Martin High School (Arlington, Texas)

James Martin High School
Location
4501 West Pleasant Ridge Road Arlington, Texas, Tarrant County, 76016 United States of America
Information
Type	Public
Principal	Marlene Roddy
Faculty	280
Enrollment	3200+ (2010-2011 Academic Year)
Rival	Bowie High School
Colors Mascot	Black, Red and Silver Native American Warrior
Website	Official Website

James Martin High School is a secondary school serving grades 9-12 located in Arlington, Texas and is part of the Arlington Independent School District. The mascot of the school is the Warrior, and the school colors are black, red, and silver.

History

Martin opened in 1982. As a result, the old Bowie High School closed in 1983. Cathy Brown of The Dallas Morning News said that Sam Houston High School and Lamar High School were "relatively unaffected" by the opening of Martin, located in southwest Arlington. Brown explained that the attendance zone of Arlington High School lost many newly-constructed houses for affluent people. After Martin's opening and by 1998, the school consistently won the all-sports award.

The school is named after former Superintendent James W. Martin. The name of the school was deemed controversial by some because it broke the trend of naming new AISD high schools after Texas heroes (the latest high school, Seguin High School, renewed the trend).^{[citation needed]}

In 1997, the school underwent a massive renovation and overhaul, adding two new wings, one doubling the size of the east wing and one surrounding the entire southern and western side of the school, making a new auditorium replacing the old one, adding a newer and current main entrance along with a new office and several computer labs, doubling the size of the library, and a new wing to the northern one adding two new gymnasiums in addition to the two existing ones, along with a larger weight room and locker rooms. The cafeteria was expanded and a second courtyard was made.^{[citation needed]}

It is rated by Texas Education Agency as an exemplary campus, since the 1997-1998 school year, the school has received an exemplary rating based on data from the TAAS testing and PIEMS report. During the 2002-2003 school year, Martin gained an acceptable rating from the preliminary testing of the TAKS test.

City Rivalry

The Battle of South Arlington

Arlington James Martin High (of Southwest Arlington) and Arlington James Bowie High (of Southeast Arlington)

The Civil War

Arlington James Martin High and Arlington High

Cravens Showdown

Arlington Martin High and Arlington Lamar High

Students and School

Martin is the largest High School in the AISD with 3,557 students enrolled as of December 2005. However it is not the largest populated high school in Texas due to Allen High's 3800+ and Odessa High's 3900+ enrollment rate which still only consists of 10-12 graders whereas Martin consists of 9-12 graders. Students are on an A/B block and classes are 90 minutes long, with 4 classes per day. Classes meet on alternate days.

The library has twenty-eight computers for students use. These computers can access online library databases materials including Gale Resources, Facts-on-File, and Grolier Online Encyclopedia.

Faculty

It has one principal and eight assistant principals. For assistant principal and counselor support, the students are alphabetically divided into eight groups of not more than 500 students. As of 2006, Martin has a faculty consisting of 225 teachers. Out of the 225 teachers, 83 of them have advanced degrees,7 have AIDS. In terms of experience teaching, 26% of the teachers have between 11–20 years and 35% have over 20 years.

• Assistant Principals - 8
• Secretaries - 14
• Bookkeepers - 2
• Deaf Interpreters - 6
• Diagnosticians - 2
• Librarians - 2
• Nurses - 2
• Doctors - 3

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are largely participated in by the student body with nearly 75% of the students participating in at least one.

Academic extracurriculars

Martin competes in Academic Decathlon and fills out teams in nearly all of the UIL academic activities.

Athletic extracurriculars

Martin has strong athletic traditions in volleyball (1996 and 2005 state champions), baseball (1993 state champions), wrestling (2004 state champions) and cheerleading (multiple national championships in the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman divisions). The Warrior Men's Basketball team has made the playoffs 14 of the past 18 years. The Warriors Football team made playoffs in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, & 2011. Football:

• 1996: Arlington Mythical City Championship
• 2010: Arlington Mythical City Championship
• 2011: Arlington Mythical City Chamoionship

District Titles:

• 1996: Co-District Champions (Lamar High School)
• 2010: 4-5A District Champions - Texas 5A State Playoffs Area Champs
• 2011: 4-5A District Champions - Texas 5A State Playoffs...Pending

The Warriors compete in the following sports:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross country running
• Cheerleading
• Dance/Drill
• Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics

• Hockey
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Key club

The Key Club at Martin, with 677 members as of April 30, 2006, is the largest local chapter in the world.

Fine arts

The Department of Fine Arts at Martin High School includes Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theatre, Speech, and Visual Arts departments.

