Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio)
Thomas Jefferson High School is a public high school in San Antonio, Texas, United States, and is one of ten high schools in the San Antonio Independent School District. Completed in 1932 at a cost of $1,250,000, it was the third high school built in the city.[4] For the 2021-2022 school year, the school was given a "B" by the Texas Education Agency.[5]
| Thomas Jefferson High School | |
|---|---|
 Thomas Jefferson High School in 2012 | |
| Address | |
 | |
723 Donaldson Avenue , 78201 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public, High School |
| Motto | In omni uno |
| Founded | 1932 |
| School district | San Antonio ISD |
| Principal | Ralf Halderman |
| Teaching staff | 117.12 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,686[1] (2022-23) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.40[1] |
| Color(s) | Red, White and Blue |
| Nickname | Mustangs |
| Newspaper | The Declaration |
| Website | www |
| [2] | |
Thomas Jefferson High School | |
  Location in Texas  Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio) (the United States) | |
| Coordinates | 29°27′55″N 98°32′17″W / 29.46528°N 98.53806°W |
| Built | 1932 |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003093 |
| RTHL No. | 5470 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 22, 1983[3] |
| Designated | June 29, 1983 |
| Designated RTHL | 1983 |
 | |
History edit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2016) |
The SAISD school board paid $94,588.75 to buy "Spanish Acres," a 32-acre (13 ha) property, to develop the third high school in San Antonio. Construction began in the fall of 1930 and ended in January 1932.[6] It was built for over $1.25 million.[7]
In 1983 it became a part of the National Register of Historic Places. It was also designated a Texas historic landmark.[7]
Campus and architecture edit
The school was designed by the company Adams and Adams. The entrance has two towers of different heights and is designed in the Baroque style.[8] The towers are topped with silver. The school uses wrought-iron balconies and Spanish-tiled roofing. The school has two courtyards,[7] both landscaped, bordered by portales.[9] One courtyard has a hexagonal pond with decorative tiling.[7] Hannibal and Eugene Pianta, an Italian immigrant and his son,[6] decorated the main entrance columns and balconies with cast-stone ornamentation.[7] Jay C. Henry, the author of Architecture in Texas: 1895-1945, stated that the architecture is similar to that of Lubbock High School.[9]
In 1938 the school had an armory, a cafeteria, a drill ground, two gymnasiums, and a theater.[10]
A music facility and the East Wing, a three-story addition, were built at a later time.[7]
Its Moorish/Spanish architecture make it a visually distinct element in what was the old Woodlawn district.[11]
Recognition edit
In 1983 Jefferson was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[12] In 1995, it was included in the Local Historic District by the City of San Antonio.[13] In 2010, Jefferson was selected as Grammy Signature Award Winner.[14]
Demographics edit
The demographic breakdown of the 1,829 students enrolled in 2012-2013 was:
- Male - 52.7%
- Female - 47.3%
- Native American/Alaskan - 0.1%
- Asian/Pacific islanders - 0.2%
- Black - 2.1%
- Hispanic - 95.4%
- White - 2.1%
- Multiracial - 0.1%
86.6% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.[2]
In 1938 the school had 2,394 students. At the time over 60% of the students were scheduled to matriculate to universities and colleges.[10] In addition there were 89 teachers, including 56 female teachers. The student-teacher ratio at the time was 25 to 1.[15]
Student life edit
In 1938 the school had an ROTC unit, multiple school-recognized clubs including the girls' pep squad "Lassos", and fraternities and sororities unrecognized by the school.[10] As of 1938 the "Lassos" were made up of 150 female students.[16]
In 1938 the ROTC had 33 student officers, all male; each were allowed to choose a female student to accompany him.[17]
The 1940 Twentieth Century Fox film High School used exteriors and back-projection footage shot at TJHS.[18]
Athletics edit
The Jefferson Mustangs compete in the following sports:[19]
Notable alumni edit
Athletics edit
- Rick Bullock, All-American basketball player, Texas Tech University
- Ruth Lessing, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
- Corky Nelson, football coach, University of North Texas
- Tommy Nobis, All American football player, University of Texas; 5-time Pro Bowl selection for Atlanta Falcons
- Gabriel Rivera, All American football player, Texas Tech University
- Kyle Rote, All American football player, Southern Methodist University; 4-time Pro Bowl selection for New York Giants
Arts and entertainment edit
- "Blue" Gene Tyranny, avant-garde composer and pianist
- Philip Krumm, composer and pioneer of modal, repetitive pattern music
- Holly Dunn, country music artist
- Chris Pérez, Grammy Award-winning artist
Communications edit
- Jim Lehrer, television journalist, MacNeil/Lehrer Report, PBS
- Allen Ludden, television personality
Education edit
- John Silber, President, Boston University
Government edit
- John H. Wood, Jr. (deceased), Federal Judge
- Ed Garza, former Mayor of the City of San Antonio
- Julian Castro, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, former Mayor of the City of San Antonio
- Joaquin Castro, United States House of Representatives
- Henry B. Gonzalez (deceased) Class of 1935, former United States congressman. The San Antonio Convention Center is named after him.
