Akins High School
Encyclopedia
Akins High School is located in South Austin
, Texas
, United States
. It was named after Dr. William Charles Akins, an Austin resident and founded in 2000. It is one of the newest high schools in the Austin Independent School District
. Its current attendance exceeds 2,700 students, with the majority being Hispanic
and Mexican-Americans. Akins High School competes on the 5A circuit in all of its UIL competitions.
Zone contest, and advanced to District for the first time ever with 5A status. They did not continue from district competition but did take home several awards including Best Actress.
The newspaper, The Eagle's Eye, has been recognized in 2006 and 2007 as one of the best newspapers in the state by the UIL Interscholastic League press conference with the award of the gold star. Publications students have also received awards from state and national organizations for their 2007 literature magazine, WORD, featuring stories, poems, as well as photography prints and artwork of all mediums.
The school yearbook, The Aerie, has also won a few state awards. The 2008 yearbook was the first all-color edition in Akins history.
With the addition of the New Tech High branch of the academies, a new section of building was constructed at the southeast end of the main building, effectively extending what is referred to as the "Red Hall", due to the dark red color of paint used for the lockers. The other end of the main building carries the name of "Green Hall" for the same reason; dark green paint used for the lockers, and is where many of the Arts & Humanities classes are concentrated since the Fine Arts building is adjacent with that end and the lights are turned off at times where the sun can provide light inside the hallway through some of the skylights around the school.
In addition , a new building has been constructed, creating a wing for the new T-STEM academy, consisting of several classrooms, including science labs. It was opened shortly after the start of the 2010-2011 school year.
.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was named after Dr. William Charles Akins, an Austin resident and founded in 2000. It is one of the newest high schools in the Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District is a school district that is based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. It was established in 1881. Its current superintendent is...
. Its current attendance exceeds 2,700 students, with the majority being Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
and Mexican-Americans. Akins High School competes on the 5A circuit in all of its UIL competitions.
Curriculum redesign
Beginning in late August 2006, the school opted for students to continue their education following courses modeled through 'academies'. Under the plan, students choose a path from 5 academies, each modeled after varying areas of academics, with the exception of its NTHS program which focuses on project-based learning. In addition to taking the basic required courses for graduation, students choose from electoral and advanced courses within their selected academy. The academies are:- ABLE (Academy of Business and Legal Enterprise)
- AHA (Arts and Humanities Academy)
- SS (Social Services)
- ACES (Agriculture, Computer, and Environmental Sciences)
- NTHS (New Tech High School)
- T-STEM (Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Departments
- Athletics (Physical Education)
- Career and Technical Education
- English/Language Arts
- Fine Arts
- Languages Other Than English (LOTE)
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
Student organizations
- Business Professionals of AmericaBusiness Professionals of AmericaBusiness Professionals of America is a career and technical student organization that is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. BPA aims to develop leadership, academic, and technological skills in the workplace among students and leaders within the community...
- Health Occupations Students of America
- Future Farmers of America
- Technology Student AssociationTechnology Student AssociationThe Technology Student Association is an international Career and Technical Student Organization made up of over 150,000 Middle School and High School Technology Education Students. TSA is the premier CTSO dedicated to STEM Standards: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics...
- RoboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
- PALSPALSPALS may refer to:* Pouch Attachment Ladder System* Pediatric Advanced Life Support* Periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths* Prague Asterix Laser System* Patient Advice and Liaison Service* Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy...
- Key ClubKey ClubKey Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
- Rockets
Sports
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- Boys and Girls Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Boys and Girls BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- Boys and Girls WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
- Boys and Girls Soccer
- Boys and Girls SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- Boys and Girls TrackTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- Boys and Girls TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Boys and Girls GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
Theatre
In March 2007, the Akins Journey Theatre competed in the UILUniversity Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
Zone contest, and advanced to District for the first time ever with 5A status. They did not continue from district competition but did take home several awards including Best Actress.
Debate
Akins has had one of the most successful Speech and Debate programs in the city, qualifying students to both the National Forensic League and the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National tournaments. Akins has also sent debate competitors to State and Regional Competition consistently for three years.Journalism
Print Journalism is one of the largest majors in the Arts and Humanities Academy of Akins with over 200 students enrolled in the intro classes of Journalism 1 and Photojournalism, as well as the publications classes that produce the student newspaper and the yearbook.The newspaper, The Eagle's Eye, has been recognized in 2006 and 2007 as one of the best newspapers in the state by the UIL Interscholastic League press conference with the award of the gold star. Publications students have also received awards from state and national organizations for their 2007 literature magazine, WORD, featuring stories, poems, as well as photography prints and artwork of all mediums.
The school yearbook, The Aerie, has also won a few state awards. The 2008 yearbook was the first all-color edition in Akins history.
Layout
Akins High School is formed from the main building divided into four halls (A,B,C, & D), the Fine Arts building, the gymnasium, and cafeteria, all set in a circular pattern to enclose the spacious courtyard. Changes are made from year to year, but typically the freshman classes will be grouped together, as well as classes in the same academy will be focused in a specific area. To the east behind the gym and cafeteria lay several portable classroom buildings, as well as practice fields including the football field, extra space for soccer fields, the running track, and an outdoor basketball court. More practice fields are located directly to the south of the school, roughly behind the library, including tennis courts, a softball and baseball field, and more soccer fields.With the addition of the New Tech High branch of the academies, a new section of building was constructed at the southeast end of the main building, effectively extending what is referred to as the "Red Hall", due to the dark red color of paint used for the lockers. The other end of the main building carries the name of "Green Hall" for the same reason; dark green paint used for the lockers, and is where many of the Arts & Humanities classes are concentrated since the Fine Arts building is adjacent with that end and the lights are turned off at times where the sun can provide light inside the hallway through some of the skylights around the school.
In addition , a new building has been constructed, creating a wing for the new T-STEM academy, consisting of several classrooms, including science labs. It was opened shortly after the start of the 2010-2011 school year.
School in film
This school was the setting for the fictional school of Rocky Creek High in the film The New GuyThe New Guy
The New Guy is a 2002 American teen comedy directed by Ed Decter. The film tells the story of high school loser Dizzy Gillespie Harrison. Dizzy is an unpopular, high school band geek going through a hellish senior year...
.