Arlington High School (Texas)

Arlington High School
Address
818 West Park Row Drive Arlington , Tarrant County , Texas 76013 United States
Information
Type	Public
Motto	"How sweet it is to be in Colt Country."
Established	1904
School district	Arlington Independent School District
Principal	Stacie Humbles
Teaching staff	160.87 (FTE) [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,501 (2023–2024) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	15.55 [1]
Color(s)	Kelly green & White
Mascot	Arlie the Colt
Nickname	Colts
Rival	Martin High School
Accreditation	Texas Education Agency
Newspaper	The Colt
Yearbook	The Corral
Website	Official website

Arlington High School (AHS), located in Arlington, Texas, United States, is a secondary school serving grades 9-12. It is one of the six high schools comprising the Arlington Independent School District.

AHS has approximately 2,700 students, and are residents of Arlington, Dalworthington Gardens, and Pantego. Arlington High School has been accepted as an International Baccalaureate World School.

History

Postcard of Arlington High School, 1907

Old Arlington High School gymnasium, built in 1940

• 1903: The local schools were taken over by the city of Arlington from Carlisle Military Academy.
• 1904- 1922: High School, comprising grades 8 through 11, met at the South Side School which also housed 1st-7th grades. North Side School also had 1st through 7th.
• 1905: First graduating class of the High School made up of five girls.
• 1908: First graduating class with boys.
• 1922: Arlington High School built on Cooper St. and Abram St., separating grades 8 – 11 from first through seventh grades.
• 1923: Arlington High students chose Colts as the mascot and the colors of kelly green and white, replacing the former colors of black and crimson.
• 1942: A twelfth grade was added to the high school format for children beginning school that year. Students already in school simply skipped a grade.
• 1950: First live Little Arlie; “Sons of the White & Green” composed by Jane Ellis/Dean Corey.
• 1951: Arlington High defeats Waco La Vega for the Class AA State Championship title.
• 1956: Last class to graduate from AHS on Cooper St. and Abram St. AHS opens on Park Row Dr.
• 1957: First class to graduate from AHS on Park Row Dr.
• 1958: Former AHS reopens as Ousley Junior High, 8th grade only.
• 1963: Last class to graduate when Arlington High was the city’s only high school. Sam Houston High School opens in fall 1963.

Sam Houston, AISD's second high school, opened in the eastern part of Arlington in the Fall of 1963. The original boundary between Houston and Arlington High School was described by Cathy Brown of The Dallas Morning News as "a north/south zig zag." ^[2] The boundary extended from a point near the intersection of Cooper at Mansfield northward to Arkansas Lane. From there, it extended east to Johnson Creek and then ran alongside the creek to Collins. After Collins the boundary traveled northward to the Arlington city limits. ^[2]

In 1965, AISD desegregated, so Arlington High School desegregated. ^[2]

• 1968: Ousley campus is sold to The University of Texas at Arlington; junior high relocated to Bailey Junior High on Bowen Rd.

In 1970, Lamar High School opened, relieving some of the overcrowding at Arlington and Sam Houston. Cathy Brown of The Dallas Morning News said that "[t]he effect on Arlington High School was huge" since the housing in the Arlington zone north to division had been moved to Lamar. ^[2] 12th grade students that had been zoned out of Arlington High School continued to attend Arlington High School, despite being in the Lamar zone, so the class of 1971 had almost 1,000 students. Each subsequent class size was smaller. ^[2]

• 1972: Principal James Crouch introduces slogan, “How Sweet It Is To Be In Colt Country.” at an outdoor pep rally.
• 1977: Logo with sideways horseshoe representing the “C” in Colts used for first time.

Martin High School opened in 1982. ^[3] Because Martin, located in southwest Arlington, had opened, the attendance zone of Arlington High School lost many newly constructed houses for affluent people, as they had been rezoned to Martin. Brown also explained that "The Wimbledon area shifted west," ^[2] The residents of Shady Valley area, still zoned to Arlington, were growing older, and the number of children was decreasing. The athletic teams at Arlington High School lost a lot of talent to Martin, due to the Martin rezoning. ^[2]

• 1987: Colts lose to Odessa Permian in quarter finals begins the "Colt Stampede".
• 1988-89: Colts Junior Varsity and Varsity both go undefeated in regular season. ^[4]
• 1992: Football makes the semi-finals for first time since 1950s.
• 1997: Class of 2001 enters as freshmen; becomes first freshmen class in 40 years.
• 2008: Class of 2008 has first IB Students in Arlington (along with Bowie) to receive IB diploma.
• 2008: Principal James Adams retires after serving AISD for 38 years. Jennifer Young selected to serve as AHS Principal. ^[5]
• 2014: Principal Jennifer Young leaves Arlington High, Shahveer Dhalla selected to serve as AHS principal. ^[6]
• 2021: Shahveer Dhallla leaves Arlington High, and Stacie Humbles selected to serve as AHS principal. ^[7]
• 2025: The school will open an addition called the "Cube" that will include new classrooms, a new open-concept library, a new band hall, a new orchestra room, art rooms, gallery space, a black box theater and more. ^[8]

Feeder patterns

Duff, Hill, Swift, South Davis, and a portion of Dunn Elementaries feed into Bailey Jr. High. Bailey sends all of its students into AHS. Foster, Key, and Short Elementaries feed into Gunn Jr. High. Gunn sends the majority of its students to AHS and the rest goes to Bowie. Berry and Blanton Elementaries feed into Carter Jr. High. Carter Junior High sends a portion of its population to AHS.

