| W. W. Samuell High School | |
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Together We Make It Happen[1]
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| Location | |
| 8928 Palisade Drive Dallas, TX 75217 |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public, Secondary |
| School district | Dallas Independent School District |
| Principal | Israel Cordero[1] |
| Faculty | 125[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 2,000+[2] |
| Color(s) | Blue and Gold[1] |
| Mascot | Spartan[1] |
| Trustee dist. | 4, Nancy Bingham[3] |
| Area | 1, Ivonne Durant[4] |
W. W. Samuell High School is a public secondary school located in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas, Texas (USA). Samuell High enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District.
The school serves portions of southeast Dallas and a portion of the city of Balch Springs.
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Dallas ISD annexed Pleasant Grove ISD in 1955, and Pleasant Grove High School was replaced by Samuell High School the same year. In the 1950s and early 1960s, a number of new housing developments in the Pleasant Grove area made Samuell one of Dallas' largest high schools; a new wing was opened in the mid-1960s to handle the increase in population. H. Grady Spruce and Skyline high schools were opened in 1963 and 1971 to help reduce attendance at Samuell.
Dr. William Worthington Samuell was a wealthy individual who before his death donated millions of dollars to the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. There are now at least six institutions named after Dr. Samuell in the Dallas area, including the high school, a boulevard, a City of Dallas ranch, a city park and two streets in bordering cities. Dr. W. W. Samuell purchased the first ambulance for the City of Dallas in 1911.
The school and the district became the focus of a prominent civil rights case in 1966 when three male students — Paul Jarvis, Phil Ferrell and Steve Webb — sued the district after they were ordered to cut their long hair in order to be admitted to school. The case was one of the first in which individuals sued a large urban school district to preserve their individual rights, and the cause was taken up by the American Civil Liberties Union as well as local retail pioneer Stanley Marcus. Marcus did not know the students, but saw their hairstyles as a fashion choice rather than a show of disregard for authority. The case was lost in the U.S. District Court, and despite a series of appeals leading to the U.S. Supreme Court, it was not overturned. The decision is still cited in court cases over constitutional rights.[5]
The 1965 Spartan baseball team won the Class AAAA title.[6] According to records maintained by the University Interscholastic League, this is the only state title won by Samuell in any sport and the only baseball state championship won by any DISD high school.
Toward the end of the 2008-2009 school year, Samuell was announced as academically acceptable for the 2009-2010 school year.
The alma mater is "Hail Samuell High, Hail Samuell High", written in 1955 by a music teacher at the school. The school yearbook is The Torch and the school newspaper is The Sentinel. For many years, the seniors' annual memory book was The Senior Pub, a publication of senior moments which covered all levels of the school, from the classroom funnies to athletics to activities. Most seniors perform in The Senior Assembly either alone or in a group.
The ethnic makeup of the school in the 2008-2009 fiscal year was 61% Hispanic, 39% Black, less than 1% White, 1% Native American and less than 1% Asian or Pacific Islander.
81% of the student population is catergorized as being economically disadvantaged compared to 55% in Texas and 14% of the student population is listed as having special education compared to 10% in Texas.
As of 2007, Fred F. Florence and John B. Hood Middle Schools feed into Samuell High School.[7] John Quincy Adams, Pleasant Grove, John W. Runyon, and Edward Titche Elementary Schools all feed into Florence Middle School, and ultimately into Samuell High School.[7] Annie Webb Blanton, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Ireland, San Jacinto, and C. A. Tatum Jr. Elementary Schools feed into Hood Middle School, and ultimately into Samuell High School.[7]
In 2007, the W.W. Samuell High School Marching "Sound System" Band, under the direction of Mr. Carlton Cooper won Grambling State University's Dallas High School "Battle of the Bands" at D.I.S.D.'s Kincaide Stadium over Townview Magnet High School "Big D" Band in the large band category. This was the Samuell band's first "Battle of the Bands" victory in the school's history.
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| Dallas Independent School District | |
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| 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 |