Jasper High School (Plano, Texas)
Encyclopedia
T. C. Jasper High School (commonly Jasper or JHS) is a free co-educational secondary school in Plano
, Texas (USA)
serving grades nine and ten. Founded in 1996, the school is part of the Plano Independent School District
. Rice and Robinson Middle Schools feed into Jasper. Students leaving Jasper will attend Plano West Senior High School
. The school colors are green, black, and white, and the school mascot is the Jaguar
.
In 2009, the school was rated "exemplary
" by the Texas Education Agency
.
.
Jasper was the third school built on the 104 acre (0.42087344 km²) parcel of land shared with Gulledge Elementary School and Robinson Middle School.
Jasper was constructed in time for the 1996–1997 school year; however, the completion of the 240000 square feet (22,296.7 m²), two-story building was not finished until July 1999. The company estimates that the construction cost was US$17,000,000. Jasper was the newest of the five 9–10 high schools in the Plano Independent School District. Jasper opened with an enrollment of 1,172 students, and a functional capacity of approximately 1,758 students.
Currently, Jasper has a student population of 1,947 students making it the third most populous high school in PISD.
In 2002, the Professional Development center was vacated. The area was then renovated, creating 7 classrooms and two offices, along with the enclosure of the outdoor dining area to create a dance room. The project, with a contract price of $700,157, was designed by Corgan Associates, Inc. and built by Tywell Construction Corporation. During the 2003 Bond Election held on August 23, 2003, a $3,500,000 addition of eight temporary classrooms was approved by a vote of 3,643 for to 1,499 against, in order to combat the extreme amount of students in the school, which had reached 1,980. This was part of a $33,550,000 bond proposal of PISD.
On March 25, 2004, Big Sky Construction was chosen out of eight contractors to build a band/choir
hall. The company's proposal of $1,999,900 was more than $30,000 less expensive than the next cheapest bid to the school district. It was completed in that same year for a price of $2,000,000.
On November 28, 2005, the Plano Independent School District announced the beginning of an addition of a science wing to assist in increasing Jasper's functional capacity, as the population of the school had already exceeded 2,000 students. The addition was approved in a 2004 Facility Program Bond vote by the citizens of Plano. It was a project given to the Cadence McShane Companies, and was built along with new additions to Williams High School
. The addition to Jasper was completed in July 2006, costing the school district approximately $7,501,893. Also added under the contract was a fourth cafeteria line and a multipurpose room. The wooden gym floors were redone during this same time.
. In 1998, Sue Kirk became principal. Kirk left after the 99-00 school year to be the first principal of McKinney North High School
. Bob Seei, was named principal beginning in the fall of 2000. Retiring three years later, he was replaced by Michael Novotny.
As of June 26, 2008, Michael Novotny left the principal position to become the superintendent of the Moulton Independent School District
.
As of the 2008–2009 school year, Jeff Gasaway replaced Michael Novotny. Courtney Gober, assistant principal from Williams High School, took up the role as principal for the 2010–2011 school year.
The ethnic makeup of Jasper High School is very diverse. The student-teacher ratio is 21:8, which is exactly on par with the state average. The foreign language classes have the highest ratio, with 23 students per teacher.
The Special Education
student subgroup consists of 7% of the student body, but students with IEPs that are in advanced classes have no honored accommodations. Only 4% of Jasper is economically disadvantaged, compared to a state average of 55%.
Jasper operates on a 9:00 am to 4:15 pm schedule, which includes seven periods and a 25 minute break for lunch in the on-campus cafeteria.
Jasper now offers three Advanced Placement (AP) classes: Human Geography
, European History (added 2009) and World History
. In 2005, Jasper had the highest percentage of passing students in the world on the Advanced Placement Human Geography
exam for schools of its size. Out of the students taking the AP World History, 89% received college credit for passing the test. The majority of scores on both tests was a '5', the highest score possible. In 2006, Jasper once again had the highest percentage of passing students in the world of the Advanced Placement Human Geography exam for schools of its size, with a 100% passing rate of the 95 students taking the test. The passing rate for the World History test was 74%. The most frequent score was a '5'
Spanish, French, German, Latin
, Chinese, and American Sign Language
are available to students attending Jasper.
