W. W. Samuell High School

W. W. Samuell High School and Early College is a public secondary school located in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas, Texas, US. Samuell High enrolls students in grades 9–12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. The school serves portions of southeast Dallas and a portion of the city of Balch Springs.

W. W. Samuell High School
Address
8928 Palisade Drive

Dallas
,
Texas
75217

United States
Coordinates32°44′46″N 96°40′08″W
Information
TypePublic, Secondary
MottoTogether We Make It Happen[1]
School districtDallas Independent School District
PrincipalGabriel Guerra
Faculty121 (2015)[2]
Grades9-12
Number of students1,914 (2019)[3]
Color(s)Blue and Gold[1]    
MascotSpartan[1]
Trustee dist. 4, Nancy Bingham[4]
Area  1, Ivonne Durant[5]
Websitewww.dallasisd.org/samuell

In 2015, the school was rated "met standard" by the Texas Education Agency.[6]

History

Dallas ISD annexed Pleasant Grove ISD in 1954, and Pleasant Grove High School (now John Quincy Adams Elementary School) was replaced by the newly constructed Samuell High School in 1956–57. In the 1950s and early 1960s, a number of new housing developments in the Pleasant Grove area made Samuell one of Dallas' largest high schools; a new wing was opened in the mid-1960s to handle the increase in population. H. Grady Spruce and Skyline high schools, two historical rivals and closest schools to Samuell, were opened in 1963 and 1971 to help reduce attendance.

Dr. William Worthington Samuell was a wealthy individual who before his death donated millions of dollars to the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. There are now at least six institutions named after Dr. Samuell in the Dallas area, including the high school, a boulevard, a City of Dallas ranch, a city park and two streets in bordering cities. Dr. W. W. Samuell purchased the first ambulance for the City of Dallas in 1911.

The school and the district became the focus of a prominent civil rights case in 1966 when three male students — Paul Jarvis, Phil Ferrell and Steve Webb — sued the district after they were ordered to cut their long hair in order to be admitted to school. The case was one of the first in which individuals sued a large urban school district to preserve their individual rights, and the cause was taken up by the American Civil Liberties Union as well as local retail pioneer Stanley Marcus. Marcus did not know the students, but saw their hairstyles as a fashion choice rather than a show of disregard for authority. The case was lost in the U.S. District Court, and despite a series of appeals leading to the U.S. Supreme Court, it was not overturned. The decision is still cited in court cases over constitutional rights.[7]

Student life

The alma mater is "Hail Samuell High, Hail Samuell High", written in 1955 by a music teacher at the school. The school yearbook is The Torch and the school newspaper is The Sentinel. For many years, the seniors' annual memory book was The Senior Pub, a publication of senior moments which covered all levels of the school, from classroom funnies to athletics to activities.

Athletics

The W.W. Samuell Spartans compete in the following sports:[8]

State Titles
  • Baseball
    • 1965 (4A)
  • Track and Field
    • 1964 (4A)

Football

Headed by coach and athletic coordinator Steve Pierce, the Spartans play their home games at Pleasant Grove Stadium.[9]

The Spartan football program has made the playoffs 18 times since 1990 and 25 times overall. The Spartans have won 11 city/bi-district championships ('59, '60, '62, '69, '88, '94, '99, '01, '07, '12, '16), reached the Area round of the state playoffs 6 times, the Regional round 3 times ('94, '01, '07), and the state Quarterfinals once (1962).[10]

As of 2017, the Spartans maintain an all-time record of 328 wins, 312 losses, and 13 ties dating back to the 1956 season.[11]

Baseball

In 1965, with coach James 'Pete' Lawless at the helm, the Spartan baseball team beat the El Paso Austin Golden Panthers 2-0 and the Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles (formerly known as Brownsville High) 14–0 to capture the 4A state championship.[12] According to records maintained by the University Interscholastic League, this is the only baseball state championship won by any DISD high school to date.[13]

Track and Field

The 1964 Spartan track and field team, led by All-state recipient and star athlete Johnny Johnson, set a national high school record in the 440 relay.[14]

Demographics

The ethnic makeup of the school in the 2018-2019 fiscal year was 79% Hispanic, 19% Black, 1% White, and 1% Other.[3]

Student Subgroups

88.8% of the student population is categorized as being economically disadvantaged and 15.7% of the student population is listed as having special education.[15]

Feeder patterns

As of 2017, Young Men's Leadership Academy at Fred F. Florence and Piedmont Global Academy (formerly John B. Hood Junior High) Middle Schools feed into Samuell High School.

Notable alumni

References
  1. Dallas ISD - North Dallas High School. Retrieved on 22 April 2007.
  2. Public School Review
  3. DISD Data Packet for 2016-2017 Planning
  4. Dallas ISD - Schools by Trustee Archived October 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. (PDF). Retrieved on 22 April 2007.
  5. Dallas ISD - Schools by Area Archived March 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. (PDF). Retrieved on 22 April 2007.
  6. "2015 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency.
  7. Michael E. Young. "In '66, their hair triggered a to-do: Stylish Marcus proved an ally in band's battle to keep long locks," The Dallas Morning News, March 4, 2002.
  8. The Athletic Department
  9. Athletics/Steve Pierce
  10. The Athletics Department Samuell Football History
  11. "Lone Star Football Network - || texas high school football teams scores playoffs history". lsfn.net. Archived from the original on 2017-10-27.
  12. "1964-1965 4A Baseball State Results — Baseball — University Interscholastic League (UIL)".
  13. Where is the trophy that belongs to Samuell's 1965 baseball team, Dallas ISD's last state title winner?
  14. Johnny Johnson Obituary
  15. DISD Data Packet for 2012-2013 Planning
  16. McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez (May 26, 2020). "The man in the iron lung". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 27, 2021.

Further reading
  1. https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/high-school/football/standings?division=area-5a&season=2017 Dallas area football district standings
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