• Schools portal

Notable alumni

The Arlington High School Band in the 2021 Arlington Independence Day Parade

• Darrell Lance Abbott, '85, also known as "Diamond Darrell", "Dimebag Darrell", "Dimebag" or simply "Dime", of Hard-Rock Band Pantera. ^[9]
• Tervel Dlagnev, '03, Freestyle wrestler in the 2012 Summer Olympics ^[10]
• Ali Haji-Sheikh, '79, collegiate and professional placekicker; member of 1984 NFC Pro Bowl team. ^[11]
• Chris Harris, '66, Texas State Senator ^[12]
• Rita Inos, '72, Educator and politician in the Northern Mariana Islands, first female candidate for Lieutenant Governor ^[13]
• Luke Joeckel, '10, professional football player for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars ^[14]
• Neel E. Kearby '28 U.S. Army Air Corps Colonel in World War II; P-47 Thunderbolt pilot who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat. ^[15]
• V'Keon Lacey, '06, football player ^[16]
• Chris Martin, 2004, professional baseball player ^[17]
• Rogelio Funes Mori, '09, Professional Soccer Player for Mexican Club Monterrey ^[18]
• Hunter Pence, '01, Former Major League Baseball All-Star right fielder (Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers) ^[19]
• Gretchen Polhemus, '83, Miss USA 1989, 2nd runner up Miss Universe 1990 ^[20]
• Amy N. Stewart, '87, author of From the Ground Up, Flower Confidential, Wicked Plants, and other books. ^[21]
• Morgan Woodward '44, Film and TV actor. Best known for his recurring role in Dallas as Marvin "Punk" Anderson. ^[22]

References

1. "Arlington HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
2. Brown, Cathy (editorial columnist). "No blackboard jungles despite changing demographics." The Dallas Morning News . Wednesday October 14, 1998. Opinions Arlington 7A. Retrieved on October 25, 2011.
3. "About Us". James Bowie High School. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
4. Lone Star Football Network
5. AHS Alumni Association
6. "The History of Arlington High School, Arlington, Texas". www.ahscolts-alumni.org. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
7. "The History of Arlington High School, Arlington, Texas". www.ahscolts-alumni.org. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
8. "See inside the Arlington High addition". Arlington ISD District News. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
9. "Dimebag's funeral to be private". Associated Press. December 13, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2015– via Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
10. Thomas, David (February 25, 2016). "Road to Rio begins at home for Arlington alum Tervel Dlagnev" . Retrieved August 10, 2024– via Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
11. Williams, Charean (November 12, 2014). "Luke Joeckel will make Arlington history Thursday". Star Telegram. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
12. Smith, Mark David (December 19, 2015). "Former state Sen. Chris Harris dies at 67". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
13. Simon-McWilliams, Ethel; Green, Karen Reed (February 1987). "Glimpses into Pacific Lives: Some Outstanding Women" (PDF). United States Department of Education. Northwest Regional Educational Lab. p. 164. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
14. Miller, Jeff (August 18, 2009). "Joeckel twins leading Arlington High". ESPN . Retrieved February 5, 2015.
15. "Neel E. Kearby". Texas State Cemetery . Retrieved September 15, 2023.
16. "V'Keon Lacey". angelosports.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
17. "Martin's journey: from appliance warehouse to Yankees". Associated Press. February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015– via ESPN.
18. "Former ASG Star Nets 11 Million Dollar Transfer". asgfc.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
19. Shafer, Jacob (February 27, 2019). "Hunter Pence's Fall from $90M Superstar to Fighting for an MLB Job". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
20. Brimer, Kim (March–April 1989). "Congratulating Gretchen Polhemus, Miss U.S.A." Texas Legislature. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
21. Dallas News Administrator (September 19, 2015). "Mystery review: 'Girl Waits With Gun,' by Amy Stewart". Dallas News . Retrieved July 24, 2024.
22. "The Act of Giving" (PDF). UT Arlington Magazine. University of Texas at Arlington. Spring 2011. p. 56. Retrieved September 15, 2023.

External links

• Arlington High Alumni
• Arlington High School Homepage
• Arlington Independent School District Homepage

32°43′11″N97°07′06″W / 32.719742°N 97.118248°W / 32.719742; -97.118248