• In 2009, The Martin Fine Arts department was the 1st place winner in the Grammy in the Schools nationwide competition, giving them a $10,000 grant to the Music Department, and naming the Martin High School Fine Arts department the #1 Fine Arts high school in the contest.

Theatre

The Martin Theatre Department (known as the Martin Players) has advanced to State UIL One Act Play Competition thirteen times since the school opened, most recently advancing in the 2010 & 2011 school year. They have won the championship twice (1996 & 1998) as well as placing runner-up twice (1991 & 1999).

Alumni of the Theatre Department have designed for the Academy of Motion Pictures & Science's Awards (Oscars) in previous years as well as entering premier acting conservatories across the nation.

Mr. Larry Cure has headed the department since the opening of the school. The school has four venues on campus for performances including the main auditorium, the little theatre, the black box (which doubles as a theatre classroom), and the art's courtyard. In 2008 club SMCL was started as an outlet for young artistic men. The theatre department puts on 5 or 6 shows every year including a Black Box Series (a series of original one-act plays that are student written and directed), a UIL One-Act play, and a Mainstage musical. A show is put on in the Art Courtyard every other year. This show is usually a play, but a musical (You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) has been performed in the courtyard before.

Choir

The choir is divided into 10 choirs, including 2 show choirs and a Chamber music group. All of the choirs are directed by Kay Owens and Betsy Clark:

• Chanticleer Non-Varsity Women's Choir
• Concert Choir (Ninth grade mixed choir)
• Choraliers (Tenth grade mixed choir)
• JV Women's Choir
• Chorale (Varsity Mixed Choir)
• Varsity Men's Choir
• Varsity Women's Choir
• Varsity Show Choir
• JV Show Choir
• Chamber (Select Vocal Ensemble)

Late musician Wesley Willis attended Martin High School and graduated Magna Cum in 1988.

Band

The Band is divided into four concert bands:

• Wind Symphony Director: David Carbone
• Symphonic Band Director: Stuart Shulman
• Concert Band I Director: David Carbone and Stuart Shulman
• Concert Band II Director: Stuart Shulman and Dustin Schulze

In 2008, all four bands received a division 1 rating in stage performance and sightreading. In the fall of 2010, the Warrior Marching Band was a UIL Area B Finalist. In 2011, the Warrior Band was a finalist at the Bands of America Arlington Regional Championship, finishing 8th in finals, and 6th in the preliminaries.

Orchestra

The Martin Orchestra Program is divided into five orchestras:

• Concert Orchestras—All incoming freshmen are placed into one of the following:
  • Concert I Orchestra, conductor Michael Stringer
  • Concert II Orchestra, conductor Nathan Keefer
• Sophomores and upperclass men are placed into one of the following based on audition:
  • Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor Nathan Keefer
  • Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Jennifer Lemin
  • Symphony Orchestra, conductor Michael Stringer

The Symphony and Philharmonic are full orchestras. With the Philharmonic being one of the few non-varsity full orchestras in the state of Texas. All orchestras perform at UIL contest each year and in 2010 every orchestra from Martin that competed received a Sweepstakes ratings on both stage and sight reading. Also in 2010 the Martin High School Symphony competed in the TMEA Honor Orchestra competition and was named a finalist in Round 1 and then placed 3rd in Round 2.

Notable alumni

• Matt Blank, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Montreal Expos
• Ben Grieve, Major League Baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. Won AL Rookie of the Year Award in his Rookie Season.
• Randi Miller, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in women's wrestling and 2008 Women's Wrestler of the Year.
• Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes
• Tim Rushlow (class of 1985), American country music artist, and vocalist of the country music band Little Texas^{[citation needed]}
• Boone Stutz, played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies. Also played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks.
• Todd Van Poppel, former Major League Baseball pitcher and 1st Round Draft Pick of the Oakland Athletics
• Jamie Beck: She and visual graphics artist Kevin Burg invented the Cinemagraph, an “image that contains within itself a living moment that allows a glimpse of time to be experienced and preserved endlessly.”
• Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, and Kirstie Maldonado, members of the acapella group Pentatonix on the 3rd season of the NBC TV Show The Sing-Off.
• Klint Ketcher, Voted All American Linebacker 1992 Ottawa University
• Drew Johnson and Neil Fong Gilfillan, members of the cello rock group The 440 Alliance with Nathan Keefer, Martin High School Orchestra conductor.

External links

• Martin High School Homepage
• Arlington Independent School District Homepage
• Martin High School Band Homepage