Austin High School (Austin, Texas)
| Stephen F. Austin High School | |
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Mens Agitat Molem
The Mind Moves the Masses / Mind Over Matter
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| Location | |
| 1715 West Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, Texas |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1881 |
| School district | Austin Independent School District |
| Principal | Dr. Lucio Calzada |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Color(s) | Maroon and White |
| Athletics conference | UIL 25-AAAAA |
| Mascot | Maroons / Mr. Maroo |
| Information | 512-414-2505 |
| Website | School website |
Stephen F. Austin High School, or more commonly Austin High, founded in 1881, is one of the oldest public high schools west of the Mississippi River, and was the first public high school in the state of Texas.
The current campus is located near downtown Austin along the Colorado River. The school, originally known simply as Austin High School, was renamed in 1953 after Stephen F. Austin, known as the "Father of Texas." Austin High School is one of eleven high schools in the Austin Independent School District.
Roughly 2,500 students attend the school in grades nine through twelve. The school's current building is the third built to house the school, following four 19th century locations in other buildings.[1] Austin High's official motto is Mens Agitat Molem (Latin: The Mind Moves the Masses) or, "Mind Over Matter." The official mascot of Austin High School is Mr. Maroo.
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[edit] History
Austin High School opened in September 1881. Classes were held on the third floor of the West Austin School building at 11th Street and Rio Grande Street. Due to growth of the student population instruction was held at the First Baptist Church, the temporary State Capitol, and the Smith Opera House.[1] The first Austin High School campus, located at 9th Street and Trinity Street, opened in 1900. In 1925 John Allan Junior High School (est. 1916) moved from 1212 Rio Grande Street to 9th at Trinity, and Austin High School moved to 1212 Rio Grande Street. In 1975 Austin High School moved to its current location (designed by Jay W. Barnes II). The first day of classes at the Cesar Chavez campus occurred on August 25, 1975.[2] The Mr. Maroo Mascot was officially adopted by the Student Council in 1965-66.
[edit] Academics
Austin High was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1982-83.[3]
[edit] Neighborhoods served
Downtown Austin and the family apartment complexes of the University of Texas at Austin are zoned to Austin High School.[4][5]
[edit] Athletics
Austin High School offers many different athletic programs for students: Football, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Baseball, Volleyball,[6] Soccer, Track and Field, Cross Country, and Lacrosse. The Austin High Football team has won three state championships, most recently in 1947.
[edit] Fine arts
Austin High School also offers a wide array of Fine Arts to its students. The school's band is the largest group in the school, with over 200 students. The marching band performs at the football games during the autumn semester, while the four separate concert bands have performances throughout the spring semester. The Austin High Jazz Ensemble was one of 15 Jazz bands in the nation featured in the 2008 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival competition, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.[7] In 2009, Austin High scored better than the previous year yet didn't make the Essentially Ellington due to a returning finalist rule, establishing itself as one of the premier Jazz schools in the country. The school offers an Orchestra class and Choir program which performs throughout the year. Also, students can participate in the Red Dragon Theater company at Austin high, that performs regularly throughout the year as well. The Red Dragon Players' production of Over the River and Through the Woods won the 2009 UIL One-Act State Championship, and their production of Over the Tavern won the 2011 UIL One-Act State Championship. The Austin High drill team, also known as the Red Jackets, performs at school football games, competes in dance contests, and puts on a show in the spring. The Red Jackets have received various awards for state and national competitions. Austin high also has three women's choirs (varsity, non-varsity, and freshmen choirs) and one of the areas largest men's choir.
[edit] Hall of Honor
Located next to the second floor administrative offices, the 'Hall of Honor' is a special room dedicated to honoring both the history of Austin High and alumni who have made significant contributions to society. Originally a rarely used dead-end hallway, the space was enclosed with glass and a pair of ornate wooden doors. The floor is covered with a deep maroon carpet and contains numerous plaques and display cases. The hall is off-limits to the general student population and can only be accessed by school administration and officers of the Hall of Honor Society. Once a year, Austin High holds 'Dedication Day', a day in which alumni and current students celebrate the dedication of the lakeside campus. On Dedication Day, alumni and faculty are inducted into the Hall of Honor. The inductees are selected by the Hall of Honor Steering Committee. In addition to honored alumni and faculty, 1% of the graduating class is inducted into Maroon Society. All students in the top 25% of the graduating class are automatically declared Maroon Society Semi-Finalists, although teachers can nominate deserving students. Ballots are sent to the faculty, asking them to rank Semi-Finalists in different categories. The Semi-Finalists with the top 5% rankings are declared Maroon Society Finalists. Another ballot is sent out to the faculty asking them to rate the Finalists. The identity of the students to be inducted is kept secret until Dedication Day.