JTV (Jasper Television) was a class offered from 1998–2007 that was available to both freshmen and sophomores. It offered an introduction to broadcast journalism, and 20-minute shows were televised to the student body every other Friday afternoon through closed-circuit television
.
Approximately 78% of Jasper students are taking a career/technology education course.
In the 2009–2010 school year, Humanities will begin to be counted as an Advanced Placement course, giving the World History AP credit to the students. As of June 2009, the Humanities course is planning to give incoming 9th graders the Honors English credit as an incentive for students who would have otherwise quit the Gifted and Talented Program, which Humanities is an extension of.
offered at Jasper High School are many and varied due to the school's large size. There are chapters of national organizations such as the National Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, (Leadership Education & Training); National Honor Society
and clubs founded by Jasper students such as the Intellectual Board Games Club. Service organizations such as the Peer Tutoring Society coexist alongside clubs where students can have fun, such as G.O.A.M., Jasper's media club.
(9th and 10th grades), volleyball (9th and 10th grades), basketball (9th and 10th grades), tennis (9th and 10th grades), baseball, golf and track (9th and 10th grades). Students in Marching Band receive athletic credit towards graduation, as do students in the JROTC program.
All Jasper athletes are considered part of a JV program and many Jasper students participating in varsity or junior varsity athletics at the Senior High School they will attend.
. She became the Drum Major
of the TCU
band.
Jasper's music program is one of the most decorated in Texas. The Legacy Orchestra is consistently listed among the best in the state—in 2008–2009, the Texas Music Educators Association
ranked the orchestra number two in the entire state, competing against 9–12 high schools.
All of the music programs (band, choir
, and orchestra) all have many qualifiers for the All-State honor each year. Each of them also earned the University Interscholastic League
(UIL) Sweepstakes Award in 2006, the highest award given to a music program in Texas.
World Affairs Council
Academic WorldQuest contest, winning an all-expenses paid trip to the national tournament in Washington, D.C. The Jasper WorldQuest team won the competition once again in 2007. The MathCounts team was a second to last place winner in state and sixth place in nationals at the TrigStar Math Competition.
In 2005, Jasper won the state HOSA
competition, advanced to nationals and received tenth place in newsletter and sixth in HOSA Bowl.
Also in that year, the Texas Computer Education Association awarded two first place medals to Jasper students for their work in desktop publishing
.
The Jasper Speech and Debate team (taken as a class) has sent several students to district and state levels, as well as a select number of national qualifiers. A handful of former Jasper Debate members became significant national debaters after moving on to senior high school.
The Jasper Latin club participates at the area and state level. The 2008–2009 Certamen team (freshmen) was able to place 2nd at area competition but, due to a misunderstanding, was not allowed to compete at the state level for the event.
The Jasper NHS (National Honor Society) is also renowned for its good service in its community.
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
, Texas (USA)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serving grades nine and ten. Founded in 1996, the school is part of the Plano Independent School District
Plano Independent School District
Plano Independent School District is a public school district in southeastern Collin County, Texas, with its headquarters in Plano. Plano ISD serves about of land, with of it within the City of Plano...
. Rice and Robinson Middle Schools feed into Jasper. Students leaving Jasper will attend Plano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Students at Plano West attended one of two high...
. The school colors are green, black, and white, and the school mascot is the Jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
.
In 2009, the school was rated "exemplary
Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system
The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system rates all public schools, charter schools, and school districts in the State of Texas.The criteria are the same for schools and districts, and are discussed below...
" by the Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
.
History
Jasper High School is named in honor of Plano, Texas banker and businessman Thomas Chilton "T.C." JasperThomas Chilton Jasper
Thomas Chilton "T.C." Jasper was born on January 11, 1844, in Middleburg, Kentucky. He served in the Civil War in Company C, 6th Regiment Kentucky Cavalry. After the war, he returned to Kentucky and taught school. On January 8, 1874, T.C. married Mary Wilmoth Jones. The couple established a very...
