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Public school in Lake City, Florida, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Columbia High School (CHS) is a four-year public high school located in Lake City, Florida. The school's mascot is the Fighting Tigers and the colors are purple and gold.[3]
| Columbia High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
469 SE Fighting Tiger Drive , 32025 United States | |
| Coordinates | 30°08′53″N 82°38′12″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Founded | 1888[1] |
| School district | Columbia County School District |
| Principal | Trey Hosford |
| Teaching staff | 81.00 (on an FTE basis)[2] |
| Enrollment | 1,737[2] (2022–23) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 21.44[2] |
| Color(s) | Purple and Gold |
| Fight song | Onward Victorious |
| Nickname | Tigers |
| Rival | Suwannee High School, Gainesville High School |
| Yearbook | The Columbian |
| Feeder schools | Lake City Middle School |
| Website | chs |
The school was founded in 1888. The 1921 building, which was replaced in 1957 by a new building on Duval street, is on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] In 1935 the school was accused of cheating in football by playing a 21-year-old student who lived outside the county. A judge ordered them to be suspended from the Athletic Association and cancelled the rest of their games.[5]
In 1986, despite opposition from the ACLU, the school district banned Chaucer's The Miller's Tale and Aristophanes Lysistrata from the school because of sexual content.[6][7] This decision was ultimately upheld by the courts in 1989 in the case Virgil v. School Board of Columbia County.[8][9] A 1993 attempt to ban Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was defeated due to the intervention of a local librarian.[10]
Prior to 1969, Columbia was for White students only. In 1969, when the schools were forced to integrate by federal courts, students from the all-Black Fort White High School were sent to Columbia High School,[citation needed] but the district did not fully integrate Columbia at that time and defied a federal court order to do so in January, 1970.[11] The court allowed them to delay until February.[12] Students from Fort White continued to attend Columbia for over 30 years, when a new Fort White High School was built.[citation needed] In 1979, a Black student was accused of improper behavior towards a White female. The Black student was suspended, which led to a boycott of the school by Black students, and McKinley Jeffers, a Black assistant principal was fired.[13]
Extra curricular activities at the school include the FIRST Tech Challenge team The Flying Tigers, the Academy of Graphic Design, Academic Team, Athletics, Band, Color Guard, and two chapters of Future Farmers of America. The football program lists regional championships in 1969, 1998 & 2003; made it to the Quarter-Finals in 1975, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2001 & 2002, and one State Championship victory in 1967.[14]
The Columbia High School Marching Band has been ranked superior in the Florida Bandmasters Association's Marching Performance Assessment for 16 years.[15] The CHS Drumline has a long lasting record of superiors at the State level, they've received 5 straight, as of 2023.
Columbia high football has been an important part of the community since it began, it won a state title back in 1967, and were runners-up in 1964 and 1997. It was at one time, the winningest program in the state of Florida.[16][17]
Columbia high athletics have been competitive over the years winning a total of 8 state titles, and producing many notable alumni in its past.[vague]
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