Atlantic Community High School

Atlantic Community High School (also known as Atlantic and ATL and formerly called Seacrest High School) 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.[2] In 2005, the school moved to its current location and added a freshman academy and a construction-oriented magnet program.

For other schools named Atlantic High School, see Atlantic High School (disambiguation).
Atlantic Community High School
Location
2455 West Atlantic Avenue

Delray Beach
,
Florida
33445

United States
Coordinates26°27′32″N 80°05′56″W
Information
TypePublic and Magnet secondary school
Established1949
School districtPalm Beach County School District
CEEB code100420
PrincipalTara O'Campo
Teaching staff117.50 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Number of students2,303 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio19.60[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Green and white   
NicknameEagles
RivalBoca Raton Community High School
NewspaperThe Squall
YearbookNautilus
Websiteahs.palmbeachschools.org

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.[3]

Student demographics

There were 2324 students enrolled in Atlantic Community High School in the 2015-2016 school year. Fifty-three percent of the students were female. The student body was 56% African-American, 21% white, 13% Hispanic, 6% Asian-American, 3% multiracial, and less than 1% each Native American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.[4]

Academics and magnet programs

School ratings

The school is rated annually by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.[5]

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
2015 A
2016 B
2017 B
2018 B[6]

International Baccalaureate
Main article: IB Diploma Programme

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.[7]

Construction Academy

Atlantic's construction academy was added to the school beginning in fall 2005.[8] 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 three bedroom, two bath house, 1,500 square feet (140 m2).[9]

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.[10]

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 Boys' 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, and in 2017 they competed in the state championships.

JROTC

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

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, Drama Club, Key Club, and chapters of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society.[11]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "ATLANTIC HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  2. http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools/list.html
  3. Freeman, Marc (18 July 2011). "Leadership changes under way within Palm Beach County School District". Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  4. "Atlantic High School Student Body". US News Best High Schools. 2018.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. “2017-18 School Grades.” Florida Department of Education. accessible at www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/18534/urlt/SchoolGrades18.xls, accessed March 31, 2019
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-18. Retrieved 2015-02-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Atlantic Community High School Archived May 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine official web site, retrieved 2008-04-22
  10. http://news.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/pao/tag/atlantic-high-school-construction-academy/
  11. http://www.atlanticcommunityhighschool.com/clubs.html
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-31. Retrieved 2014-10-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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