James A. Shanks High School

James A. Shanks High School (JASHS) was a senior high school in Quincy, Florida. It was a part of the Gadsden County School District.

James A. Shanks Middle School (formerly James A. Shanks High School)

History

The building opened in 1968.[1]

In 1999 a Florida Trend article written by Cynthia Barnett described Shanks High as being "dilapidated".[2][3] The school had been on a list of "failing schools" until 1999, when the test scores improved.[3] By 2003 the school was again on a failing schools list, and families qualified for school vouchers.[4] According to Gerald Ensley of the Tallahassee Democrat, the condition of the school caused many families to send their children to Leon County Schools campuses and/or to private schools.[1]

In its final year it had 650 students.[1] In 2003 the school merged with Havana Northside High School to form East Gadsden High School, located midway between Quincy and Havana.[5] The building is now used as James A. Shanks Middle School.[6] The building was converted into James A. Shanks Middle School.[1]

Athletics

Circa 1970 the school had many athletes that matriculated to university sports teams. In 1970 it sent a single runner-up finish in a state competition. 19 students graduating from Shanks from 1993 to 2000 attended universities on football scholarships for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams. Brian Miller of the Tallahassee Democrat stated that the school was known as the "epicenter" of the county's "athletic prowess".[5] Corry Field was used for home games.[6]

Miller stated that the 2000s high school mergers damaged the school athletic spirit in the county as the former school identities were discarded.[5]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Ensley, Gerald. Tallahassee Democrat. "NEW SCHOOL IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN: EAST GADSDEN HIGH TO DEBUT NEXT MONTH." July 24, 2003: p. A1. Retrieved on August 15, 2017. ProQuest document ID 1002686756.
  2. Whitley, Douglas. Best Backroads of Florida: Beaches and hills. Pineapple Press Inc, 2003. ISBN 1561642835, 9781561642830. p. 130.
  3. Barnett, Cynthia (1999-08-01). "A Sense of Possibility". Florida Trend. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  4. Dunn, Andrew. "Big Bend's school grades mostly good: But state says Gadsden County has four failing schools." Tallahassee Democrat. June 19, 2003. p. A1. ProQuest document ID 1002676750. "Shanks and Havana Northside will be combined into one school, which opens this fall on U.S. Highway 90. But families from Shanks still are eligible for vouchers. They can choose to go to a private school, another school in the county or to the new high school - something DuPont is hoping for."
  5. Miller, Brian (2015-08-19). "Reviving football history in Gadsden County". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  6. Miller, Brian (2015-08-19). "Shanks' Corry Field site of past glory". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2017-06-05.

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