Northview High School is a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

located in

Century, Florida Century is a town in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County, Florida, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,713, up from 1,698 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola&nd ...

, USA. It is listed as a 1A school and has been serving North

Escambia County, Florida Escambia County is the westernmost and oldest County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 321,905. The county seat and largest city is Pensacola, Florida, Pe ...

since 1996. Student enrollment averages between 500 and 600 students. Northview High School has had only two principals, Ms. Gayl Weaver and Mr. Michael Sherril.

History

During the 1990s, the

Escambia County School District Escambia County Public Schools (ECPS), officially the Escambia County School District (ECSD), is the organization responsible for the administration of public schools in all of Escambia County, Florida, in the United States. The district current ...

merged two existing 1A high schools (Century High School and Ernest Ward High School) in northern Escambia County into one school. Construction was started on Northview in 1994 and finished in 1994. In 1993, incoming high school and middle school students from Carver Middle School and Ernest Ward Middle School were asked to cast a ballot for their new school's mascot. The mascot selected was a Chief and the colors were garnet and gold. The colors were chosen as a homage to the Florida State Seminoles, as the school's football helmets are embellished with a spear, as well as the color scheme selected by the ballots cast. In 2009 the helmet emblem was revised and is now a tomahawk with the word "Chiefs" written over it. The Northview High School football team of 2012-2013 was the first team in the school's history to earn the Florida Class 1A State Football Championship in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 7. They played against undefeated Trenton High School, and walked away with the title in a 42–21 victory. The players earned their state championship rings on April 29 in a school/community ceremony.

Book Ban Controversy

In 2022, Northview High English teacher Vicki Baggett began a campaign to have several books banned from Escambia School District libraries, citing the

Florida Parental Rights in Education Act The Parental Rights in Education Act (HB 1557), commonly referred to as the ''Don't Say Gay'' law, is a Florida statute passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The law is most notable for prohibiting public schools from hav ...

. The list of books included many books focusing on growing up prejudice for being a racial or sexual minority including ''When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball'', the non-fiction autobiography of

Wilma Rudolph Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American sprinter who overcame polio as a child and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her succes ...

. Baggett claimed on her Facebook page to be a member of

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...

and was accused by former and then-current students of pushing racist and homophobic beliefs in class. Baggett discouraged

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is marriage or admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. It has occurred many times throughout history, in many places. It has occasionally been controversial or illegal. Adjectives describin ...

and pushed stereotypes about black people not being able to swim. She also accused a student's sister of faking being a lesbian for attention because of her belief that "nobody's born that way". When concerns were brought to Principal Sherril about Baggett's actions in 2019 by a parent of a student, the specific concerns were not addressed, but Sherril called the teacher "a good person". When Popular Information reached out to the

for comment in 2022, they similarly did not address specific concerns about Baggett, but stated "We categorically condemn any form of discriminatory speech. Our mission is to reach all students, regardless of race, background, or gender identity" while taking no action against her.

Alumni

* Elvin Mims, former basketball player

References

External links

School homepage

School Accountability Report

Northwest Escambia County Florida Homepage
{{authority control Escambia County School District High schools in Escambia County, Florida Public high schools in Florida 1994 establishments in Florida Educational institutions established in 1994