Martin High School (Arlington, Texas)

James W. Martin High School
Address
4501 West Pleasant Ridge Road Arlington , Texas 76016 United States
Coordinates	32°41′02″N97°10′48″W / 32.684°N 97.180°W / 32.684; -97.180
Information
Type	Public
Established	1982
School district	Arlington Independent School District
Principal	Marlene Roddy
Teaching staff	207.57 (FTE) [1]
Grades	9-12
Number of students	3,789 (2022–2023) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	18.25 [1]
Color(s)	Black, red and silver
Nickname	Warriors
Website	https://www.aisd.net/martin-high-school/
[2]

James W. Martin High School is a secondary school for grades 9 to 12 in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is part of the Arlington Independent School District. The school's colors are red, black and silver.

History

The school opened in 1982. ^[3] As a result, the former James Bowie High School closed in 1983. ^[4] The relative proximity of Bowie to Sam Houston High School was a factor as was the shifting demographics and resulting graduation class sizes that necessitated the new school and the transition of Bowie to Workman Junior High School. Cathy Brown of The Dallas Morning News wrote that Sam Houston High School and Lamar High School were "relatively unaffected" by the opening of Martin, located in southwest Arlington. ^[5] She explained that the attendance zone of Arlington High School lost substantial area that included a significant number of new residences in the more affluent Southwest part of the city adjacent to Lake Arlington.

Martin High School is one of only two high schools in the district not named for a historical figure in Texas. ^[6] The trustees broke with the Arlington tradition of naming high schools in this manner when naming the school in its planning in the earlier 1980s. Only Martin High School and Arlington High School, the town's first high school, are exceptions. AISD trustees chose to honor James W. Martin, superintendent of schools from 1955 to 1976, who oversaw the integration (racial desegregation) of Arlington schools in 1965, which occurred without the violence or hysterics that had occurred frequently nationwide, and notably in nearby Mansfield. This was not shared at the time of the school's opening, however.

The school opened with grades 10 to 12 and grew to become the city's largest high school within a decade. Construction in 1996-1997 expanded the size of the campus considerably to make room for the addition of freshmen in the 1997–1998 school year.

In 2015, the AISD STEM Academy began classes at Martin. The Academy provides advanced classes in engineering, biology/biomedical science, computer science, and math/science to students in 9th-12th grade. STEM students can also take classes at the University of Texas at Arlington while they are enrolled in high school. ^[7] The program is free, but spots are limited. ^{[8] [9]}

In July 2020, Principal Marlene Roddy announced the discontinuation of the native American mascot at the school, saying the reason was "...to adapt the school to modern standards of cultural sensitivity", ^[10] which has been a contentious topic in many communities and in professional sports, notably the NFL's Washington (former) Redskins and the Cleveland Indians major league baseball team. The change was met with opposition, primarily from alumni, but it was implemented. The Warrior would remain in writing, but the modern definition of the term is being embraced and will no longer refer to the Native American iconography, specifically the war bonnet and mascot. The school's "rocking M" became its primary graphic. The "Native American tribal chieftain hat" logo had been in use at the school since its opening in 1982, having been illustrated by one of its students. The war bonnet was formed by shaping the letters comprising "Warriors" and the face was in the same manner using the letters MHS, both in red, forming a Native American chief in profile. Similar changes occurred later at nearby South Grand Prairie High School, which coincidentally are known at the Warriors.

Feeder patterns

Corey, Moore and Wood Elementary Schools feed into Boles Jr. High. Ditto, Little, Miller, and a portion of Dunn Elementaries feed into Young Jr. High. Boles and Young Jr. Highs feed into Martin.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 3,730 students enrolled in 2021-2022 was: ^[11]

• Male - 50.4%
• Female - 49.6%
• African American - 19%
• Hispanic - 24.9%
• White - 43%
• American Indian - 0.5%
• Asian - 8.8%
• Pacific Islander - 0.2%
• Multiracial - 3.5%

37.1% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch. ^[2]

Extracurricular activities

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

Academic extracurriculars

Martin competes in Academic Decathlon and has teams in most of the UIL academic activities.

The Martin High School Robotics team has qualified for every UIL Robotics State Championship since robotics was added in 2016, finishing second in 2017 and 2018, third in 2019, and winning the state title in 2020. ^[12]

The science team won the UIL 6A State Championship in 2021. ^[13]

Fine arts

Fine arts at the school include band, choir, orchestra, theatre, speech, and visual arts departments.

