James S. Rickards High School

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James S. Rickards High School
Image:Rickardslogo5.JPG
Motto New heights and rising!
Established 1960
Type Public coeducational secondary
Principal Dr. Pink Hightower
Students 1118
Grades 9–12
Location Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Colors 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. 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 115th in Newsweek's list of 1,000 top high schools, 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.

Contents

[edit] Vision

[edit] 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.

[edit] Administration

Principal: Pink Hightower

Assistant Principal: Ricky Ardley

Assistant Principal: Patrick Wright

Assistant Principal: Vivian Cooley

I.B. Coordinator: Sue Newman

Dean of Students: Ken Fearson

[edit] 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.

[edit] Athletics

  • Boys' Sports
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Cross Country
    • Football-Varsity and Junior Varsity
    • Golf
    • Soccer
    • Swimming and Diving
    • Track and Field
    • Tennis
    • Weightlifting
    • Wrestling
  • Girls' Sports
    • Basketball
    • Cheerleading
    • Cross Country
    • Dance Team
    • Flag Football
    • Golf
    • Soccer-Varsity and Junior Varsity
    • Softball
    • Swimming and Diving
    • Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball
    • Weightlifting

[edit] Achievements in Mathematics

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


Recent Results

2007 Florida State Convention: 2nd Place

2007 National Convention: 6th Place

2006 Florida State Convention: 3rd Place

2006 National Convention: 3rd Place

2005 Florida State Convention: 3rd Place

2005 National Convention: 4th Place

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 (AIME), the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), the Princeton University Math Competition, the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT), and the American Regions Math League (ARML). Two distinguished members have also served as the captains for the state ARML and Harvard-MIT Math Tournament teams, and later founded the Florida Student Association of Mathematics, a state-wide organization focused on promoting the study of mathematics and mathematical competitions in K-12 education.

In 2005, 4 students from Rickards advanced to the USAMO[1], and one (Keenan Pepper) received an Honorable Mention with a score of 28 on the USAMO[2]. He was allowed to take the TST (Team Selection Test) when he attended the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, as did Rickards alumnus Shaanan Shetty in 2002.

[edit] Other Clubs

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

-1st Place Varsity 2007 UFBowl
-2nd Place JV 2007 UFBowl

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] External links