Flower Mound High School | |
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A World Class School Educating Tomorrow's Leaders
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Location | |
3411 Peters Colony Flower Mound, Texas, United States |
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Information | |
Type | Public High School |
Established | 1999 |
School district | Lewisville ISD |
Principal | Sonya Lail |
Faculty | 142 |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 3,400 (February 2010 estimate)[1] |
Color(s) | Navy Blue,Silver, and White |
Athletics conference | 5A |
Mascot | Jaguar |
Publication | The Wire |
Website | http://fmhs.lisd.net |
Flower Mound High School (FMHS) is part of Lewisville Independent School District and located in Flower Mound, Texas. The school rests on 52 acres (210,000 m2) of land that were purchased in 1993.[2] FMHS was the second high school built in Flower Mound, after Edward S. Marcus High School. With the expansion of Flower Mound in the 1980s and 1990s (from 1980 to 2000, the town grew from 4,402 to 50,702 residents), a second high school was built to accommodate the growth.[3][4] Flower Mound High School has been called one of the top ten "best public high schools" in the Dallas area[5] and consistently receives an "Exemplary" (highest) rating from the Texas Education Agency.[6]
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On March 6, 1995, Lewisville ISD broke ground on the first of two $32 million dollar high schools.[7] Intended to relieve pressure off of Marcus and Lewisville High Schools, plans were set for a 280,000-square-foot (26,000 m2) campus, including two gymnasiums, a cafetorium, an auditorium, a band hall, a football field, tennis courts, and three parking lots.[8] To accommodate additional students, an unplanned wing containing 45 additional classrooms was completed in time for the 2000–2001 school year.[2] Two of the original planned parking lots, as well as an unplanned second cafeteria, were not completed until after the school opened.[7][8]
108 staff members, led by principal Norman Reuther, taught the first student body of 986 freshman and sophomores.[2] The school was recognized as exemplary in the charter year.[9] In the school's second year, varsity sports were introduced and the student body grew to include grades nine through eleven.[2] In 2000, Kansas State University threatened legal action against FMHS for an alleged copyright violation on the Jaguar logo. Rather than pay a licensing fee to KSU, as some schools in Texas were currently doing, principal Reuther ordered a re-design of the logo, to avoid the 8% merchandise commission.[10] In August 2001, Reuther welcomed the school's first senior class; the student body grew to over 2,400 students.
Principal Norman Reuther left FMHS at the end of the 2003 school year; assistant principal Jack Clark subsequently took over the position of principal. Under his leadership the school's enrollment continued to grow (see graph, right). In Spring 2007, Clark and his wife and head counselor, Donna, announced their retirement. Paul Moon was selected to head the school.[2] In January 2008, Moon announced that FMHS would undergo an expansion adding a third gymnasium and a second band room, to be completed in May 2009.[11] In Spring 2008, LISD began random drug testing of all high school students in extracurricular and co-curricular groups; 75 weekly random students from FMHS were tested that Spring, and 48 students per week were tested for the 2008–09 school year.[12] In May 2011, it was publicly announced that Paul Moon would retire and pass the leadership to Sonya Lail.
2007 FMHS graduates earned over ten million dollars in scholarships, exceeding $14,000 per person. The 2008 graduating class accumulated approximately $15,500,000 in scholarship money, exceeding an average of $22,000 per graduate.
Flower Mound High School is a 5A school, competing as part of the UIL in District 8-5A, the classification for schools with the largest enrollment. Its main rival is Marcus High School, the school FMHS plays against annually in the Mound Showdown. Other schools in the district are Lewisville High School, Hebron High School, Plano Senior, East, and West High Schools, and Allen High School. The main sports the Jaguars compete in include football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, hockey(although not school-sponsored), softball, tennis, swimming, track, volleyball, bowling, and wrestling. In the 2006–2007 school year, every athletic team at the school advanced to playoffs, with several winning the District title.
