Permian High School

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Permian High School

 

Principal Bruce Davis
Established 1959
School type Public
Location Odessa, Texas
School colors Black and White
Nicknames Panthers, Mojo
Athletic Conference District 3-5A
Website http://www.ector-county.k12.tx.us/Schools/PER/Home.html

Permian High School is a public high school located in Odessa, Texas and is part of the Ector County Independent School District.

The first high school in Odessa was Odessa High School, whose first football team was established in 1923. Odessa schools were segregated, and the school for blacks was Blackshear, a combined junior and senior high school on the south side of town. Ector High School, a combined and segregated junior and senior high school, opened in 1957 on the south side. Permian High school, also segregated, opened in 1959. Desegregation began in 1966, but was not complete until the late 1980's. When Blackshear High closed, the students were transferred to Ector High School, which cost the Blackshear students their school colors and much of their identity. In 1982, as part of the district's desegregation plan, Ector High was converted to a junior high only, and was intended to be primarily black, but in actuality is predominantly hispanic with a handful of whites. Southside high school students were bused to northside high schools.

Blackshear still exists as an elementary school and Ector still exists as a junior high. Odessa High and Permian High remain as the only two high schools. Permian High is named for the Permian Basin, the geological formation in which Odessa is located, which has been the source of vast oil reserves (and oil wealth to the city).

As of 2006 the school principal of Permian High is Bruce Davis. Darren Allman is the campus athletic director.

Contents

[edit] Football

High school football fever was, and still is, big in Texas. The story of Permian High School's 1988 Permian Panthers team (also known by the nickname "MOJO"), and their run towards the state championship, was the subject of the best-selling book Friday Night Lights, published in 1990. A movie based on the book was made in 2004 and the NBC television network airs a TV series loosely based on the school and book.

The team won the Texas state championship in the 5A classification (the state's largest) in 1965, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991 and was declared the unofficial national champion in 1972 and 1989.

Permian plays all of their home football games at Ratliff Stadium.

[edit] School bands

Mojo Band performing at halftime
Mojo Band performing at halftime

Permian is also home to the musical talents of the Permian High School Band which is a member of the U.I.L.

  • Marching Band Director: Mr. Michael Watts - has won the state marching contest once in 1982.
  • Symphonic Band Director: Mr. Michael Watts
  • Concert Band Director: Mr. John Carroll - The Concert Band has taken the position of second band.
  • Wind Band Director: Jim Fry - The "third" band at Permian.
  • Jazz Band Director: John Carroll - Odessa's only High School Jazz Band.
  • Rock Band- now defunct

[edit] Cabaret

The Permian Band hosts an annual concert during the spring term featuring all bands at Permian as well as the Junior high bands from the local feeder schools. The Cabaret has been held in past years at the MCM Grande FunDome hotel, but more recently it has been held at the CAF Hangar at the Midland International Airport in Midland, Texas.

[edit] Awards

The band has "Outstanding Band" awards at the following:

Permian Band Awards Page

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream (H.G.Bissinger) ISBN 0-306-80990-7
The Secret of Mojo: The Story of the Odessa, Texas, Permian High School Football Team ISBN 0-9619703-0-8
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