T. H. Williams High School

Williams High School
Location
Plano, Texas USA
Information
Type	Free public
Motto	Far better is it to take a chance to win glorious victory even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who know no victory nor defeat because they live in the grey twilight and have tried neither.
Established	1961
School district	Plano Independent School District
Principal	Gloria Martinez
Faculty	230
Grades	9 and 10
Enrollment	1,088
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Navy Blue and White
Mascot	Warrior
Website	Official Site

T. H. Williams High School is a secondary school in Plano, Texas (USA) 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. Juniors and seniors attend "senior high schools". Williams High School feeds into Plano East Senior High School.

History

Williams High School first served as Plano High School when it was built in 1961. That year the school included grades 8 through 12 and the total enrollment was 390 students. Enrollment grew steadily until the 1965–66 school year when it was 653. The following school year, the campus became a grade 9 through 12 school and enrollment dropped to 555. Two years later, Williams became a grade 10 through 12 facility with 627 students. A new senior high school was completed in 1975 leaving the Williams campus with 938 freshmen and sophomores. Enrollment numbers had reached its zenith in the 1973–74 school year with 1712 pupils. Enrollment has increased over the years and as of the second week of the 2003–04 school year, enrollment has grown to 1633. To quote an administrator from the beginning of the 2008–2009 school year there were, "1,900" students in attendance.

Since its inception, Williams High School has experienced several renovations and additions. In 1961, $911,590 was paid to Avery Mays Construction Co. In 1970, an additional $1,100.000 went to KAS Construction Co. in an attempt to accommodate increased numbers. $279,968 went to Corgan Associates in 1975. JPJ Architects was awarded a construction contract in the amount of $6,116,400 in 1989. Williams High School underwent a $12,634,480 renovation completed July 2003. Williams has recently completed a new addition to its campus as the school population continues to increase. The 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²), two-story Science Addition contains 12 science laboratories accompanied by restrooms and storage areas. The new addition to Williams High School was completed in August 2006 at a cost of $6,630,343.

T. H. Williams, principal from 1961–1968, came to the district in 1936 as a math instructor and coach in the old Plano High School (now the Cox Building). He was head coach from 1943 to 1953, leading his teams to several district and state titles. A new Plano High School was built on 17th street in 1961 at a cost of $993,590. This campus was renamed T. H. Williams High School when the new Plano Senior High opened in 1975. Thomas Howard “Bill” Williams (1902-1992) was honored as a teacher, coach, and principal who had given almost five decades of service to educating youths of Collin County.

Achievements

2008–09 Recognized Campus; NCLB meets adequate yearly progress; Exemplar Grantee Award winner from the Texas High School Project as Model for State in Exemplary Writing Improvement; State Humanities Teacher of the Year Award winner – Gregg Schoen; MLK Art Contest 1st Place award winner; Band UIL straight Division 1 Superior Rating in concert and 1st Division Superior Rating in sightreading; Wind Ensemble 1st Division Superior Rating from all judges in UIL concert and sightreading contest; Band UIL Sweepstakes Award directed by Mr Travis Smith; Choir superior rating at Director's Choice Music Festival; Orchestra Camerata Excellent Rating as well as Philharmonia and Sinfonia Orchestra Superior Rating at American Classics Music Festival; Wind Ensemble (Band) Best in Festival American Classic Bluebonnet Music Festival; International Science Fair award winner. Two students also earned a gold seal in the Visual Arts Scolastic Event. Two students, Luke Christner and Ryan Johnson, also advanced to the Regional Science Fair with their award winning research project on if the size of a Major League Baseball field affects the number of home runs hit in the ballpark; ESPN also gave a response to their project.

Campus Programs

Pre-AP program; Humanities; AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination); PAL® (Peer Assistance and Leadership); LASER (Learn About Science and Engineering Research); Smaller Learning Communities Academic Teaming; Whiz Quiz; National Honor Society; Multi-Cultural club; Student Council; Crimestoppers; Yearbook; Communities in Schools; Destination Graduation; Boys & Girls Club; Dallas Concilio parent involvement; HiTECCC Family Night; PTSA; Exemplar Campus; and Williams Writing Camp. Over 50% of the students are in AP programs, and in 2009 had more students passing AP tests than the rest of the 9–10 high schools in the district.

External links

• Official site