By Jeff Yastine
(Source: TAPinto Pompano Beach)
POMPANO BEACH, FL — As the 2025–26 school year begins, Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach — a proud A-rated institution with deep community roots — is welcoming students with new programs, fresh facilities, and a focus on both academic and personal growth. Principal Tavures Williams, now in his fourth year leading the historic campus, sat down for a back-to-school conversation to share what’s ahead for students, families, and the community.
Blanche Ely High School Builds on Success
TAPinto Pompano Beach: What’s new here on campus, and what should parents know as the year begins?
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Williams: “We are super-excited to welcome students and families back to the A-rated historic Blanche Ely High School. We’re very proud of our student performance that earned us that A grade — and our teachers, students, and parents share that pride. We have some of the finest programs in the district, including our renowned Medical Science Magnet Program, the only state-approved on-site nursing program in Florida where students can earn LPN certification. We also have a standout Engineering Program — our students recently took third place in a National Department of Transportation bridge-building competition, and we’ve earned multiple state and district awards.”
TAPinto Pompano Beach: Speaking of being an A-rated school for the first time, how has that affected the mood here on the Blanche Ely campus as your teachers and staff get ready for the first day of school next week?
Williams: “It is definitely motivating to the staff. And it makes them want to dig even deeper and touch more students and move them to mastery. So I think the power of beign A-rates is that our teachers are truly dedicated. They love our students and owuld do anything to help them succeeed.”
New Bus Loop, New Paint, New Teachers’ Lounge
TAPinto Pompano Beach: At the end of the last school year, the school introduced a new bus loop and other improvements. Would you like to talk more about those?
Williams: “Just through the push of our community, and really strong advocates, we were able to get a new bus loop. It’s a part of the SMART bond program, and that’s how it was funded. And it really is the best investment that the community can make. When the school looks good, kids feel good.”
“We have all of the buildings on the campus except for this one – which is coming up – they’ve recently been repainted as of last year. We also did some upgrades in terms of beautification on the campus So some wrapping is going in the main building at our single point of entry, as well as in our game room. We’re also doing a new GVO lounge for our teachers and staff. GVO stands for “Good Vibes Only” – we want to enhance the experience when teachers take their breaks.”
Fire Academy, Culinary Food Truck, and Hands-On Learning
TAPinto Pompano Beach: Blanche Ely also offers a number of academies that feature specialized instruction in fields like medicine, fire, and culinary?
Williams: “Correct. This year we are now officially in full implementation of our fire academy that started with the City of Pompano Beach. So our students are now going over to the academy getting hands-on experience as a part of one of their courses throughout the day, where they practice being firefighters, turning the hose, learning everything about the truck, the facility, and all of the things that firefighters do. And the beauty of it is that the fire department gets to teach and grow their own workforce. The goal is that ultimately the students will stay in the community and have the potential of working in the city’s fire department.”
Williams: Our culinary program is getting a food truck this year, so we have a grant through Intuit. We met with the city’s cultural arts division, and they’re going to be set up at the Old Town Untapped event that happens every month at Old Town in downtown Pompano. So it’ll actually be Blanche Ely High School students coming up with the menu to have a point of sale. The kids came up with the design. They came up with the name of the restaurant. So it’s really a cool way for the kids to not only get hands-on experience through their culinary certification, but also get out into the community.”
Holistic Community Health that Starts at School
TAPinto Pompano Beach: And earlier this month, we wrote a story about the new Community Health & Resource Hub that’s now been set up on the southern end of the campus. It offers basic medical exams and a holistic look at a family’s health. But for students who want to go into the field of medicine in some capacity here at Blanche Ely, it offers a career opportunity as well. Is that correct?
Williams: “In the past, we’ve partnered with Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare because as a part of this state-approved program, the students have to earn clinical hours. Now, with the vantage point of having this Health and Resource Hub with its medical clinic on site, the students will be able to work under the direct supervision of a nurse practitioner or doctor so that they can obtain those hours. So that clinic has really been a big help to us, and we’re very much looking forward to having it. And we really couldn’t have done it without the push of our community to get it open in partnership with CBCI as well as our school district.
Williams: “It’s connected to our campus so there’s a walkway that students will be able to access the clinic. But the beauty of it is that we also have our coordinated student health services nurse who’s here with us daily. But one of the advantages is the mental health aspect. Students will get the chance to have access to those services. We do an internal survey every year with the kids to ask which course offerings would you like to see; I meet with the group, which is my principal’s advisory board, so they give me feedback.”
TAPinto Pompano Beach: To wrap all this up, what does the new school year mean to you?
Williams: “I’ve worked in Pompano for all of my administrative career. I was an assistant principal and interim principal at Crystal Lake Middle School. So what’s nice is that I’ve been with some of these same students since they were in the sixth grade. And Lord willing, I’ll have them graduating this year. So it’s exciting because you get to see the families and the students in an entirely different light. You get to help them achieve so many milestones. My personal philosophy is that you have to ‘let the tape play.’ In other words, the students…they’re not a finished product. I don’t think anybody ever is. We have to support everyone to be the best version of themselves, especially young people – instilling in them a love for learning and a love for knowledge.”
