Douglas MacArthur High School (San Antonio)

Douglas MacArthur High School
Address
2923 MacArthur View San Antonio, Texas 78217 United States
Coordinates	29°31′44″N98°26′30″W / 29.529006°N 98.4416°W / 29.529006; -98.4416
Information
School type	Public, high School
Motto	Fide et Opera (Latin for 'By Faith and Works')
Founded	1950;74 years ago (1950)
School district	North East ISD
NCES School ID	483294003646 [1]
Principal	Joaquin Hernandez
Teaching staff	139.38 (FTE) (2022–23) [1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,055 (2022–23) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	14.74 (2022–23) [1]
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Royal blue, white and silver
Athletics conference	UIL 5A Division I District 14-5A
Mascot	Brahma
Rivals	Churchill Chargers Reagan Rattlers Madison Mavericks
Feeder schools	Garner, Driscoll and Bradley middle schools
Website	neisd.net/mac

Douglas MacArthur High School (commonly MacArthur or Mac) is a public secondary school on the northeast side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. The school, a part of the North East Independent School District serves students in ninth grade through twelfth grade, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. The school serves portions of San Antonio and the portion of Terrell Hills within NEISD. ^{[2] [3]} For the 2021–22 school year, the school was given a "B" by the Texas Education Agency. ^[4]

History

MacArthur High School was the first high school in the North East Independent School District. It was established in 1950 as North East Rural High School, but was later renamed after Douglas MacArthur in the 1958–1959 school year after the opening of Robert E. Lee High School (now named Legacy of Educational Excellence High School).

The campus was composed of separate academic buildings spread out over 37.8 acres until 1999 when the school underwent major construction. All buildings were demolished, except for the auditorium, cafeteria, and fine arts building, which were renovated. A new gymnasium was constructed, as well as a new main building, consisting of four wings, each three floors tall, with an open air courtyard in the center. The combining of the academic buildings allowed for the addition of several new athletic fields. The track at the school was renovated in the summer of 2008. Additional construction began in 2016 to construct a new Science and Athletics building. In 2018, the Fine Arts building began renovations and expansion.

The school's athletic and other organizations have seen many successes with district, regional, and state appearances and championships. The school has achieved notable recognition in recent years for its UIL Academic teams, with both teams and individuals placing at the state level in science, current events, and social studies competitions, and a 2007 TMSCA State Championship in science. On a national level, MacArthur physics students have placed consistently in the top 15 in the JETS TEAMS Engineering Competition. The school was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 1988–1989. ^[5]

MacArthur letter

General Douglas MacArthur sent a letter to the school in January 1964 after a birthday celebration in his honor. The letter is located on the first floor in the administration department.

Extracurricular activities

MacArthur hosted the first Texas French Symposium in 1964, and subsequently in 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1974 and 1995. ^[6]

Since its establishment in 1968, the MacArthur Blue Guard (MBG) varsity level armed drill team has continually represented MacArthur's Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (J.R.O.T.C.). Battalion and MacArthur High School with military excellence and precision in U.S. Army platoon drill and exhibition. Since the mid-1980's, MBG has achieved best in state status, to include best armed drill team in the nation at the drill team championships in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1990. In addition to the Blue Guard, MacArthur High School's varsity Color Guard is made up of four members (U.S. Flag, Texas Flag, U.S. Flag Guard and Texas Flag Guard) of the MBG and would present those colors at all home football games as well as compete in competition around the state.

MacArthur's football team has made one appearance in the UIL State 5A Championship game in 1998. MacArthur had lost on December 12 to Katy High School, 14–6. However, Katy's win was forfeited for using an ineligible student during the regular season. ^[7] Given hours to prepare, MacArthur played in the state title game but lost to Midland Lee 54–0. ^[8]

MacArthur's baseball team reached the state finals in 1966 in Class 4A, the largest classification at the time. It lost to the Freeport Brazosport Exporters, 6–1. And again in 1987, the baseball team reached the state finals in the UIL Class 5A category, losing to Abilene Cooper, 13–3. ^[9]

The Boys Cross Country team placed second behind Churchill in the district cross country meet on November 1, 2008. One runner from MacArthur placed third in the individual division at the District meet. The team finished in 14th place in the Region IV-Meet. Also one female runner the cross- country team qualified in the top 10 individual division to qualify for the Region IV meet on November 1, 2008.

MacArthur High School also has a very active fine arts program with one of the highlights being the Marching Band known as "the Big Blue Marching Machine". The MacArthur marching band has stood for excellence for over 37 years. The band has a 27-year record of Superior UIL Sweepstake Awards in marching, concert and sight-reading. The band has been winners of major music contests in Texas, Florida, and California. The band won two State Marching Band Championships in Class 5A, one in 1985, and the other in 1986. ^[10] In addition, the theater department at MacArthur High School has been outstanding for many years, and won the UIL One Act Theater competition for many years, under the leadership of Charles Jeffries, Luis Munoz, Jerry Knight, and Molly Risso. In 2014, the MacArthur OAP was the only school in NEISD to compete in the state UIL competition, finishing fourth in the state. MacArthur Theater was under the direction of Dean Whitus and Casey O'Bryant. In 2015, under the direction of Dean Whitus and Margaret Tonra, MacArthur was the only NEISD school to make it into the Area competition, and finished in third place and alternate for state competition.

In 2007, the Brahmadoras varsity dance team WON nationals in the kick category at NDA nationals in orlando Florida

In 2009, the varsity cheerleaders won the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Championship in the Small Varsity category.

In 2010, the varsity football team won the title of District Champions.

