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F.A.N. PAGE Melanie Carty
A Welcome from Your F.A.N. Director Hello and welcome to the Florida High FAN page, the newsletter of the Friends and Alumni Network at Florida High. It’s going to start small, but I hope that with your help it will grow. It seems hard to believe that a year has passed since Florida High and FSU’s College of Education hired me to begin creating this network, and I have been overwhelmed by the warmth and spirit with which you have embraced me. I have had the pleasure of speaking with hundreds of alumni and students this year and heard your stories of what sets Florida High apart from other schools and your experiences in Tallahassee. I have learned about Demons and Seminoles and have been amazed by the performance of our students and alumni in the careers. I have heard some disappointment in there as well, some frustration about our move to Southwood (can you believe it has been 14 years!) or certain name changes (Goodbye Danny Demon, you are missed). Of course, it’s not as if Florida High has been the only thing in Tallahassee to change! I think of myself in high school and the changes in both address and name that have occurred since graduation! Do I miss the home where my parents together? Sometimes. Did it take a while to get used to Mrs. Carty as opposed to Miss Menefee? I suppose it must have, though it’s hard now even to remember. For me, the more the things in my life
1 The F.A.N. Page
have changed, the more I remember the people that are a part of it. I am no less my father’s daughter as a Carty than a Menefee, no less at home with my children in Killearn Acres than I was on Park Brook Circle. When I talk to the Hinkle brothers, or spend time with Jackie Ross, Charles Newland, Kim Williams, Edith Quinly and other alumni, we don’t spend our time talking about bricks and mortar, we share stories about teachers and coaches, we talked about friendships that have lasted for years, and those special times in our lives that helped shape who we are. Florida High has changed since you graduated, just as you have. It doesn’t matter if you were in the class of 1954 or 2014. We’ve grown (just as some of you have) to 1,700 students; we’ve moved from campus to the suburbs (as have many of you) for more space for performing arts, athletics, and a multi-media center; yours than will admit it), but we are still Florida High. We are the K-12 developmental research school/lab school of Florida State University, and our students, faculty, and alumni still shape the course of higher education throughout our state. Thank you all for showing me that Florida High isn’t a building; it’s a family. It may be one that has lost touch with some of its members, but I’m hoping you will help me bring it back together. I hope you enjoy reading about our efforts this year and that you consider joining us in 2015.
Newsletter, Volume 1 Dec. 2014
What’s New? Recent Events Alumni Homecoming Tailgate!
The Florida High extended family had a reunion during homecoming in September! The newly formed Florida High Friends and Alumni Network hosted a tailgate for our alumni - featuring games, giveaways, food and much more. Alumni and their families – along with some of our retired teachers – came out for the festivities; more than 200 attended. Many alumni stayed to cheer our football team on to victory against FAMU DRS. At halftime all where they were celebrated by the announcer and by the rounds of applause coming from the stands made the day successful.