Richardson High School
| Richardson High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
1250 West Belt Line Road , , 75080 United States | |
| Coordinates | 32°57′06″N 96°45′44″W / 32.9516°N 96.76232°W |
| Information | |
| Type | High school/secondary school |
| Motto | Scientia Cum Prudentia |
| Established | 1890 (1963 - current facility) |
| School district | Richardson Independent School District |
| Principal | Charles Pickitt |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Color(s) | Purple and gold |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Website | Richardson High School Website |
Richardson High School (RHS) is a high school in Richardson, Texas, United States with a 2011 enrollment of approximately 2500 and a student/teacher ratio of 14.5.[1]
Background
Richardson High School is the flagship high school of the Richardson Independent School District (RISD).[2] The school has magnet programs in fine arts, culinary arts,[3] theatre, communications,[2] robotics, law, health science and science, and award-winning mock trial and debate teams.[2]
In the 2012 U.S. News & World Report rankings of the Best Schools in America, Richardson High School ranked number 711 out of 21,766 public high schools, putting it in the top 3.5% of all public high schools in the United States. RHS was also rated the 65th best in the state of Texas.[4]
In August 2006, Richardson High School was named one of three "best practices" high schools in the state of Texas.[5] The award granted by the National Council of Educational Accountability and the Just 4 Kids Foundation is based upon staff development, staff retention, standardized test scores and support programs for students.
In May 2007, the RISD was awarded the "Excellence in Education Award for Large School District in Texas" by the HEB Foundation.[6] Richardson High School and Richardson West Junior High played instrumental roles in the selection process and hosted the site visit committee in March 2007. In addition to the award, the RISD received a check for $100,000.
The school, which opened shortly after the first public school in the city was burned down by Ross Inman in 1890, began in a two-room building on Old Pike Road, a street that is now part of Greenville Avenue. A rural school with fewer than 100 students up to 1950, the school opened its present facility in 1961. During the period of the late 1950s, RHS shared facilities with Westwood Junior High School on Abrams Road. Bill Passmore was principal during this transition into the new facility on Belt Line Road.
Richardson's sports mascot is the Eagles and the team shares Eagle-Mustang Stadium (capacity 11,000) with J. J. Pearce High School. The school's student news magazine is the Talon.[7]
As of the 2010–2011 school year, the administration at RHS is led by Charles Pickitt,[8] principal; Ramiro Lucio, senior principal; Michael Westfall, assistant principal; Josh Eason, assistant principal; Elise Curry, assistant principal; Sharonda Tims, assistant principal; and Talandra Griffen, assistant principal.
Notable accomplishments
- 1985 Men's & Woman's Soccer UIL State Champions
- 1983-84 National Blue Ribbon School[9]
- National Best Practices High School[2]
- 2010 Exemplary High School by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)[2]
- 2010 TBEC Honor Roll School (only 4% out of 8,000 Texas public schools are given this honor)[2]
- Multiple Gold Performance recognition awards from the TEA[2]
- 2007 Best Practices High School for Math and Science[2]
- 2006 Best Practices School by the National Center for Educational Accountability (one of only 3 high schools in Texas to be so honored)[2]
- 2013 AVID National Best Practices demonstration school
Jeremy Delle suicide
On January 8, 1991, Jeremy Delle, a 15-year-old sophomore who had recently transferred to the school, killed himself with a .357 Magnum revolver in front of his second-period English class. He was described by schoolmates as "acting sad". After coming into class late that morning, he was told to get an attendance slip from the school office. He left and returned with a revolver. He walked to the front of the class and announced, "Miss, I got what I really went for." Delle then put the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger. The incident inspired the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy". The band's lead singer, Eddie Vedder, read a newspaper account of the incident and was moved to write the song almost immediately.[10]
KRET-TV
In 1960 the Richardson Independent School District established KRET, the first TV station in the nation to be owned by a school district.[11] The studio was located at Richardson High from 1963–1970. The studio was previously located at Richardson Junior High School (1960–1963). The station was converted on August 31, 1970, into a closed-circuit network named "TAGER".
Brent Archie incident
On July 30, 2008, teacher and coach Brent Archie was arrested on charges of having relationships with three female students along with many other improper relationships as well. Archie was a football and wrestling coach, and also taught Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and world history. This was the first incident of its kind in the RISD's history.[12][13]
Notable alumni
 |
- David Gordon Green – American film director who directed the films Pineapple Express, The Sitter, and Your Highness.
- Bill Engvall – American comedian and actor best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
- Gregg Costa – Federal judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Brandon Douglas – American actor known for playing Ben Agretti in the 1988-1989 season of the television series Falcon Crest, as well as playing Dr. Andrew Cook in the popular CBS series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Other credits include: 21 Jump Street, Northern Exposure, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, and JAG.
- Jeff Dunham - Ventriloquist.
- Nick Efthimiou – Drafted in 1990 from the Senior Indoor Soccer Bowl. In the 4th round for the Dallas Sidekicks Indoor Soccer team. He went on to win two soccer championships, one in 1993 & the other in 1998 the same team he sponsored The Dallas Sidekicks official practice gear under his trademarked sports apparel line called NSN Never Say Never Which is officially trademarked.
- Eddie Jackson - University of Arkansas NFL player for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers; retired.
- Jay Johnson - Ventriloquist, best known for his part in Soap
- Caleb Landry Jones - Actor from movies No Country For Old Men, X-Men: First Class, and Contraband.
- Gordon Keith - Radio personality
- Jake McDorman – American film and television actor who is best known for playing Evan Chambers in the ABC Family TV series Greek. He also played the character Raymond in the movie Aquamarine.
- Carla Overbeck – Former American soccer player and longtime member and captain of the United States women's national soccer team. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and is currently an Assistant Coach of Duke University's women's soccer team.
- Jeff Paine - NFL linebacker
- Anne Rice – American author of such books as Interview with the Vampire.
- John Maddox Roberts - American author, best known works the SPQR historical mysteries
- Bill Scanlon - Professional tennis player.
- Barry Watson - Actor from 7th Heaven
References
- ^ "2010-2011 School Report Card: Richardson H S" (PDF). Richardson Independent School District. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Richardson High School Achievements" (PDF). Edline. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Richardson culinary students create easy, healthy recipes for kids". dallasnews.com. January 29, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Education: Richardson High School Overview". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ Hughes, Kristine (August 18, 2006). "Richardson High recognized for its teamwork". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 17, 2012. (payment required)
- ^ Weiss, Jeffrey (September 3, 2011). "How Richardson ISD beat its peers in getting the class of '09 college-ready". dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Mattiza, F. (October 28, 2009). "Richardson: RHS graduate Anne Rice releases 29th novel". dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Weiss, Jeffrey (March 2, 2011). "Richardson High School's principal gets a nice award". dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982–1983 Through 1999–2002" (PDF). ed.gov. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ Black, Johnny (September 2002). "The Greatest Songs Ever! Jeremy". Blender. Retrieved February 4, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Educational TV Rates Top Grade in Classes". The Dallas Morning News. March 31, 1960. section B, p. 6.
- ^ Flemmons, Stephanie (September 25, 2009). "Richardson ISD teacher faces trial for sex crimes". planostar.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "RISD sex scandal 'disturbing and tragic'". Wfaa.com. August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
