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By DONNA WINCHESTER, Times Staff WriterMagnet and specialized programs abound at the 16 high schools spread over Pinellas County but getting what you want can be a challenge.
Pinellas County has 16 high schools located between St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs. Unlike elementary and middle schools, which are divided into attendance areas, the high schools occupy one large area and are open to students countywide.
There are no fundamental schools at the high school level, but eight of the schools offer magnet programs. Two of them have two magnets for a total of 10 specialized programs.
Competition is fierce for the magnets, even though students must meet eligibility requirements based on achievement test scores and grade point averages. Participation in middle school magnet programs does not guarantee admission to the high school programs.
High school programs are: the Center for Advanced Technologies at Lakewood High School; the International Baccalaureate programs at Palm Harbor University High School and St. Petersburg High School; the Business, Economic and Technology Academy and the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School; the Early Graduation Option at Osceola High School; the Centers for Wellness and Medical Professions at Boca Ciega High School and Palm Harbor University High School; the Criminal Justice Academy at Pinellas Park High School; and the 21st Century Learning Center and Teaching Arts Academy at Largo High School.
Five high schools offer career academy programs, which give students a chance to learn more about particular fields. Space is limited - about 25 students are enrolled in each career program at each grade level - and students must apply for admission to them the same way they would apply to a magnet program.
The career academies are the International Culture and Commerce Academy at Clearwater High School; the Graphic Arts Academy at Dixie Hollins High School; the Transportation Academy at Northeast High School; the Architectural Design and Construction Academy at Dunedin High School; and the Agriscience Academy at Tarpon Springs High School.
Eight high schools are experimenting with smaller learning communities. Similar to magnet programs, these "schools within schools" divide large populations into smaller ones according to common interests. At Northeast High School, for example, students can become part of the center for business, finance and marketing. At Pinellas Park High School, students can enter the life and environmental science academy.
Other schools with smaller learning communities, which do not require admission through the countywide application process, are Gibbs High School, Lakewood High School and Dixie Hollins High School. Boca Ciega, Dunedin and Tarpon Springs high schools have smaller learning communities in the planning stages.
Boca Ciega, Countryside, Dixie Hollins, Largo, Northeast, Osceola, Seminole and Tarpon Springs high schools operate on an alternative scheduling system called a 4-by-4 schedule. The school year consists of quarters instead of semesters, with class periods stretching closer to 90 minutes than the traditional 50 minutes. Students can take four longer classes instead of six shorter ones each day for one-quarter of the school year, hence creating a "4-by-4" arrangement. Because students spend more time in class, a course that normally takes an entire school year to complete can be finished in 18 weeks. An elective can be completed in nine weeks because students spend more time each day in each class.
High school students looking for a challenge can take Advanced Placement courses, which prepare them for a national exam where a passing score can earn them college credit. The classes can boost grade point averages and impress college admissions offices, but the number of classes each high school offers varies.
Students who want to get ahead can also participate in "dual enrollment" or "early enrollment" programs that allow them to take local college classes while still in high school.
All of the high schools offer full-time programs for students with special needs. East Lake and Lakewood high schools, for example, have programs for students with autism. Boca Ciega and Clearwater high schools have programs for students who are severely emotionally disturbed.
Additionally, the five centers that cater exclusively to elementary and middle school children with physical, mental and learning disabilities also serve high school students. They are Hamilton Disston Exceptional Student Education Center in Gulfport, Richard L. Sanders School in Pinellas Park and Calvin Hunsinger Exceptional Student Education Center in Clearwater.
Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center in Pinellas Park and Paul B. Stephens Exceptional Center in Clearwater serve mentally and physically handicapped students to age 22.
The district has two disciplinary schools for ninth- through 12th-graders who have been reassigned from their assigned schools primarily for violations to the student code of conduct concerning drugs, alcohol or weapons. Students attend Norwood Secondary School and PTEC-South Secondary, both in St. Petersburg, for a semester or more and then return to their previous school, unless their reassignment occurred in the last semester of their senior year.