Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center

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Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox school Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center (SHMSTC), formerly known as Sam Houston High School is a high school located in the Hawthorne Place and Timber Garden subdivisions,<ref>Harris County Block Book Map: Volume 117, Page 881: JPG, PDF. Retrieved on May 31, 2022.</ref> in Houston, Texas, United States. Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Houston Independent School District. Before 1955, it was located in Downtown Houston.

Established in 1889, Sam Houston operates the oldest high school newspaper in Texas, the Aegis. Additionally, the school boasts the world's first female-only military drill squad initially known as the Black Battalion but now called the Tigerettes.<ref name="About">"About Us Template:Webarchive." Sam Houston High School.</ref>

The school is often referred to simply as "Sam" by students, alumni, and faculty.

Sam Houston High School Baseball Field is located at Template:Coord.

History

File:HoustonSamHSHoustonTX.JPG
Houston High School prior to the rebuild
File:Houston High School.jpg
Houston High School as of October 1909

SHMSTC was founded in Downtown Houston in 1878 as Houston Academy. Since then, it has had several name changes.<ref name="About"/>

  • Houston Academy: 1878 to 1881
  • Clopper Institute: 1881 to 1886
  • Houston Normal School: 1886 to 1895
  • Houston High School: 1895 to 1926
  • Central High School: 1926 to 1955
  • Sam Houston High School: 1955 to 2008 (also referred to as Sam Houston Senior High School)
  • Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center: 2008 to now

Until the 1950s, the block bordered by Austin, Capitol, Caroline, and Rusk in Downtown Houston housed the institutions that make up what is now Sam Houston High School. Houston Academy was there in the 1850s. In 1894 Central High School was built. J.R. Gonzales of the Houston Chronicle said that the school was "[d]escribed as one of the finest high schools in this part of the country" and "also attracted negative attention for its incredible cost." The school had a price tag of $80,000, $1.9 million in 2010 dollars. In March 1919 the school burned down. A new Sam Houston opened two years later.<ref name="GonzalesSamoldbuilding">Gonzales, J.R. "Sam Houston High School (old)." Houston Chronicle. March 30, 2010. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.</ref>

According to a 1936 Houston Chronicle article, Sam Houston was to be renamed after Dick Dowling, while the Sam Houston name would be taken by a new high school in southwestern Houston. This did not occur, and the school remained named after Sam Houston.<ref name="GonzalesSamoldbuilding"/>

In 1955, Houston High School moved from its Capitol Street location in Downtown to its current location.<ref name="About"/> The previous Sam Houston High School became the Houston Independent School District administrative headquarters.<ref name="GonzalesSamoldbuilding"/> In July 1970 the first Hattie Mae White Administration Building became the new HISD administrative offices.<ref name="Tearing">Radcliffe, Jennifer. "HISD landmark demolished / Known as district's `Taj Mahal,' it won't be missed by everyone / Tearing away its old image." Houston Chronicle. Friday September 15, 2006. B1 MetFront. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.</ref> The Downtown Sam Houston building was demolished. As of 2011, a parking lot owned by HISD now occupies that site. A historical marker is on the south side of that block. In meetings, it had been proposed as a new location for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.<ref name="GonzalesSamoldbuilding"/>

Sam Houston has Texas' oldest high school newspaper, the Aegis, started in 1889. In addition, the world's first girls' military drill squad (formerly known as the Black Battalion, but now called the Tigerettes) originated at the school.

Sam Houston was previously reserved for white children, with Hispanics being categorized as white prior to 1970,<ref name=Kellarp33>Kellar, William Henry. Make Haste Slowly: Moderates, Conservatives, and School Desegregation in Houston. Texas A&M University Press, 1999. Template:ISBN, 9781603447188. // p. 33 (Google Books PT14).</ref> but it desegregated by 1970.

