From the announcement of the school’s principal to progress on its name and mascot, exciting steps are being taken towards the opening of Hillsborough County’s newest high school.
Currently known as High School TTT for planning purposes, the school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020 at 10650 C.R. 672 in Riverview, and at a meeting last month, the school board named Dave Brown its principal.
Brown, most recently the principal of Strawberry Crest High School in Plant City, was born and raised in Tampa and is a product of Hillsborough County Public Schools. He graduated from Robinson High School in 1983 and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of South Florida in 1987. He began his teaching career in 1991 as a social studies teacher at Bloomingdale High School.
“Mr. Brown has a long history of opening new high schools in our district, including being appointed as the first assistant principal for curriculum at Freedom High School in 2002,” said Hillsborough County Schools Media Outreach Specialist Tanya Arja. “Then in 2009, he was given the professional opportunity of a lifetime, as he was appointed the inaugural principal of Strawberry Crest High School.”
Strawberry Crest was the last new high school built in Hillsborough County. According to Arja, for the last five years its graduation rate has been more than 95 percent and its I.B. diploma earning rate has been more than 97 percent.
The new high school is set to relieve overcrowding at Newsome, Durant, East Bay and Lennard Highs, which are at capacity due to the booming construction in the area.
“Thousands of students are expected to be entering our schools over the next three to five years,” said Arja. Currently, Lennard High School has 24 portables on campus. In addition, more than 900 students are projected to move into Lennard’s current school boundaries in the next few years.”
The new school will be located on the north side of C.R. 672 (Balm Rd.), east of US Hwy. 301.
After hosting public hearings, the Hillsborough County School Board will vote on Tuesday, October 15, on the new name at its meeting at 901 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa. Mascot and color decisions to follow.
For more information, visit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us or call 272-4608.
