HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN PASCO COUNTYHudson High SchoolOn July 9, 1973, Hudson High School students began attending school in the same building as Gulf students, on Louisiana Avenue, but later in the day. The 1974 yearbook shows Coy Pigman as Principal, Arthur O'Donnell as Assistant Principal, and Gus Manticos as Dean.Hudson High School held its first graduation on June 27, 1974, in the Gulf High School gymnasium. The first valedictorian was George J. Matis II and the first salutatorian was Norman S. Bie. There were nearly 150 seniors. On June 13, 1974, the West Pasco Chronicle reported, “Hudson High School, now under construction on Thompson Avenue north of State Road 52 in Hudson, is expected to be completed in November.” On March 9, 1975, the St. Petersburg Times reported that Hudson High School was expected to open in a few weeks. It was built as part of a joint contract with Bayonet Point Junior High School at a combined cost of $5.6 million. The schools were among eight new schools financed by a bond issue approved by the voters in 1972. Coy Wesley Pigman served as Principal from 1974 until 1983. Arthur O'Donnell became Principal in 1985 and served until 1998. Greg Wright served as Principal from 1998 to the end of the 2003-04 school year. Angela R. Stone became Principal at the beginning of the 2004-05 school year. David LaRoche, who had been an assistant principal at the school, became the principal in 2007. In 2005 the Hudson football team defeated Williston 20-12 in the Class 3A regional semi-final game. It was the only Hudson team ever to make it to the playoffs, except for the 1979 team, and the first Hudson team to win in the playoffs.
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