Manatee High School

Public high school in Bradenton, Florida, United States

Manatee High School

Address

902 33rd Street Court West

Bradenton

Florida

34205

United States

Coordinates| 27°29′30″N 82°35′39″W﻿ / ﻿27.4917057°N 82.5942642°W﻿ / 27.4917057; -82.5942642
Information
Type| Public Secondary,
Coeducational
Established| 1897
School district| Manatee County School District
Superintendent| Cynthia Saunders
Principal| Sharon Scarbrough
Staff| 91.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 1,983 (2022–2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 21.79[1]
Color(s)| Red, blue and white
[2]
Nickname| Hurricanes[2]
Rival| Palmetto High School[3] Southeast High School[4]
Accreditation| Southern Association, Florida Department of Education
Newspaper| The Macohi
Yearbook| 'Cane Echo
Website| School website

Manatee High School's Davis Building

Manatee High School is the oldest public high school in Bradenton, Florida, operated by the Manatee County School District.[5]

## History

[edit]

Bradentown High School opened in 1897 on what is now 15th Street West and Ballard Park Drive operating out of a wooden two-story building. A brick building replaced the original building in 1912. The original building became the Bradentown Intermediate School serving students from 3rd to 6th grade until closing in 1923 when a replacement was built. After the new intermediate school was built the old one bought by Bradenton's municipal government and demolished.[6][7][8] Sometime prior to 1915 students who lived across the Manatee River in Palmetto started attending the school and it became known as Manatee County High School. Sometime during the 1920s it became known as Bradenton High School as a high school was created in Palmetto.[9]

African American students were excluded and attended Lincoln Academy and then Lincoln High School in Bradenton and Memorial High School in Palmetto which were combined into Lincoln Memorial High School in Palmetto. A documentary film about their history is called Through the Tunnel, named for the tunnel used to reach the school's athletic field across U.S. 41. Many of Lincoln Memorial High Schools students were integrated into Manatee High School in the wave of desegregation when Lincoln High was made into a middle school.

In 1930, Bradenton High School relocated to the site where Biltmore Grade School formerly operated. The Biltmore Grade School was originally built in 1926[10] but closed one year later because of the collapse of the Florida Land Boom.[9] The school's second location would end up becoming the Bradenton Junior High School in 1938 serving students in 7th to 9th grade before being made into the county school district administration offices in 1956 which served in that role until being demolished in 1989 when a new administration building was built.[11] The building that formerly housed the Biltmore Grade School became known as the Davis Building after a longtime principal of the school, Paul F. Davis.[10] Both Bradenton High School and Palmetto High School merged with each other in 1947 and the school would be renamed once again to Manatee County High School but ended up splitting again in 1959 with the school getting the name Manatee High School.[10] Walker Junior High School which existed across the street from Manatee High School would be absorbed by Manatee High in 1969 as a part of the school district doing redistricting for desegregation.[12] In 1997 a major redesign for the Davis Building that included new classrooms, a science-technology building, gym, and administration building was constructed.[13] Most of Walker Junior High School was demolished in 1998 with only the western portion remaining.[12] The Davis Building was demolished in 2011 and replaced.[10]

## The Macohi

[edit]

The name for the school newspaper is derived from the school's former name, Manatee County High School, using the first two letters from each word to create "Macohi". Currently in its 94th volume, the Macohi began as "The Oracle", while the yearbook was named the Macohi. In 1990, the paper was awarded a Silver Crown Newspaper (for high schools) by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.[14][15]

## Notable people

[edit]

### Alumni

[edit]

* Bill Anderson – former NFL tight end[16]
* Lucius D. Battle – diplomat (graduated from Bradenton High School)[17]
* Brandon Carnes – professional track and field athlete[18]
* Kelly Cassidy – congresswoman from Illinois
* Demarcus Christmas – NFL defensive tackle for Seattle Seahawks[19]
* Travis Clark – bassist, member of the We The Kings band which was formed by him while he was attending Manatee High School.[20]
* Ed Culpepper – former NFL player[21]
* Kathleen Flinn – author
* Tommie Frazier – football player at Nebraska, member of College Football Hall of Fame
* David Lawrence Jr. – journalist
* Jill McCormick – former fashion model and philanthropist[22]
* Brian McRae – MLB center fielder
* Alvoid Mays – former NFL player[23]
* Scott Makar former Florida Solicitor General (2007-2011), judge for the 1st Florida District Court of Appeal (2012--2022) and current judge on the 5th Florida District Court of Appeal (2023-present).[24]
* Dan Miller – former congressman representing Florida's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2003. During the September 11 attacks, Representative Miller was with President George W. Bush.[25][26]
* Chris Perez – MLB relief pitcher[27]
* Ace Sanders – former NFL wide receiver for Jacksonville Jaguars[28]
* Deborah (Phillips) Smith (Ford) – lifestyle model, author, actress
* Robby Stevenson – former kicker for Florida Gators
* Richard Trapp – former AFL wide receiver prior to NFL merger[29]
* Willie Taggart – head coach for Florida Atlantic Owls football, former head coach of Florida State Seminoles football, Oregon Ducks football and South Florida Bulls football
* Tyrone Williams – former NFL player[30]
* Terrence Crawford - American Professional Boxer

### Staff

[edit]

* Former head football coach David Braine went on to become a college athletic director, most recently at Georgia Tech.
* Former assistant football coach Danny Hope went on to become the head coach at Purdue.
* Former assistant football coach Hootie Ingram went on to become athletic director at FSU.

