St. Petersburg Collegiate High Schools – Gibbs and North Pinellas earn prestigious “School of Excellence” designation.
Congratulations to the St. Petersburg Collegiate High School’s Gibbs and North Pinellas campuses for receiving the prestigious designation as a Florida Department of Education “School of Excellence” for the 2022-2023 academic year. First-year recipient, SPCHS North Pinellas, ranked #1 in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area and ranked #10 in the state for percentage points earned toward the school grades. SPCHS Gibbs has received this designation for six consecutive years and landed in the top 20 in the state. Pinellas County only had five high school recipients and two of them were SPCHS schools. In addition, both campuses saw an increase in their percentage of points earned from the 2021-2022 school year to the 2022-2023 school year.
The Florida School Recognition Program provides public recognition and financial awards to schools that have sustained high student performance or schools that demonstrate substantial improvement in student performance. It also provides an easily understandable way for parents and the general public to measure the performance of a school.
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School is a charter school that partners with St. Petersburg College and gives students the opportunity to earn their high school diploma while simultaneously earning an associate degree and a Bright Futures Scholarship all at no cost for books, fees or tuition. They are located on the following St. Petersburg College campuses: St. Petersburg Downtown, St. Petersburg Gibbs and Tarpon Springs. To learn more about this school and all that it has to offer, please visit https://spchs.spcollege.edu/.
Spotlight on Dr. Minick
Meet Vanessa Minick, Ph.D., one of the Reading and Language Arts teachers at St. Petersburg Collegiate High School STEM (SPCHS STEM). It doesn't take long for Dr. Minick's love of teaching and of her students to reveal itself. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to Florida at a young age and always knew that teaching was her calling. Dr. Minick graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English and went on to work at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville while completing her Masters in Elementary Education at UF.
Upon completing her degree, Dr. Minick moved back to the Tampa Bay area where she worked at USF and spent 10 years teaching aspiring elementary education students how to become teachers. "I enjoyed that because I felt like I was making a greater impact because I was able to influence those future teachers who would eventually influence many students." Around that time, Dr. Minick began her family and also worked on her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in her "spare time".
Dr. Minick came to SPCHS STEM looking for the opportunity to work with high school students. SPCHS STEM gave her many ways to get involved. In addition to teaching, Dr. Minick has been leading a variety of clubs at SPCHS STEM which include: Battle of the Books, the Decorating Committee, Student Government, the school newspaper, and the Principal's Multicultural Advisory Committee (PMAC).
What Dr. Minick likes best about SPCHS STEM is the experience of working so closely with the students because of the small class sizes. "I like the smaller classes because it makes it feel like family," said Minick. "I also like our objectives here and that they challenge students in order to better prepare them. I like supporting my students through the learning process."
There is no doubt that Dr. Minick’s influence is great within the SPCHS STEM community. According to SPCHS STEM Principal Raquel Hairston, "Dr. Minick's teaching observations have been invaluable in knowing how we can tailor our teaching methods to meet the individual needs of each student.” And Principal Hairston went on to say, “Dr. Minick's dedication to fostering a positive and engaging learning environment is evident, and it reflects in the enthusiasm our students have for her class.”
SPCHS Commercial hitting AMC Movie Theaters
Hello SPCHS TITANS!
So excited to announce that starting October 16th be on the look out for our commercial in the Palm Harbor, Sundial and Tyrone AMC theaters. We are thrilled to be able to launch this at the same time the Taylor Swift concert is launching to gain maximum exposure. So be sure to hit the movies...you might just see yourself on the big screen! Check it out!
US NEWS designates SPCHS as Best High Schools for 2023-2024!
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School North Pinellas earned high National and metro-area rankings in 2023-2024 Best High Schools, which U.S. News released this morning. Here is your school’s updated U.S. News profile page, with details about its rankings: www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/florida/districts/pinellas-county-schools/st-petersburg-collegiate-high-school-north-pinellas-409370
2024-2025 Applications Are Now Being Accepted
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School is now accepting applications for all three of its high school campuses.
SPCHS APPLICATION PROCESS
There are three campuses from which to choose:
- SPC’s St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus located at 6605 5th Avenue North in St. Petersburg
- SPC’s Tarpon Springs Campus at 600 Klosterman Road in Tarpon Springs
- St. Petersburg Collegiate STEM High School located 244 2nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
At SPCHS St. Petersburg/Gibbs and North Pinellas Campus, each student is expected to simultaneously earn a high school diploma, and an Associate in Arts degree from St. Petersburg College at no cost to your family, and qualify for a Bright Futures scholarship. SPCHS faculty and staff pride themselves in offering exemplary support and guidance to our students.
