Sarasota High School

Sarasota High School. . , Sarasota High School, in its prior location, had become accredited in 1915, with its first graduating class of four women. The Class of 1928 began its senior year here in the new, large high school building. Since then the school has graduated thou- sands of students, many of whom have become prominent in the history of Sarasota and its, governance: some have gained national and international recognition. , Alumni recall the name "Sailor", as used by the school, originating when students joined a Florida naval squadron during World War I. Its auxiliary was dubbed the "Sailorettes." Also students liked to sail and a Boating Club was popular in early years. These titles are still in use by the school's athletic teams. , The school paper, The Sarasotan, was begun by the Class of 1923 and its yearbook, Sailor's Log, by the Class of 1924. They describe and document the school's history, community impact, and the students' varied interests and activities. Musical groups include a Glee Club formed in 1923. the Sailor Orchestra in 1926. the Sailor Band, Admirals, and Changing Tide. The Sailor Circus, organized in 1949 by SHS students and faculty, is now open to all county students and entertains audiences at home and abroad. The School has changed to meet the needs of modern-day education. , The construction of a new Sarasota High School was recommended in John Nolen’s Comprehensive Plan for the City of Sarasota in 1925. The architect, M. Leo Elliott, also designed the Southside, Bay Haven, and Osprey Elementary Schools during Florida's "land boom." The site selected for the high school was on the newly opened Tamiami Trail. , The building, designed in the "Collegiate Gothic" style, was recognized in the local press as one of the most modern in the entire South upon its completion in 1927. Elliott's primary emphasis was on the school's entrance bay which is a four and one-half story red brick tower, highly ornamented with glazed terra cotta tracery, spandrels, and crockets. The original entrance lobby was marked by a coved ceiling and Tudor-arched arcades with cluster columns and heraldic shields. , In 1958-59 a growing student body necessitated the expansion of the school. Paul Rudolph, later an architect of international renown. designed the innovative. modernistic structure facing Bahia Vista Street. , Sarasota High School is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.