Dixie M. Hollins High School
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Hollins High School, formerly known as Dixie M. Hollins High School, is a public
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
located in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, United States. The school was opened in 1959 as a
vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
for grades 10–12, but it has since expanded to include
9th grade Ninth grade, freshman year, or grade 9 is the ninth year of school education in some school systems. Ninth grade is often the first school year of high school in the United States, or the last year of middle/junior high school. In some countries ...
education. The school has just under 1,800 students. Its
graphic arts A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional, i.e. produced on a flat surface.
program, known as the Academy of Entertainment Arts (AEA), is designated as a
center of excellence A center of excellence (COE or CoE ), also called excellence center, is a team, a shared facility or an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research, support or training for a focus area. Due to its broad usage and vague legal prec ...
. The school also offers a program in the culinary arts, which is also designated as a center of excellence. The school also offers
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
/ AICE curriculum, as well as a
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
(JROTC) program.


History

When Pinellas County separated from Hillsborough County and became its own entity in 1912, Dixie Martin Hollins was appointed as Superintendent of Pinellas County Schools; he was about twenty-five years old. Hollins was considered progressive for his time, said the school's principal in 2020, Robert Florio, citing his advocacy of equality in education and hiring of graduates from historically black colleges and universities. Hollins promoted the rights of black students to have certified teachers, to attend a full school day, and to attend school for more than just a few months per year. When Hollins High School opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 1959, it was named Northwest High School. Almost immediately the School Board decided to name the new high school after Dixie Hollins. His family owned and operated one of the largest ranches in the state in
Citrus County Citrus County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs. Citrus County compris ...
from 1942 until 1992 when all but a small portion was sold upon the death of his son, Maurice L. Hollins. Dixie Hollins donated land for both Madeira Beach Elementary and Middle Schools. His estate continues to provide contributions to Dixie's music program. In 1971, the school became national news when the campus became embroiled in a community protest against
racial integration Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation). In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity ...
through forced busing. The unrest had been building for several weeks. When the school decided to ban the use of the
Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
, community groups began picketing the school. The unrest broke out into violence on October 12, 1971. When Florida schools mandated kindergarten, Dixie Hollins High School incorporated 9th grade into its curriculum. The school underwent extensive renovations in 1992–1996, adding a two-story science wing, a new media center and cafeteria, an art building, a music building, and upgrading the existing classrooms, the gymnasium, and the vocational wing.


Name and mascot

The school was named after Dixie Martin Hollins. Its original mascot, "the Rebel"—an aged, white-haired
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
—was a play on the relationship between the term "
Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...
" and the
Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
. In 1989, the Rebel was subjected to criticism as a racist symbol, but the student body at the time voted to keep the mascot unchanged. In 2020, a student group created a petition on
Change.org Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
that called for the school's name and mascot to be changed, citing the "Dixie"/Confederacy connection as well as the mascot's resemblance to a Confederate soldier. Following the petition, the school's name was changed from Dixie Hollins High School to Hollins High School, and the "Rebels" moniker used for the school's athletic teams was changed to "Royals".


Notable alumni

*
Kurt Abbott Kurt Thomas Abbott (born June 2, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player who played primarily as a shortstop and second baseman from to . Career Abbott was born in Zanesville, Ohio and graduated from Dixie M. Hollins High Scho ...
, baseball player * Marquel Blackwell, football player * Erroll M. Brown, first African-American admiral,
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
*
Michele Elliott Michele Irmiter Elliott OBE is an author, psychologist, teacher and the founder and director of child protection charity Kidscape. She has chaired World Health Organization and Home Office working groups and is a Winston Churchill Memorial Trus ...
, author, psychologist and founder of child protection charity
Kidscape Kidscape is a London-based charity established in 1985, by child psychologist Michele Elliott. Its focus is on children's safety, with an emphasis on the prevention of harm by equipping children with techniques and mindsets that help them stay ...
*
Andre Hall Andre Hall (born August 20, 1982) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at South Florida, where he was the school's all-time leading ...
, football player *
Dametri Hill Dametri Antonio Hill (born January 8, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-foot-7, 290-pound center/power forward, he played high school basketball at Dixie Hollins High School in his native St. Petersburg, Florida and ...
, basketball player * Nate Johnson, football player * Gary Keller, basketball player *
Bill Kirchenbauer William Alfred Kirchenbauer (born February 19, 1953) is an American actor and stand-up comedian who has appeared in television shows and films since the late 1970s, most notably performing as a regular on ''Make Me Laugh'' and ''Fernwood 2 Night' ...
, actor, comedian, producer *
Jim Leavitt James Pierce Leavitt (born December 5, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head coach at the University of South Florida from the football program's inception in 1997 until 2009, compiling a record of 95–57. ...
, football player, college and professional football coach *
Jesse Litsch Jesse Allen Litsch (born March 9, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. After working as a batboy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he was drafted in the 24th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in , and played from 2007 to 2011, when ...
(born March 9, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. *
DeAndrew Rubin DeAndrew T. Rubin Sr. (born October 9, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver and defensive back. Rubin attended Dixie Hollins High School in Saint Petersburg, Florida and the University of South Florida and was a Starting lineup, star ...
, football player * Roy Smith (born May 18, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. *
Buzz Sawyer Bruce Alan Woyan (June 14, 1959 – February 7, 1992) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Buzz Sawyer. Professional wrestling career Sawyer started wrestling in 1978 (other sources state 1979) in the National Wr ...
, professional wrestler *
Korey Veeder Korey Veeder (born October 3, 1991, in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American former association football, soccer player who is currently without a club. Career Youth Veeder attended Dixie Hollins High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, and pl ...
, soccer player * Fred Williams, football player


References


External links

* {{authority control High schools in Pinellas County, Florida Public high schools in Florida