At St. Petersburg Collegiate STEM High School, each student is expected to simultaneously earn a high school diploma, an Associate in Science degree in Computer Information Technology (CIT) or Data Science, and two industry certifications at no cost to your family. SPCHS faculty and staff pride themselves in offering exemplary support and guidance to our students.
You and your child are invited to join us for one of our Informational Sessions at a nearby St. Petersburg College campus or virtually to learn about our unique program. All sessions are from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Here's a summary of the APPLICATION PROCESS.
- Please register for the session you wish to attend as seating is limited.
- Apply to SPC
- Apply to take the PERT
- Apply to SPCHS
St. Petersburg Collegiate High Schools Designated "A" Schools
We are excited to announce that St. Petersburg Collegiate High School on SPC’s St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus and St. Petersburg Collegiate High School on SPC’s Tarpon Springs Campus have been designated as “A” schools by the State of Florida for the 2021-22 school year! St. Petersburg Collegiate High Schools had the highest percentage of student achievement in both English Language Arts and Mathematics as compared to the other Pinellas County public high schools. Congratulations to our dedicated students and staff on your exemplary performance! Go Titans!
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School earns high rankings from Niche
The data platform Niche, released its rankings for the 2022 school year. According to these rankings, St. Petersburg Collegiate High School South is ranked as the #2 High School in the Tampa Bay area, #2 Charter School in all of Florida, and #18 Best Public High Schools in Florida. For a breakdown of the rankings visit SPCHS Profile by Niche. The methodology Niche uses combines a variety of factors from academic performance to student life to teacher performance. Recently, local news channel WFLA channel 8 posted a link featuring the schools from the Tampa Bay area. Congratulations to St. Petersburg Collegiate High School for maintaining their consistent success, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior awarded with the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School- St. Petersburg/Gibbs senior, Jessica Catterton. was awarded with the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award from the Florida Holocaust Museum. St. Petersburg College's President, Dr. Williams, presented the aware in a virtual format on October 8th. The virtual ceremony was held on the Florida Holocaust Museum's YouTube and Facebook channels. The video can be seen here: Jessica Catterton- Anne Frank Humanitarian Award. Congratulations to Jessica!
PTSA's Adopt A School Program at St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus
Congratulations to our PTSA's Adopt - A - School Program Partners.
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School's PTSA's Adopt A School Program creates a partnership between the local business community and our school. For a tax-deductible donation, local businesses or families can donate money and designate it to a specific area to enhance our school's resources. All donations go directly to supporting the our school's mission of building learners and leaders. The funds are used to support student clubs, events, incentives, and learning.
Businesses and Families can select one of the three partnerships:
- Bronze Partner- Donation of $25-$124: Partner is acknowledged for generosity on our school website
- Silver Partner- Donation of $125-$249: Partner will receive a thank you card from the principal, be acknowledged on the website and receive a certificate of appreciation
- Gold Partner- $250 and above: Partner will receive a thank you letter from the principal, be acknowledged on the website and receive a certificate of appreciation and have name displayed on our gold partnership board in the front office
SPCHS would like to thank the following GOLD Partners for their generous contribution for the 21-22 School Year:
The Jackson Family – Gold Partner - $250.00 donation
The Hoertig-Paulus Family – Gold Partner -$250.00 donation
The Fredericks Family – Gold Partner - $300.00 donation
The Gonzalez Family – Bronze Partner -$25.00 donation
The Kowzan Family- Silver Partner- $125.00 donation
The Geis Family- Gold Partner- $1000.00 donation
The Baugher Family- Gold Partner- $250.00 donation
Nancy Wright and Gordon Williams- Bronze Partner- $100.00 donation
Virtual Information Sessions for 2021-2022 Scheduled
Are you interested in learning about St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, a program where students can earn up to two years of college for free?!
Our information sessions for the 2021-2022 school year will be held virtually this year. Plan to attend to learn more about our award winning program and the opportunity our schools can provide your student for college and career readiness. These sessions will provide information on the application process as well as information about our curriculum, extracurricular activities, and faculty and staffs. For more information, please visit our website or print out the attached handout.
SPCHS Information Session Webinars Handout