In 2009, the Martin Fine Arts department was the first place winner in the "Grammy in the Schools" nationwide competition, giving a $10,000 grant to the music department and naming the Martin High School as the #1 fine arts high school in the contest. ^[14]

Martin's chorale choir performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 14, 2006, for the Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival. ^[15] The performance included the world premieres of Introit and Epilogue by Mack Wilberg. ^[16] Martin's chorale, wind symphony and symphony orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 21, 2016, with Distinguished Concerts International New York. ^[17]

Notable alumni

• Matt Blank, Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher ^[18]
• Elizabeth Bruenig, Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing 2019 nominee ^[19]
• Myles Garrett, NFL American football player ^[20]
• Mitch Grassi, tenor of a cappella group Pentatonix ^[21]
• Ben Grieve, Major League Baseball outfielder ^[22]
• Justin Hollins, NFL football player
• Scott Hoying, baritone of a cappella group Pentatonix ^[21]
• Jason Huntley, NFL football player
• Nathan Karns, MLB pitcher ^[23]
• Kirstin Maldonado, mezzo-soprano of a cappella group Pentatonix ^[21]
• Randi Miller, Olympic women's wrestling ^[24]
• Brandon Moore, composer
• Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes ^[25]
• Paige Mycoskie, founder of Aviator Nation ^[26]
• Chris Odom, American football player ^[27]
• Stacey Oristano, actress ^[28]
• Tim Rushlow, country musician ^[29]
• Tiya Sircar, actress ^[30]
• Boone Stutz, NFL football player ^[31]
• Lane Taylor, NFL offensive lineman ^[32]
• Todd Van Poppel, Major League Baseball pitcher ^[33]
• Emily Warfield, actress ^[34]
• Tay-K, rapper and convicted murderer

References

1. "MARTIN H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
2. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Martin H S". ed.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
3. "History". James Martin High School. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
4. "About Us". James Bowie High School. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
5. Brown, Cathy (October 14, 1998). "No blackboard jungles despite changing demographics". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved October 25, 2011.
6. "James W. Martin". Arlington Independent School District.
7. "HOME - Arlington ISD Stem Academy at Martin High School". www.aisd.net. December 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
8. "Frequently Asked Questions - Arlington ISD Stem Academy at Martin High School". www.aisd.net. December 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
9. "Arlington ISD, UT Arlington Announce New STEM Academy". www.arlingtontx.gov. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
10. Hartley, James (July 2, 2020). "Arlington's Martin High wants to remove Native American mascot. Some petition to keep it". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
11. "Martin HS TEA Report Card". Texas Education Agency. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
12. "Robotics Championship Archives". University Interscholastic League. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
13. "Academic State Meet". University Interscholastic League. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
14. "Grammy in the Schools web site". June 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
    - "Grammy in the Schools, 2009 list of schools" (PDF). June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
15. "Performance History Search". Carnegie Hall. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
    - Mattison, Ben (September 26, 2005). "Carnegie Hall Picks High School Choirs for Festival". Playbill. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
16. Wadley, Carma (April 4, 2008). "Music vital in bringing comfort". Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
17. "SOUNDS OF A NEW GENERATION". Distinguished Concerts International New York. June 14, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
    - "Martin High School Symphony Orchestra {". New York Concert Review. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
    - "Arlington Martin High School Plays Carnegie Hall". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
18. "Matt Blank Statistics and History". Baseball-reference. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
19. "What Happens When A Rape Is Reported, But No One Is Prosecuted". NPR . Retrieved April 16, 2019.
20. "Arlington Martin alum, fearsome Texas A&M pass-rusher Myles Garrett much more than backfield buster". Dallas News. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
21. "Pentatonix's road to musical success didn't follow usual drumbeat" . Retrieved October 10, 2017.
22. "Ben Grieve Statistics and History". Baseball-reference. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
23. "Nathan Karns Statistics and History". Baseball-reference. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
24. "Randi Miller named 2008 Women's Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling". The Mat. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
25. "Blake Mycoskie Designs Custom TOMS Shoe for Hockaday Girls". D Magazine, April 30, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
26. "Aviator Nation Owner Is Richer Than Ever As SoCal Surfer Brand Arrives In New York". Forbes, June 3, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
27. "Chris Odom". Arkansas State Red Wolves. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
28. "MARTIN PLAYERS ALUMNI IN THE SPOTLIGHT" . Retrieved January 21, 2015.
29. "Gene Watson Peer Quotes from Tim Rushlow" . Retrieved January 21, 2015.
30. "Alumni Spotlight" . Retrieved May 12, 2023.
31. "Boone Stutz NFL Draft Profile". NFLDraftScout. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
    - "Boone Stutz Statistics and History -". NFL. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
32. "Arlington Martin product Lane Taylor wins Packers left guard job". Star-Telegram. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
33. "Todd Van Poppel Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
34. "Emily Warfield Biography". iIMDb. Retrieved October 8, 2012.

External links

• Schools portal

• Official website
• Arlington Independent School District homepage