Thomas Jefferson High School (Dallas, Texas)

For schools with a similar name, see Jefferson High School.

Thomas Jefferson High School
No mountain too high, No ocean too wide, Reaching our goals with Patriot Pride.
Location
4001 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, Texas 75229
Information
Type High school
Established 1956
School district Dallas Independent School District
Dean Dedra Picot-Bernard
Principal Edward Conger
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 1,200 (approx., fall 2008)
Color(s) Columbia blue and cardinal red
Mascot Patriot
Information 972-502-7300 (office), 972-502-7301 (FAX)
Newspaper The Reveille
Website

Thomas Jefferson High School (Dallas) is a secondary school in Dallas, Texas that serves grades 9-12. The school is part of the Dallas Independent School District and is located at 4001 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, Texas 75229. The school is named after the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, and locally is known simply as "TJ."

The school's colors are Columbia blue and cardinal red and its mascot is the Patriot. Until 1972, the (Confederate) Rebel served as school mascot and the Confederate Battle Flag was a recognized school emblem. The negative associations of both symbols led to a change following desegregation of Dallas schools in the early 1970s.[1][2][3] In the 2005-06 school year, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary.[4]

Contents

History

In 1987 John Kincaide, the athletic director of DISD, said that the district is prepared to allow Jefferson to be reclassified by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) from athletic class 5A to athletic class 4A; the UIL had the possibility of demoting the school to athletic class 4A as part of its biannual reclassification.[5]

Neighborhoods served

Jefferson serves several sections of Dallas, including a portion of Walnut Hill, Walnut Hill Lane and the adjacent residential area, the apartment complexes along the Webb Chapel Extension, the Love Field neighborhood, and The Creeks of Preston Hollow.[6][7][8] It serves a portion of the Preston Hollow area.[9]

The campus

The class of 1965 had 962 members, the largest graduating class of any high school in Texas up to that time.[10]

Beginning in the mid-1980s, TJ's student body changed from predominantly white to predominantly Hispanic/Latino. Although the school is located in a primarily white neighborhood, most students come from majority-Hispanic areas north of Love Field.

The high school shotput record was set at the Golden West Invitational in 1979 by then-senior Michael Carter, who threw the 12-pound shotput 81 feet, 3-1/2 inches. As of June 2006, the record had yet to be broken or even approached.[11]

In 2006, the League of United Latin American Citizens provided uniforms for all 20 members of the TJ boys' soccer team after learning that the team, which had taken second place in the athletic district, had been unable to afford to outfit the full team for the previous four years.[12]

On September 16, 2011 The Thomas Jefferson High School Football Team won their first homecoming game. Sparking a large celebration by the students and faculty. [1]

School uniforms

Students are required to wear school uniforms.[13]

The Texas Education Agency specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.[14]

Feeder patterns

The following elementary schools feed into Jefferson[15]:

Two middle schools, Edward H. Cary and Thomas J. Rusk (partial), feed into Jefferson.

Notable alumni

Former students

Notes

  1. ^ Karen Elliott. "Black students stay out" (article about a walkout by black students protesting the refusal of many white students to attend the majority-black schools to which they had been assigned), The Dallas Morning News, September 14, 1971, page 1A. "Jefferson students also complained about the Rebel theme at the school, despite white students' agreement not to fly the Rebel flag or play Dixie at football games."
  2. ^ Karen Elliott. "Estes to get complaints," The Dallas Morning News, September 15, 1971, page 1A.
  3. ^ "Students vote today" (coverage of student vote for new symbols), The Dallas Morning News, April 13, 1972, page 1D.
  4. ^ TJ Alumni Association Main Page
  5. ^ "DISD WILL LET PINKSTON, TJ DROP TO CLASS AAAA." The Dallas Morning News. December 2, 1987. Retrieved on November 26, 2011.
  6. ^ "Fall 2008 Thomas Jefferson High School Attendance Zone Grades 9-12." Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 12, 2008.
  7. ^ "Maps." City of Dallas. Accessed October 12, 2008.
  8. ^ "Brochure." The Creeks of Preston Hollow. Accessed October 12, 2008.
  9. ^ Jacobs, Mary. "Preston Hollow adding Bushes to list of high-profile residents." The Dallas Morning News. January 7, 2009. Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Class of 1965 Reunion site
  11. ^ John Crumpacker. The Carter family puts its emphasis in Sacramento, San Francisco Chronicle, June 6, 2006
  12. ^ LULAC Gives Uniforms to High School Soccer Team
  13. ^ Thomas Jefferson HS: Policies
  14. ^ Texas Education Code, Chapter 11, School Districts: Subchapter D, Powers and duties of board of trustees of independent school district: Sec. 11.162, School uniforms. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  15. ^ Feeder Pattern for Thomas Jefferson HS, 2006-07 School Year
  16. ^ Chamberlain, Adrian. Meat Loaf, reheated: Singer says energy and voice are back, thanks to exercise and vocal coach The Ottawa Citizen, March 13, 2007.
  17. ^ SF Chronicle
  18. ^ "Traditions in Sports," part of the exhibit ¡Siempre! Hispanics at Texas A&M Celebrating 130 Years
  19. ^ Mary Brown Malouf, Taco of the Town: Tupinamba deserves its spot in Tex-Metroplex history, Dallas Observer, May 9, 1996
  20. ^ Dave Huffman profile at databaseFootball.com
  21. ^ "Newscaster Cynthia Izaguirre joins WFAA's 'Daybreak': newscaster of YouTube fame joins local morning show," The Dallas Morning News, January 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  22. ^ "A Look at 'Air Raid' Hal Mumme Football," Scout.com, December 30, 2004. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  23. ^ Liner notes to Dallas' Scene, Heard - Rare and Unreleased Tracks Compiled by the Dallas Observer
  24. ^ Mike Nesmith, profile by Rhino Records
  25. ^ Philip Wuntch. "She's in retirement, but it's all an act," The Dallas Morning News, August 17, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  26. ^ Robert Wilonsky. "Yup. I Was a Cheerleader. Damned Proud of It. (Well...)," Unfair Park blog of Dallas Observer, April 12, 2007.
  27. ^ "House District 77". enlou.com. http://enlou.com/officeholders/housedistrict77.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2009. 
  28. ^ Owen Wilson bio at Wilson-brothers.com

External links

Dallas Independent School District
High schools full list Bryan Adams | Adamson | Carter | Conrad | Hillcrest | Jefferson | Kimball | Lincoln | Madison | Molina | North Dallas | Pinkston | Roosevelt | Samuell | Seagoville | Skyline | South Oak Cliff | Spruce | Sunset | Wilmer-Hutchins | W. T. White | Wilson
Middle schools full list Anderson | Hill | Marsh | Quintanilla
Elementary schools full list Hooe | Lakewood | Milam | Preston Hollow
Magnet schools Townview magnets: Government, Law, & Law Enforcement | Science and Engineering Magnet | Talented & Gifted | Business and Management | Education and Social Services | Health Professions
Other High Schools: Washington HS for Performing and Visual Arts | Gilliam Collegiate Academy | Lincoln Humanities/Communications Magnet | Skyline | Smith New Tech
Middle/High: Obama Male | Rangel Young Women's | PreK-8: Dealey Montessori | Stone Montessori | 4-8: Travis Academy/Vanguard

Alumni sites