Ribault High School Stats

[sheclown]

Jacksonville's Basketball DynastyJean Ribault High School has long been known as the Basketball Dynasty of Jacksonville, Florida.

The boys' basketball team has appeared in 80 tournament games (59 wins, 21 losses), with 14 consecutive tournament appearances (1991-2005), and 4 back-to-back state championship wins in 1989 and 1990 and then again in 1994 and 1995, and four state runner-up crowns in 1985, 1997, 1998 and 2005. The coach of the Ribault Trojans boys' basketball team was Bernard Wilkes. In March 2006, Wilkes died in his sleep after the boys basketball team's 50-44 final four loss to Jones HS (Orlando).

The Lady Trojans have enjoyed even more success holding the Florida state record for most consecutive wins at 101. In 2002 the Lady Trojans took the crown as the U.S.A. Today National Championship runner-up behind Lynwood High School in California. The Lady Trojans are indisputably the best female basketball team in the history of women's high-school basketball in the state of Florida, having appeared in 24 State tournaments (the most by any female basketball team in the state), resulting in 8 state championships (1988, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003) also a state record and one state runner-up crowns (1992), playing in 79 State tournament games (63 wins and 16 losses). Their 63 tournament wins is also a state record. From 1999-2003 the Lady Trojans Basketball Team were five time State Champions (also a state record for most consecutive championships). Coach Al Austin is the coach of and the backbone of this illustrious organization.

The current principal of Ribault High School is Dr. James Young (2009). The most important yearly events at the school include the Northwest Classic Football Game against rival William M. Raines High School. The football game is one of the most popular games in Northeast Florida, as well as the Chandra Cheeseborough Invitational, named after Olympic Gold Medalist and Ribault alumna Chandra Cheeseborough.

[sheclown]

These high schools, Ribault, Raines and Jackson, have amazing histories. 

They may be failing on some levels (as judged by a standardized test) but certainly they have done amazing things:  produced professional athletes, mayors...

Perhaps the problem isn't so much with the schools as it is with the criteria for judging them??  Perhaps FCAT ought to be only one of many indicators of success or failure.

[BridgeTroll]

I empathize with you sheclown...  I really do.  It is a shame what has happened and what is about to happen to these once proud institutions.  They DO have amazing histories... and their athletic programs are some of the best in the nation.  What is wrong here?  Blaming FCAT is misplaced.  FCAT is one indicator of academic success or failure.  Another would be graduation rate.  What is the graduation rate at these schools?  Another indicator would be absenteeism.  What are the absenteeism rate at these schools?  How about suspensions?  Violence?

Another more important observation... The complete and utter silence of replies to this and the three other topics you posted regarding these schools.  Not only have the students given up on these schools (for education)... but so has the rest of the city...

[Jimmy]

I don't think anyone would like the paths that a real, open, honest, and frank discussion of these schools and their failings would take.  We'd rather sweep it under the rug and pretend it's a problem "over there."  There'd be a lot of talk about a culture that fails its children through absent parents, the glorification and worship of drugs and violence, and a city that doesn't much care to do what's necessary to break a cycle of downward spiral that began in the 60s and continues to this day.

[BridgeTroll]

Your right Jimmy.  If anyone responds at all... it will be to accuse folks of racism... and blame republicans...

3..., 2..., 1... discussion over.

[Jimmy]

It was Democratic racism in the 60s.  But, yeah, Republicans have run this joint, lock, stock, and barrel for going on three decades.  There's blame enough to go around.  And ironically, not a shred of responsibility.

[BridgeTroll]

  Thanks Jimmy!

[NotNow]

That was a quick discussion!

[sheclown]

Until we can talk about it, change will never be an option.

[kells904]

The desire to change has to come from within; not some new "program", not more money, not some drastic overhaul in "how things are done around here".  Not Morgan Freeman holding a baseball bat.  None of that.  If you're not getting a concerted effort from all the failing teachers, parents, and escpecially the kids to kill a culture of failure and finger-pointing, then we'd all be wasting our time talking to each other about this.