In 2004, the Flower Mound High School baseball program, under head Coach Derek Matlock, competed for the state championship but fell a bit short in the final game. Flower Mound's senior Dusten Adams was the only run scored for the Flower Mound Team in their 8–1 loss to those Corpus Christi Moody. That same year, 3 members of the baseball squad were drafted by MLB. Craig Italiano (Athletics), Paul kelly (Twins) and Jordan Meaker (Diamondbacks). The 2008 Jags baseball team advanced to the Class 5A Regional Finals in 2008, losing to Southlake Carroll.[13] In 2008 boys' basketball, the Jaguars advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals, the furthest they had ever advanced, before losing to Colleyville Heritage.[14] 2006 was the first year for the Jaguar Football program to reach playoffs; unfortunately, Flower Mound had lost to Grapevine High School. In 2007, the Jags again advanced to playoffs, but lost in the first round to defending Class 5A State Champions Carroll Senior High School.[15] In 2009, They were in the Playoffs, but once again had lost its place against Southlake Caroll(formally known as Carroll Senior High School). The football team has not made the playoffs since. The 2008 Lady Jags softball team advanced to the Regional Semifinals, where they lost to Weatherford High School.[16] In 2008, the school's male swim team placed second at the UIL Class 5A State Swimming and Diving Championships held in Austin, the highest finish ever for any LISD school.[17]
The Jaguar Cross Country team is arguably one the most successful program at the school. Both the boys and girls teams placed top 10 in the state in 2009 and had similar , if not, better results in 2010. In 2011, the girls placed third a state. The boys placed 2nd in the state in 2005. In Track and Field, in April 2010 Senior Connor Adams won the 1600m state title. Connor is still to this day the only female athlete to ever win a state championship from Flower Mound High School. The Flower Mound Wrestling Team has been a district power for many years, but was the UIL State Runner up for two years in a row in 2010 and 2011. Dylan Akers and Drake Dudley were both individual State Champions in 2011.
FMHS Theatre Department provides the community with play productions. FMHS Theatre has been recognized on the state level winning 3rd place in the UIL One Act Play contest in 2005 for their production of "Into the Woods". In April 2008, the Dramatic Paws UIL One-Act Play, The Rimers of Eldritch, was selected to compete at the State level, becoming one of the top 8 plays in the state of Texas in Conference 5A. At the state level FMHS won Best Technician and Honorable Mention All Star Cast. The theatre department has also advanced to state in the UIL design competition in 2007, while the Dramatic Paws, the varsity theater group, advanced their one-act play Dark of the Moon to the region competition, making it one of the top 24 shows in the state. In the 2008–2009 school year Flower Mound Theatre Dept. presented "Forever Plaid" in September, then had the opportunity to present the performance at the International Thespian Society (ITS) State Convention in Fort Worth. They then were invited to perform at the Internation Thespian Convention in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Performing Arts Departments were also awarded an Honorable Mention award in the Showstopper Best High School Musical contest by USA WEEKEND magazine for their production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie". They were the only entry recognized for the state of Texas.
The FMHS Choral program consists of four large ensembles (Varsity & JV Mixed, Varsity & JV Treble) and two smaller Jazz ensembles (Shades of Blue and Azure). The Jaguar Chorale performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio on February 28, 2007, one of only three 5A choirs in the state so honored, in addition to performing Mozart's Requiem with Colleyville Heritage and Hebron earlier in the 2006–2007 school year. In 2008, the Jaguar Choral performed at the Southwestern division of the American Choral Directors Association Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. The Jaguar Choral has received Superior ratings at UIL Contest, as well as the other three choirs, and Shades of Blue and Azure have received Superior ratings at Solo and Ensemble.
The FMHS Orchestra consists of two groups of musical ensembles. The Symphonic Orchestra is the lower of the two groups and consists primarily of freshman and sophomores with few juniors and seniors. The Chamber Orchestra is composed primarily of seniors. Both ensembles are award-winning and have been received Superior ratings at UIL Contest. The Superior ratings continue at many festivals and competitions around the Dallas Metroplex and across the country. Numerous musicians in the orchestra have made the LISD All-District and TMEA Region 24 All-Region orchestras, and some have joined the TMEA All-State orchestra. The FMHS Orchestra takes regular trips to perform in competitions. The Chamber Orchestra has been invited to the Midwest Clinic, an International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago, after their recording was chosen by the judges.
In March 2006, Flower Mound High School received its second consecutive GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold Award, which recognizes the top six secondary schools in the nation in the field of music education.[18][19] The 2005 and 2006 Gold Awards came with a $7,000 and $5,000 scholarship, respectively, to further the musical instruction of FMHS's students. Per GRAMMY Foundation rules, after winning the Gold Award for two consecutive years, the school will not again be eligible to win any GRAMMY award until 2008.[20]
Flower Mound High School is one of only a handful of schools across the country to receive the 2011 Grammy Signature School Gold distinction from the Grammy Foundation. This is the fourth time FMHS has been named a Grammy Signature School and the third time it has received the “Gold” accolade. FMHS was named a Grammy Signature School in recognition of making an outstanding commitment to music education.
The Flower Mound High School music program has seven directors: Brent Biskup, Michael King, Adela Martinez, Rob Myers, Matt Quinlan, Dr. Mark Rohwer, and Ann Smith.
The school's Art department and its students entered the Visual Arts Scholastic Event, a statewide competition, receiving 62 ‘Superior’ ratings at Regionals, 14 Gold Medals at State, and 7 Gold Seals, which allows those seven pieces to tour Texas on an Art Exhibition.