- John W. Goode (deceased) (Class of 1939), lawyer and Republican political figure of the 1950s and 1960s
- Leticia Van de Putte, former Texas state senator
- George C. Windrow, member of the Wisconsin Assembly
Military edit
- Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole (deceased), a Commander in the Invasion of Normandy, World War II, Medal of Honor recipient; Cole High School is named for him
- Major Gen. Alfred Valenzuela, commanded the U.S. Army South (USARSO) at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico.
Philanthropy edit
- Edith McAllister, San Antonio civic leader and philanthropist
Physical science edit
- Aaron Cohen, former NASA Deputy Director
- Robert Floyd Curl, Jr., Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996
- William E. Moerner, Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014[20][21]
References edit
- ^ a b c "JEFFERSON H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Jefferson H S". ed.gov. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "History of Thomas Jefferson High School". Thomas Jefferson High School Historical Preservation Society.
- ^ "TEA". Texas Education Agency. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ a b "School History Archived 2016-09-09 at the Wayback Machine." Thomas Jefferson High School. Retrieved on September 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Guzman, René A. (2012-06-23). "Cityscape: Thomas Jefferson High School". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
- ^ Henry, p. 178.
- ^ a b Henry, p. 177.
- ^ a b c "One American High School: The Thomas Jefferson of San Antonio." Life. Time, Inc., March 7, 1938. Vol. 4, No. 10. ISSN 0024-3019. Start: p. 22. CITED: p. 22.
- ^ "TJHS HPS: Thomas Jefferson High School Historical Preservation Society - History of TJHS". tjhshps.org. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places - State Listing". National Park Service.
- ^ "List of Local Landmarks" (PDF). City of San Antonio.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.grammy.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "One American High School: The Thomas Jefferson of San Antonio." Life. Time, Inc., March 7, 1938. Vol. 4, No. 10. ISSN 0024-3019. Start: p. 22. CITED: p. 26.
- ^ "One American High School: The Thomas Jefferson of San Antonio." Life. Time, Inc., March 7, 1938. Vol. 4, No. 10. ISSN 0024-3019. Start: p. 22. CITED: p. 25.
- ^ "One American High School: The Thomas Jefferson of San Antonio." Life. Time, Inc., March 7, 1938. Vol. 4, No. 10. ISSN 0024-3019. Start: p. 22. CITED: p. 23.
- ^ "School Film Planned." The Longview (TX) Daily News, 13 March 1938.
- ^ The Athletics Department
- ^ "TJHS HPS: Thomas Jefferson High School Historical Preservation Society - Home". tjhshps.org. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014 - Press Release". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
General references
- Henry, Jay C. Architecture in Texas: 1895-1945. University of Texas Press, 1993. ISBN 0292730721, 9780292730724.
External links edit
