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History
Alma Mater
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The first
settlers arrived in Haines City in 1881. Two years later, they built the first
school on Hinson Avenue where the current City Hall building is located. The
two-story wooden structure had a school enrollment of nine students. In 1918, a
yellow brick elementary school for grades one through eight was built. Any
student wishing a high school education had to attend classes in Lakeland,
located 25 miles away from Haines City. Clay
Cut was the original name of this quaint little town that we call home. In
1883, when trains would pass through this Central Florida area, they were lost
from sight because of the railroad tracks that were built so deep in the clay.
Later, when a officer with the South Florida Railroad named Colonel Henry Haines
brought about the building of the town's train station, he was honored with the
city being named after him. Thus, Haines City was born. |
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| In 1916, the first citrus processing plant in the
United States was built in Haines City and made the city all that it
is today. The city lived and died with the successes and failures of
this processing plant. The town experienced a mighty growth in
population through these years until the mid-1890's. Haines City
suffered immensely from severe freezes on the citrus crop and the
city was almost destroyed by a fire.
The citrus industry eventually recovered from the devastation, and in
the 1920's, Haines City profited from a large population boost. As a
result the community was incorporated, the city limits were expanded and
many residential and commercial building were erected. Haines City has
grown by leaps and bounds since then and has become a community to be
proud of. |
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| The first serving grades one
through twelve was built in 1922-23 on Ledwith Avenue where
the city tennis court facility is now located. A new school, called
Central Elementary, was built in 1925-26 Across the street, and it was here in
1926 that Haines City's first high school graduation ceremony took place.
A
new high school was built next to Central Elementary on Ledwith Avenue in
1949. It received national recognition in an architectural periodical for its
innovative design. When it opened, it housed grade seven through twelve,
but was later changed to grades ten through twelve and three additions were
added to the school. With continued enrollment demands, the school
was forced to seek a new location which could accommodate the rapidly growing
area around the community. |
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| In
1976, the school moved to a new location on Grace Avenue. In the
past twenty year since moving, the high school has added a gymnasium, a
new agricultural and industrial arts complex, a new science building in
1990 and a new social studies wing in 1991. In addition, the old
football facility at Yale field, owned by the city of Haines City, was renamed
in honor of former longtime coach Joseph Stangry and relocated to
the new campus. Since that time, track and field facilities, baseball, softball,
and soccer fields have been constructed. The school recently purchased land
north of the school complex to house additions to the agricultural program
and develop a Land Lab. The school also experienced massive growth when
the ninth grade was added to the campus from Haines City Junior High School,
adding approximately twenty percent to the enrollment figures. In 1992,
the Student Council petitioned the city of Haines City to name the portion of
Grace Avenue adjacent to the school after its mascot, ''The Hornets''. The
City Commission unanimously approved the request, renaming the street to Hornet
Drive. |
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