James S. Rickards High School

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James S. Rickards High School

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 D 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 huge number of AP and IB exams taken by some of its students. Currently, 1,118 pupils are enrolled, and the school is undergoing construction of a new office wing.^[1]

Rickards High School, aerial.

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 the FAMU "Marching 100".

1 Vision
2 Mission statement
3 Administration
4 Merit in Musicianship
5 Achievements in Mathematics
6 Other Clubs
7 External links

[edit] Vision

"To provide students with a caring, supportive learning environment that allows them to reach their maximum potential through quality programs, instruction and experiences."

[edit] Mission statement

"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: Dr. Pink Hightower

Assistant Principal: Mr. Allen Burch

Assistant Principal: Mr. Jonathan Grantham

Assistant Principal: Ms. Carolyn Dixon

I.B. Coordinator: Dr. Sue Newman

Dean of Students: Mr. Ricky Ardley

[edit] Merit in Musicianship

[edit] Marching Band

James S. Rickards High currently has an exceptional marching band. With a unique high-stepping style to Leon County, no other high school bands in the area can match the talent presented by this marching band.

[edit] Other

James S. Rickards High also has a decent symphonic band and jazz band.

[edit] Upcoming Dates

Be prepared for these upcoming performances of the Raiders.

Nov 30(Date pending)--Joint Concert with other middle schools in the area.
Nov 7-Winter Concert
Nov 9-All-District Tryouts

[edit] Achievements in Mathematics

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

Recent Results

2005 Florida State Convention: 3rd Place

2005 National Convention: 4th Place

2006 Florida State Convention: 3rd Place

2006 National Convention: 3rd Place

The members of the Rickards Math Team have also endeavored in other national mathematical competitions such as the American Mathematics Competition (AMC - State and Regional Champions 2003-2006), 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 Team and HMMT Team.

In 2005, 4 students from Rickards advanced to the USAMO^[2], and one (Keenan Pepper) received an Honorable Mention with a score of 28 on the USAMO^[3]. 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.

In 2006, 3 Rickards students advanced to the USAMO^[4]. At both the 2006 State and National Mu Alpha Theta convention, Rickards placed third, its highest national placing to date.

[edit] Other Clubs

Rickards has a multitude of clubs and after school activities. Some are:

Student Government Association
Future Business Leaders of America
Florida's Future Educators of America
Spanish Club
French Club
Junior Classical League
Gospel Choir
ROTC
20^th Century: before and after school programs
Brain Bowl
Black History Brain Bowl
JETS
NHS
Book Club

[edit] External links

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Categories: Tallahassee, Florida | High schools in Florida | International Baccalaureate schools