Bel Air High School (El Paso, Texas)
Encyclopedia
Bel Air High School is a high school
in the city of El Paso, Texas
, USA. The school was established in 1957.
. Bel Air is a school for health professions.
Bel Air High School made Newsweek
's list of the nation's top high schools based on rankings influenced heavily by the number of students who took Advanced Placement tests the previous year. According to a MSNBC.com
report, Bel Air ranks 984th on Newsweek 's list of the nation's top high schools. The schools were ranked based on the number of students taking the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors. Earlier this year, Bel Air was removed from a Texas Education Agency (TEA) list of schools that did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (August 2005) required by the federal government as part of the No Child Left Behind Act
. The school is in good standing as of October 2005, making significant academic progress (double digit increases) under the guidance of then principal Daniel Girard. In the December 2008 issue of US News and World report, Bel Air High School was ranked as silver metal in U.S. news rank for its college readiness index. This was based on school data from 2006–2007, when Mr. Girard was principal.
A decade ago, Bel Air was on the verge of being taken over by the state for poor academic performance. Instead of state oversight, the school in 1996 became the only public high school in the county to be reconstituted, meaning all employees, from custodians to teachers, had to reapply for their jobs at the school. Only former principal Vern Butler was allowed to remain without having to reapply for his job. Seventy-three of the 132 teachers and staff members who were at Bel Air were rehired.
The current facilities consists of a main building, a four story science wing and library, Army
JROTC Building, Health Professions (HP) Building, Fine Arts Building, a Theatre Building, high school stadium, and newly made field house.
In October 2006, 12 teachers at Bel Air High School filed a grievance against the Ysleta Independent School District claiming they were required to work during off-duty hours without compensation. The grievance claimed labor-law violations and harassment from then-principal Daniel Girard and other administrators. In June 2007, two members of Ysleta Independent School District Board of Trustees apologized to the teachers who complained, but the Board voted not to compensate the teachers. After the filing of the grievance, five of the twelve teachers had either requested a transfer to another school, or quit. Daniel Girard, who had been Principal of Bel Air High School since September 25, 2005, accepted a job as a principal of Akins High School in the Austin Independent School District. After Daniel Girard left the district an independent investigator, appointed by the YISD, found no wrong doing on the part of Mr. Girard. Upon Mr. Girard's acceptance of principalship in Austin in May 2007, Marvyn Luckett, who had previously been with the YISD for over 22 years, was appointed Principal of Bel Air High School for the 2007-2008 school year. Since then, school data based on the 2007-2008 school year show that Bel Air High School has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (August 2008).
In November 2009 Bel Air High School was re-recognized by Texas Education Agency (TEA). Since July 2010, Dr. Dora De La Rosa became principal. She was the principal for Tejas School of Choice, another school in the Ysleta district.
Bel Air Highlander Alumni
District Champions - 1961, 1962, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1983, 2001
Bi-District Champions - 1961, 1971, 1974, 1983, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999
Area Champions - 1983
Regional Semi-Finalist - State Elite 8 - 1983
Bel Air Highlander Alumi
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in the city of El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, USA. The school was established in 1957.
History
Bel Air had its first graduating senior class in 1961 with only 61 graduates; today Bel Air High School graduates more than 400 annually. The school is part of the Ysleta Independent School DistrictYsleta Independent School District
Ysleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas . Ysleta ISD is the second largest school district in the city of El Paso.Ysleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas...
. Bel Air is a school for health professions.
Bel Air High School made Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
's list of the nation's top high schools based on rankings influenced heavily by the number of students who took Advanced Placement tests the previous year. According to a MSNBC.com
Msnbc.com
msnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
report, Bel Air ranks 984th on Newsweek 's list of the nation's top high schools. The schools were ranked based on the number of students taking the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors. Earlier this year, Bel Air was removed from a Texas Education Agency (TEA) list of schools that did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (August 2005) required by the federal government as part of the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. The school is in good standing as of October 2005, making significant academic progress (double digit increases) under the guidance of then principal Daniel Girard. In the December 2008 issue of US News and World report, Bel Air High School was ranked as silver metal in U.S. news rank for its college readiness index. This was based on school data from 2006–2007, when Mr. Girard was principal.
A decade ago, Bel Air was on the verge of being taken over by the state for poor academic performance. Instead of state oversight, the school in 1996 became the only public high school in the county to be reconstituted, meaning all employees, from custodians to teachers, had to reapply for their jobs at the school. Only former principal Vern Butler was allowed to remain without having to reapply for his job. Seventy-three of the 132 teachers and staff members who were at Bel Air were rehired.
The current facilities consists of a main building, a four story science wing and library, Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
JROTC Building, Health Professions (HP) Building, Fine Arts Building, a Theatre Building, high school stadium, and newly made field house.
In October 2006, 12 teachers at Bel Air High School filed a grievance against the Ysleta Independent School District claiming they were required to work during off-duty hours without compensation. The grievance claimed labor-law violations and harassment from then-principal Daniel Girard and other administrators. In June 2007, two members of Ysleta Independent School District Board of Trustees apologized to the teachers who complained, but the Board voted not to compensate the teachers. After the filing of the grievance, five of the twelve teachers had either requested a transfer to another school, or quit. Daniel Girard, who had been Principal of Bel Air High School since September 25, 2005, accepted a job as a principal of Akins High School in the Austin Independent School District. After Daniel Girard left the district an independent investigator, appointed by the YISD, found no wrong doing on the part of Mr. Girard. Upon Mr. Girard's acceptance of principalship in Austin in May 2007, Marvyn Luckett, who had previously been with the YISD for over 22 years, was appointed Principal of Bel Air High School for the 2007-2008 school year. Since then, school data based on the 2007-2008 school year show that Bel Air High School has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (August 2008).
In November 2009 Bel Air High School was re-recognized by Texas Education Agency (TEA). Since July 2010, Dr. Dora De La Rosa became principal. She was the principal for Tejas School of Choice, another school in the Ysleta district.
Alumni
The Bel Air Highlander Alumni is an active alumni association dedicated to serving the Bel Air Community.Bel Air Highlander Alumni
Parent Organization
The Bel Air Highland Clan is an active organization working for the betterment of Bel Air and its students.Clubs
- Project P.A.S.S.
- Marching Band
- City-recognized jazz bands
- Award Winning Drumline (Denver Regional Champions, 2009)
- Western United States Grade IV Pipe Band
- Award-Winning Tech Club
- Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corp (JROTC)
- Student Council
- The Argus Newspaper
- Destination Imagination
- Speech and Debate
- KBA News
- Bel Air Center for Health Professions
- Health Occupations Students of America
- AnimeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Club - Dance Team- Mu Delta Chi
Teams
- Speech and Debate - Ranked Second in the State, and had its first state champion in 2007, ranked first in state in 2010
- JROTC
- Armed Drill Team
- Unarmed Drill Team
- Cadet Challenge - male and female
- Color Guard - male, female and mixed
- Saber Guard
- Bataan TeamBataan Death MarchThe Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
- Bel Air Marching Band
- Math Team
Boys
- Baseball
District Champions - 1961, 1962, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1983, 2001
Bi-District Champions - 1961, 1971, 1974, 1983, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999
Area Champions - 1983
Regional Semi-Finalist - State Elite 8 - 1983
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Wrestling
Girls
- Mu Delta Chi
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
External links
Bel Air Highlander Alumi