Venice High School (Florida)
| Venice High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
1 Indian Avenue , 34285 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Motto | Home of the Indians |
| Established | 1950 |
| Principal | Zoltan Kerestely |
| Teaching staff | 121.00 (FTE)[1] |
| Enrollment | 2,562 (2023-2024)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 21.17[1] |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color | Green White |
| Mascot | Indian |
| Website | Official website |
| [2] | |
Venice High School is a secondary school located in Venice, Florida for grades 9–12.
History
Venice High School was built in the late 1940s in Venice, Florida. The high school (grades 9–12) opened in 1956 with John E. Davis as its first principal. Venice Junior High (grades 6–8) opened sometime in 1959 when the student body outgrew the high school. The original buildings remained unchanged until 2012, when the high school and junior high were demolished (the original gymnasium and Powell–Davis Stadium remained) to build the existing facility. The campus was completed in 2014, including a new music suite housing the chorus and band and a city-mandated performing arts center.
The school's "Indians" mascot has been controversial.[3]
Programs
Featured programs include Career Technical Education: PC Support, Health Options, Digital Design, Early Childhood, Culinary Arts, Engineering, and Business Entrepreneurial pathways.
Venice High School offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which is an academically focused curriculum for students ages sixteen to eighteen (grades 11 and 12) preparing to enter university.
Venice Performing Arts Center
Attached to Venice High School is the Venice Performing Arts Center (VPAC). This building includes the performing arts classes, which include band, orchestra, acting, and chorus.
The VPAC has an apprenticeship program for Venice High School, where juniors and seniors can gain theater and job experience and help their community.
Student demographics
Venice High School enrolls over 2,000 students annually, compared to the state average of 750 for K-12 schools. Of those in attendance in 2005, 95% of the student body is Caucasian, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and 1% African American.
Competitive teams
Venice is known for its athletics programs, including state volleyball championships (1998, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018) and baseball (2007, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019). Venice's football program, coached by John Peacock, has been recognized as one of the best teams in the state, making several state championship appearances since their first in 2000 (7th in the nation) and winning a second in 2017.
- Football State Champions- in 2000, 2017, 2021, & 2024
- Baseball State Champions- 2007, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, & 2019
- Volleyball State Champions- 1998, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2017 & 2022
- Academic Olympics – Venice High School's Academic Olympics Team competes in the county and contributes to the Sarasota County All Star Team for the Commissioner's Academic Challenge (CAC) at the state level. The team most recently won the county championship in 2017.
Accolades
In 2006, the Florida Department of Education named Venice High School an "A" school. In 2007, the school missed the 525 points needed for an "A" grade by 4 points, receiving a score of 521 to earn a "B" grade.[4] The school has increased its graduation rate from 63.9% in 1999 to 84.7% in 2007. Its dropout rate is 1.6%.
Notable alumni
- Dri Archer, NFL player
- Alexandra Barreto, actress
- Charles Brantley, college football player[5]
- Trey Burton, NFL player
- Tyler Gauthier, NFL player
- Dalton Guthrie, MLB player
- Mark Guthrie, LSU Tiger Baseball Pitcher, former MLB player
- Orion Kerkering, MLB player
- Jon Knott, MLB player
- Forrest Lamp, NFL player
- Ryan Miller, MLB player[6]
- Alvin Mitchell, football player
- Greg Pitts, actor
- Jack Voigt, LSU Tiger Baseball, Outfield and DH, MLB player and minor league coach
- Elliot Washington II, football player[7]
- Winston Watkins Jr., college football player[8]
- Malachi Wideman, football player[9]
- Damon Wilson II, football player[10]
- Clyde Everett Lassen, Medal of Honor Recipient, Commander, US Navy, Vietnam
- Stephen Clark,25-year, decorated combat veteran, Command Master Chief, US Navy, Seabees, also served as a Sarasota County School District as an Administrator for 21 years.[11]
References
- ^ a b c "VENINCE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Venice High School
- ^ Davidson, Michael Scott (July 31, 2014). "School Board hears request to change Venice 'Indian' mascots". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
- ^ "School Accountability Report ." schoolgrades.fldoe.org. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (April 30, 2020). "3-star Florida CB Charles Brantley commits to Michigan State". MLive.com. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ "Two area players chosen in draft". heraldtribune.com. June 5, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Fernandes, Doug (August 25, 2021). "SUPER 11: Venice High's Elliot Washington is Herald-Tribune's top football area recruit". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 20, 2025 – via archive.today.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Five-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. leaves First Baptist, headed to Venice
- ^ Brockman, Jim (February 5, 2020). "SIGNING DAY: Venice's four-star recruit Malachi Wideman signs with Tennessee". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, David. "Five-star Venice DE Damon Wilson talks Miami, Jason Taylor, a decision timeline and more". Miami Herald.
- ^ [1]
External links
- Venice High School official website
- Venice High School profile provided by schooltree.org