Austin High School (El Paso, Texas)

Last updated
Stephen F. Austin High School
Austin High School from R.E. McKee Stadium.jpg
Austin High School from R.E. McKee Stadium
Address
Austin High School (El Paso, Texas)
3500 Memphis Avenue

El Paso
,
Texas
79930

United States
Information
Type Public
Established1930
PrincipalCydni Ponce
Staff93.85 (FTE) [1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,381 (2017–18) [1]
Student to teacher ratio14.71 [1]
Color(s)Brown & Gold   
MascotGolden Panther
Nickname The School with Pride
Website https://www.episd.org/austin
Front of Austin High School, summer of 2019 Austin High School Front .jpg
Front of Austin High School, summer of 2019
Austin High School (center) and surrounding areas of El Paso and the Franklin Mountains with snow from winter storm Goliath Franklin Mountains and Austin High School, El Paso.jpg
Austin High School (center) and surrounding areas of El Paso and the Franklin Mountains with snow from winter storm Goliath

Stephen F. Austin High School is a high school in El Paso, Texas. Austin opened in 1930. It is part of the El Paso Independent School District. The school's mascot is a golden panther named "Henry." Austin High School is located in the heart of historic Central El Paso and serves the Central community.

Contents

The school was designed by Texas contractor and architect Robert E. McKee. [2] When the local school district ran out of money during the construction, McKee donated the remainder owed. [3] Consequently, the school's football stadium is named in McKee's honor. The R.E. McKee Construction Company built the school and used a classic Spanish architecture. [3] The structure is surmounted by a 103-foot tower. The classrooms had marble floors and the hallways are floored with terrazzo. [3]

The Aero Vista area of Fort Bliss is zoned to Austin High. [4]

The "A"

The school, located minutes from the Franklin Mountains, faces a large, white, block "A" letter painted on the mountain. AHS students traditionally light the "A" on Homecoming night's football game which is played at R.E. McKee Stadium. The "A" is lit by placing small cans, full of kerosene and sawdust, around the "A" and lighting them before kickoff. [5] The burning "A" is visible from the home bleachers and AHS supporters chant "Hey, Hey, Look at the A" to signify its lighting. [5]

"Elroy"

The school has an actual, stuffed Golden Panther in the main lobby. The Panther is named "Elroy" after Austin High English and Creative Writing teacher and author Elroy Bode. Bode is a famed West Texas author and has published several books, including Home Country: An Elroy Bode Reader, Commonplace Mysteries, and This Favored Place: The Texas Hill Country.

In 1998, Mr. Gary Mowad, a special agent for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and former Austin teacher, approached the Austin High School about donating a stuffed panther to display on campus. Elroy was hunted illegally in Colorado by a hunter who unlawfully used a spotlight in pursuit of the panther. Consequently, Elroy was seized by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the hunter was sentenced to four years of prison time.

At the conclusion of the litigation in September 2002, the Panther was transported to El Paso and donated to the school through the Austin High School Alumni Association, who then presented this spectacular animal to Austin High School. On January 7, 2004, the Panther was placed in the lobby where it can be viewed today. [6]

Austin Alumni Association

The Austin High School Alumni Association (AAA) was formed in 1991 to serve and support Austin High School and its students. The first Board of Directors was elected on May 16, 1991. The AAA is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

Notable alumni

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "AUSTIN H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ Stanley, Irene and Duffy Stanley. "MCKEE, ROBERT EUGENE, SR". Handbook of Texas Online. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Austin High School History". Austin High School Alumni Association. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  4. ↑ "2019-20 Boundaries" (PDF). El Paso Independent School District . Retrieved 2021-07-29. - On the location of Milam Elementary, which feeds into Austin High: "EPISD celebrates the sacrifice of all U.S. veterans". El Paso Independent School District . Retrieved 2021-07-29. Milam, located within the Aero Vista housing community on the Fort Bliss installation,[...]
  5. 1 2 Laughman, Dick. "Panther Association, 1955/56 — How We Lit The "A"". Stephen F. Austin High School Class of 1956. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  6. ↑ "Our Panther Mascot". Stephen F. Austin High School Class of 1956. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  7. ↑ "COLEMAN, Ronald D'Emory, (1941 – )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  8. ↑ Ramirez, Christina (19 May 2008). "'Archie' artist draws aaahs". El Paso Times. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Washington Valdez, Diana (2 July 2005). "Hometown Stars — Sandra Day O'Connor". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  10. ↑ "EPISD Schools: Austin High". Archived from the original on 2010-04-06. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  11. ↑ Jimmy Ortega at IMDb

31°47′58″N106°27′04″W / 31.7994°N 106.451°W / 31.7994; -106.451

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