Spring of 1910—The three one-room school houses in
the Zephyrhills area known as Independence School, Childers School and
Union School were closed and a consolidation took place.
September 1910-The first ZHS opened at the corner of
Seventh Avenue and Sixth Street—M.L. Gilbert, the County
Superintendent, gave a presentation and school opened with 61 students.
1911-ZHS grew to 79 students.
1912-The first ZHS Principal, J.W. Sanders is elected Pasco Superintendent at age 25 and served until 1920.
1912-The first ZHS graduation but for eleventh grade only. Total students at ZHS were 103.
1913-The first official ZHS graduation. Total students at ZHS were 71.
1914-Total ZHS students were 185.
1919-Principal Walter Roberts coached the first ZHS basketball team.
1919-The Senior Class presents the play, “Her Honor
the Mayor” (a satire on women’s suffrage) as the 19th
amendment was passed granting women the right to vote.
1925-Voters of School District 5 passed a bond issue for $50,000 to build a new ZHS building.
1926-The first ZHS building burned to the ground.
1926-(September 10)-State Superintendent of Education, W.S. Cauthorn dedicated the new school building.
1926-(September 23)-New ZHS is opened as “real
factory for efficiency and thoroughness—contains all the modern
facilities and advanced knowledge of school architecture.”
1926-(September 24)-Principal M.P. Geiger initiated the first ZHS P.T.A. with Lucious Sibley as its first president
1929-ZHS Basketball team went to State and was the runner-up
1931-Diphtheria outbreak resulted in the death of a student
and school was closed for two weeks from Thanksgiving vacation onward
1935-Fire severely damaged the ZHS plant.
1935-37—Classes for ZHS were held in area
businesses—high school students attended classes in the old
bakery, 7th-8th in New England Hotel, 6th in grocery store and
3rd-4th-5th in city hall and 1st – 2nd in schoolhouse annex.
1937—New ZHS building was opened with the help of WPA funding.
1941-First ZHS Football team is organized and coached by ZHS Principal, Thomas Burch Cornelius.
1946-Senior class purchased airplane and an aeronautics course was offered at ZHS.
1948-Student Council was organized; Zephilsco Yearbook was
named. Johnny Clements, professional baseball player, was hired as ZHS
coach and will stay until 1983.
1949-ZHS purchased first band uniforms—used from
Lakeland High School; band director, John T.V. Clark was determined to
form a marching band.
1950-ZHS opened on September 11th with 673 pupils.
1961—55 seniors graduate from ZHS.
1963-42 seniors graduate from ZHS.
1964-ZHS won state basketball championship in class B.
1964-Raymond Stewart was recruited from Palmetto High
School as the new ZHS principal while Mr. Henderson went to UF to
principal P.K. Yonge Lab School on the UF campus.
1965-81 seniors graduate from ZHS.
1967-Open house for the new basketball gymnasium was a community celebration.
1968-ZHS teachers strike on February 29th.
1970 (November 26th)-P.H. Murphy, school board member from
Zephyrhills, proposed the board sell 40 acres of their Hercules tract
property to fund the building of a new ZHS on the Hercules property.
1972—Pasco was urged to adopt a year-round school
system to accommodate the growth and eliminate double sessions. Enter
“45-15” extended year-round school system.
1973—Raymond Stewart was appointed by Florida
Governor Reuben Askew to fill the superintendent’s term of Rodney
B. Cox who died suddenly. James E. Davis took over as principal.
1975-ZHS moves into new $3 million educational plant on Hercules property on 12th street.
1978-188 seniors graduate from ZHS.
1979-New Football stadium was opened and dedicated to Johnny Clements.
1980-New ZHS Activity Center was opened and hosted 1980 outdoor graduation.
1995-First 10-0 season for ZHS Football Team in school history.
2002 ZHS graduate, Ryan Pickett, played in the Super Bowl.
