30+ Years International Studies International Education 1987 – 2022
G.W. Carver Middle School PTSA, in conjunction with its partners, has funded the creation of the new G.W. Carver Middle School Piazza! The piazza is place where students can safely gather, share ideas, socialize, and collaborate. The piazza incorporates a terrace, seating, pavers, shade trees and will include a student mural, which creates a transformative and social environment amongst the student body.
School History
Carver School can trace its beginning to the private school for Coconut Grove black children that was founded by D.A. Dorsey in 1899. In 1901, the first public school was organized at St. Paul A.M.E. church under Rev. John Davis. The next year, the school moved to Thomas Avenue on land donated by patrons and friends. “The Little Schoolhouse”, as it was fondly called, served the community until 1923 when the school was moved to Lejeune Road. In 1924, George Merrick, who was developing Coral Gables, offered the Board of Education five acres on Grand Avenue and Lincoln Drive, and a newly designed nine room Spanish building in exchange for the unfinished building on Lejeune Road. The new school, known as the Dade County Training School, housed elementary and junior high schools, and served black students from as far away as Homestead.
Mrs. Francis Tucker, a Tuskegee University graduate, and friend of Dr. George Washington Carver, became principal in 1929, and served until her retirement in 1956. Beginning in 1934, one high school class was added each year until the first senior class graduated in 1939. When Dr. George Washington Carver died in 1942, Mrs. Tucker led a movement to rename the school in his honor. By this time the school was severely overcrowded and many portable classrooms filled the school grounds. In 1950, the School Board acquired five additional acres and hired architect, Alfred Browning Parker to design a modern, new high school, which opened in 1952. Carver High graduated its last senior class in 1966. In the fall of that year, senior high students were transferred to Coral Gables Senior High, and the former high school became G.W. Carver Junior High.
In February, 1970, the Federal court ordered the Dade County School system to desegregate all the faculties, and the following fall paired G.W. Carver Junior High with Ponce de Leon, making the school a 7th grade center. The court also ordered Carver Elementary paired with Sunset, Coral Gables and Merrick Elementaries making G.W. Carver Elementary a kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade school. Since integration, Carver has added a proud heritage of being a model multi-racial, multi-ethnic school serving students from Miami, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Key Biscayne. During 1985-86, Carver’s population dropped to 53% of capacity. After many meetings with community and school officials, Carver requested to become a magnet school in international education, an idea that was initiated in 1982, at the Southern Governor’s Conference.
The first International Studies classes came to Carver in the 1987/88 school year. Since then, Carver has become a magnet school housing both the International Studies Program for students continuing their studies from Sunset Elementary School as well as the International Education Program for students beginning their study of foreign language at G.W. Carver in the sixth grade. G.W. Carver offers advanced placement testing in Spanish, German Italian and French. On May 31, 1994, governor Lawton Chiles proclaimed International Studies Day in honor of the first sixteen graduates of the International Studies Magnet program.