Bel Air High School (El Paso, Texas)
| Bel Air High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 731 N. Yarbrough El Paso, Texas USA |
|
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Loyal Forever |
| Established | 1957 |
| Principal | Louis D. Martinez |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,174 [1] |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Scarlet Red, White, Royal Blue |
| Mascot | Highlander |
| Website | http://belair.yisd.net/ |
Bel Air High School is a high school in the city of El Paso, Texas, USA. The school was established in 1957. It houses Ranchland Hills Middle School and Hillcrest Middle School, with transfers from Eastwood as well as other local middle schools. Its Health Professions Branch offers the most transfers, closely followed by Global Enterprises program.
Bel Air High School placed 984th on 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.
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 wrongdoing 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).
Dr. Dora De La Rosa became principal in July 2010. She was the principal for Tejas School of Choice, another school in the Ysleta district. In 2013 De La Rosa retired, and the current principal is Louis D. Martinez.
In 2013 Texas UIL changed the areas from 4A-5A to a 5A-6A division in which Bel Air ended up staying behind in the 5A division because of lack student population.
Contents
Health Professions Magnet
Bel Air High School is home to the Health Magnet School in the Ysleta Independent School District. The Bel Air Center for Health Professions offers a variety of programs in the healthcare fields. Their academy offers Pharmacology, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course, Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) course, Internship program, and a Dental Assistant program. The Bel Air Center for Health Professions is affiliated with different healthcare facilities for clinical rotations.
During freshman year, students take a semester long Medical Terminology course.
Sophomore year offers a Health Science Technology class. Students learn the legal procedures in the medical field. A variety of nursing skills are thought to be able to participate in clinical rotations throughout the city during their junior year. Sophomore year allows students to apply to LVN and Dental Assistant programs. Twenty students are accepted to the Vocational nursing program, in comparison to the ten accepted to the Dental Assistant program.
During junior year, 20 students are accepted to Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) and 10 are accepted to the Dental Assistant program. The rest are admitted to Clinical Rotation where they gain experience working in a Hospital, taking turns in different areas.
Senior year, more programs open up including Practicum in EMT, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy and Veterinarian Technician. If students do not join a program they will go into Internship or Medical Microbiology.
The BACFHP has their own club, Health Occupations Students of America, or HOSA. Their students are able to compete every year across the country. Their expertise includes Clinical Nursing and First Aid.
Engineering
Freshman year, all students take Concepts of Engineering and Technology.
Sophomore year they are separated into three smaller divisions, entering into Engineering Design and Presentation, Principles of Engineering (PTLW), or Principles of Architectures and Construction.
Junior Year they gain the second level of their previous choice, which are Robotics and Automation, Digital Electronics, and Architectural Design.
Senior Year they develop into two pathways, Engineering Design and Development, and Advanced Interior Design.
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.
Extracurricular activities
Clubs
- Project P.A.S.S.
- Marching Band
- City-recognized jazz bands
- Award Winning Percussion Ensemble (Denver Regional Champions, 2009)
- Western United States Grade IV Pipe Band
- Tech Club
- Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corp (JROTC)
- Bel Air Tech Club
- Student Council
- The Argus Newspaper
- Destination Imagination
- Speech and Debate
- KBA News
- Bel Air Center for Health Professions
- Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)
- Dance Team- Mu Delta Chi
- Future Business Leaders of Tomorrow (FBLA)
- Youth For Christ
- Spanish Honor Society
- French Honor Society
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 Team
- Bel Air Marching Band
- Math Team
- High Q
Sports
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
District Champions - 1983 Bi-District Champions - 1983 Area Champions - 1983
- Cross Country- December 8, 1973 Ysleta's School Districts First State Championship
- Football
District Champions - 1983 Bi-District Champions - 1983
The team had not been to the playoffs for 16 years but made it in the 2014 season under new leadership of head coach Tony Cervantes and the football program continues to flurish and rebuild back intonone of El Paso's powerhouse teams *Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Wrestling
However in the wrestling division, it has some recent success. In 2012-2013 it had 4 regional qualifiers,
Daniel Lara 106 lbs
Richard Contreras 138 lbs
Carlos Rios 182 lbs
Juan Cereceres 285 lbs
That season only Daniel Lara Qualified to the Texas UIL State Wrestling Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. Again in the 2013-2014 wrestling season it had 6 regional qualifiers, including
Daniel Lara 106 lbs,
Anthony Norez 126 lbs,
Francisco Lujan 150 lbs,
Carlos Rios 182 lbs,
Jose Saenz 220 lbs
Juan Cereceres 285 lbs.
That season Daniel Lara and Juan Cereceres ended up qualifying for the Texas UIL State Wrestling Tournament in Arlington, Texas.
Girls
- Mu Delta Chi
- Basketball
District Champions, Bi District Champions, Area Champions 2012-2013
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Golf
- Gymnastics
The 2012-2013 season, Jaime Esparza placed 8th in the Texas UIL Gymnastics Tournament in Dallas, Texas in Bars Division, the first girl to place from El Paso since 1989.
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
