Gibbs High School (St. Petersburg, Florida)

History

With a slowing economy in 1926 and fewer whites moving into Pinellas County, the school board converted an unopened white elementary school in St. Petersburg into Gibbs Junior-Senior High School for black students only. It opened without electrical lighting or adequate equipment

Before Gibbs opened in 1927, Pinellas County had no school for blacks past 6th grade. Families wishing for high school education had to enroll in private, mostly church-run black schools. Gibbs became the county's first public secondary school for blacks, occupying an eight-classroom building that cost $49,490 to build. Proms were held at the Manhattan Casino.

In 1954, two black co-valedictorians of Gibbs were refused admission to St. Petersburg Junior College, which was operated by the school district. Though the US Supreme Court struck down "Separate but equal" schooling in the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, the first white student did not enroll at Gibbs (in a vocational program) until 1961. Decades of parent protests and court cases followed the initial roll-out of desegregation plans in the county.

In 1966, Gibbs won the black state high school basketball championship. For the 1966–1967 school year, Gibbs became the first black school to join the FHSAA and compete against white schools. In their first year (1967), Gibbs won the basketball state championship.

To assist their integration goals, the district approved the creation of a magnet program at Gibbs in 1984-85, then called the Artistically Talented Program. Now known as the Pinellas County Center for the Arts, it includes instruction for about 500 students in dance, music, theater and visual art. In 2004, Gibbs High School was included in the federal grant received by Pinellas County Schools for the establishment of small learning communities (SLCs). Today, the high school is host to smaller learning communities that have curriculum pathways in Communication Arts, Travel & Tourism, Global Studies and a freshman Renaissance program.

It now also has a new campus that opened to the students in the 2005–2006 school year. In 2006, however, the school was reported to be experiencing increased student defiance fueled by the racial divide in the student population.

Democratic Presidential Nominee and Illinois Senator Barack Obama visited the school for a town-hall style speech on August 1, 2008.

Gibbs became the first high school in Pinellas county to receive an "F" letter grade as of the 2009–2010 school year because of poor FCAT results. Less than one third of 9th and 10th graders were reading at grade level.

In 2024, Gibbs won the basketball state championship for the first time since 1969 with a win of 49-43 over Jacksonville's Andrew Jackson High School.

Notable alumni

• Dave Anderson - Former professional baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants) and current Texas Rangers first base coach

• Boof Bonser - Current professional baseball player (Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics)
• Trayvon Bromell – Track and field athlete
• Ed Charles - Former professional baseball player (Kansas City Athletics, New York Mets)
• Glen Edwards - Professional football
• Justin Hires - Comedian, actor, writer
• Shaun King - Professional football
• Sierra Kusterbeck - Female vocalist for the alternative band VersaEmerge
• Jeff Lacy - Professional boxer
• James Howard Meredith - first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi; civil rights leader
• Nate Oliver - Former professional baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs)
• Scott Sanders - TV, film and stage producer
• Martin Sherman - Actor
• Marreese Speights - Professional basketball
• Ephraim Sykes - Actor, dancer, musician
• Daniel Ulbricht - Dancer with New York City Ballet
• Ronald "Winky" Wright - Professional boxer

References

References

1. "GIBBS HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics.
2. "Gibbs High School has a new, home-grown leader".
3. Schnur, James Anthony. (1991). "Desegregation of Public Schools in Pinellas County, Florida". Tampa Bay History.
4. "Coach Freddie Dyles".
5. (13 May 2004). "50 Years Of Integration 5th In A 9-part Series". Orlando Sentinel.
6. "PCCA (Pinellas County Center for the Arts) / Program History".
7. Tobin, Thomas. [http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/22/Southpinellas/Turmoil_in_class__and.shtml Turmoil in class, and cry for help], ''St. Petersburg Times'', December 22, 2006.
8. "Gibbs High School graduates savor Obama visit". [[Tampa Bay Times]].
9. "Zip ties and pepper spray: Welcome to the new, stricter Gibbs High". [[Tampa Bay Times]].
10. (2 March 2024). "Gibbs wins first boys basketball state championship in 55 seasons". Tampa Bay Times.
11. DeYoung, Bill. (27 January 2020). "From Gibbs to 'Goldbergs': Actress Alex Jennings is a St. Pete success story". St. Pete Catalyst.
12. (December 26, 1986). "Forensic students compete". [[St. Petersburg Times]].
13. (6 December 2016). "Ephraim Sykes' painful St. Petersburg past fuels his performance in NBC's 'Hairspray, Live!'". The Tampa Bay Times.