Arlington Heights High School

Arlington Heights High School (AHHS, Heights) is a secondary school located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Fort Worth Independent School District. Its mascot is the Yellow Jacket and its colors are blue and gold.

Arlington Heights High School
Address
4501 West Freeway

Fort Worth
,
Texas
76107

United States
Coordinates32°43′55″N 97°23′9″W
Information
School typePublic secondary
Established1920[1]
School districtFort Worth Independent School District
PrincipalSarah Weeks
Teaching staff119.50 (FTE)[2]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,934 (2017-18)[2]
Student to teacher ratio16.18[2]
CampusUrban
Color(s)Royal blue and gold          
Athletics conferenceUniversity Interscholastic League 5A
NicknameHeights
RivalPaschal High School
NewspaperJacket Journal
WebsiteSchool website

Arlington Heights High School serves western portions of Fort Worth including the Como, Arlington Heights, Ridglea, Meadows West,[3] and Rivercrest neighborhoods, and the City of Westover Hills.[4] As of 1996 some students were bussed in from the Butler subsidized housing in Downtown Fort Worth and some communities in southeast Fort Worth with racial and ethnic minority groups.[3]

Hollace Weiner of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said in 1996 that the school was a "scholastically touted institution that draws students from private schools."[3]

History

Arlington Heights High School was established in 1922 and hosted 715 students in its inaugural year. The current building was built in 1937. Originally, students from this area attended Stripling High School in the 1920s, which is now a feeder middle school.

Heights was generally affluent and white until the late 1960s, hosting many children of notable citizens of Fort Worth such as the Belknaps and Dickeys, as well as Governor Connally's children. African American students attended Como High School, which no longer exists and was merged with Arlington Heights at its closing. Students at Arlington Heights referred to their school as "The Hill", as the main building offers a view of the Trinity River valley to the south, from which AHHS is visible for miles.

Notable incidents

In 1979, a Paschal High School student (and son of a county Commissioner) stole a bulldozer from a County construction site, drove it up Hulen Street and rammed it into the Arlington Heights High School Field House the day before the annual Heights-Paschal football game, completely leveling the field house.[5] This resulted in criminal convictions and a nationwide reassessment of safety and security measures, as well as beginning a national discussion about youth violence and vandalism on many national television and radio programs. This incident, along with what President Kennedy called the "Paschal Air Force" incident in 1963,[6] and Paschal's infamous Legion Of Doom criminal cult in the mid-1980s,[7] has made the Heights-Paschal high school football rivalry one of Texas' most legendary ongoing sports rivalries.

School layout

The school occupies a red brick building that is visible from Interstate 30 (West Freeway).[3]

The main building houses 74 classrooms, a library, band hall, auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, workrooms and administrative offices. Outside buildings include a second gymnasium, field houses with concessions stands, and a weight room. The new wing opened in the fall of 2004 and houses six classrooms and a-state of-the-art dance studio. The surrounding grounds are covered with tennis courts, baseball, softball, a unique multi-purpose athletic facility, soccer and football fields, and an all-weather track which is open to public use.[8]

Student body

In 2014, approximately 1,800 students attended the school. 46% were Hispanic, 29% were White Anglo, and 22% were Black. 45% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.[9]

Arlington Heights' student-athletes compete in the UIL 5A classification for 12 varsity sports.

School organizations
  • Arlington Heights Chess Association
  • Athletic Booster
  • Band
  • Dance Guild
  • Debate Team
  • Hispanic Youth Association
  • Inter-Act Club
  • The Jacket Journal newspaper, established 1933
  • Journalism
  • National Honor Society
  • Orchestra
  • PTSA
  • Table Tennis Club
  • Theater Heights
  • UIL competitions
  • Whiz Quiz
  • The Yellow Jacket yearbook

Notable alumni

Feeder patterns

Students attending the following feeder schools are zoned to attend Arlington Heights High School:[14]

Elementary schools
  • Burton Hill
  • Como
  • M.L. Phillips
  • North Hi Mount
  • Ridglea Hills
  • South Hi Mount

Middle schools
  • W.C. Stripling
  • William Monnig

Rivalries

References
  1. "Arlington Heights High School". Archived from the original (English) on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  2. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS H S
  3. Weiner, Hollace. "Low scores at Arlington Heights called no surprise." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Monday August 5, 1996. 9 Metro. Retrieved on December 12, 2011.
  4. Kennedy, Bud. "Teens' talk turns to tales of hate and killing." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Thursday March 26, 1992. 2 News. Retrieved on December 12, 2011. "News central: Millionaires and wealthy families live in Westover Hills and the Rivercrest neighborhood, and their children go to Arlington Heights High."
  5. https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1985/july/doomsday/ Doomsday "D" Magazine
  6. 50 years ago, Paschal flew into history, with a high school prank gone wild Fort Worth Star Telegram
  7. https://articles.latimes.com/1985-04-20/news/mn-21747_1_fort-worth 'Legion of Doom' Accused of Bombings, Threats : Gang of Top Students Puzzles Fort Worth April 20, 1985|J. MICHAEL KENNEDY | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
  9. http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/1970001830/school.aspx
  10. Arlington Heights Yearbook
  11. "Getting his due Coast Guard hero receives honor posthumously". Fort Worth Star Telegram. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 2011-12-02. (subscription required.
  12. Turner Gill Official High School Football Statistics, Arlington Heights Yearbook
  13. Patricia Busa McConnico (June 2018). "The Good Fight". Texas Bar Journal. p. 448.
  14. http://apps.schoolsitelocator.com/?districtcode=72947
  15. Texas High School Monthly, Fall 2008
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