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Charlotte High School
Aerial image of the Charlotte High School campus
Address
1250 Cooper Street Punta Gorda, Florida USA
Information
Type	Free public secondary
Established	1926
Principal	Bernard Duffy
Grades	9–12
Number of students	2,006 (as of 2006-07)
Campus size	325,000 square feet (7.5 acres)
Color(s)	Blue and gold
Mascot	Fighting Tarpons
Website	chs.ccps.k12.fl.us/

Charlotte High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Main building after hurricane, prior to deconstruction
Architectural style	Masonry Vernacular with Neo-Classical elements
NRHP reference No.	90001796
Added to NRHP	December 12, 1990

Charlotte High School is a free historic public high school in Punta Gorda, Florida, United States serving ninth through twelfth grade students. The school is part of the Charlotte County School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Established in 1926, Charlotte High is located at 1250 Cooper Street. The school carries the slogan of "Charlotte County's First and Finest" since it remained the only high school in Charlotte County, Florida for many years until its top rival schools, Port Charlotte High School and Lemon Bay High School, respectively, were built.

On December 12, 1990, the main three-story building was added to the United States' National Register of Historic Places. After suffering from severe damage due to Hurricane Charley, this building along with the rest of the campus is currently being rebuilt in five phases at a cost of at least $87 million with an expected completion date in mid-2010.

History

Punta Gorda Grammar and High School had an enrollment of 150 students when it open in 1928. Construction of a new school on Taylor Street began in 1911 due to overcrowding issues. However, by 1926 after the construction of the first bridge to cross Charlotte Harbor, bussing increased Punta Gorda's enrollment to 1,000 which in turn lead to the construction of Charlotte High School.

Hurricane Charley hit the Punta Gorda area at the beginning of the school year on August 13, 2004 as a Category 4 hurricane, causing major damage to the high school. After seventeen days of hiatus, the students attended Port Charlotte High School during the 12:45 - 6 p.m. afternoon shift for most of the 2004-2005 school year. Afterwards, the students were moved back on campus to portables. Charlotte High was one of the six schools in the county that were destroyed or heavily damaged however the cafeteria and auditorium still remained intact. Despite the severe damage the three-story main building sustained, it was decided to try to save this historical landmark. The plan incorporated this building to have its entire interior to be redone, but its facade will remain and the rest of the campus will be built around its neoclassical style. A ceremony took place in late May of 2007 for the groundbreaking of the aforementioned building and the new facility that will group up to 1,800 students by class and provide a courtyard inside the linked structures. Harvard Jolly is the architectural firm working on the project.

The History Channel's inaugural Save Our History Grant was awarded in 2005 to the Charlotte County Historical Society, in partnership with high school students from Charlotte High School and Port Charlotte High School. Putting aside academic and athletic rivalry, the students collaborated to preserve their community's experience through oral history.

Notable people

• Alumni
  • Jeff Corsaletti — professional baseball player who currently plays for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
  • Matthew LaPorta — minor league left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • Burton Lawless — former football guard who played for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League from 1975 through 1979. Listed as as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" for Florida High School Football.
  • Tommy Murphy — an outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

• Staff
  • Dave Foreman - A former softball coach and special education teacher who was arrested for sexually assaulting an 18 year old female student.

References

1. ^ Dale, Kevin (2007-05-24). "A new day for Charlotte High". Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
2. "2006/2007 Demographic Makeup By School of Attendance". Your Charlotte County Public Schools. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
3. ^ "FLORIDA - Charlotte County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2006-09-25.
4. "Florida's History Through Its Places - Charlotte County". Myflorida.com. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
5. "About Charlotte High School". Tarpon Alumni. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
6. "Our History". Your Charlotte County Public Schools. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
7. Tierney, Dan (2004-08-25). "School times set". Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2007-06-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. ^ Quinn, Carolyn (2007-05-24). "Charlotte High begins rebuilding". Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
9. Alain Jehlen / Dave Winans (2004). "NEA Today Storm Season". National Education Association. Retrieved 2007-02-04. In Charlotte County, where 6 of 21 schools were destroyed or heavily damaged, students were forced to attend the remaining safe schools in shifts. Some start as early as 6 a.m. Others end as late as 7:10 p.m. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
10. "Historical Society Receives Save Our History Grant" (PDF). Florida Preservation News. Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources. 2005. pp. pp. 5. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
11. Maffezzoli, Dennis (2007-05-25). "Corsaletti gets taste of majors with Rocket". Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
12. Maffezzoli, Dennis (2007-06-08). "Milwaukee Brewers selects LaPorta". News-Press. Retrieved 2008-01-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. Scott, Anna (2006-01-10). "James Lawless, former schools superintendent, dies at 86". Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "5 SFWL players named to State All-Time Prep Football Top 100". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
15. Fineran, John. "Baseball's return tops 2006 stories". Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
16. Fineran, John. "FOREMAN RESIGNS AMID SEX SCANDAL". Sun Coast Media Group. Retrieved 2008-01-12.

External links

• Charlotte HS official website
• Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs - Charlotte High School

• High schools in Florida
• Punta Gorda, Florida
• Registered Historic Places in Florida
• Educational institutions established in 1926