Stephen F. Austin High School, or more commonly Austin High, is a public high school in Austin, Texas, of the Austin Independent School District. Founded in 1881, it 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 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. 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.
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. 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. The Mr. Maroo Mascot was officially adopted by the Student Council in 1965-66.
Academics
Austin High was called a National Blue Ribbon School in 1982-83.
Neighborhoods served
Downtown Austin, the Westcreek Neighborhood and the family apartment complexes of the University of Texas at Austin are zoned to Austin High School.
Athletics
Austin High School offers many different athletic programs for students: Football, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Mountain Biking, Swimming, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer, Track and Field, Cross Country, and Lacrosse. The Austin High Football team has won one championship in the state of Texas, in 1942. In 2000, All-District basketball and baseball player Tal Simpson was named male athlete of the year. Multi-sport player George McGee received a participation ribbon for his efforts.
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. 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 "Dark of the Moon" won the 1989 UIL One-Act State Championship, Over the River and Through the Woods won in 2009, Over the Tavern won in 2011 and broke a state record by winning a second state championship in a row with their production of "King O'The Moon". 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.
Hall of Honor
Moved from the location next to the second floor administrative offices to a new location on the first floor east entrance =in 1996, 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. Tours are available daily during school hours from officers of the Student Steering Committee. 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.
Notable alumni
- David M. Parsons, 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate
- Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush - Daughters of U.S. President George W. Bush
- Liz Carpenter and husband Les Carpenter - Author, lecturer, presidential advisor
- Pat M. Baskin (Class of 1944) - state court judge and city council member in Midland
- Don Baylor - Professional baseball player and manager
- Haley Barlow - Clarinetist, University of Notre Dame
- Kinky Friedman - Comedian, politician
- Adam Dailey - NCAA Champion at Univ. of Arkansas, CEO at Ludus Tours
- Carole Keeton Strayhorn - Politician, former Texas Comptroller
- Lloyd Doggett - United States House of Representatives
- Richard 'Cactus' Pryor - Texas Radio Legend
- Bibb Falk - Professional baseball player
- Edmund Kuempel - State representative from SeguinEd
- Al Matthews - Professional football player for the Green Bay Packers
- Harvey Penick - Professional golfer
- James Richard "Ricky" Thompson, Jr. - Perpetrator of the murder of John Goosey and Stacy Barnett (West Campus murders) - Transferred to another school and did not graduate
- Ben Crenshaw - Professional golfer, two time winner of the Masters
- Scott McClellan - Former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush.
- Eric McClellan - Basketball player for Tulsa University/ Vanderbilt University
- Mark McClellan - Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.
- Verne Lundquist - American Sportscaster, CBS Sports
- Benjamin McKenzie - American actor, star of the television program The O.C. Currently starring in TNT's Southland.
- Django Walker - Country music musician
- Casey Harverstick - Author and co-founder "The Invitational Golf Tournament"
- Azie Taylor Morton - Treasurer of the United States for President Jimmy Carter.
- Xavier Silas - Professional basketball player
- William Lee Bergstrom - High roller known for placing a single $777,000 bet on dice at the Horseshoe Casino in 1980
- Gary Clark Jr. - Guitarist
- Shakey Graves - Americana musician
References
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
- Austin High Media Arts
Interesting Informations
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