In March 2015, the Lassies junior varsity dance team won the nationals in the Pom category at NDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida.

In 2015, the MacArthur Winter Guard won 1st place in Scholastic A Class at the TCGC Championships in College Station, Texas. Throughout the season, they have won first place at every competition. Their show was entitled "Lose Yourself".^{[ citation needed ]}

TAP

TAP MacArthur High School houses the Electrical Systems Technology Program for students interested in pursuing a career in the electrical industry. Established as a Technical Apprenticeship Program (TAP) in conjunction with the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, this program provides students with practical experience and industry certifications while still in high school.

Students earn apprenticeship hours toward professional certification and licensure requirements. The curriculum covers residential, commercial, and industrial wiring, along with training on state, local, and national electrical codes. Hands-on projects and theoretical instruction prepare students for employment or further education.

The TAP has strong partnerships with local electrical contractors, offering pathways to employment upon graduation. Many graduates have found careers with companies like Five Point Electric and Calcote Electric. The program has also produced numerous SkillsUSA state champions over the years, with students excelling in regional and national competitions. ^[11] Hunter Bakel, a standout participant, was a three-time state champion from 2010 to 2012 and won third place nationally in SkillsUSA Residential Wiring in 2011. Many other students have followed in his footsteps becoming state champions and advancing in their electrical careers, such as David Navarro ^[12] , who won 1st place nationally for Industrial Motor Controls. ^[13]

Between 2019 and 2020, the Electrical Systems Technology Program was relocated to a new and better-equipped facility at the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC), just down the road from MacArthur High School. ^[14]

Notable alumni

Athletics

• Jace Amaro (Class of 2010) – former NFL player (tight end) for the Kansas City Chiefs ^[15]
• David Bailiff (Class of 1976) – college football coach, most recently the head coach at Rice University, 2007–2017 ^[16]
• Keith Edmonson (Class of 1978) – NBA player (point guard)
• John Gibbons (Class of 1980) – former MLB professional baseball player and is the current manager of the Toronto Blue Jays ^[17]
• Jerry Grote (Class of 1961) – former MLB professional baseball player ^[18] And World Series catcher with the New York Mets
• Jace Jung (Class of 2019) – MLB third baseman for the Detroit Tigers
• Josh Jung (Class of 2016) – MLB third baseman for the Texas Rangers
• Clint Killough (Class of 2012) – current head football coach for The University of the Incarnate Word
• Jason Szuminski (Class of 1997) – former MLB professional baseball player ^[19]

Government

• Randolph Alles (Class of 1972) – retired United States Marine Corps major general and former Director of the United States Secret Service ^[20]
• Dan Branch (Class of 1976) – Former member of the Texas House of Representatives, and current Dallas attorney. ^[21]
• Robert T. Clark (Class of 1966) – retired United States Army lieutenant general ^[22]
• Lyle Larson (Class of 1977) – Member of the Texas House of Representatives, from District 122 ^[23]

Art & film

• David Crabb (Class of 1994) – storyteller, actor, and author
• Terri Hendrix (Class of 1986) – singer-songwriter, independent record label owner, activist
• Terra Jolé (Class of 1998) – reality TV star
• Joseph King (Class of 1994) – singer for the band Deadbeat Darling
• Kirk Lynn (Class of 1990) – playwright
• Bruce McGill (Class of 1968) – actor
• Don Mischer (Class of 1958) – television producer
• Norah O'Donnell (Class of 1991) – co-anchor for CBS This Morning ^[24]
• Deborah Paredez (Class of 1989) – poet and academic
• Robert Wright (Class of 1975) – author of The Moral Animal , Nonzero , and The Evolution of God

Business

• John Lilly (Class of 1989) – venture capitalist and former CEO of the Mozilla Corporation from 2008 to 2010 ^[25]

References

1. "Search for Public Schools - MACARTHUR H S (483294003646)". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved February 14, 2024.
2. "Terrell Hills city, Texas Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine ." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
3. "MacArthur High School ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}" Map. North East Independent School District. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
4. "TEA". Texas Education Agency . Retrieved February 14, 2024.
5. "Blue Ribbon Schools Program Schools Recognized 1982–1983 Through 1999–2002" (PDF). Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Knowledge Applications Division, Office of Reform Assistance and Dissemination, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. July 22, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
6. 51^e Texas French Symposium guide.
7. "Infamous Football Tickets". Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
8. "Athletic State Champion Archives". uil.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
9. "UIL Baseball State Champions". Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
10. "UIL Marching Band State Champions". Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
11. https://macstudentmedia.com/4175/news/setting-off-the-sparks/
12. https://www.instagram.com/northeastisd/p/C5gxKZtvDNz/?img_index=1
13. https://skillsusatx.org
14. https://www.neisd.net/cte/ctec
15. "Jace Amaro Stats, News and Video – TE". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
16. Hill, Glynn (November 27, 2017). "Rice fires football coach David Bailiff". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
17. "Gibbons is the ideal man for Blue Jays' job". MLB.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
18. "Jerry Grote Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
19. "Jason Szuminski Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
20. Straehley, Steve (May 22, 2017). "Director of the United States Secret Service: Who Is Randolph Alles?". AllGov.com . Archived from the original on May 22, 2017.
21. "Dan Branch – Winstead PC". www.winstead.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
22. San Antonio's Movers and Shakers, August 2010
23. Representatives, Texas House of. "Texas House of Representatives". www.house.texas.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
24. Jakle, Jeanne (October 2, 2012). "S.A.'s Norah O'Donnell perking up 'This Morning'". Blog.MySanAntonio.com. San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
25. "Team". Greylock. Retrieved December 29, 2022.