The FMHS Marching Band and Drumline compete in competitions. The drumline has many honors. The FMHS Drumline won 1st place at the 2006 PASIC Marching Percussion Festival along with several other awards including Best Snare Line, Best Cymbal Line, and Best Front Ensemble. In 2007 the drumline won first with Best Drumline, Best Tenor Line, Best Snare Line, and Best Pit, and best overall. Flower Mound High School band productions
2007–2008:
"Music of Queen" music: Queen's: Bicycle race and Bohemian Rhapsody
2008–2009:
"Hero" music: Mahler's symphony 2, Camille Saint-Seans'Aquariam, Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, and music from The Incredibles
2009–2010: "Heavy Metal"
music: Bach's Toccata in D minor, Michael Daugherty's Heavy Metal, Eric Whitacre's Lux Aurumque, and Charles R. Young's Tempered Steel.
2010-2011 "Diversion of Angels"/"Three Voices"
music: Prokofiev symphony no.5
2011-2012 "Belle Epoque"
Music: Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No.2, Darius Milhaud - La Création du Monde, Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose, and Arthur Honegger - Symphony No. 3 " Liturgique" - I. Dies irae
Previous shows that should be noted are Exlploration of the Mind, The Commute, Groove, and Evolution.
Achievements:
2011: Area B UIL marching contest: 7th place finalist
2012: Bands of America Arlington regional: Prelims-3rd place in class 4A, 3rd overall (74.35)/ Finals 4th place (75.50) Bands of America San Antonio Super-Regional: Prelims-7th place in class 4A, 8th overall (87.40)/ Finals 9th place (85.00)
Flower Mound High School has been called one of the top ten "best public high schools" in the Dallas area [5] and consistently receives an "Exemplary" (highest) rating from the Texas Education Agency.[6]
FMHS uses block scheduling to separate the school day into four periods; one-half state credit per period is earned for every nine weeks of instruction. Grading for courses is based upon a discrete 100 point scale; students pass a course if they receive a 70 or higher. While credit by examination is available for students who have failed courses, resulting scores are not used in grade point average calculations. LISD uses a weighted scale for GPA calculation, giving greater weight to Advanced Placement (AP) and pre-AP courses; the resulting grade points are then averaged to produce a student's GPA on a 120-point scale to determine class rank.[21]
In the past four available years, Flower Mound High School has received Gold Performance Acknowledgments from the TEA for its Attendance (2002–06), AP/IB results (2002–06), College Admissions (2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006), and the Recommended High School Program (2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006).[9] In 2005, The Texas Educational Excellence Project ranked FMHS 23rd in the state for Latino Achievement, despite the fact that only 8.2% of the town is Latino or Hispanic (compared to a statewide average of 35.7%).[22][23]
The FMHS 11th grade team placed 1st in the nation in WordMasters, an annual critical reading and analysis competition; six FMHS students received accolades for their perfect scores.
Currently, the only advanced academic classes offered by Flower Mound High School are Advanced Placement and pre-Advanced Placement courses, though various auxiliary courses are offered to give students further research into disciplines of their choice as "elective" courses.
2,779 students attended FMHS in the 2006–2007 school year, with core subject classes averaging a student to teacher ratio of 25:1. Over half the students of FMHS are in Pre-AP or AP classes; 72% of 2007 graduates went on to a 4-year college, and 19% entered a 2-year college.
In 2007, 36.4% of FMHS students took at least one AP or dual-enrollment course in the 2005–2006 school year; 32.2% of the school population took at least one AP or IB test;[9] that number rose in 2007 to 39.2%. 75% of the 1,162 AP tests taken scored a "passing" 3, 4, or 5, beating the national average of 57.0%.[21][24] The school currently recognizes 77 AP Scholars, 41 AP Scholars with Honor, 39 AP Scholars with Distinction, and 6 National Scholars.[21]
Flower Mound High School provides students with several off-campus instruction options. Among the most recent is the LISD eSchool, which provides several online courses for high school students needing a more flexible, alternative education. Dale Jackson Career Center (DJCC) offers all high school students in the district a variety of technical and career-oriented courses such as Ad Design and Welding. The Lewisville Learning Center provides accelerated education for grade advancement, alternative education for disciplinary students, and parenting education courses. In addition, Lewisville ISD announced plans for the opening of a night school in January 2009 that will supplement and accelerate existing high school education and provide an alternative path to a high school diploma.[25]
Flower Mound has consistently performed well on the College Board's PSAT/NMSQT testing. The high school's 2007 graduating class contained 13 National Merit Semifinalists, 12 of whom attained Finalist status; the 2008 class featured 19 Semifinalists, 17 of whom advanced to Finalist status. 2008 also featured 35 Commended Scholars and 9 Hispanic Scholars. FMHS recently have 34 National Merit Semifinalists for the Class of 2011.
