Jefferson County Middle / High School (JCMHS) is a public school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Florida, with a Monticello postal address. A part of Jefferson County Schools, it serves grades 6 - 12. The school's mascot is a tiger and the school colors are orange and blue. It is at 50 David Road, south of the center of Monticello.
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from Newspapers.com. The school was formerly housed in the historic Jefferson Academy building, opened in 1852 in the first brick school building in Florida. Minority enrollment at Jefferson County Middle / High School is about 340 and 84 percent minority. It was operated by Somerset Academy Inc. for five years. The student body is minority majority, about 60 percent African American.

History

Jefferson Academy

Jefferson Academy was established in Monticello in 1852. The school building, described as being the first school built with bricks in Florida, was constructed in 1852 using slave labor. It was designed by Samuel Carroll. Jefferson Academy alumni included

William Bailey Lamar William Bailey Lamar (June 12, 1853 – September 26, 1928) was an American attorney and politician who served as a U.S. representative from Florida from 1903 to 1909. Early life and education Lamar was born on June 12, 1853 in Monticello, F ...

. The school building was used for Jefferson County High School after the academy closed. The school became known as such when the white schools merged into Jefferson County High School.

Monticello High School

Also referred to as Monticello High School, the historic former

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

building is located at 425 West Washington Street. On March 25, 1999, it was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The vernacular school building was expanded on the east and west sides in 1915 and the columns added to the front, giving is a

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

appearance. By 1980, the original section of the facility was no longer used as a school, and only the addition was. In 2004 the current facility opened. It had a cost of $17,200,000. The school district and the county government moved offices into the former facility.

Gallery

Image:Jefferson Cty High School Monticello02.jpg, Image:Jefferson Cty High School Monticello marker01.jpg, Image:Jefferson Cty High School Monticello sign01.jpg,

References

External links

Jefferson County Middle / High School

Monticello High School
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs Public high schools in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Florida Monticello, Florida 1852 establishments in Florida Educational institutions established in 1852 Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Florida Defunct schools in Florida School buildings completed in 1852 {{Florida-school-stub