Atlantic Community High School

For other schools named Atlantic High School, see Atlantic High School (disambiguation).

Atlantic Community High School
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Address
2455 West Atlantic Avenue South Florida Delray Beach, Florida 33445 United States
Coordinates
Information
School type	Public, High School
Established	1949
School district	Palm Beach County School District
Principal	Mrs. Tara Ocampo
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2370
Number of students	2,155
Language	English, Creole, Spanish
Campus	Suburban
School colour(s)	Green and White
Mascot	Eagle
Nickname	Atlantic , ATL
Rival	Boca Raton Community High School
Newspaper	The Squall
Yearbook	Nautilus
Magnet Programs	International Baccalaureate Construction Academy, JROTC, Criminal Justice, Health science
Club Directory	School's Club Directory
Website	School's Official Website

Atlantic Community High School (also known as Atlantic and ATL) is a public high school located in Delray Beach, Florida. It is part of the School District of Palm Beach County. Known for its academics, many students attend due to the school's International Baccalaureate program and its ranking as a top-rated school for many years. In the 2010 Newsweek ranking of America's best high schools, Atlantic High ranked 89th. In 2005, the school moved to its current location and added a freshman academy and a construction-oriented magnet program.

History

Atlantic Community High School, originally named Seacrest High School, was built in 1949 as a racially segregated school for white students in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, Florida. African-American students living in the area attended Carver High School, which later became Carver Middle School and is now the Delray Beach Full Service Center. In 1971, the school began the process of desegregation and changed its name to Atlantic High School. The school adopted the colors of Seacrest High School (Green and White) and the mascot of Carver High School (the eagle). It kept Seacrest High's old location along Seacrest Boulevard. In 1989, the school became an International Baccalaureate World School. In 2005, the school moved to its current location on Atlantic Avenue. In 2011, Kathleen Weigel was promoted from principal of the school to the new district position of Assistant Superintendent of Professional Growth. Weigel, who was principal for more than 10 years was replaced by Bear Lakes Middle School principal Anthony Lockhart.

Student demographics

According to the school's website, 2570 students are enrolled in Atlantic Community High School. In 2009, its student body was 77% African-American, 8% white, 7% Hispanic, 6% Asian-American/Pacific Islander, and 1% multiracial, and less than 1% Native American.

Academics and magnet programs

School ratings

The school is rated annually by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Year	School Grade
1999	C
2000	C
2001	C
2002	C
2003	B
2004	B
2005	B
2006	B
2007	C
2008	C
2009	B
2010	B
2011	A
2012	A
2013	A
2014	A

International Baccalaureate

Atlantic is home to one of the five International Baccalaureate (also known as IB) high school programs of Palm Beach County (the others being Forest Hill Community High School, Pahokee High School, Suncoast High School, and William T. Dwyer High School) and caters to students living in the southern parts of the district.

Construction Academy

Atlantic's construction academy was added to the school beginning in fall 2005. The students of the academy designed and built a house called the "Eagle's Nest" (after the school mascot) for charity in collaboration with the city of Delray Beach. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project kick-off was held in December 2005. It is a 3 bedroom, two bath house, 1,500 square feet (140 m²).

On October 25, 2010, the Construction Academy broke ground on a new house called "Eagle's Nest 2". The house is to be a "green" house and the design incorporates aspects of a green building, using green construction material design principles. It too is being done in collaboration with the city of Delray Beach.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Atlantic participates in the 8A athletic division of the FHSAA. The school fields teams in 43 sports including football, basketball, baseball, swimming, soccer, softball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, volleyball, cross country, track and field, weightlifting, and flag football among others. The Atlantic Boy's Baseball Team won the 13-7A District Championship against Dwyer on April 24, 2014. The Atlantic Boys soccer team made it into the 4A state final four in the 2013-14 season. In 2015, Atlantic added a lacrosse team, both Boys and Girls. They ended up playing their inaugural season that year. In the 2015-16 season, the undefeated Eagles football team won the 10-8A District Championship against the undefeated Boca Raton Bobcats on October 30, 2015 in a rivalry matchup.

JROTC

Atlantic is home to the Eagle Battalion of the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Band

The Atlantic War Eagle Marching Band has performed around the United States, including at halftime of the 1999 Nokia Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana), the 2000 Aloha Festival Parade (Waikiki, Hawaii), the 2005 New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, the 2007 Saint Patrick's Day parade in Savannah, Georgia,, April 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Festival Competition, and the 2011 New York Saint Patrick's day parade.

Clubs

Atlantic supports a wide variety of clubs, including Mu Alpha Theta, Academic Games, ACE, French National Honors Society, Black Student Union, Literary Club, Art Club, International Culture Club, Science Club / Science Olympiad, Blood Drive, People for Animal Welfare (PAW), Jewish Forum, Model UN, We the People, Robotics Club, home to World Champion First Tech Challenge Team 5257, Drama Club, Key Club, and chapters of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society.

Notable alumni

• Ricardo Jordan, Former MLB player (Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds)
• Rick Rhoden, Former MLB player (Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Houston Astros)
• Mike Rumph, cornerback for the St. Louis Rams of the NFL.
• Omar Jacobs, fifth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2006 NFL Draft, and former quarterback for the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe.
• David Clowney, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League.
• Brandon Flowers, defensive back for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.
• Bobby Butler after playing at Florida State went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons throughout the eighties and early nineties.
• Courtney Robinson plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Jayron Hosley, a cornerback for the New York Giants.
• Orlando Franklin, right tackle for the San Diego Chargers.
• Preston Parker, Wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

External links

• Atlantic Community High School