Countryside High School
Coordinates: 28°01′24″N 82°42′41″W / 28.023285°N 82.711387°W
| Countryside High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 3000 State Road 580 Clearwater, FL 33761  United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1980 |
| School district | Pinellas County Schools |
| Principal | Gary Schlereth |
| Enrollment | 3,291 |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Newspaper | Paw Print Newspaper |
| Yearbook | The Pride |
| Colors | Garnet and Gold |
| Website | http://www.countryside-hs.pinellas.k12.fl.us/ |
Countryside High School, also known as CHS, is a public high school located in Clearwater, Florida.[1] Established in 1980, it is a part of the Pinellas County Schools system, and is one of the larger schools in Pinellas County. It draws students from Dunedin, downtown Clearwater, Largo, suburban east Clearwater, Safety Harbor, and Oldsmar. The original graduating class of 1980 attended Dunedin High School (DHS) in Dunedin, Florida. The CHS 1980 graduating class, the first, never saw CHS completed and held classes and graduation at DHS. Countryside high school is currently the largest High School and public school in the Pinellas County School System. Unlike other Pinellas County Schools, which are contracted to the Pinellas County School's Police, Countryside has a contract with the Clearwater Police department to employ full time officers during and after the school day.
Student life
Clubs
The following is a list of clubs offered at CHS.
Academic Team, Art Club, Band, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Color Guard, Cougar Joe's Coffee House, Debate Club, Drama Club, Fellowship of Christian Students, Football Booster Club, Freshman Class, Future Educators Club, Future Farmers of America, Garden Club, Gay Straight Alliance, GFWC Clearwater Juniorettes, Homecoming, Interact Club, Japanese/Anime Club, Junior Class, Key Club, Junior Class/Prom, Marine Biology Club, Mu Alpha Theta math honor society, Multicultural Club, National Honor Society, O Ambassadors, Peer Connectors, Poetry Club, Robotics Club, Republican Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Senior Class, Student Government, Students for Global Awareness, Students Targeted for Educational Performance (STEP), Surf Club, The Laureate literary magazine, Video Club, Winter Guard.[2]
Drama and theater
Countryside has a notable Drama program winning many statewide awards. It has consistently been one of the highest performing schools in Florida.[3]
In 2007-2008, the musical Honk, an adaptation of the Ugly Duckling, was selected to be performed as a Mainstage show at the Florida State Thespian Festival on May 1, 2008. It was one of six chosen from a group of 35 shows in Florida. Other shows done by CHS include Li'l Abner. The Foreigner, West Side Story, and Steel Magnolias.
In 2011-2012, their production of Return to the Forbidden Planet, starring Adam Rubin, Blake Huber, Jordan Rodnizki and Katie Michaels as Captain Tempest, Miranda, Dr. Prospero and Gloria respectively, was also selected to be performed as a Mainstage show.
Sports
- 1989 Boys Basketball Sectional Champions
- District Champions in football, flag football, volleyball, track & field and wrestling
- 2006 State Champions 6A boys soccer
- 2009 & 2011 Loss to Plant High School the eventual state champions in the third round of the playoffs
- 2010 & 2011 Jv Football Team Undefeated 7-0
- 2010 & 2011 Varsity Football Undefeated (Regular Season) 10-0
- 2010-2012 Varsity Football 27 Game win streak
Countryside Football has went to the playoffs a lot
Sports Offered:
- Cross Country - JV & varsity, boys and girls
- Football - JV & varsity, boys
- Golf - boys and girls
- Swim/Dive - JV & varsity, boys and girls
- Volleyball - JV & varsity, girls
- Basketball - JV & varsity, boys and girls *
- Soccer - JV & varsity, boys and girls
- Wrestling - Varsity, boys
- Baseball - Varsity, boys
- Flag football - JV & varsity, girls
- Softball - Varsity, girls
- Tennis - Varsity, boys and girls
- Track - Varsity, boys and girls
Marching band
- The marching band was invited to attend the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic. They were Grand Champions in the field show and first runners up in the parade competition.
- The marching band also was invited to attend the 2009 NFL Experience in Tampa.
- The marching band attended the 2009 Chick-Fil-A bowl, which they received Grand Champions in field performance and best drum major during the competition and attended the Virginia Tech. vs. Tennessee half time mass band performance.
- Receiving Fourth in Finals Performance and Best Visual Performance, The Band competed in class 1A during the 2010 FMBC State Finals at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fl, becoming State Finalist once again.
Academics
The school offers numerous advanced academic programs and recognition, including foreign languages and technology honor societies along with Istem(institute of science, technology, engineering and mathematics).[1] The Winterguard is the Scholastic Class A Florida Federation of Colorguard Circuit (FFCC) state champions and the scholastic class A Winter Guard International bronze medalists in 2006.
The school won the first high school "Battle of the Books" competition in 2006, repeating the feat again in 2007, 2008, and 2011.
The school newspaper, Paw Print, has received an All Florida Rating from the Florida Scholastic Press Association; a Superior from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association and an International Second Place Award from Quill and Scroll.[citation needed]
The UPC Morning Show (Upper Pinellas County) televised newscast began in 1987, and has since grown to an award-winning, student-produced daily 10-minute news show. Both the Paw Print newspaper and the UPC Morning Show can be seen online.
Notable Teachers
Carl Zimmerman
In 2012, Countryside teacher Carl Zimmerman beat Peter Nehr for Florida state House of Representatives in District 65.
Notable alumni
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- David Blue, actor
- Keith Boykin, author and broadcaster
- Andrew DeClercq, 1991 graduate, who played in the National Basketball Association for Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic,
- Matt Geiger, 1987 graduate, who played in the National Basketball Association for Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers
- Ira Heiden, actor who appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Illegally Yours, and a small recurring role on the TV hit Alias
- Frank Hibbard, current mayor of Clearwater, Florida
- Steve Spears, host of Stuck in the 80's podcast and online entertainment editor of Tampa Bay Times, formerly the St. Pete Times.
- Jim Ronecker, 1982 graduate, Mayor Oldsmar, Florida
- Agim Kaba, actor
- Jeff Mitchell, played center for the Carolina Panthers and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens
- George Tsamis, former professional baseball player who pitched for the Minnesota Twins. He is currently manager of the St. Paul Saints, a professional independent minor league team from Minnesota.
- Mike Gomes, Professional Soccer/football player
- Vincent Parrulli, Director of Bands, Countryside High School
- Anthony Parrulli, Actor/Musician Blue Man Group
- Tyler Moore, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Offensive Tackle
- Alexander Dixon, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Cornerback
- Dawrence Roberts, Grambling State University Running Back, 2011 SWAC Championship
References
- ^ a b Countryside High School, (pdf)
- ^ www.countryside-hs.pinellas.k12.fl.us/
- ^ Countryside Drama Club, Countryside High School
Matt Allmen, Actor (NAPA Know How commercial)
