East Lake High School (Tarpon Springs, Florida)


East Lake High School is a public high school serving students from grades 9–12 located in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and is part of the Pinellas County Schools.
The nine-building complex was inaugurated in 1987 and is located on 13 acres of land in northern Pinellas County. In 2014, the East Lake Middle School Academy of Engineering was constructed on the campus in addition to the high school.

Academics

The school's curriculum includes courses in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, PDHPE, Health Education, and Fine Arts/Practical Arts. Elective courses include foreign languages, Drama, Music, Art, Physical Education, Engineering, and Television Production.
Honors and Advanced Placement classes are offered, as well as the opportunity for dual enrollment at nearby St. Petersburg College. The school also offers vocational programs and Gold Seal Endorsements for students working towards a Bright Futures professional scholarship. The school's AP program saw East Lake students take nearly 1600 AP exams in the spring of 2013, more than any other high school in Pinellas County.

Music

Vocal Music

East Lake High School has one of the largest music programs in Pinellas County, having nearly 300 students in vocal music, piano, music theory, and guitar classes. The choir performed the Dona Nobis Pacem cantata by Ralph Vaughan Williams in Carnegie Hall in early 2010 in New York City.
In June 2014, the thirty-two choir traveled to France and performed various concerts including a performance at Notre Dame. In 2016, the choir returned to Carnegie Hall collaborating with several other groups to perform Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.

Instrumental Music Program

East Lake High School also has a marching band that won seven consecutive state championships from 2003–2009 in Florida Marching Band Championships Competition, breaking a state record. All bands consistently earn superior ratings at district Music Performance Assessments. In 2013, the Silver Sound Marching Band was invited to perform in the 2014 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington DC. The group performs at all home and many away football games. The band is part of the new Performing Arts Academy at East Lake High School.

Rivalries

In recent years, the school's football matchup with rival Palm Harbor University High School has been described by the Tampa Bay Times as "perhaps the biggest high school football game in Pinellas County"

TV Production

Eagle Eye News

Eagle Eye News is East Lake High School's television news program, founded in 2003. It is mostly volunteer-driven and student-run except for faculty sponsor Shawn Anderson.
A part of the news set was donated by WTSP-TV Channel 10.

Notable alumni