Waltrip High School

Waltrip JROTC, 2013 Martin Luther King Day Parade in Midtown Houston

Waltrip High School opened in 1960 to serve many newly developed post-World War II subdivisions, and relieved Reagan High School of many students when it did so. It was relieved by Scarborough Junior-Senior High School when that school opened in 1969. The school was named after Stephen Pool Waltrip, a funeral home owner in the Houston Heights named principal of Reagan High School in 1918.[4]

The school remained majority white until the early 1990s, when the school was equally white, black, and Hispanic.[5]

In 1997 a portion of the Reagan High School boundary was rezoned to Waltrip.[6] By the 2000s, Waltrip became majority Hispanic.[5]

Waltrip has become one of the highest performing comprehensive high schools in Houston ISD by being named "Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency, one of the few urban high schools in Houston ISD to receive such a designation. (Reference: Texas Education Agency website).[7]

Around 2012, each year a total of 400 students transfer from Booker T. Washington High School to Waltrip and Reagan.[8]

In 2015 Andria Schur got a job as the principal of a charter school in Dallas, Texas, causing her to leave her post as principal of Waltrip. Dale Mitchell, previously the principal of Sterling High School, became the principal of Waltrip.[9]

The campus began receiving a renovation around 2015.[10]

The Waltrip school song, "Our Waltrip High", was written by alumni Jon Enloe with music by Joe Stuessy, both from the Class of 1961.[11]

Neighborhoods served by Waltrip include Garden Oaks, Timbergrove Manor (Timbergrove Manor Civic Club and Timbergrove Manor Neighborhood Association),[12][13] Shepherd Forest, Shepherd Park Plaza, Lazybrook, Shady Acres, most of Oak Forest, most of Cottage Grove,[14] Candlelight Plaza and a small portion of the Houston Heights.

A townhome complex called Cottage Grove is zoned to Waltrip.

At one point, all of the Houston Heights was zoned to Reagan. In 1997, a small portion was rezoned to Waltrip.[6]

As of 2006, the student body [15] is predominantly Hispanic.

The makeup of the 1,808 students enrolled during the 2008-2009 school year was:

• 67% Hispanic
• 17% White
• 14% Black
• <1% Asian
• <1% Native American

Approximately 73% of the students qualified for free or reduced lunch programs.

Waltrip Rams logo

The Athletics Department at Waltrip consists of the following teams:

• Football
• Basketball (Boys and Girls)
• Baseball
• Softball
• Golf (Boys and Girls)
• Track & Field (Boys and Girls)
• Volleyball
• Soccer (Boys and Girls)
• Swimming (Boys and Girls)
• Tennis (Boys and Girls)
• Cheerleading (Boys and Girls)
• Cross Country (Boys and Girls)

Margaret Downing of the Houston Press stated in 2012 that the school culture placed importance on American football.[16]

In 2012 it housed the Waltrip High School Child Development Center, a preschool program for low income children.[17] Since 2015 it no longer does so.

The Texas Education Agency rankings in 2009-2010 and 2011 were "Recognized" and "Academically Acceptable". Downing stated in 2012 that "Waltrip High is neither the worst nor the best high school in HISD."[16]

• ID Badges: Students are required to wear their ID badge with a lanyard around the neck at all times while on

campus. All students will be issued one ID badge and a lanyard.

• Shirts: Although there is no color requirement for clothes, no crop tops, spaghetti straps, or strapless shirts are allowed and all shirts must cover the top of the pants. Shirts must be worn in such a

manner that no cleavage or midriff is exposed.

• Pants: Pants must fit appropriately at the waist and crotch. That means no sagging pants. Skirts, shorts, skorts must be of appropriate length (not above mid-thigh). Any pants with holes or tears above the knees must not show skin. Any holes in pants more than two inches in length on any part of the pant must not show skin. No holes above the mid-thigh are allowed. Athletic attire may be worn if it meets the criteria noted in the Waltrip High

School dress code. Leggings may be worn but they must not be sheer and they must be paired with a top that covers the buttock area.

• Undergarments: Students must wear appropriate undergarments at all times. Undergarments must NOT be visible. Pajamas are not allowed.
• Headwear: Hats, caps, bandanas, skull caps, do-rags, hoods or any other head covering may not be worn at any time while on campus, whether inside or out. Hoodless sweatshirts or fleeces are encouraged. Waltrip fleeces in school colors are available at the Waltrip Student Store.
• Footwear: Students must wear shoes. For safety reasons, closed-toe designs such as tennis shoes are the preferred type of footwear. Footwear deemed unsafe will not be allowed. If wearing

Crocs, students should use the back strap for safety of use. House slippers are not allowed.

• Jewelry and Accessories: Jewelry with symbols or representations of illegal/inappropriate items are not allowed. Sunglasses are not to be worn on campus, whether inside or out. No “grills” or other mouth accessory will be allowed (with the exception of orthodontia).
• Any article of clothing with representations of gangs, drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, death, or any other design deemed inappropriate or distracting to the educational process is not allowed.

Elementary schools that feed into Waltrip [18] include:

• Durham [19]
• Oak Forest [20]
• Sinclair [21]
• Stevens [22]
• Garden Oaks [23] (partial)
• Helms [24] (partial)
• Highland Heights [25] (partial)
• Love [26] (partial)
• Memorial [27] (partial)
• Stevenson [28] (partial)

Middle schools that feed into Waltrip include:

• Frank Black [29] (partial)
• Hamilton [30] (partial)
• Williams [31] (partial)

• Mark Calaway (Class of 1983) - Retired WWE professional wrestler known as The Undertaker.[32]
• Keenan McCardell (Class of 1988) - Professional American football wide receiver coach for the Minnesota Vikings[33]
• Shelley Duvall (Class of 1967) - Producer and retired actress [33]
• Toni Lawrence - Former Houston City Councilwoman [34]
• Denzel Livingston (Class of 2011), basketball player for Hapoel Kfar Saba of the Israeli Liga Leumit[35]
• Debra Maffett (Class of 1975) - Miss America 1983.[33]
• Van Malone (Class of 1988) - Professional American football player for the Detroit Lions and college football coach[33]
• Anita "Sweetie" Marbury (Class of 1965) - Mayor of Durango, Colorado[36]
• Barbara Olson (Class of 1974) - Conservative commentator and September 11, 2001 attacks victim [37]
• Patrick Swayze (Class of 1971) - Actor and dancer.[33]
• Jermaine Rogers (Class of 1991) - Gig-poster artist and vinyl collectible designer. [33]
• John H. Whitmire (Class of 1967) - A Texas senator[33]
• Danny Ward - Acclaimed musician and event producer[38]
• Elizabeth Pena and Jenny Ertman - murder victims - Waltrip High School contains a memorial to the girls [39]

• Dr. Enloe, Jon. "Community energy needed for Waltrip resurgence" (Archive" (Archive) (editorial). The Leader. September 5, 2013.

• Waltrip High School
• Waltrip High School (hs.houstonisd.org/waltriphs/) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)