.
Jasper was the third school built on the 104 acre (0.42087344 km²) parcel of land shared with Gulledge Elementary School and Robinson Middle School.
Jasper was constructed in time for the 1996–1997 school year; however, the completion of the 240000 square feet (22,296.7 m²), two-story building was not finished until July 1999. The company estimates that the construction cost was US$17,000,000. Jasper was the newest of the five 9–10 high schools in the Plano Independent School District. Jasper opened with an enrollment of 1,172 students, and a functional capacity of approximately 1,758 students.
Currently, Jasper has a student population of 1,947 students making it the third most populous high school in PISD.
In 2002, the Professional Development center was vacated. The area was then renovated, creating 7 classrooms and two offices, along with the enclosure of the outdoor dining area to create a dance room. The project, with a contract price of $700,157, was designed by Corgan Associates, Inc. and built by Tywell Construction Corporation. During the 2003 Bond Election held on August 23, 2003, a $3,500,000 addition of eight temporary classrooms was approved by a vote of 3,643 for to 1,499 against, in order to combat the extreme amount of students in the school, which had reached 1,980. This was part of a $33,550,000 bond proposal of PISD.
On March 25, 2004, Big Sky Construction was chosen out of eight contractors to build a band/choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
hall. The company's proposal of $1,999,900 was more than $30,000 less expensive than the next cheapest bid to the school district. It was completed in that same year for a price of $2,000,000.
On November 28, 2005, the Plano Independent School District announced the beginning of an addition of a science wing to assist in increasing Jasper's functional capacity, as the population of the school had already exceeded 2,000 students. The addition was approved in a 2004 Facility Program Bond vote by the citizens of Plano. It was a project given to the Cadence McShane Companies, and was built along with new additions to Williams High School
Williams High School
T. H. Williams High School is a secondary school in Plano, Texas serving grades nine and ten. It is part of the Plano Independent School District. In Plano ISD, high school freshmen and sophomores attend one of five high schools. Juniors and seniors attend "senior high schools"...
. The addition to Jasper was completed in July 2006, costing the school district approximately $7,501,893. Also added under the contract was a fourth cafeteria line and a multipurpose room. The wooden gym floors were redone during this same time.
Principals
Phil Saviano was the original principal from 1996 to 1998. Saviano left to become the first principal of Plano West Senior High SchoolPlano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Students at Plano West attended one of two high...
. In 1998, Sue Kirk became principal. Kirk left after the 99-00 school year to be the first principal of McKinney North High School
McKinney North High School
McKinney North High School is a public secondary school located on 2550 Wilmeth Road in McKinney, Texas, USA. The school is part of the McKinney Independent School District. North was also recently updated to a "recognized" status via the TEA.-Academics:McKinney North operates on a 7:30 a.m. to...
. Bob Seei, was named principal beginning in the fall of 2000. Retiring three years later, he was replaced by Michael Novotny.
As of June 26, 2008, Michael Novotny left the principal position to become the superintendent of the Moulton Independent School District
Moulton Independent School District
Moulton Independent School District is a public school district based in Moulton, Texas .Located in Lavaca County, a small portion of the district extends into Gonzales County....
.
As of the 2008–2009 school year, Jeff Gasaway replaced Michael Novotny. Courtney Gober, assistant principal from Williams High School, took up the role as principal for the 2010–2011 school year.
Students
The current enrollment at Jasper is approximately 2000, which is the second largest of the five Plano high schools and fourth overall out of the 69 schools in PISD, & one of the biggest in Texas.The ethnic makeup of Jasper High School is very diverse. The student-teacher ratio is 21:8, which is exactly on par with the state average. The foreign language classes have the highest ratio, with 23 students per teacher.
The Special Education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
student subgroup consists of 7% of the student body, but students with IEPs that are in advanced classes have no honored accommodations. Only 4% of Jasper is economically disadvantaged, compared to a state average of 55%.