## Athletics

[edit]

Manatee High School athletic teams have won 16 FHSAA state championships. The following sports are available to students at Manatee:[31]

* Baseball (boys)
* State champs – 1925, 1931, 1932, 1942 & 1963[32]
* Basketball (boys and girls)
* Cheerleading (girls)
* Competitive Cheerleading (girls)
* State champs – 2013[33]
* Cross country (boys and girls)
* Football (boys)
* State champs – 1983, 1985, 1989, 1992 & 2011[34]
* Golf (boys and girls)
* Lacrosse (boys and Girls)
* Soccer (boys and girls)
* Softball (girls)
* Swimming and diving (boys and girls)
* Tennis (boys and girls)
* Boys state champ – 1985[35]
* Track and Field (boys and girls)
* Boys state champs – 1955–1957[36]
* Volleyball (girls)
* Weightlifting (boys and girls)
* Boys state champ – 1990[37]
* Wrestling (boys)

* Flag Football (girls)

### Hawkins Stadium

[edit]

Manatee High School's sports venue is the Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium. It is the home stadium for the Manatee Hurricanes, the school's football team.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "MANATEE HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
2. ^ a b "FHSAA Member Schools". Florida High School Activities Association. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
3. ^ "Manatee vs. Palmetto is always a heated rivalry". Bradenton Heraly. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
4. ^ "Southeast-Manatee rivalry still the biggest around". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
5. ^ School District of Manatee County Florida
6. ^ Hugh C. Leighton Co. (1906–1908). "High School and Primary School Buildings, Bradentown" (JPEG). Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection (Postcard). Retrieved January 21, 2022.
7. ^ Tichnor Brothers; Knight's Photo Shop (1912–1921). "Manatee County High School, Bradentown" (TIFF). Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection (Postcard). Retrieved January 23, 2021.
8. ^ Valentine & Sons (1907–1909). "Manatee County High School, Bradentown" (JPEG). Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection (postcard). Retrieved January 23, 2022.
9. ^ a b "Manatee High School – A rich tradition and history of excellence" (PDF). p. 1. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
10. ^ a b c d "Bradenton High School". Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection. 1948. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
11. ^ "School Grounds, Bradentown" (TIFF). Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection (Postcard). 1921. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
12. ^ a b Koppel Color Cards; Bill & Bob Photo (1955–1963). "Walker Junior High". Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
13. ^ White, Dale (February 11, 1996). "Redesign Gives Old High School A Newer Look The $18.15 Million Renovation Of Manatee High Includes A Science-Technology Building, New Classrooms And A Gym.(Local/State)". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012.
14. ^ [1] Archived January 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
15. ^ Home | Columbia Scholastic Press Association Archived December 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
16. ^ "Contract worth $9.3M already in place". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
17. ^ "Lucius D. Battle became a known political figure". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. February 23, 2004. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
18. ^ Mannix, Vin (June 23, 2024). "Manatee High alum Brandon Carnes vies for berth on US Olympic track team and trip to Paris". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
19. ^ "FSU defensive lineman Demarcus Christmas: 6th-round pick of Seattle in 2019 NFL Draft". April 27, 2019.
20. ^ Tatangelo, Wade (August 12, 2012). "It's We the Kings Day in Manatee County". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
21. ^ "Ed Culpepper". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
22. ^ "Jill McCormick, Class of 1995 – Manatee High School". Classmates.com.
23. ^ "Alvoid Mays". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
24. ^ "Judge Scott Makar". Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
25. ^ "Political Papers". University of South Florida Libraries. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
26. ^ Jones Jr., James A. (September 10, 2021). "Remember a date with destiny on 9/11 that began in a Sarasota classroom". Bradenton Herald (Digital). Retrieved September 23, 2024.
27. ^ Withers, Tom (June 11, 2012). "Holmes Beach native Chris Perez is rockin' reliever for Cleveland Indians". Beadenton Herald. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
28. ^ "Ace Sanders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
29. ^ "Richard Trapp". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
30. ^ "Tyrone Williams". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
31. ^ Manatee High School Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
32. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2014.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
33. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2014.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
34. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2014.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
35. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2014.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
36. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2015.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
37. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2015.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

## External links

[edit]

* Manatee High School website

* v
* t
* e

Bradenton, Florida

Areas|

* Braden Castle Park Historic District

Landmarks|

* Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
* Bradenton Bank and Trust Company Building
* Bradenton Carnegie Library
* Bradenton Riverwalk
* Bradenton Woman's Club
* Iron Block Building
* Manatee County Courthouse
* Manatee Memorial Hospital
* Manatee Mineral Springs Park
* Manatee Village Historical Park
* Old Manatee County Courthouse
* Peninsular Telephone Company Building
* Richardson House
* Village of the Arts

Transportation|

* Manatee County Area Transit
* Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport
* Breeze Transit

Media|

* The Bradenton Herald
* The Bradenton Times
* ABC 7
* Bay News 9
* SNN

Organizations|

* Realize Bradenton

Government|

* Manatee County Government
* Public libraries
* School District

This list is incomplete.
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota Bradenton Campus and the State College of Florida Collegiate School Bradenton Campus are outside of the Bradenton city limits, in Bayshore Gardens.

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* NCES

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template