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Public high school in Parkland, Florida, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is a public high school in Parkland, Florida, United States. Established in 1990 as part of the Broward County Public Schools district and named after the writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas, it was the only public high school in Parkland, serving almost the entire city as well as a small section of neighboring Coral Springs.[3][4][5]
| Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School | |
|---|---|
| |
| Address | |
 | |
5901 Pine Island Road , 33076 United States | |
| Coordinates | 26°18′16″N 80°16′04″W[1] |
| Information | |
| Other names |
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| Type | Public high school |
| Motto | Be Positive, Be Passionate, Be Proud to be an Eagle |
| Established | 1990 |
| School district | Broward County Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Peter B. Licata |
| NCES School ID | 120018002721[2] |
| Principal | Michelle Kefford |
| Teaching staff | 138.12 (on an FTE basis)[2] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 3,504 (2022-23)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 25.37[2] |
| Color(s) | Burgundy and silver |
| Nickname | Eagles |
| Rival | Coral Springs High School |
| Newspaper | The Eagle Eye |
| Website | www |
 Image of the school in June 2008 | |
On February 14, 2018, the school was the scene of a deadly mass shooting perpetrated by a 19-year-old former student of the school, in which 17 people were murdered and 17 others injured.[6] On June 14, 2024, the building where the shooting took place was demolished.[7]
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was named after the Everglades environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The school is located just under two miles from the Everglades National Park, on part of the historical Everglades[8] for which Marjory Stoneman Douglas advocated. The school opened in 1990, the year of her centennial,[9] with students in grades 9 through 11, most of whom transferred from nearby schools Coral Springs High School and J. P. Taravella High School. The first senior class graduated in 1992.
On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting at the campus perpetrated by a 19-year-old former student of the school armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle left 17 dead and 17 more wounded in less than six minutes.[10][11] The gunman was apprehended hours later.[12][6][13] At the time, it was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, surpassing the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, in which 13 people were killed.[14][15] In 2016, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School school resource Broward County Sheriff's Office deputy had an investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families speak to the defendant, but the defendant's therapist said that he was "not currently a threat to himself or others" and did not need to be committed. A mental health counselor said the defendant did not meet the criteria under Florida law that allows the police to commit a mentally ill person against their will. Stoneman Douglas High School conducted a "threat assessment" on the defendant after the counselor's report, and the Florida Department of Children and Families ultimately concluded that the defendant was not a threat because he was living with his mother, attending school, and seeing a counselor.[16][17]
Authorities charged the gunman with first-degree murder, and the case went to trial in September 2021 along with the case of an attack by the defendant against a jail officer.[18][19][20] On October 20, 2021, the gunman pleaded guilty to all charges, including murder and attempted murder.[21] On November 2, 2022, the gunman was sentenced to 34 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, one life sentence for each of the victims murdered and wounded by the gunman.[22]
Students from Stoneman Douglas were instrumental in helping organize nationwide student protests following the shooting, and in spurring the revision of Florida law, on March 4, 2018, to raise the legal rifle-owner age from 18 to 21, with a three-day wait.[23][24][25]
The building where the shooting occurred was permanently closed, and it served as evidence at the subsequent murder trial. Demolition of the structure began on June 14, 2024. The project was completed on July 5.[26] Future plans for the site have not been finalized.[27][28]
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Athletics Department operates programs in football, volleyball, lacrosse, softball, tennis, track, water polo, bowling, basketball, cheerleading, soccer, wrestling, swimming, cross country, and golf.[29]
The cheerleading squad at the school received international attention in 2012 when its coach[30] was fired in response to complaints from parents. Parents complained about being charged thousands of dollars for their children to participate in the program, and alleged that the coach mishandled the team's finances and encouraged bullying.[31]
Newsweek's 2009 national ranking of high schools rated Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as No. 208 in the U.S., and No. 38 in Florida, which was the highest ranking of any school in Broward County.[32]
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had a Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) school grade of "A" for the 2011–2012 academic school year.[33]
There are numerous clubs at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School including DECA, speech and debate, Key Club, and cultural clubs including ISA (Indian Student Associations), Black Student Union Club, French Club, and Spanish club.[34]
Several students in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Drama Club wrote "Shine", a song memorializing the victims of the school shooting in 2018 and others who have experienced gun violence. It has been performed at various venues, including a nationally-broadcast CNN town hall, and at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018. It has also been performed by other musical groups, such as the Badiene Magaziner Vocal Studio at the March for Our Lives rally in New York City on the same day.[35] The drama club performed at the 2018 Tony Awards.
The Eagle Eye was the student-run news publication of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.[36] They made international press for their reporting of the 2018 shooting and its aftermath.[37][38] Two issues of the student newspaper were submitted for the Pulitzer Prize for their work covering student obituaries.[39][40]
The Stoneman Douglas World Guard has made finals at WGI World Championships 9 times.[citation needed]
As of the 2017–2018 school year, the total student enrolment was 3,330. The ethnic makeup of the school was 57% White, 22% Hispanic, 11% Black, 7% Asian and 3% multiracial. 27% of the students were eligible for free or reduced cost lunch.[2]
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