Riverside High School (El Paso, Texas)

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Riverside High School is a high school in the city of El Paso, Texas. The school is in the city's Lower Valley and opened in 1969. Riverside gets its name from its proximity to the Rio Grande which sits just about a quarter of a mile south of the school's Riverfront Stadium.

Riverside High School

Principal	Lionel Nava, interim
Asst.Principal(s)	Fernando Flores, Ray Lozano, Sylvia Rendon, Maria L. Greenup,
School type	Public
School district	Ysleta Independent School District
Founded	1969
Location	301 Midway Dr. El Paso, TX 79915
Enrollment	1,479
Faculty	162
Campus surroundings	Urban
School Mascot	Mighty Rangers
School color	Burnt orange, navy blue and white
School nickname	The Lower Valley's Only Pride
Yearbook name	The Lariat

Contents 1 History 2 Sports teams 3 Bands and spirit teams 4 Fight song 5 Clubs 6 Feeder schools 7 Board of Trustees

[edit] History

Riverside High School opened in El Paso's Lower Valley in 1969 as part of the Ysleta Independent School District. The school was meant to ease overcrowding at nearby Ysleta High School. At the time of its opening, Riverside was hailed has having the most modern facilities in the city. Today, Riverside is in the middle of a dormant community, although tradition and pride remain high at the school.

The first graduating class at Riverside was the class of 1973. Each year, the school graduates anywhere from 250 to 300 students. Riverside is a traditional high school in that the student population is made up of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Riverside has long been recognized for its academics. In the early 1990s, Riverside sent more Hispanics to Ivy League colleges than any other public high school in the country. Riverside is one of few high schools in El Paso to achieve the recognized rating from the Texas Education Agency. Also, the school has never failed to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress outlined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Riverside previously housed the Ysleta district's technology magent program. It currently houses the Socratic Institute for teachers interested in pedagogy as well as the Academy for Sciences and Technology.

In 1993, Chicano activist César Chávez visited the school to talk about his then boycott on grapes to protest the use of pesticides in the fields where poor, Hispanic farm workers labored. He told students the pesticides were affecting the health of the farm workers and their families. Chávez died months after his visit. Nearby César Chávez Academy is named in his honor.

In the late 1990s and to this day, Riverside has one of the best football programs among El Paso area high schools. The Rangers, under the leadership of coach Tom Work, have made the playoffs every year since 1994, and are the only El Paso team to reach the regional semi-finals in two consecutive years. The Ranger basketball and baseball teams have both made the state semi-finals in the 1990s. The Lady Rangers have also had consistant success in volleyball and basketball.

For years, the Riverside campus remained unchanged. In the mid 1980s, the school received a new library and classroom wing. In the early 1990s, the facade of the school was drastically changed and a theater was added. Riverside is currently undergoing heavy renovations that include the construction of a field house for athletic teams and a new fine arts wing for music and theater instruction.

[edit] Sports teams

• Football (boys): Tom Work
• Volleyball (girls): Merle Heimer
• Cross country (boys and girls)
• Tennis (boys and girls): Grecan Hinojos
• Basketball (boys and girls): Coach Lattin (Girls) & Coach Vela (Boys)
• Wrestling (boys and girls): Mr. Saucedo
• Swimming (boys and girls): Mr. Sandoval
• Soccer (boys and girls)
• Golf (boys and girls)
• Baseball (boys): Mr. Melendez
• Softball (girls): Sergio Ramirez
• Track (boys and girls)

[edit] Bands and spirit teams

• Marching Ranger Band: Lorraine Kubala & John Lauturner
• Flag Corps/Winter Guard: Lorraine Kubala
• Cheerleaders: Elza Chacon
• Rangerettes Drill/Dance Troupe: Bonnie Sermeno

[edit] Fight song

The Ranger Fight Song is sung to the tune of The Victors, the University of Michigan fight song:

We're the mighty Rangers fighting strong
Showing spirit with our song
Go! Let's go Rangers
And fight with your might.

We're the Lower Valley's only pride
We'll fight with courage side by side
We're from Riverside/ and we are number one.

Orange! Orange and white
Rangers. Fight! Fight! Fight!

[edit] Clubs

• Student Council: Juanita Martinez
• Junior Civitans
• Students Against Drunk Driving
• National Honor Society
• Future Business Leaders of America: Irma Soria
• Business Professionals of America
• Yearbook: Emilie Madrid
• Art Club
• Speech & Debate: Steven Solis
• Spanish Club
• French Club
• German Club
• JROTC
• Choir
• Orchestra
• Jazz band: Lorraine Kubala
• Drama: Steve Bonner

[edit] Feeder schools

• Riverside Middle "Rebels"
• Rio Bravo Middle "Lobos"
• Ascarate Elementary "Eagles"
• Cadwallader Elementary "Bobcats"
• Cedar Grove Elementary "Braves"
• Ramona Elementary "Rams"
• Thomas Manor Elementary "Hornets"
• Constance Hulbert Elementary
• Riverside Elementary, now closed

César Chávez Academy and Tejas School of Choice (at old Riverside Elementary) are in the Riverside area. They are both alternative education schools that serve students throughout the Ysleta Independent School District.

[edit] Board of Trustees

Trustee Carmen G. Muñoz represents the Riverside area on the Ysleta Independent School District Board of Trustees. She was elected in 2006 and her term expires in 2009.

Previous trustees include Andy Ramirez, Roberto Lerma, Bea Sada and Carlos Sandoval. Ramirez, Lerma and Sandoval served as presidents of the Ysleta school board.