Sam Houston High School (Arlington, Texas)

Sam Houston High School
Address
2000 Sam Houston Drive, Arlington, Texas 76014 Arlington, Texas, Tarrant County 76014 USA
Information
Type	Co-Educational, Public, Secondary
Established	1963
Principal	Fernando Benavides
Grades	9-12
Number of students	approximately 3,600
Color(s)	Red      White      and Blue
Athletics	UIL Class 5A
Mascot	The Long Tall Texan
Accreditation	Texas Education Agency
Newspaper	"Texans Talk" Newspaper
Yearbook	"Cherokee" Yearbook
Mascot	Texans
Main Number	682.867.8200
Fax Number	817.801.4505
Website	Official Sam Houston High School Website

Sam Houston High School, located in east Arlington, Texas, is a secondary school serving grades 9-12.

It is one of the six high schools comprising the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas. The current principal is Fernando Benavides.

The school is also known as Sam Houston HS, SHHS, and Big Sam. The mascot is the Long Tall Texan. The school colors are red, white, and blue.

Quick History

• Sam Houston HS became Arlington Independent School District's second high school when it opened in 1963 for the fall semester.
• The first graduating class was the Class of 1965.
• The school moved from its original location on Browning Drive to its current location on Sam Houston Drive in 1970.
• The first IB graduating class was the Class of 2011. Since then, the school has had the most students participating in the IB program of all the high schools in the district.
• More than twenty students were awarded with the IB diploma with the Class of 2013.
• As of 2015, Sam Houston is the largest high school in Arlington and Tarrant County with over 3,600 students. It is also one of the largest predominately Hispanic high schools in Texas.

Academics

Sam Houston HS offers Dual Credit course opportunities at Tarrant County College, a local community college. This is in addition to the following Accelerated Academic programs:

AP (Advanced Placement) Program
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Program
IB (International Baccalaureate) Program
TRIO Educational Talent Search Program
TRIO Upward Bound Program

Athletic Teams

In alpha order:

Boys:
Baseball
Basketball
Cross-Country
Football
Golf
Soccer
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Wrestling

Girls:
Basketball
Cross-Country
Drill Team (known as “Tex-Annes”)
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball
Wrestling

Co-ed:
Cheerleading

Fine Arts Programs

In alpha order:

Cello Choir
Choir
Color Guard
Concert Band
Concert Orchestra
Dance
Jazz Band
Mariachi Band (known as "El Mariachi Tejano de Sam Houston")
Percussion/Drumline
Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonic Band
Symphony Orchestra
Theater/Drama
Visual Arts
Wind Symphony Band
Winter Guard

Extracurricular Clubs & Organizations

In alpha order:

Academic Decathlon
Art Club
Bell Guards (known as “Texan Corps”)
Business Professionals of America
Chess Club
Class Councils (known as “Freshman Class,” “Sophomore Class,” “Junior Class,” and “Senior Class”)
Debate Team
Earth and Science Club
Future Business Leaders of America
Guitar Club
Interact Club
Key Club
LULAC
Mock Trial
Muslim Students Association
NAACP Youth Council
National Honor Society
National Technical Honor Society
Photo Club
Robotics Club
Student Council
UIL Academic Teams

Publishing-Centric Groups

In alpha order:

Cherokee Yearbook
Spotlight Literary Magazine
Texans Talk Newspaper

School Fight Song by Doreen Young

Fight! Texans fight,
Fight on to glory and to fame.
Fight! Texans fight,
With banners high we'll win this game,
Let's everybody shout it,
Fight! Texans fight!
With courage, faith and loyalty,
Fight Sam Houston High School!
Fight on to Victory!

Alma Mater by Robert Rober

We sing to you our alma mater, and your colors bright.
Your name and fame we will remember as a guiding light.
Houston High School you we honor.
Houston High School you we praise.
We raise our voices to your glory,
Ever faithful, ever true.
And when our days with you have ended we will always be
True sons and daughters of Sam Houston!
We'll remember thee—Remember thee!

Famous & Notable Alumni

In alpha order:

• Félix Enríquez Alcalá sometimes credited as Felix Alcala (class of 1969) - is an American film and television director.
• Mike Adams (class of 1992) - Wide Receiver Pittsburgh Steelers
• Mark Clayton (class of 2000) - Wide Receiver Baltimore Ravens
• Gary Bledsoe (class of 1968) - Founder of Bledsoe Brace, orthopedic products
• Thasunda Brown Duckett (class of 1991) CEO of Chase Auto Finance, one of the nation's largest auto lenders, and a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Damon Dunn (class of 1994)- American politician, minister, and retired football player: http://www.damondunn.com
• Trey Hillman (class of 1981) - [Major League Baseball]
• Michael Jenkins (class of 2000) - US Navy Veteran and Fort Worth Magazine Top teacher in 2013.
• Charley Jones (class of 1968) - Hosts KRLD’s overnight talk show, Texas Overnight, which airs from midnight to 4 a.m.
• Lisa Love (class of 1974) - Former athletic director of Arizona State University. At the time Love was one of only three female athletic directors in a Division I of the NCAA. Love began her administrative career at USC. Prior to becoming an assistant athletic director, Love served as the volleyball head coach at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Southern California, leading her teams to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament 13 times. In 2005 she was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame. She now travels as a motivational speaker.
• Cathy Martindale (class of 1976) - Radio and television host KSCS & KLIF (DFW) and WSM & WMAK (Nashville); Hosted shows on The Nashville Network cable TV (TNN) Video PM, Country Beat;co-hosted FarmAid; starred in over 6,000 car commercials across the U.S.; Hosted the weekly nationally syndicated Acoustic Country and, since 1993, zMax Racing Country. 2014 CMA nomination for National Broadcast Personality
• Steve Martindale (class of 1975) - President of Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington)
• Fabian Moreno (class of 2000) - Actor
• Guy Morriss (class of 1969) - Former center/guard (15 seasons) Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots; former head football coach at Baylor University
• Lynn Watson (class of 1967) - Western Character Actor
• Christine Wicker (class of 1971) - During her 17 years at The Dallas Morning News, she was a feature writer, columnist and religion reporter. Her first book was a true crime tale co-authored with a Dallas street cop named John Matthews, was entitled The Eyeball Killer. Her second book was a spiritual autobiography called God Knows My Heart. She is also the author of Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead.
• Penny Willrich (class of 1971) - Former judge on the Arizona Superior Court, same court where former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor once served. Associate Dean of Phoenix Law School, Judge Penny Willrich served as the first African American woman trial court judge in the history of the State of Arizona from 1999 to 2005. Was first female and African American president of the Student Congress at the University of Texas at Arlington. Named Outstanding African American Alumna 1999 at UT Arlington.

External links

• Sam Houston HS Website
• Sam Houston HS Facebook
• Sam Houston HS Twitter
• Sam Houston HS Alumni Association Website
• Sam Houston HS Alumni Association Facebook
• Sam Houston HS Alumni Association Twitter
• Sam Houston HS Alumni Association LinkedIn
• Sam Houston HS Alumni Association Google+