[sheclown]

We certainly waste our time talking about less important matters, why not this?

I agree that more money, drastic overhauls, and Morgan Freeman are not the answer.

How does one kill a culture of (academic) failure? 

It is tougher, after all, to get in the NFL than in Harvard.  How does this drive toward athletic excellence get shared with a drive for academic excellence?

[BridgeTroll]

We certainly waste our time talking about less important matters, why not this?

I agree that more money, drastic overhauls, and Morgan Freeman are not the answer.

How does one kill a culture of (academic) failure? 

It is tougher, after all, to get in the NFL than in Harvard.  How does this drive toward athletic excellence get shared with a drive for academic excellence?

Let me suggest a solution.  One of the common denominator in these schools seems to be economic status of the students.  We are looking for ways to motivate seemingly disinterested students.  Perhaps an economic incentive is in order.  Schools identified as "failing" by repeated FCAT failures are generally allotted additional funding.  This funding is paid directly to the students as reward for grades, attendance, and possibly test scores.  The program would not apply to all schools... only the ones identified as failing.  An A pays x, a B pays y, a C pays z.  Perfect attendance pays x, once absence pays y, two pays z.

Require uniforms and segregate the sexes.  Again this would only apply to "failing schools".  Discipline would be required with those unable to adhere to standards... expelled.  Expelling those who are disruptive gives those wanting an education... and earn some cash... a chance to break out of their cycle.

Their most certainly is a culture of failure in these schools.  Remove the failures... provide the proper (if temporary) incentives.

Now that I am finished raising eyebrows... lets discuss...

[Coolyfett]

These high schools, Ribault, Raines and Jackson, have amazing histories. 

They may be failing on some levels (as judged by a standardized test) but certainly they have done amazing things:  produced professional athletes, mayors...

Perhaps the problem isn't so much with the schools as it is with the criteria for judging them??  Perhaps FCAT ought to be only one of many indicators of success or failure.

The problem is the student body. Only thing to fix those schools is a good Magnet program. First Coast HS seems not to suffer from the typical "northside problems"

[Coolyfett]

We certainly waste our time talking about less important matters, why not this?

Looking at Stephan Dare..........

[kells904]

The culture of failure happens to be more prevalent in the four schools currently under the microscope, but it's just about everywhere, and it isn't just limited to school anyway.  It's a societal epidemic, and some groups are much, much more comfortable with it as an acceptable outcome than others.  Remember the "stop snitching" tee shirts?

If you ask me, you kill a culture of failure by allowing nature to take its course, and stop holding people's hands until, hopefully, someday...they "wise up".

Nature--when left to do it's thing--devours the weak.  The "unfortunate" or "downtrodden" will seperate themselves from the truly weak and/or useless, and fix whatever's broken, as long as they have the desire.

People need to get it out of their heads that they have a "right" to an education.  This, like all other things, is taken for granted when you devalue it by just handing it to people. You don't wanna be in school?  Okay, then get the hell out, so we can teach the kids who DO wanna learn something.  You can try your hand at something else, or you can come back when you've realize the value of what you were pissing away.  And everybody's not cut out for school, anyway, so why are we trying to make them go?

The education gap only exists for those who wanna continue to blame 'Whitey' for everything.  Really, The Man's got better things to do with his time than to hold black people down, like whitewater rafting and Illuminati ceremonies and whatnot.  And I'm willing to bet there's at least one kid at Ribault, dirt poor, but will kick all his/her classes, and that stupid FCAT right in the teeth.  That's nothing more than a personal desire to succeed, despite the environment.  For everyone else, they're mighty comfortable with their D's and F's.  They don't have to try; their Uncle will take care of them with his numerous wealth-redistributing social programs.

Let Raines, Ribault, Jackson and North Shore solve their own problems, let 'em shut down.  You can only do so much for people, until they decide to do for themselves.