Jasper operates on a 9:00 am to 4:15 pm schedule, which includes seven periods and a 25 minute break for lunch in the on-campus cafeteria.
Jasper now offers three Advanced Placement (AP) classes: Human Geography
Human geography
Human geography is one of the two major sub-fields of the discipline of geography. Human geography is the study of the world, its people, communities, and cultures. Human geography differs from physical geography mainly in that it has a greater focus on studying human activities and is more...
, European History (added 2009) and World History
World History
World History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
. In 2005, Jasper had the highest percentage of passing students in the world on the Advanced Placement Human Geography
Human geography
Human geography is one of the two major sub-fields of the discipline of geography. Human geography is the study of the world, its people, communities, and cultures. Human geography differs from physical geography mainly in that it has a greater focus on studying human activities and is more...
exam for schools of its size. Out of the students taking the AP World History, 89% received college credit for passing the test. The majority of scores on both tests was a '5', the highest score possible. In 2006, Jasper once again had the highest percentage of passing students in the world of the Advanced Placement Human Geography exam for schools of its size, with a 100% passing rate of the 95 students taking the test. The passing rate for the World History test was 74%. The most frequent score was a '5'
Spanish, French, German, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Chinese, and American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
are available to students attending Jasper.
JTV (Jasper Television) was a class offered from 1998–2007 that was available to both freshmen and sophomores. It offered an introduction to broadcast journalism, and 20-minute shows were televised to the student body every other Friday afternoon through closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
.
Approximately 78% of Jasper students are taking a career/technology education course.
In the 2009–2010 school year, Humanities will begin to be counted as an Advanced Placement course, giving the World History AP credit to the students. As of June 2009, the Humanities course is planning to give incoming 9th graders the Honors English credit as an incentive for students who would have otherwise quit the Gifted and Talented Program, which Humanities is an extension of.
Extracurricular activities
The extracurricular activitiesExtracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education...
offered at Jasper High School are many and varied due to the school's large size. There are chapters of national organizations such as the National Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, (Leadership Education & Training); National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
and clubs founded by Jasper students such as the Intellectual Board Games Club. Service organizations such as the Peer Tutoring Society coexist alongside clubs where students can have fun, such as G.O.A.M., Jasper's media club.
Athletics
Jasper fields 13 teams in six different sports; 7 men's teams and 6 women's teams: footballAmerican football
American 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...
(9th and 10th grades), volleyball (9th and 10th grades), basketball (9th and 10th grades), tennis (9th and 10th grades), baseball, golf and track (9th and 10th grades). Students in Marching Band receive athletic credit towards graduation, as do students in the JROTC program.
All Jasper athletes are considered part of a JV program and many Jasper students participating in varsity or junior varsity athletics at the Senior High School they will attend.
Music Program
In 1996, Jasper's first year, sophomore Jessica Ridings (Edwards) wrote the lyrics to the school songSchool song
A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools.-Australia:*Melbourne High School - Honour the Work...
. She became the Drum Major
Drum Major
A drum major is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble regarding...
of the TCU
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
band.
Jasper's music program is one of the most decorated in Texas. The Legacy Orchestra is consistently listed among the best in the state—in 2008–2009, the Texas Music Educators Association
Texas Music Educators Association
Texas Music Educators Association, or TMEA, is an organization of over 9,000 Texas school music educators. Its stated goals are to provide professional growth opportunities, to encourage interaction among music education professionals, to foster public support for music in schools, to offer...
ranked the orchestra number two in the entire state, competing against 9–12 high schools.
All of the music programs (band, choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, and orchestra) all have many qualifiers for the All-State honor each year. Each of them also earned the University Interscholastic League
University 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....
(UIL) Sweepstakes Award in 2006, the highest award given to a music program in Texas.
Academics
In 2005, Jasper, won the Dallas/Fort WorthFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
World Affairs Council
World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
The mission of the nonprofit, nonpartisan World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is to promote international awareness, understanding and connections through its multifaceted programs...
Academic WorldQuest contest, winning an all-expenses paid trip to the national tournament in Washington, D.C. The Jasper WorldQuest team won the competition once again in 2007. The MathCounts team was a second to last place winner in state and sixth place in nationals at the TrigStar Math Competition.
In 2005, Jasper won the state HOSA
HOSA
Health Occupations Students of America is a national career and technical student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division of ACTE. HOSA is composed of secondary and postsecondary students. It is headquartered in Flower Mound,...
competition, advanced to nationals and received tenth place in newsletter and sixth in HOSA Bowl.
Also in that year, the Texas Computer Education Association awarded two first place medals to Jasper students for their work in desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
.
The Jasper Speech and Debate team (taken as a class) has sent several students to district and state levels, as well as a select number of national qualifiers. A handful of former Jasper Debate members became significant national debaters after moving on to senior high school.
The Jasper Latin club participates at the area and state level. The 2008–2009 Certamen team (freshmen) was able to place 2nd at area competition but, due to a misunderstanding, was not allowed to compete at the state level for the event.
The Jasper NHS (National Honor Society) is also renowned for its good service in its community.
Awards
- In October 2006, Jasper was one of eight PISD schools and 268 Texas public schools (out of 7,519, or the top 3%) to earn recognition on the Texas Business and Education Coalition Honor Roll.
- In August 2006, Jasper was one of nine PISD schools to teach their students about Christopher Columbus. Jasper was given a $16,000 Campus Award and a $4,736 Teacher Award, both being the highest amounts won by any high school (9–10) in the district. The Texas Education Agency awards up to $100 for each student scoring a three or higher on an AP exam and an additional award is provided to each school for the deposit of up to $50 in the teacher bonus pool for each student enrolled.
- Jasper has received the 'Commended Performance' designation in EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
/Reading/Language ArtsLanguage artsTraditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....
, Math and Science, Social StudiesSocial studiesSocial studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
, and Attendance Rate.
- In December 2009 The Jasper Theatre program won the "Plano One Act" play festival/competition. One student winning "All Star Technician, and the entire cast winning "All Star Cast", thereby making history in the competition.
- In early May 2010, Chemistry teacher and Science Department Head Lorraine Seawright was awarded the PISD Secondary teacher of the Year award.
See also
- Clark High SchoolR. C. Clark High SchoolR. C. Clark High School is a secondary school in Plano, Texas serving grades nine and ten. It is part of the Plano Independent School District. In Plano ISD, high school freshmen and sophomores attend one of five high schools; juniors and seniors attend separate "senior high schools"...
- Shepton High SchoolShepton High SchoolShepton High School is a secondary school in Plano, Texas serving grades nine and ten. It is part of the Plano Independent School District. In Plano ISD, high school freshmen and sophomores attend one of six high schools...
- Vines High SchoolVines High SchoolW. A. Vines High School is a free co-educational secondary school in Plano, Texas serving grades nine and ten. Wilson and Haggard Middle Schools feed into Vines. Founded in 1976, the school is part of the Plano Independent School District. Vines is accredited by the Texas Education Agency, which...
- Williams High SchoolWilliams High SchoolT. H. Williams High School is a secondary school in Plano, Texas serving grades nine and ten. It is part of the Plano Independent School District. In Plano ISD, high school freshmen and sophomores attend one of five high schools. Juniors and seniors attend "senior high schools"...
- Plano East Senior High SchoolPlano East Senior High SchoolPlano East Senior High School is a secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. It is part of the Plano Independent School District....
- Plano Senior High SchoolPlano Senior High SchoolPlano Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas, USA, serving students in grades 11–12. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes...
- Plano West Senior High SchoolPlano West Senior High SchoolPlano West Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Students at Plano West attended one of two high...
External links
- Jasper High School website
- Jasper High School Band website
- Jasper High School Jasper Jazz Drill Team website
- http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/041610dnmetgasaway.24ded9950.html