returning to his alma mater as principal.
- Academics
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Vero Beach High School has an AP Program, a Dual Enrollment program with Indian River State College, and an Honors program. In the AP program students take AP+ Honors classes in 9th and 10th grade with the exception of AP World History and AP Biology. In 11th and 12th grade students can take any of the AP classes they qualify for. AP Classes offered at the school include: AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics B, AP Environmental Science, AP World History, AP U.S. History, AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Macroeconomics, AP European History, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, and AP Studio Art-3D. To graduate with AP designation a student must pass at least 6 credits of AP classes without a grade of D or F in those classes.
- The Dual Enrollment Program is offered with Indian River State College to give students the opportunity to take college level classes at the college, on-line, or during the summer.
- The Honors Program at Vero Beach High School spans all the subjects. Honors courses can be found in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Art, and Vocational classes. To graduate with honors a student must have a grade of C or better in at least 11 credits of honors level courses which may include up to 3 credits in honors electives. AP courses can count towards honors graduation.
- The school also offers career and technical classes. The classes are offered in areas such as automobiles, business, health science, drafting, carpentry, culinary, gas engines, environmental technology, and several others. In agreement with IRSC, students who complete a career program may be eligible to earn college credit at IRSC.
- Mu Alpha Theta
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The Vero Beach chapter of National Mu Alpha Theta is an honor society that participates in mathematical competitions at the state and national levels. The math team has won various individual and team awards at the state and national levels, most notably a first place Sweepstakes finish at the national convention at Chicago in 1998 and an individual award to Matthew Buitron '97, who set a national high school record for recitation of the digits of pi. The team is coached by its adult sponsors, who are also mathematics teachers at the high school.
- Quiz Bowl
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The school has a very successful quiz bowl team called the Masterminds. The quiz bowl involves trivia questions with buzzers and worksheets. The Vero Beach team often competes with the Sebastian River High School team. The team also attends competitions around the state and out of state.
- Sports
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Vero Beach High School has a competitive athletics program with teams qualifying for the state tournament in their respective sports on an almost annual basis. The school currently competes in division 6A. FHSAA Hall of Fame coach William "Bill" Wilson coached Vero Beach High School to back-to-back boys track & field state championships in 1989 and 1990. The football team won the 1981 state championship, led by notable Vero Beach alumni Todd Fennell, Richard Cunningham, and Charlie Moody under the leadership of head coach Billy Livings. In 1996, player Luke Stoeckel became, at 4'11" the shortest person to ever play high school football at the 6A level in Florida. In 2003 the Varsity football team went a combined 13-1 (Including the kick off classic win over 2B state Champions Pahokee), was ranked #17 in the nation by USA Today, broke numerous school records, and averaged nearly 50 points per game, before having to travel across state and play in abnormally cold, 26-degree weather, and falling in the regional finals to Venice, 10-34. The 2003 boys baseball team progressed to the "final four" as the Class 6A, Region 2 Champions. In 2005, the Men's Lacrosse team obtained a new coach, Jack McEnerney. He turned the five year old losing club/program around, used the boys' talents to their full potential, and led the boys to the number four spot in the state. However the first lacrosse program at Vero Beach High School was the women's program, started by Lenora Quimby. Under the leadership of head coach Shannon Dean, and assistant coach Charlie Moody, the 2006 girls lacrosse team posted a record of 25-1-1, and won the Florida High School Varsity & Interscolastic Associates State Championship. US Lacrosse Magazine ranked the Fighting Lady Indians #23 in the nation. In 2007, the VBHS girls lacrosse team won the Florida State championship again, by posting a 25-5 regular-season record. A 19-10 rout over Lake Brantley High School in the state finals sealed Vero's place in the Florida high school record books. The VBHS girl's lacrosse team finished the season ranked 24th in the nation. The baseball team, under Coach Jeff Steinman, made it to the "Elite Eight" in 1998, and the "Final Four" in 2003. At of the end of the 2008 baseball season, Coach Steinman has over 400 wins in his 20+ year career at Vero Beach High School.
- Vero Beach High School Sports Teams:
- Bowling
- Baseball (boys)
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Cross-Country
- Dance Team
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball (girls)
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Track
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Drama
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Director: Dee Rose Homsher
- Has been successful in Florida competitions including Florida Theatre Coference, and both state and district competitions.
- Band
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Director: James M. Sammons
- Associate Director:Colbert Page Howell, Jr.
- The Vero Beach High School Band is made up of the following components: Fighting Indians Marching Band, two Symphonic Bands, two types of Jazz Bands (Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Band), Percussion Ensemble and Flag Corps/Indoor - Winter Guard. The band program consistently receives "Superior" ratings and "Top Awards" at all phases of festival and competitive events both in and out of Florida. As of May 2009, Vero Beach High School Band is the only band in the state of Florida to have 22 consecutive years of straight superiors.
- The Symphonic Bands form the heart of the Vero Beach band program. These bands have received "Superior" ratings at the FBA District Music Performance Assessments for the past 28 years. The bands have also earned "Superior" ratings at the FBA State MPA for 19 of the past 24 years, the last 18 being consecutive. Symphonic Band I has performed at the 1985 and 1997 Southeastern U.S. Concert Band Clinics in Troy, Alabama; the 1990 College Band Directors National Association Southern Division in Tallahassee, Florida; the 1996 University of Florida Invitational Band Clinic in Gainesville, Florida; the 1996 University of South Florida Festival of Winds in Tampa; the 1998 University of Georgia Honor Band Weekend; the 1995 and 2005 MENC Southern Division Conference; the Stetson University Honors Festival in April 2000 and 2004; and the 2003 National Band and Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall.
- Notable alumni
- Lake Bell (actress)
- Scotty Emerick (country music singer)
- Mardy Fish (Olympic silver medal winning tennis player)
- Kenny Holmes (NFL player)
- Jake Owen (country music singer)
- Albert Reed (model and Dancing With the Stars contestant)
- Priscilla Renea Hamilton (singer, class of 2006)
- Stephen Root (actor)
- John Terry (Lost)
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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