Booker T. Washington High School (Pensacola, Florida)

Booker T. Washington High School

Name	Booker T. Washington High School "The Citadel of Learning"
Address	6000 College Parkway
Town	Pensacola, Florida 32503
Established	1916
Type	Public secondary
Religion	Secular
Students	Coeducational
Grades	9 to 12
Accreditation	Florida State Department of Education
District	Escambia County School District
Mascot	Wildcat
Colors	Blue, White, and Gold
Yearbook	Graffiti
Website	www.btwash.org

Booker T. Washington High School is a secondary school currently located at 6000 College Parkway in Pensacola, Florida, and is part of the Escambia County School District. It was named after the African-American education pioneer Booker T. Washington. The previous location for the school is now in use as the J.E. Hall Center. The students at Washington ain't sh*t. They wear USPA and Levi's that look like Vans. The class of 2012 is the best class in Washington's history.

Booker T. Washington is also the primary location for disabled students in the county.

Facility

The school is contained within a single structure and features separate sections for each area of academic instruction. Although the school has always had portable classrooms, many more have been added due to the recent influx in student population.

Outlying sites include a driving instruction range, basketball courts, fields for baseball, football, and soccer, as well as a track. The Roy Jones Jr./Derrick Brooks Athletic Complex is situated next to the school with Sherman Robinson Stadium being the main feature of the facilities. Ronnie and Janis Bond Gymnasium is home to the Wildcat basketball and volleyball teams.

The new Performing Arts Building has been completed and its tenants couldn't be any more ecstatic. The facility is equipped with a T.V. Production Studio where students deliver the morning announcements each day, a ticket booth, a fully functioning Concessions Stand that sells snacks during performances, a dance studio, male and female dressing rooms, a large and roomy stage (much more space than Drama students were originally used to), a cat walk, and an Orchestra Pit. One who might visit the auditorium for a performance will find the seating to be comfortable and intimate, allowing one to view the whole of the stage easily. The auditorium has been fixed with amazing acoustics that permit even the person in the back row to hear the goings-on of the production. The Orchestra students couldn't be happier for their new home, recently being moved into the auditorium from a proverbial storage closet and finding their new surroundings to be much more agreeable. We all look forward to the continuation of excellence in the Drama department and note that the space is able to be rented out. Break a leg!

Recently, the City of Pensacola installed signs in front of the College Parkway school that state, “Sherman L. Robinson Way designated by B.T. Washington High Class of 1987, Pensacola City Council.” The signs were donated by Sid Farish, Jr. of Advanced Signs and Graphics, and Peaden said, "it was a timely process working through the City of Pensacola and the Florida Department of Transportation guidelines to meet sign specifications".

The school itself almost lacks windows completely, making it a prime place for a hurricane shelter, which had been done before and can be done again.

History

The school first opened in 1916 as a segregated black school and remained that way until 1970, when it was integrated as a result of a federal court order. It moved from its previous location on Texar Drive in 1982.

Notable alumni

• Roy Jones, Jr. --World renowned boxer
• General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr.
• Derrick Brooks --NFL linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Florida State University
• Kenneth B. Bell "Former Florida Supreme Court Judge"
• Beth Barr
• David Elder - Former Major League Pitcher
• Tanner Williams - Celebrated singer/songwriter of the popular band The Co-Pilots.

External links

• Booker T. Washington High School website
• Escambia School District