Our History

The History of Raines ...

William M. Raines High School is located off Moncrief Road on Jacksonville, Florida’s northside. It is well known for its distinguished history and outstanding accomplishments in academics, athletics, activities, and service. Located at the corner of Raines Avenue in northwest Jacksonville, Raines serves approximately 1,000 students. The school is 99 percent African-American. The campus was recently renovated to include a new administrative and science wing.

 

William M. Raines High School was the first historically black high school in Jacksonville; Stanton College Preparatory School was the first school for black children in Florida. The historic institution was named for William M. Raines, a prominent and respected educator in Jacksonville. He was principal for Matthew Gilbert Senior-Junior High School for a period of about 12 years. His educational background included studying at Florida Memorial College, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, Hampton Institute, and Columbia University. 1965 proved to be a monumental year, for it was at that time that Raines first opened its doors. A lot of students from Northwestern High School became Raines' Vikings. The colors, cardinal red and silver gray with a touch of navy blue, were adopted as the school's very own. The faculty and staff also agreed on the motto of "Knowledge is Power."

 

The first principal was Dr. Andrew Robinson. The science wing was named in honor of him. He was principal until 1970. The following educators have served as principals of Raines: Dr. Ezekiel Bryant from 1970-72, Mr. Kernaa McFarlin from 1972-78, Mr. Ike James from 1978-79, Mr. Jimmie Johnson from 1979-95, Dr. Milton Threadcraft from 1995-97, Dr. Roy Mitchell from 1997-2002, Mrs. Carol Daniels from 2002-06, and Nongongoma Majova-Seane from 2006-09. Mr. George Maxey, who previously led Ribault Middle School, became principal of Raines in mid-2009. Mr. Maxey is currently focused on improving school academics, discipline, and student performance on standardized test scores to keep the school from receiving another failing grade in 2010. Mr. Maxey's plans to establish "A New Raines with an Old Flavor" is an effort to return the school to its better days when the school and its students were the jewel of northwest Jacksonville. Mr. Maxey hopes to restore the school to its former prominence by enlisting the support of alumni, former teachers, and the community.

 

Improvements

Raines was one of 11 schools nation-wide selected by the College Board for inclusion in the EXCELerator School Improvement Model program beginning the 2006-2007 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Athletics

Raines also has one of the premier athletic departments in Florida and the country, with football, basketball and track teams winning district, regional and state championships. The varsity boys basketball team won state championships in 1991, 2003 and 2004. The boys track and field team won the state championship in 1998 and the girls track and field team brought home a state title in 2008 (the first state title for a girls sport at Raines) and 2009. The Raines Vikings football team won a state championship in 1998. This marked the first and only football state title from any public high school in the city (a record that Raines still holds). Raines has produced more professionals in the National Football League (NFL) than any other high school in the nation. Starting with Ken Burroughs of the Houston Oilers and Harold Carmichael of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970s and have continued the tradition. Among its alumni are Denver Broncos defensive back Brian Dawkins and New York Jets defensive back Lito Sheppard, wide receivers Kevin Youngblood, Harold Carmichael, Rod Gardner, and Derrick Gaffney, Denver Broncos wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and former Oakland Raiders running back DeJuan Green. The Bob Hayes Invitational Track and Field Meet, which has been held at Raines High School for more than 40 years, is one of the premier track meets in the country. It is billed as the largest one-day track and field meet in the country, and is named in honor of the late "Bullet" Bob Hayes, the only man to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal. Hayes, who was posthumously inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2009, attended Matthew W. Gilbert High School.

 

Achievements
Our faculty and staff have been major contributors to the success of Raines' students. Together, we have excelled in all facets of our school and community. Academic accomplishments have brought us much acclaim as we made our mark in academic competitions throughout the nation.

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Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Raines_High_School; http://www.duvalschools.org/wmrh