Lakeland Senior High School is the oldest public high school in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

, United States. It is part of

Polk County Public Schools Polk County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bartow, Florida, United States. The district serves Polk County. History Civil rights era Before 1965, Polk County maintained two separate school systems, one for white students ...

. Lakeland Senior High School was the original high school in the city. It also shares its campus with

Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts The Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (also called Harrison School for the Arts) is a high school in Lakeland, Florida, United States. The school was founded in 1989 and named after community member and art patron Lo ...

. Harrison students attend academic classes at Lakeland Senior High School.

Athletics

The school's athletic teams are known as the Lakeland Dreadnaughts. Lakeland's football team has won eight state championships, in 1986, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2018 and 2022. The Dreadnaughts have played their home football games at Thomas W. Bryant Stadium since 1941. They won their inaugural game at the stadium on September 26, 1941, 33–0 over the Florida Military Academy.

Band

The Lakeland Senior High School Band was founded in 1924.

Notable alumni

Lindsey Alley Lindsey Erin Alley (born December 6, 1977) is an American actress and singer, who for several years lived in New York City and now resides in Los Angeles. She is known for Bedtime Stories (2008), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) and Jessica Jone ...

(1996), actress, cast member of ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised fo ...

'' *

Andy Bean Thomas Andrew Bean (born March 13, 1953) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. Bean has won numerous tournaments at both the amateur and professional level. Bean won 11 PGA Tour victories, includi ...

, professional golfer *

Ahmad Black Ahmad Black (born December 12, 1988) is a former American football safety who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of a BCS Nationa ...

(2007),

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

player *

Keon Broxton Keon Darell Broxton (born May 7, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, N ...

, MLB outfielder for the

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Charles T. Canady Charles Terrance Canady (born June 22, 1954) is an American attorney and judge serving on the Supreme Court of Florida since 2008. He previously served two two-year terms as Chief Justice, from 2010 to 2012 and from 2020 to 2022. Prior to his ap ...

, U. S. Congressman (1992-2000), Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice *

Lawton Chiles Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States ...

(1948),

Governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

, 1991–1998 *

Ronnie Ghent Ronnie Jerome Ghent (born January 5, 1980) is a former American football fullback and former head coach of the Central Florida Jaguars of American Indoor Football (AIF). He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 200 ...

(1990), NFL player *

Kay Hagan Janet Kay Hagan (née Ruthven; May 26, 1953 – October 28, 2019) was an American lawyer, banking executive, and politician who served as a United States Senator from North Carolina from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previo ...

, U.S. Senator; niece of

Arthur Hendrix Arthur Hodges Hendrix (7 October 1912 – 22 April 1988) was an American amateur tennis player in the 1930s. Hendrix, who was ranked No. 10 in the United States in 1936, He later turned professional in 1940 and was a quarter finalist at the U.S. P ...

, tennis player *

Allen Hunt Allen R. Hunt (January 6, 1964, in Los Angeles, California) is an American author and speaker. He is former Methodist pastor and a convert to the Catholic Church. Early life Allen R. Hunt was born on January 6, 1964 in Los Angeles, California ...

(1982), talk radio host * Drew Hutchison, MLB player with

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Lee Janzen Lee McLeod Janzen (born August 28, 1964) is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the U.S. Open twice in 1993 and 1998. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions, and was an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour. Early y ...

, professional golfer, two-time US Open winner *

Grady Judd Grady Judd (born March 10, 1954) is the sheriff of Polk County, Florida. He has served in this position since 2005. Early life and education Grady Judd was born in Lakeland, Florida, in 1954. He earned both bachelor's and master's degrees fr ...

, Sheriff of Polk County, Florida *

Frances Langford Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades. She was known as the "GI Nighting ...

, singer, entertainer and film actress *

Neva Jane Langley Neva Jane Langley Fickling (January 25, 1933 – November 18, 2012) was an American beauty pageant queen. Biography Langley was born in Lakeland, Florida. As a college sophomore she transferred to Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where sh ...

(1953),

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

Josh Lucas Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer (born June 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in various films, including '' American Psycho'' (2000), '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), '' The Deep End'' (2001), '' A Beautiful Mind'' (20 ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

* Sona MacDonald (1979), European actress *

Aaron Marsh Aaron Marsh is an American musician and record producer from Lakeland, Florida. He first gained prominence as the lead singer, guitarist and pianist for the Florida-based indie rock band Copeland, who formed in 2000. Marsh has since gone on t ...

(Orchestra Department, Class of 1999), singer/songwriter, lead singer of Copeland *

Lauren Miller Lauren Anne Miller Rogen (née Miller; born July 24, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in the films '' Superbad'' (2007), ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), and '' 50/50'' (2011). In 2012, ...

, actor and screenwriter *

Elliott Morgan Elliott Christopher Morgan (born February 22, 1987) is an American stand up comedian, actor, writer, host, producer and YouTube personality. Morgan is best known for being a co-host of the YouTube channel ''SourceFed''. Morgan attended the Unive ...

(Musical Theatre Department, Class of 2005), actor, writer, producer,

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

personality *

Karen Olivo Karen Olivo (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer. In 2008, Olivo originated the role of Vanessa in ''In the Heights'' on Broadway. The following year, they won the 2009 Tony Award for Best ...

, stage and television actor *

Wayne Peace Wayne Lamar Peace, Jr. (born November 3, 1961) is an American former college and professional football quarterback and current high school football coach in Lakeland, Florida. He was born in Lakeland, Florida, and attended Lakeland High School ...

(1980), football player * Steve Pearce (2001), professional baseball player,

2018 World Series The 2018 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2018 season. The 114th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Lea ...

MVP *

Maurkice Pouncey LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS Na ...

(2007), NFL player,

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(2007), NFL player,

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, MLB player, two-time World Series champion, four-time All-Star, 1970

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

MVP *

Chris Rainey Christopher Rainey (born March 2, 1988) is an American professional football running back and kick returner who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of Florida's BCS National Championshi ...

(2007), NFL player,

* Rey Robinson, 1972 track & field Olympian, former world record holder in 100 meter sprint * Dennis A. Ross (1977), U.S. Congressman *

Chris Sale Christopher Allen Sale (born March 30, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, with whom he made his major league debut on ...

, MLB pitcher for

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and

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, six-time All-Star *

Susan Sherouse Susan Sherouse is an American violinist from Lakeland, Florida. She attended the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, from which she graduated in 2001. She continued her education at Palm Beach Atlantic University. She ...

(Orchestra Department, Class of 2001), violinist *

Rod Smart Torrold DeShaun "Rod" Smart (born January 9, 1977) is a former professional American football running back. He played college football for Western Kentucky. He was originally signed by the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL ...

(1995), NFL player *

Park Trammell Park Monroe Trammell (April 9, 1876 – May 8, 1936), was an American attorney and politician from the state of Florida. Trammell represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1917 until his death in 1936. As chair of the Senate Naval Aff ...

, U.S. Senator; 21st

Old Lakeland High School

The Old Lakeland High School is located at 400 North Florida Avenue in Lakeland and in 1993 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years the building has housed several different schools including the Lakeland Junior High School, Polk Opportunity Center and Lakeland Middle Academy (renamed the Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in 1999).

References

External links

Lakeland High School

Polk County Public Schools
{{authority control High schools in Polk County, Florida Works Progress Administration in Florida Public high schools in Florida Schools in Lakeland, Florida 1927 establishments in Florida Educational institutions established in 1927