Today, it has a mostly Hispanic student body.<ref name="Sam Profile">"Sam Houston High School Profile Template:Webarchive," Houston Independent School District</ref><ref name="SchoolDiggerSam">"Sam Houston High School," SchoolDigger</ref>

The names of the individual schools currently occupying the Sam Houston campus were chosen in 2008.<ref>"Names for Two Newly Created HISD Schools at Sam Houston Chosen." Houston Independent School District. August 13, 2008. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.</ref>

On Saturday February 12, 2011, a state historic marker was dedicated at SHMSTC. The Oran M. Roberts Chapter 440 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy organized the event. Lynna Kay Shuffield, the president of the chapter, wrote a historical narrative about the school and its former location in Downtown.<ref>Gonzales, J.R. "Remembering Kiddie Wonderland and Sam Houston High School." Houston Chronicle. February 10, 2011. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.</ref>

Renovation of the campus started in late 2016 was completed in 2019.Template:Citation needed

The Sam Houston Tiger football team holds the distinction of having both the longest active and all time district game losing streak in the entire state of Texas with 100 consecutive losses in district play as of 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The school has been characterized as being a place where discipline issues are rampant, soliciting police involvement.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Neighbours allege illegal activity is rampant when students convene after school, and engage the sale and consumption of narcotics, as well as openly carry firearms and engage in shootings. There have been reports of students bringing firearms to campus.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Rating

Sam Houston High School, with Jack Yates High School and Kashmere High School, were the three high schools in Houston ISD that were consistently low-performing in test scores from 2001 to 2004. Because of this problem, there were movements to have the state or another organization take over the schools for a period so the test scores will be at acceptable levels. While Yates received an acceptable rating in 2005, SHMSTC and Kashmere continued to receive unacceptable ratings. Abelardo Saavedra, then superintendent of HISD, described SHHS was "close" to receiving an acceptable rating. In August 2006, the school learned that it again got an unacceptable rating from the Texas Education Agency. HISD threatened to close SHHS. SHHS was not closed and it received another unacceptable rating from the TEA in 2007. Houston ISD, stated that the board would consider spending $300,000 to find a method to improve Sam Houston's marks from the TEA.<ref>"Remedy proposed for ailing campus - HISD weighs a $300,000 effort to boost rating for Sam Houston HighTemplate:Dead link," Houston Chronicle, August 8, 2007</ref>

In 2008 the Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott ordered the closure of SHHS; the Houston Chronicle said that HISD would likely replace 75% of the teachers and change the name of the school.<ref>Radcliffe, Jennifer and Ericka Mellon. "HISD hopes to open a redesigned Sam Houston in fallTemplate:Dead link." Houston Chronicle. June 5, 2008. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.</ref> The campus housed Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center beginning 2010–2012 and a ninth grade academy. The administration hopeds that the changes would help the school achieve an acceptable rating.<ref>Mellon, Ericka. "Looks like school's makeover is paying off." Houston Chronicle. May 28, 2009. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.</ref>

In 2007, an Associated Press/Johns Hopkins University study referred to Sam Houston as a "dropout factory" where at least 40% of the entering freshman class does not make it to their senior year.<ref>"Report points to 'dropout factories'," Houston Chronicle, October 31, 2007</ref>

Student body

During the 2005–2006 school year, the school had 2,678 students.<ref name="Sam Profile"/><ref name="SchoolDiggerSam"/>

No Native Americans were enrolled during that school year.

Approximately 89% of the students qualified for free/reduced lunch.

Neighborhoods served by Sam Houston

Several areas of Houston outside of the 610 Loop that are far north of Downtown and south of Aldine are zoned to Sam Houston.<ref name="boundary">"Sam Houston High School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.</ref>

Neighborhoods include Melrose Park, Hardy Acres, Hardy Heights, Assumption Heights, Roos Acres, Virginia Acres, Sunnyland Farms, Oakwood, and Northline Terrace.

Two Houston Housing Authority public housing complexes, Heatherbrook Apartments and Oxford Place, are zoned to the school.<ref>"Heatherbrook Apartments." Houston Housing Authority. Retrieved on January 2, 2018. "2000 Tidwell Houston, Texas 77093"</ref><ref>"Oxford Place." Houston Housing Authority. Retrieved on January 2, 2019. "605 Berry Road Houston, Texas 77022"</ref>

Some small sections of unincorporated Harris County are zoned to Sam Houston High School.

Feeder patterns

Elementary schools that feed into Sam Houston include:<ref name="boundary"/>

(partial)

All of Fonville Middle School-zoned areas<ref>"Fonville Middle Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.</ref> and some areas of the Burbank Middle<ref>"Burbank Middle Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.</ref> and Henry Middle School<ref>"Henry Middle Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.</ref> zones feed into Sam Houston.

Notable people

File:Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office, November 1963.jpg
On November 22, 1963, following the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, alumnus Jack Valenti (far left) was present at then-US Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's swearing-in ceremony as the new US president aboard Air Force One.

Notable alumni

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Notable faculty

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References

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