| Oliver Wendell Holmes High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 6500 Ingram San Antonio, Texas, 78238 United States |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public Secondary |
| Established | 1964 |
| School district | Northside Independent School District |
| Superintendent | John Folks |
| Principal | Dennis Ann Strong (2007/11-) |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| Enrollment | 2,500 (2010-2011 est) |
| School Color(s) | Green and Gold |
| Mascot | Husky (Siberian) |
| Maximum Capacity | 3,000 |
| Website | [1] |
Oliver Wendell Holmes High School is a high school part of the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas. It was established in the early 1960s, and is known for its circular architecture, in which several buildings are completely circular.
As with all Northside ISD schools, Holmes is named for a former or current United States Supreme Court justice, in this case Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Holmes High School is also the parent school for Business Careers High School, a magnet school in NISD.
In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.[1]
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Holmes serves around 1,500 students from grades 9-12 around various streets intersecting (and the subdivisions that reside on the same streets) Loop 410 in San Antonio. Another additional 600-700 students (grade levels 9-12) in Bexar County are served by Business Careers High School, the "sister" magnet school of Holmes. Business Careers counts their population as part of Holmes, therefore the total population of Holmes is around 2,500.
During the 2006-2007 year, the Northside Board of Trustees changed the attendance zones of Earl Warren High School and Holmes, moving several neighborhoods from the Warren attendance zone to the Holmes attendance zone, to go into effect in 2007-2008. This will raise the number of students attending Holmes. The exact amount is unknown, but is expected to be around 200-400 students.
The Principal of Oliver Wendell Holmes High School is Dennis Ann Strong, whose first full year of service as Principal was 2007-2008. The Vice Principal is Craig Hejtmancik, whose first full year of service as Vice Principal was also 2007-2008.
Holmes is currently rated by the Texas Education Agency as "Recognized". The TEA is the agency who rates schools based on the performance of the school on tests such as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.[2]
Holmes offers athletic programs sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League. Holmes is currently classified as a 5A school, with a population nearing 2,500 students (1,900 is the minimum requirement for 5A status). Holmes also offers most of the Academic UIL events, including Social Studies, Science, Current Issues, One Act Play, Computer Science,Band,Computer Applications, Calculator Applications, Literary Criticism, various speaking competitive events, and various journalistic competitive events, AFJROTC drill teams and core/unit. Business Careers students compete as part of the Holmes teams. The school also has introduced a dual credit college program in conjunction with Northwest Vista College where eligible students may receive college credit.
In the 2007-2008 school year The Husky Band received a Division 1 at UIL during marching season for their performance "Sketches of Spain. The Husky Band received a Division 1 at UIL during the 2009-10 marching season for "The Quest."
Holmes has been successful in many athletic programs, including four trips to the Texas Class 5A semifinals in football (1980 - lost to Port Arthur Jefferson 34-14; 1987 - lost to Houston Yates 34-7; 1992 - lost to Houston Yates 41-39; and 1999 - lost to Katy 24-14). During the 1980s, Holmes football teams went a combined 97-16-2, making the state playoffs in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. The 97 wins in the decade were second best in San Antonio to Judson's 114 victories.
Holmes' 1986-87 boys' basketball team made a trip to the state Class 5A championship game, knocking off undefeated and national No. 1 Fort Worth Dunbar in the semifinals before losing to undefeated (40-0) LaPorte 64-58. The baseball team has also made it to the state Class 5A tournament.
Recently, the boys and girls basketball, softball, and the cross country teams have been successful. The softball team advanced to the Class 5A state tournament in 2001.[3].
Over the last 30 years, Holmes High School has seen several of its student athletes move on to successful athletic careers at the collegiate and professional levels, including:
The Huskies have been just as successful in academics as in athletics. In previous years, the Holmes UIL teams have done very well, advancing to state in some programs[4]. Recent years have not been as successful with UIL Academics, but Holmes remains competitive.
UIL Science has been a subject in which Holmes has dominated in the past, even going as far as finishing second in the State of Texas for the 1993-1994 calendar year.
Despite the successes of many of Holmes' academic and athletic programs, The Holmes Academic Decathlon is the program that receives the most praise, not only in Northside ISD, but in the entire state of Texas.
The Holmes Academic Decathlon has advanced to the state competition for the Texas Academic Decathlon every year since 1992, often winning the Regional competitions (which guarantees an automatic berth at state). In fact, Holmes has failed to win region just three times in the past 17 years of advancing to state. In 1994, the Holmes Academic Decathlon won its first State Championship, defeating perennial state championship power J. J. Pearce High School (located in Richardson, Texas). Holmes then advanced to the 1994 United States Academic Decathlon National competition, finishing third overall, behind William Howard Taft High School of Woodland Hills, California and Mountain View High School of Mesa, Arizona.
Holmes has not won another state championship in the Academic Decathlon since 1994, but has ranked in the top ten in the Texas Academic Decathlon almost every year since then, including a bronze finish in 2004-2005 and a silver finish in 2005-2006[5]. During the 2007 Texas Academic Decathlon State Championship meet, the Oliver Wendell Holmes Academic Decathlon team finished fifth in the large school competition, with a score of 43,161. This is the second time Holmes has finished in fifth place. In 2008, the team placed 9th with a score of 44,300 points.
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