Welcome to Pine Hills, where Evans High School is under siege. There’s talk about moving the whole school, and that’s apparently scaring the heck out of the city of Ocoee, who would become the new host for kids from the other side of the tracks.

I have a friend who refers to Evans as “historic.” I tried to find the age of the school online, but I could only find a reference to alumnus Darryl Dawkins being drafted into the NBA in 1975. So we’re talking at least 30 years old. Riding by the campus last week, it looks it. The whole school is a somewhat ramshackle collection of buildings–the trademark round shape that I believe is shared by West Orange and Apopka, plus square, boxy additions jutting out like arms. The tan-colored paint on the main building is chipping and the chain-link fence is starting to list. Sorry I don’t have a photo for you…only a guarantee that yes, this place could use a little sprucing up.

I did graduate from a local high school. Evans did not have a great reputation with us because even then, in the dark ages before the FCAT, the students had horrible scores on their standardized tests. Some of my favorite people were transfers from Evans. They were mostly black and Hispanic. Evans is predominantly black–as is Pine Hills, so it only makes sense–so race is immediately coming into play in these “move the school to Ocoee” discussions.

Race? I’m not so sure about that. To tell you the honest truth, there were some white kids who scared the heck out of me around campus back in the day, and they were not from Evans. I graduated three weeks after Columbine, and all of the school shootings in that era were planned out by white kids. It’s not race, I don’t think. But are you going to get some rougher kids if they come from a rougher neighborhood? Heck yeah. I think this is more of a question of kids not coming from the purified cul-de-sacs that are now dominating the Ocoee landscape–not out-and-out racism, really, but more of a class issue for the city of Ocoee. They’re scared the disadvantaged kids are going to drag down their test scores and reputation.

I’d like to see Pine Hills have its own school. It would be a whole lot more convenient for kids if they can ride their bikes and walk easily to the campus. Besides, Ocoee already has a high school! I’m wondering, too, has anyone else thought that the kids might do better if more of an effort was made to keep the Evans campus nice? Right now it looks like the school district doesn’t care–why should the kids? It would be really hard to do, but I think it would help a lot. I’d like to see a campus that looks like someone planned ahead, someone cared to do something for the students, a lot like the new Olympia High in the more affluent Windermere/Dr. Phillips area. And maybe it could keep the Evans name. People in Pine Hills are proud of it.

My friend lives in Pine Hills and has a little girl who is only 3. By the time she’s old enough to go to Evans, it would make me happy to see her on a good-looking campus (and they don’t have to go overboard here, just plan it well and keep it painted/landscaped). I’d like to think it will be a place that attracts good teachers from other schools–why not build on Pine Hills’ “better” north end, if they’re worried about crime? The school does not have to be right up against Silver Star Rd. It would probably be better off elsewhere, in fact.

A new high school isn’t going to solve every problem. But from where I’m sitting, it would be an excellent start.

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