Based upon 2006–07 SAT scores, the average Flower Mound student scores a 1644 on the SAT with writing, compared to a National average of 1511. On the ACT, the average Flower Mound composite score is 22.7, compared to the National average of 21.2
To Gustav Holst's tune "Thaxted"
Flower Mound We Vow To Honor You In Everything We Do.
As Our High School Memories Pass On By We'll Love And Cherish You.
Jaguar Spirit Ever Present, Like No Other We Will Stand.
With Great Pride We Will Strive To Be Finest In The Land.
We Will Fight United By Our Silver, White And Navy Blue.
Flower Mound We Pledge To Always Be Forever Tried and True.
The fight song for Flower Mound is the University of Michigan Fight Song.
The school's co-curricular and extracurricular offerings include, but are not limited to:
Academic Decathlon | AFJROTC | Ambassadors | Art Club |
Band | Baseball | Basketball | Bowling Club |
BPA | Cheerleading | Choir | Circle of Friends |
Color guard | Computer Science Club | Cross Country | Debate |
DECA | Drill Team (Rosettes) | Drumline | English Honor Society |
FBLA | FCA | FCCLA | Football |
French Club | German Club | Golf | Habitat for Humanity |
Hockey | Interact | International Thespian Society | Irish Club |
JCL (Latin Chapter) | Math Club | Mu Alpha Theta | National Honor Society |
National Technical Honor Society | Newspaper | Orchestra | Photography Club |
Psychology Club | Robotics Club | Rosettes | Russian Club |
Soccer | Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica | Spanish Club | Spirit Club (Jag Crew) |
Student Council | Swimming | Tennis | Theatre ("Paws" and "Prents") |
Track and Field | UIL (all events) | Volleyball | Winter guard |
Wrestling | Yearbook | Young Democrats | Young Republicans |
Academic Decathlon is offered as a course at FMHS, though enrollment in the course is not a prerequisite for team selection. For the first time ever, the FMHS Academic Decathlon team advanced to the state competition in 2007. Ranked 26th based upon regional scores, the team improved to 10th at the State competition held in Katy, Texas; in January 2008 the team placed third at the Region IX competition and became ranked 12th statewide going into the Texas State finals, where they placed 11. Academic Decathlon also made state in the 2009–2010 competition. (A.F. AcDec team member February 2, 2010) th.Flower Mound High School finished 24th in the State Competition."
The FMHS Debate team competes at twenty tournaments annually and is includes between 30 and 45 students per year. In 2008–2009, the team qualified seven students to the state tournament and five students to the national tournament. In the first semester of the 2009–2010 school year, the team was ranked as high as fifth in the state of Texas and 13th in the nation.
The Flower Mound High School Math Club participates in several state and national competitions, including the AMC and AIME tests, the Trig-Star competition, UIL Mathematics, UIL Number Sense, UIL Calculator, the Best Of Texas competition, TMSCA tests, and the UT Arlington Calculus Bowl.
The Math Club annually sponsors the AMC and AIME tests and invites many of the school's motivated and mathematically-advanced students to participate. In 2006 and 2007, the school achieved the AMC 12 Merit Roll.[26] The Trig-Star competition, a nationally-held trigonometry competition sponsored by the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors and the National Society of Professional Surveyors, is also open to the student body and by invite. In 2007, one student won the State Competition and placed 5th nationally, the highest Texas finishes in years.[27] Attending to UT Arlington Calculus Bowl for the first time, a five-person team from FMHS captured first place from three-time champion The Oakridge School.[28]
Flower Mound holds claim to two UIL Academic State Championship titles. The first was won in 2001–2002 by Austin Little in 5A Computer Science, and the second was won in 2006–2007 by Christine Barcellona in 5A Literary Criticism. The 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 FMHS Literary Criticism Teams won 1st place.[29]
With the new district realignment for the 2006–07 and 2007–08 school years, Flower Mound won team events at the district level for Calculator, Current Issues, Computer Science, Literary Criticism, Mathematics, Number Sense, Science, and Spelling, as well as qualifying in One Act Play for the Area competition. At the Region I-5A competition in Lubbock, the Literary Criticism team placed second and qualified for the Wild Card spot, with several members qualifying for the State competition in Austin. There, the Literary Criticism team placed second, and Braeden Mayer placed seventh in Persuasive Speaking.
FMHS placed third overall at State in the Group event of Theater in 2008.
Elementary schools that feed into Flower Mound include[30]:
Middle schools that feed into Flower Mound include: