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L. D. Bell High School (Hurst, Texas)
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Dale Bell High School, more commonly known as L. D. Bell High School, is a public high school in the cities of Hurst
and Bedford, Texas
and part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
. The school is named for Lawrence Dale Bell, the founder of nearby Bell Helicopter Textron
, and was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School
for 1994-96.
L. D. Bell's marching band has placed in the top five of every competition entered since 1999, and in 2007 won the Bands of America
Grand National Championship. The men's and women's gymnastics
teams have won a combined total of 35 state championships since 1967.
L.D. Bell High School opened in 1957 at a campus on Pipeline Road. Lawrence Dale Bell High School was relocated to the current campus on Brown Trail Drive in 1965, at a site donated to the school district by Lawrence D. "Larry" Bell, Founder and President of Bell Helicopter Textron
in Hurst. The new location was able to accommodate a growing student population resulting from the rapid suburb
an growth in Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and Colleyville. The former high school grounds now house Central Junior High, the H-E-B Athletic Complex, KEYS (Keeping Eligible Youth in School) High School, and the Forest E. Watson (F.E.W.) Center.
Preceding Jim Bannister as principal was Jim Short. Both of these men were preceded by the state legislature-commended E. Don Brown, a former president of both the National Association of Secondary School Principals
(NASSP) and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).
In 2002, the school was at the center of a national zero tolerance
debate when an honor student was expelled
for having a non-serrated bread knife in his truck-bed. The knife was left in the truck by accident after the student had helped move his grandmother's possessions. His expulsion was rescinded when media attention mounted against principal Jim Short and the school district.
On June 2, 2006, a senior Bell theater student, Katherine Smith, was arrested for "tampering with a consumer product" after she put bleach in a 20 oz. Mountain Dew
bottle and gave it to the 15 year old actor who had won a leading role in the play, for which Smith was the understudy.
L. D. Bell High School moved to its present location in 1965. Venues on the L.D. Bell High School campus include Nathan F. Danford field (baseball
); a softball
field; the Raider Bowl - a football
field with permanent bleacher
s, a track
, a field house, and an observation deck; a practice football field for the marching band with an observation deck; several other large football fields; and four parking lots (faculty, student, band hall and Bell Freeway Entrance (B.F.E.) / Raider Bowl).
The northern section of the campus grounds, including all buildings, is within the Hurst City limits. The baseball diamond and most of the Raider Bowl and track are located within Bedford city limits.
L.D. Bell shares the use of district facilities such as Pennington Field
for soccer, football
, and marching band
events; the H-E-B Natatorium
located on the Trinity High School
campus; and the HEB athletic field located at Central Junior High.
(35.0%), grade 11
(34.5%), and grade 12
(30.6%). Ethnicities represented include white
(66.1%), Hispanic
(15.3%), Asian and Pacific Islander (6.0%), African American
(11.9%), and Native American
(0.7%). Twenty-five percent were economically disadvantaged
.
There were 590 graduates in the class of 2005. The annual dropout
rate is 0.5% (in 2004-2005).
L.D. Bell receives students from three feeder school
s: all students from Bedford Junior High school and Hurst Junior High school attend Bell along with a share of the students from Central Junior High school. Students in the attendance zones for Bedford Heights, Bellaire, Bell Manor, Donna Park, Harrison Lane, Hurst Hills, River Trails, Shady Brook, Shady Oaks, Stonegate, and West Hurst elementary school
s attend L. D. Bell High School.
L.D. Bell students carry on many traditions, including "head-banging" to the drumline during pep rallies and at football games, as well as Seniors storming the gym floor at the beginning of the fight song at the end of each pep rally.
2007 list of the top 1,200 high schools in the country. The rankings are based on the number of Advanced Placement
and International Baccalaureate
tests taken by graduating seniors — L.D. Bell had 2.595 tests taken per Class of 2007 graduate. 2007 is the first year that L.D. Bell has been included in the list.
Among Tarrant County
high schools, Bell High School ranks eleventh (of forty-six) in average points above passing on the 11th grade TAKS test.
The district has offered the IB Diploma Programme
and Pre-IB preparatory classes at L. D. Bell since fall 2002, graduating the first class of IB students in spring 2004.
L.D. Bell students may take specialized or vocational courses at other school district facilities, such as broadcast journalism
classes at the F.E.W. Center (near Central Junior High) or automotive repair and service, culinary arts, computer aided drafting, and cosmetology
classes at the Technical Education Center (near the district administrative buildings and Pennington Field on Central Dr.).
at each feeder campus are technically eligible for varsity
sports programs, and on rare occasion make the teams and participate with the high school attendees.
L.D. Bell has three football teams: varsity, junior varsity, and sophomore. For the game with rival Trinity High School
, the teams alternate between home and visitor every two years. The varsity football team has lost against Trinity High School in each of their last 13 games, including a 45-22 loss in the regular season of fall 2010. The 1982 varsity football team was defeated in the state championship game by West Brook Senior High (Beaumont, TX)
. Bell made the state semifinals in 1986 and the area finals in 1989. The sophomores of L.D. Bell showed the greatest growth going 9-1 in their 2009 season. Losing only to Trinity's Second Junior Varsity team 40-0. The varsity had its worse season in 2009 going 3-7 the first losing season in many years.
Men's Gymnastics
State Champsionships: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1993, 2007
The men's gymnastics team has won 16 state titles since it was founded by Coach Emil Millan in 1966. The Bell men's team, currently coached by Sean Sims, has been the district and regional champions for the past three years, and placed 3rd as a team in the 2006 state championship. In the 2007 state championship meet, the team won their 16th state title, bringing back the championship for the first time in 14 years. The team finished as state runner-up in 2008 while bringing home titles on floor, parallel bars and all-around.
Women's Gymnastics State Champsionships: 1967, 1968, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
The women's gymnastics team has won 19 state championships since 1967. The team has claimed the first place spot at both district and regionals for at least the past six years, claimed state titles from 2002 to 2005, and placed second in the 2006 and 2007 state championship competition. The 2006-07 school year was Coach Debbie Williams' 32nd season at L.D. Bell. Lindsey Heartsfield, Renee McEntire, and Sara Bedford are the only gymnastics in the state of Texas that have won 4 Team State Championships. Individually, Heartsfield is the 2005 Uneven Bar State Champion; McEntire is the 2005 All-Around State Champion; Bedford is the 2003 Balance Beam State Champion and 2005 Floor State Champion.
Men's baseball is played on campus at Nathan F. Danford field, located along Pleasantview Dr. on the northwest corner of campus. The team made the regional semifinals in 1983 and the regional quarterfinals in 2002. They won the district championships in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005.
The ice hockey
team plays at area ice rinks, including the Dr. Pepper Star's Centers in Euless, Grapevine, and Coppell.
The volleyball
team won the district 7-5A championship in 2006. The women's soccer team won the district championship in 2007.
The men's and women's soccer teams' home games are typically played at Pennington Field
. Softball home games are played at the softball field on the south end of campus near the Raider Bowl. L.D. Bell High School also fields teams in men's basketball
, women's basketball, and golf
.
The marching band advanced to the UIL 5A State competition in 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996 and 1988; advanced to the finals in 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002 (finals canceled due to inclement weather), and 2000, and won the championship in 2004 and 2000.
In addition to the University Interscholastic League
(UIL) competitions, the band regularly competes in independent contests (usually run by schools) and Bands of America
(BOA) contests at both the regional and national levels. In November 2007, the Bell marching band won the BOA Grand National Championship and additional awards for Outstanding Music Performance and Outstanding General Effect. (permanent link) In 2006, the marching band was awarded "Outstanding Musical Performance" and placed 2nd overall at the BOA Grand Nationals. In 2004, the band won the BOA St. Louis Super-Regional and captured all captions (specific categories of judgment - music, marching, and general effect). In other BOA Grand National competitions, the band placed 4th in 2001, 5th in 2003, 3rd in 2005, 2nd in 2006, 1st in 2007, 2nd in 2008, 2nd in 2009, and 3rd in 2010. Since 2000, the band has medaled at 22 BOA events and 4 of 4 times at the UIL State Marching Band Contest. As of October 2009, the L.D. Bell Marching Band has placed in the top 5 of every contest entered since 1999.
In recent years, the L.D. Bell High school and Trinity High school bands have cooperated to run the "H-E-B Marching Contest" as an additional fund-raising opportunity. Located at Pennington Field, the contest features an exhibition performance of both host bands along with other high schools from the state and surrounding areas in full preliminary and finals competitions.
The theatre department participates in several activities each year. The UIL
One act play
s are competitive and advance through district, area, and state rounds. There are also senior directed one-act plays that allow students the opportunity to direct and produce their own play. In 1987, the Theatre department advanced through zone, district and area rounds to compete at the regional-level competition with their UIL One Act play "Amadeus". L.D. Bell Theater won the 1995 state championship with the UIL One Act play "Black Angel".
The Raiderettes dance team performs at football games, basketball games, and in competitions. Consisting only of sophomore, junior and senior girls, the Raiderettes are known for their entrance onto the field to the song, "Grand Entry Swing March", and for their traditional kick/dance to the song, "Hey, Look Me Over!"
The Step Team Choreographed dance Performs at all the pep-rallys, as well as compete localy & Nationaly. The Boys stepteam G-phi Smooth, also known as "The Hollywood Steppers" outside of school competition, consists of Sophomore, junior, and senior boys. Always known for their elaborate Entrances and Outros as well as theme, G-Phi Smooth have won multiple State competitions and have competed on National Television, going as far as Top 20 on Americas Got Talent where they competed with the World Famous Dance group "The Jabbawockeez". The Team was started in 2005 by then Sophmore Jon "DaCon" Cancél. Their biggest victory came when they beat then rivals Arlington Bowie HS "Bowie Souljahz" and Eastern Hills HS "Showtime Steppers" in Stomp Wars, the biggest and best State wide competition back-to-back-to-back and were considered the number 1 Step Team in the Nation in 2007.
The choral program includes Bell System, an exclusive group that combines singing with dance steps and choreography. You can find this group of 16 performing around the metroplex, especially around the holiday season, when they perform at venues such as the Fort Worth Petroleum Club, Cooks Children's Hospital, HEBISD conferences, Santa USA, Noteboom Injury Lawyers, and many others. Along with the nearly 30 shows in December alone, The Bell System has its annual Showtime performance located in the L.D. Bell auditorium. In 2010, the show choir was featured on the front page of the Star Telegram prior to the show in February.
The choral program is continuously recognized throughout the region and country. Choirs continue to receive the Sweepstakes award at UIL competitions,as well as bring home prestigious awards from annual out of state competitions. In 2010, the A Cappella choir was named Grand Vocal Champions in The Windy City Classic in Chicago, just to name one. In October 2009, the A Cappella choir was featured on a special aired on KERA Television in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area as well. By invitation, the choirs often perform with local orchestras and outside organizations such as the Northeast Tarrant County Orchestra. The choirs are expected to travel and compete in Italy in the Spring of 2012. With new leadership, the program is expected to nearly double in the next several years.
L.D. Bell also features a vibrant speech and debate program that was revitalized in 1995. The speech and debate organization at the school had been largely non-competitive since the early 1980s. The team has competes in Lincoln-Douglas debate and several speech events at competitions run by the Texas Forensics Association, National Forensics League, and UIL.
Hurst, Texas
Hurst is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. Hurst is one of the Mid-Cities between Fort Worth and Dallas, but is a suburb of Fort Worth. The city was founded by William Letchworth Hurst...
and Bedford, Texas
Bedford, Texas
Bedford is a suburban city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 46,979 at the 2010 census...
and part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District is a K-12 public school district based in Bedford, Texas .The district serves the city of Bedford, most of the cities of Euless and Hurst, and small parts of North Richland Hills, Colleyville, Fort Worth, and Arlington...
. The school is named for Lawrence Dale Bell, the founder of nearby Bell Helicopter Textron
Bell Helicopter Textron
Bell Helicopter is an American rotorcraft manufacturer headquartered in Hurst, Texas, near Fort Worth. A division of Textron, Bell manufactures military helicopter and tiltrotor products in and around Fort Worth, as well as in Amarillo, Texas, and commercial rotorcraft products in Mirabel, Quebec,...
, and was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
for 1994-96.
L. D. Bell's marching band has placed in the top five of every competition entered since 1999, and in 2007 won the Bands of America
Bands of America
Bands of America , a division of Music for All, Inc., is an organization that promotes and organizes marching band competitions for high school students. Competitions include both Regional and Super Regional Championships as well as the Grand National Championships...
Grand National Championship. The men's and women's gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
teams have won a combined total of 35 state championships since 1967.
History
Bell Helicopter Textron
Bell Helicopter is an American rotorcraft manufacturer headquartered in Hurst, Texas, near Fort Worth. A division of Textron, Bell manufactures military helicopter and tiltrotor products in and around Fort Worth, as well as in Amarillo, Texas, and commercial rotorcraft products in Mirabel, Quebec,...
in Hurst. The new location was able to accommodate a growing student population resulting from the rapid suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an growth in Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and Colleyville. The former high school grounds now house Central Junior High, the H-E-B Athletic Complex, KEYS (Keeping Eligible Youth in School) High School, and the Forest E. Watson (F.E.W.) Center.
Preceding Jim Bannister as principal was Jim Short. Both of these men were preceded by the state legislature-commended E. Don Brown, a former president of both the National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of Secondary School Principals
The is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world...
(NASSP) and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).
In 2002, the school was at the center of a national zero tolerance
Zero tolerance
Zero tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are...
debate when an honor student was expelled
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
for having a non-serrated bread knife in his truck-bed. The knife was left in the truck by accident after the student had helped move his grandmother's possessions. His expulsion was rescinded when media attention mounted against principal Jim Short and the school district.
On June 2, 2006, a senior Bell theater student, Katherine Smith, was arrested for "tampering with a consumer product" after she put bleach in a 20 oz. Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
bottle and gave it to the 15 year old actor who had won a leading role in the play, for which Smith was the understudy.
Campus and facilities
Baseball
Baseball 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...
); a softball
Softball
Softball 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...
field; the Raider Bowl - a football
American 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...
field with permanent bleacher
Bleacher
Bleachers is an American term used to describe the raised, tiered rows of seats found at sports fields or at other spectator events...
s, a track
Track and field
Track 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...
, a field house, and an observation deck; a practice football field for the marching band with an observation deck; several other large football fields; and four parking lots (faculty, student, band hall and Bell Freeway Entrance (B.F.E.) / Raider Bowl).
The northern section of the campus grounds, including all buildings, is within the Hurst City limits. The baseball diamond and most of the Raider Bowl and track are located within Bedford city limits.
L.D. Bell shares the use of district facilities such as Pennington Field
Pennington Field
Pennington Field is a multi-purpose stadium located in Bedford, Texas. The 12,000-capacity facility is primarily used for local high school football teams Trinity High School and L.D. Bell High School. It is owned by the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. The stadium is also used...
for soccer, football
American 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...
, and marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
events; the H-E-B Natatorium
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
located on the Trinity High School
Trinity High School (Euless, Texas)
Trinity High School is a public high school in Euless, Texas. It administers grade levels 10–12 and is a part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District....
campus; and the HEB athletic field located at Central Junior High.
Student body
During the 2005-2006 school year, L. D. Bell High School enrolled 1,947 students in grade 10Tenth grade
In majority of the world,Tenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten. The variants of "10th grade" in various nations is described below.-Australia:...
(35.0%), grade 11
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...
(34.5%), and grade 12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
(30.6%). Ethnicities represented include white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
(66.1%), 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 ...
(15.3%), Asian and Pacific Islander (6.0%), African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
(11.9%), and Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
(0.7%). Twenty-five percent were economically disadvantaged
Disadvantaged
The "disadvantaged" is a generic term for individuals or groups of people who:* Face special problems such as physical or mental disability * Lack money or economic support....
.
There were 590 graduates in the class of 2005. The annual dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
rate is 0.5% (in 2004-2005).
L.D. Bell receives students from three feeder school
Feeder school
Feeder school is a name applied to schools, colleges, universities, or other educational institutions that provide a significant number of graduates who intend to continue their studies at specific schools, or even in specific fields....
s: all students from Bedford Junior High school and Hurst Junior High school attend Bell along with a share of the students from Central Junior High school. Students in the attendance zones for Bedford Heights, Bellaire, Bell Manor, Donna Park, Harrison Lane, Hurst Hills, River Trails, Shady Brook, Shady Oaks, Stonegate, and West Hurst elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s attend L. D. Bell High School.
L.D. Bell students carry on many traditions, including "head-banging" to the drumline during pep rallies and at football games, as well as Seniors storming the gym floor at the beginning of the fight song at the end of each pep rally.
Academics
L.D. Bell High School is ranked 303rd in the nation (and 4th within Tarrant County) on Newsweek'sNewsweek
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...
2007 list of the top 1,200 high schools in the country. The rankings are based on the number of Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
and International Baccalaureate
International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...
tests taken by graduating seniors — L.D. Bell had 2.595 tests taken per Class of 2007 graduate. 2007 is the first year that L.D. Bell has been included in the list.
Among Tarrant County
Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 1,809,034. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the sixteenth most populous county in the United States and the third most populous in Texas. The county is named in honor...
high schools, Bell High School ranks eleventh (of forty-six) in average points above passing on the 11th grade TAKS test.
- National Merit FinalistsNational Merit Scholarship ProgramThe National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
(2007): 5 - Mean SATSATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
Score (Class of 2005): 1037 - Mean ACTACT (examination)The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
Score (Class of 2005): 21.5
The district has offered the IB Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
and Pre-IB preparatory classes at L. D. Bell since fall 2002, graduating the first class of IB students in spring 2004.
L.D. Bell students may take specialized or vocational courses at other school district facilities, such as broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
classes at the F.E.W. Center (near Central Junior High) or automotive repair and service, culinary arts, computer aided drafting, and cosmetology
Cosmetology
Cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....
classes at the Technical Education Center (near the district administrative buildings and Pennington Field on Central Dr.).
| Subject | 2005 School (10,11) |
2006 School (10,11) |
2006 District (all grades) |
2006 State (all grades) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading/ELA | 82% | 94% | 93% | 87% |
| Mathematics | 75% | 81% | 85% | 75% |
| Science | 72% | 81% | 80% | 70% |
| Soc. Studies | 93% | 94% | 94% | 87% |
| All Tests | 58% | 71% | 79% | 67% |
Athletics
Despite not having freshmen on campus, the 9th gradersNinth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
at each feeder campus are technically eligible for varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
sports programs, and on rare occasion make the teams and participate with the high school attendees.
L.D. Bell has three football teams: varsity, junior varsity, and sophomore. For the game with rival Trinity High School
Trinity High School (Euless, Texas)
Trinity High School is a public high school in Euless, Texas. It administers grade levels 10–12 and is a part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District....
, the teams alternate between home and visitor every two years. The varsity football team has lost against Trinity High School in each of their last 13 games, including a 45-22 loss in the regular season of fall 2010. The 1982 varsity football team was defeated in the state championship game by West Brook Senior High (Beaumont, TX)
West Brook Senior High School
West Brook Senior High School is the largest high school in the city of Beaumont, Texas. West Brook is located at 8750 Phelan Boulevard. It is operated by the Beaumont Independent School District.The school's official mascot is the Bruin Bear...
. Bell made the state semifinals in 1986 and the area finals in 1989. The sophomores of L.D. Bell showed the greatest growth going 9-1 in their 2009 season. Losing only to Trinity's Second Junior Varsity team 40-0. The varsity had its worse season in 2009 going 3-7 the first losing season in many years.
Men's Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
State Champsionships: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1993, 2007
The men's gymnastics team has won 16 state titles since it was founded by Coach Emil Millan in 1966. The Bell men's team, currently coached by Sean Sims, has been the district and regional champions for the past three years, and placed 3rd as a team in the 2006 state championship. In the 2007 state championship meet, the team won their 16th state title, bringing back the championship for the first time in 14 years. The team finished as state runner-up in 2008 while bringing home titles on floor, parallel bars and all-around.
Women's Gymnastics State Champsionships: 1967, 1968, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
The women's gymnastics team has won 19 state championships since 1967. The team has claimed the first place spot at both district and regionals for at least the past six years, claimed state titles from 2002 to 2005, and placed second in the 2006 and 2007 state championship competition. The 2006-07 school year was Coach Debbie Williams' 32nd season at L.D. Bell. Lindsey Heartsfield, Renee McEntire, and Sara Bedford are the only gymnastics in the state of Texas that have won 4 Team State Championships. Individually, Heartsfield is the 2005 Uneven Bar State Champion; McEntire is the 2005 All-Around State Champion; Bedford is the 2003 Balance Beam State Champion and 2005 Floor State Champion.
Men's baseball is played on campus at Nathan F. Danford field, located along Pleasantview Dr. on the northwest corner of campus. The team made the regional semifinals in 1983 and the regional quarterfinals in 2002. They won the district championships in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005.
The ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team plays at area ice rinks, including the Dr. Pepper Star's Centers in Euless, Grapevine, and Coppell.
The volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball 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...
team won the district 7-5A championship in 2006. The women's soccer team won the district championship in 2007.
The men's and women's soccer teams' home games are typically played at Pennington Field
Pennington Field
Pennington Field is a multi-purpose stadium located in Bedford, Texas. The 12,000-capacity facility is primarily used for local high school football teams Trinity High School and L.D. Bell High School. It is owned by the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. The stadium is also used...
. Softball home games are played at the softball field on the south end of campus near the Raider Bowl. L.D. Bell High School also fields teams in men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball 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...
, women's basketball, and golf
Golf
Golf 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....
.
Fine Arts / UIL Competitive Organizations
The band program at L.D. Bell splits students into four concert season bands: Sub Non-Varsity 2,Sub Non-Varsity, Non-Varsity, and Varsity. The marching band consists of members from all four concert season bands and totals 310 students. Van Mathews is the head director of bands at L.D. Bell.The marching band advanced to the UIL 5A State competition in 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996 and 1988; advanced to the finals in 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002 (finals canceled due to inclement weather), and 2000, and won the championship in 2004 and 2000.
In addition to 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) competitions, the band regularly competes in independent contests (usually run by schools) and Bands of America
Bands of America
Bands of America , a division of Music for All, Inc., is an organization that promotes and organizes marching band competitions for high school students. Competitions include both Regional and Super Regional Championships as well as the Grand National Championships...
(BOA) contests at both the regional and national levels. In November 2007, the Bell marching band won the BOA Grand National Championship and additional awards for Outstanding Music Performance and Outstanding General Effect. (permanent link) In 2006, the marching band was awarded "Outstanding Musical Performance" and placed 2nd overall at the BOA Grand Nationals. In 2004, the band won the BOA St. Louis Super-Regional and captured all captions (specific categories of judgment - music, marching, and general effect). In other BOA Grand National competitions, the band placed 4th in 2001, 5th in 2003, 3rd in 2005, 2nd in 2006, 1st in 2007, 2nd in 2008, 2nd in 2009, and 3rd in 2010. Since 2000, the band has medaled at 22 BOA events and 4 of 4 times at the UIL State Marching Band Contest. As of October 2009, the L.D. Bell Marching Band has placed in the top 5 of every contest entered since 1999.
In recent years, the L.D. Bell High school and Trinity High school bands have cooperated to run the "H-E-B Marching Contest" as an additional fund-raising opportunity. Located at Pennington Field, the contest features an exhibition performance of both host bands along with other high schools from the state and surrounding areas in full preliminary and finals competitions.
The theatre department participates in several activities each year. The UIL
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....
One act play
One act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. In recent years the 10-minute play known as "flash drama" has emerged as a popular sub-genre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions...
s are competitive and advance through district, area, and state rounds. There are also senior directed one-act plays that allow students the opportunity to direct and produce their own play. In 1987, the Theatre department advanced through zone, district and area rounds to compete at the regional-level competition with their UIL One Act play "Amadeus". L.D. Bell Theater won the 1995 state championship with the UIL One Act play "Black Angel".
The Raiderettes dance team performs at football games, basketball games, and in competitions. Consisting only of sophomore, junior and senior girls, the Raiderettes are known for their entrance onto the field to the song, "Grand Entry Swing March", and for their traditional kick/dance to the song, "Hey, Look Me Over!"
The Step Team Choreographed dance Performs at all the pep-rallys, as well as compete localy & Nationaly. The Boys stepteam G-phi Smooth, also known as "The Hollywood Steppers" outside of school competition, consists of Sophomore, junior, and senior boys. Always known for their elaborate Entrances and Outros as well as theme, G-Phi Smooth have won multiple State competitions and have competed on National Television, going as far as Top 20 on Americas Got Talent where they competed with the World Famous Dance group "The Jabbawockeez". The Team was started in 2005 by then Sophmore Jon "DaCon" Cancél. Their biggest victory came when they beat then rivals Arlington Bowie HS "Bowie Souljahz" and Eastern Hills HS "Showtime Steppers" in Stomp Wars, the biggest and best State wide competition back-to-back-to-back and were considered the number 1 Step Team in the Nation in 2007.
The choral program includes Bell System, an exclusive group that combines singing with dance steps and choreography. You can find this group of 16 performing around the metroplex, especially around the holiday season, when they perform at venues such as the Fort Worth Petroleum Club, Cooks Children's Hospital, HEBISD conferences, Santa USA, Noteboom Injury Lawyers, and many others. Along with the nearly 30 shows in December alone, The Bell System has its annual Showtime performance located in the L.D. Bell auditorium. In 2010, the show choir was featured on the front page of the Star Telegram prior to the show in February.
The choral program is continuously recognized throughout the region and country. Choirs continue to receive the Sweepstakes award at UIL competitions,as well as bring home prestigious awards from annual out of state competitions. In 2010, the A Cappella choir was named Grand Vocal Champions in The Windy City Classic in Chicago, just to name one. In October 2009, the A Cappella choir was featured on a special aired on KERA Television in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area as well. By invitation, the choirs often perform with local orchestras and outside organizations such as the Northeast Tarrant County Orchestra. The choirs are expected to travel and compete in Italy in the Spring of 2012. With new leadership, the program is expected to nearly double in the next several years.
L.D. Bell also features a vibrant speech and debate program that was revitalized in 1995. The speech and debate organization at the school had been largely non-competitive since the early 1980s. The team has competes in Lincoln-Douglas debate and several speech events at competitions run by the Texas Forensics Association, National Forensics League, and UIL.
Clubs / Organizations (non-UIL)
- Bell Theatre
- Fellowship of Christian AthletesFellowship of Christian AthletesThe Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
- French Club
- F.B.L.A. (Future Business Leaders of America)
- F.C.C.L.A. (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of AmericaFamily, Career, and Community Leaders of AmericaFamily, Career and Community Leaders of America , formerly known as Future Homemakers of America , is a nonprofit U.S. career and technical student organization for young men and women in family and consumer science education in public and private schools through grade 12 across the United States...
) Formerly F.H.A. (Future Homemakers of America) - F.E.A. (Future Educators of America)
- 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...
- National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- Newspaper
- Rodeo Club & Rodeo Team
- Science Club
- Spanish Club
- Step TeamsStepping (African-American)Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps...
, including G-Phi Smooth Gentlemen Steppers (Started in 2005 by Alumni Jon DaCon(Mr.Hollywood) also known as "The Hollywood Steppers) and Mesmerizing Lady Steppers(Desadee Jenkins) - Student CouncilStudent councilStudent council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, including Senior, Junior, and Sophomore class councils - Student CongressStudent CongressCongressional Debate is a form of high school debate in the United States and Pakistan. The National Forensic League , National Catholic Forensic League , many national debate tournaments, State Forensic Associations, and the IEEE Pakistan Student Congress all offer Congressional Debate as an event...
- Wranglers
- YearbookYearbookA yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
- Young LifeYoung LifeYoungLife is a worldwide, non-profit, Evangelical Christian organization. YoungLife consists of many branches of ministry , but most commonly the name "YoungLife" refers to the outreach arm of the organization directed toward high school students...
Famous alumni
Famous alumni are listed in chronological order by graduation (or expected graduation) year.| Name | Distinction | Graduated |
|---|---|---|
| John T. Montford | Former Texas state senator (1983–96) and Texas Tech chancellor (1996–2007) | 1961 |
| James L. Haley James L. Haley James L. Haley is an American author and historian who has written numerous books on Texas and Western history, as well as several fiction novels. Haley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, attended L. D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a... |
Author (Texas History and fiction) | |
| David Kunkle | Police Chief for the city of Dallas, Texas. Former police chief of Grand Prairie and Arlington, Texas. | 1969 |
| Karen Tandy Karen Tandy Karen Pomerantz Tandy is the former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Justice. She was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 31, 2003... |
Appointed Administrator of U.S.Drug Enforcement Administration 2003 | 1971 |
| Buddy Whittington Buddy Whittington Buddy Whittington is an American guitarist. He began playing the guitar inspired by his sister's records of The Beatles, Rolling Stones and, in particular, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton. At the age of 14 he was already a part of the Dallas/Fort Worth music scene and playing... |
Guitarist and blues musician | 1975 |
| Cary Blanchard Cary Blanchard Robert Cary Blanchard is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played eight years for five teams, the New York Jets for his first two years, the Indianapolis Colts after taking 1994 off, the Washington Redskins in 1998, the New York Giants in 1999, and he... |
Former NFL placekicker (1992–2000) with Jets, Colts, Redskins, Giants and Cardinals | 1987 |
| Adam Setliff Adam Setliff Adam Setliff is a retired discus thrower from the United States, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics , finishing 12th and 5th respectively. He set his personal best in the men's discus throw on July 21, 2001 at a meet in La Jolla, California. He retired prior to... |
1996, 2000 Olympian Adam Setliff was the 1988 State 5A Discus Champion and State Record Holder. After attending Rice University and the University of Washington, Adam made two Olympic teams in 1996 and 2000. Adam Led the world in the Discus in 2001 with a throw of 223'. |
1988? |
| Tommy Maddox Tommy Maddox Thomas "Tommy" Alfred Maddox is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, the XFL and the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.-Early years:At L. D... |
Former NFL Quarterback and NFL Comeback Player of the Year | 1989 |
| Dennis Allen | NFL Coach A native of Hurst, Texas, Allen earned four letters for Texas A&M as a safety from 1992–95 and started the final 21 games of his career. Allen was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills and competed in their training camp in 1996. Allen was on the coaching staff for four years (1996–99) at Texas A&M as a graduate assistant, working primarily with the school’s secondary. Allen worked as the secondary coach for the University of Tulsa (2000–01) before heading to the NFL. In 2002, Allen’s first year with the Falcons, he assisted in coaching the defensive backfield. Allen joined the Saints after a four-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons. Entering his fourth year with the Saints, Dennis Allen begins his second season as secondary coach after serving as assistant defensive line coach during his first two years with the club. |
1991 |
| Eric Vance | Former NFL safety (1998–2002) for Buccaneers and Colts; went to Vanderbilt | 1993 |
| Carrie Reichenbach | Film and television actor | 1998 |
| Ryan Roberts Ryan Roberts Ryan Alan Roberts is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. A right-handed batter, Roberts is 5' 11" tall and weighs 190 pounds. He is married to actress Kim Camille. Roberts has over 30 tattoos.-College career:After graduating from L. D... |
MLB player with the Arizona Diamondbacks, made major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays late in the 2006 season. | 1999 |
| Jamie Story | Miss Texas 2004 | 1999 |
| Andre Lampkin | Andre Lampkin played football and ran track at LD Bell before being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Despite having all limbs amputated, Lampkin continued to run using prosthetics and was featured on E:60 E:60 E:60 is a weekly investigative journalism newsmagazine show. It premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT. The show is one hour long.... . |
2007 |
Awards and recognitions
| Year | Organization | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Varsity Football | UIL 5A State Finalist (2nd place) |
| 1986 | Varsity Football | UIL 5A State Semifinalist |
| 1994–1996 | School | National Blue Ribbon School Blue Ribbon Schools Program The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the... |
| 1995 | Theater | UIL One Act Play State Champion |
| 2000 | Marching Band | UIL 5A State Champions |
| 2001 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (4th Place) |
| 2002 | Gymnastics-women's | State Champions |
| 2002 | Marching Band | UIL 5A State Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2003 | Gymnastics-women's | State Champions |
| 2003 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (5th Place) |
| 2004 | Gymnastics-women's | State Champions |
| 2004 | Marching Band | UIL 5A State Champions |
| 2005 | Gymnastics-women's | 5A State Champions |
| 2005 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (3rd Place) |
| 2006 | Marching Band | UIL 5A State Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2006 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2006 | Mesmerizing Lady Steppers | Texas Step Shows State Champions |
| 2007 | Gymnastics (Men - Team) | State Champions (Team) |
| 2007 | Gymnastics (Men - Individual) | Individual High Bar State Champion (Abram Holt) |
| 2007 | Gymnastics (Men - Individual) | Individual Vault State Champion (Tyler Martin) |
| 2007 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Champion ; |
| 2008 | Gymnastics (Men - Team) | State Runner-ups (2nd Place) |
| 2008 | Gymnastics (Men - Individual) | All-Around State Champion (Nik Bosnyak) |
| 2008 | Gymnastics (Men - Individual) | Individual Floor and Parallel Bars State Champion (Elijah Holt) |
| 2008 | Marching Band | UIL 5A State Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2008 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2009 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2009 | Gymnastics (Men-Invidividual) | Vault State Champion (Elijah Holt) |
| 2010 | Gymnastics (Men-Individual) | Floor, Parallel Bars and All Around State Champion (Elijah Holt) |
| 2010 | Choral (Bell System Show Choir) | First Place Show Choir, Windy City Classic, Chicago |
| 2010 | Choral (A Cappella Choir) | Vocal Ensemble Grand Champions, Windy City Classic, Chicago |
| 2010 | Marching Band | UIL 5A State Finalist (2nd place) |
| 2010 | Marching Band | BOA Grand National Finalist (3rd place) |