[edit] Notable alumni
Rick Perry's two children Jerry Jeff Walker's two children
- Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush - Daughters of U.S. President George W. Bush[8]
- Liz Carpenter and husband Les Carpenter - Author, lecturer, presidential advisor[9]
- Benjamin McKenzie - American actor, star of the television program The O.C. Currently starring in TNT's Southland.[10]
- John Thomas - American football player, The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee[11]
- A. Boone Almanza - Basketball, 26AAAAA District Champs 1980-1981, 37-1 record, AHS Hall of Honor, Houston Baptist University, Rhodes Scholar Nominee, Academic All-American, Managing Partner, Almanza, Blackburn & Dickie, LLP Attorneys & Counselors at Law
- Emory Blake - American football player, Auburn University
- Don Baylor - Professional baseball player and manager
- Mychal Dungey - All-American track and field runner, Texas Christian University[12]
- Kinky Friedman - Comedian, politician
- Carole Keeton Strayhorn - Politician, former Texas Comptroller
- Lloyd Doggett - United States House of Representatives[13]
- Richard 'Cactus' Pryor - Texas Radio Legend
- Bibb Falk - Professional baseball player[14]
- Edmund Kuempel - State representative from SeguinEd
- Casey Marchbanks - American football player, Rice University,[15]
- Hays McEachern - American football player, Oklahoma University[16]
- Al Matthews - Professional football player for the Green Bay Packers[14]
- Harvey Penick - Professional golfer[14]
- Christopher H. Griffin- Petroleum Engineer
- Amy from the Bobby Bones Show- Co-host for a popular local radio show in Austin, Texas
- Ben Crenshaw - Professional golfer, two time winner of the Masters
- Scott McClellan - Former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush.
- Mark Buchanan - American football player, The University of Texas[17]
- Keith Shinaberry - Baseball player, The University of Texas[18]
- Verne Lundquist - American Sportscaster, CBS Sports
- Django Walker - Country music musician
- Indy Jones - Professional downhill ski coach with the eastern division of the PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America). Also an accomplished club promoter in the central Vermont bar and nightclub scene. (broken link)
- Carter "Carlita" Watkins - Artist, Musician, Graphic Designer, Creator of Sherpa Design, World's First Transgender Lazer-Tag Champion.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Austin High School Historical Marker Text". Texas Historical Commission. http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5453006449. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
- ^ "History". Austin High School. http://www.austinschools.org/campus/austin/history.htm. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
- ^ "Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 (PDF)". http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf.
- ^ "School Assignment by Residential Address." Austin Independent School District. Retrieved on October 2, 2011.
- ^ "APARTMENTS - DESCRIPTIONS & LOCATIONS." University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved on October 2, 2011. "Brackenridge Apartments (Learn More) 3501 Lake Austin Blvd. Austin, Texas 78703" and "Colorado Apartments (Learn More) 2501 Lake Austin Blvd. Austin, Texas 78703" and "Gateway Apartments (Learn More) 1618 West 6th Street Austin, Texas 78703"
- ^ "Austin High Home Page". Austinhighvolleyball.com. http://www.austinhighvolleyball.com. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ Moses, Drew (2008-03-24). "Austin High jazz band to compete nationally". News 8 Austin. http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=203641. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "Bush used private school option". Associated Press. 2000-04-04. http://quest.cjonline.com/stories/040400/gen_private.shtml. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
- ^ "The Life and Legacy of Liz Carpenter". lbjlibrary.org. http://www.lbjlibrary.org/carpenter/biography/. Retrieved March 22, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Messer, Kate X (2005-11-04). "Ben McKenzie on Uncle Robert". The Austin Chronicle. http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:306897. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ "Sewanee Tigers Roster". http://www.sewaneetigers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=205&path=football.
- ^ Mychal Dungey. "Player Bio: Mychal Dungey - Texas Christian University Horned Frogs - Official Athletic Site". Gofrogs.cstv.com. http://gofrogs.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/dungey_mychal00.html. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "Meet the 112th". 111th.illumen.org. http://111th.illumen.org/leg.jsf?legMemId=31850. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ a b c http://ladymaroons.com/wherearetheynow.htm
- ^ 49 Casey Marchbanks (1987-05-15). "Player Bio: Casey Marchbanks - RICEOWLS.COM - The Rice Official Athletic Site". Riceowls.cstv.com. http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/marchbanks_casey00.html. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ Hays McEachern (1984-06-04). "Player Bio: Hays McEachern - SoonerSports.com - Official Athletics Site of the Oklahoma Sooners". SoonerSports.com. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mceachern_hays00.html. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "Official website of the Texas Longhorns - Texas Football". MackBrown-TexasFootball.com. http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/buchanan_mark00.html. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "Player Bio: Keith Shinaberry - TexasSports.com - Official website of University of Texas Athletics - Texas Longhorns". TexasSports.com. 1987-08-19. http://www.texassports.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/shinaberry_keith00.html. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
[edit] External links
- Austin High School
- Austin High School PTSA
- AustinHigh.org - Online community for Austin High School alumni
- Austin High's 125th Anniversary
- Austin High Band
- Jazz at the Lincoln Center: Essentially Ellington
- Maroons Baseball
- Maroons Football
- Maroons Volleyball
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Coordinates: 30°16′26″N 97°45′59″W / 30.27389°N 97.76639°W
