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Weslaco High School

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Coordinates: 26°10′08″N 98°00′09″W / 26.16894°N 98.00260°W / 26.16894; -98.00260
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Weslaco High School
An entrance of Weslaco High School
Location
Map
1005 W Pike Blvd

Weslaco
,
(Hidalgo County)
,
Texas
78596

United States
Coordinates26°10′08″N 98°00′09″W / 26.168939°N 98.002596°W / 26.168939; -98.002596
Information
School typePublic High School
Established1921; 103 years ago (1921)
1973 (current location)
NCES District ID4844960[2]
SuperintendentRichard Rivera
NCES School ID484496005125[1]
PrincipalYvett Morales
Teaching staff160.35 (FTE)[1][a]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,430 (2018-19)[1][a]
Average class size30
Student to teacher ratio15.15[1][a]
CampusLarge Suburb
Color(s)  Purple
  White
SloganGo! Fight! Win! Hard Work Pays Off
Fight songNational Emblem March
SportsBaseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Powerlifting, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Cheerleading, Softball, Volleyball, Wrestling
MascotPanther
PublicationHi-Life Magazine
YearbookLa Palma
Websitewhs.wisd.us
  1. ^ a b c 2018-19 school year

Weslaco High School is a four-year public secondary school the Weslaco Independent School District in Weslaco, Texas. It was founded in 1921, the same year that the school district was established after successful petitioning to separate from nearby city Donna and their district.[3] Upon construction of the full time building (located on the corner of South Iowa Avenue and 7th Street) in 1923, the building was utilized for decades as the major high school until 1973.[4] The current building on Pike Boulevard was built in 1973 while the old high school and junior high buildings were eventually preserved and utilized for one of Weslaco's middle schools. Weslaco High remained the only major high school in Weslaco until the construction of Weslaco East High School in the fall of 2000, although Weslaco High housed senior students until the 2003-2004 school year.[5][6] For the 2009–2010 school year, Weslaco High School was a TEA "Recognized" School.[7] The high school has won one state championship, doing so on June 1, 2024 when they won the UIL 6A Softball Championship Game.

Weslaco High serves the following areas:[8][9] Much of Weslaco, Villa Verde,[10] half of Olivarez,[11] the WISD portion of Midway South,[12] the WISD portion of Midway North,[13] and a section of the WISD portion of Mila Doce.[14]

Music department

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WHS in purple next to WEHS
WHS in green
A display of the first WHS Uniform in purple, created in 1967. Three decades later, the second Weslaco school would also use purple for their band uniform (left). For three decades prior to 1967, the school used green and gold for jackets and band (right).

The marching band of Weslaco High is the Weslaco Panther Corps. From 1932 to 1967, the colors of the Corps were green and gold (due to acquiring old band uniforms of Baylor University), but it was eventually changed to Dark Candy Purple and Crystal White to accommodate the colors of the high school.[15]

Another department within Weslaco High is the Weslaco High Orchestra. No main colors are sported in this group, but purple is the main color over all groups and clubs within the school itself.

Athletics

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Weslaco display of ball and trophy 2024
Weslaco display of roster 2023-2024
Ortiz jersey, 2024
A display of images from the 2023-2024 UIL state champion Weslaco Panthers (the first UIL champion in school history) from the Weslaco Museum in September 2024. The championship ball, as signed by players from the team along the UIL trophy was put on display (left) to go with a listing detailing their schedule and roster (center) and a jersey from their walkoff hitter in Andrea Ortiz (right).

In 1955, the football team went 13-1 under head coach Martin Stuart and made the state class 2A semifinals (the sixth team from the Rio Grande Valley to do so); they beat Sinton 27-14, Floresville 27-20 and Nederland 41-14 before losing against Hillsboro 20-7. It is still the only time the Panthers have reached the state semifinals.[16]

The softball team has reached the UIL State semifinal twice, doing so in 2016 and 2024. In 2024, they advanced all the way to the 6A State Championship game, becoming the second team from the Valley to compete for the honor. On June 1, they defeated Waco Midway 11-9 on a walkoff grand slam by Andrea Ortiz after being down 9-3 in their last inning to win their first ever state championship but also the first UIL state softball championship for the Valley region.[17][18]

Bobby Lackey Stadium

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Ortiz jersey, 2024
Bobby Lackey Stadium and its field

From 1973 to 1989 the football stadium was named Barbee Nehaus Stadium. In 1990, a new Weslaco High stadium was built and named Panther Stadium. In recognition of one of Weslaco High's most famous students, the stadium was renamed Bobby Lackey Stadium in the summer of 2002. From 2002 onward, the 15,000-capacity Bobby Lackey Stadium has served both Weslaco High School and Weslaco East High School.

In May 2009, renovation of the stadium began to increase seating capacity as well as adding various new features to the Stadium costing an estimate of $7 million.[19] The home side seating serves 7,100 fans with approximately 1,000 seats with purple VIP backrest seating accommodations. The visitor side bleacher seating serves approximately 6,300 fans.[20] The lower level of the press box incorporates home and visitor independent ticket booth sales. The exterior façade has distinct arches over the first floor, thus also serving as protection to the fans from the elements.

Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - Weslaco High School (484496005125)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Weslaco Isd". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
  3. ^ "[Historic Marker Application: Weslaco High School]". November 24, 2008.
  4. ^ "Wesalco museum goes 'back to school' for September exhibit" (PDF). The Monitor. September 1, 2015.
  5. ^ "History of WEHS - Weslaco East High School".
  6. ^ A., GARZA, ALICIA (June 15, 2010). "WESLACO, TX". www.tshaonline.org.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Texas Education Agency". Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  8. ^ "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Hidalgo County, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 9, 2017.
  9. ^ "High School Attendance Zones[permanent dead link‍]." Weslaco Independent School District. Retrieved on July 11, 2017. Persons using Mozilla Firefox to directly view this file may encounter problems
  10. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Villa Verde CDP, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.
  11. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Olivarez CDP, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.
  12. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Midway South CDP, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.
  13. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Midway North CDP, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.
  14. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Mila Doce CDP, TX." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.
  15. ^ "History of Weslaco's football rivalry: 'Prende la luz del Tinaco!'". KVEO-TV. August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  16. ^ Ramos, Bryan (December 6, 2023). "Rare Air: Brownsville Veterans joins elite company in RGV football history". MyRGV.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "Weslaco stuns Waco Midway to win Valley's first-ever softball state title". KVEO-TV. June 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "HS Final 2 Teams". Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "Prodigy Construction Management, LLC". prodigycompany.com.
  20. ^ "SCHOOLinSITES". weslacoisd.schoolinsites.com.
  21. ^ "Tom Barker Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019 – via www.basketball-reference.com.
  22. ^ Hendricks, Mark (July 26, 2001). "Iwo Jima: In Memory Of A Friend". Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  23. ^ "Richard Cortez Biography | Hidalgo County, TX - Official Website". www.hidalgocounty.us. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Severo, Richard (January 5, 2009). "Pat Hingle, Versatile Actor With Recurring Role in Batman Movies, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  25. ^ "Weslaco grad, veteran actor Pat Hingle dies". Valley Morning Star. Harlingen, Texas. Associated Press. January 9, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  26. ^ Cherry, Brice (April 23, 2011). "High School Hall of Fame profile: Bobby Lackey was legend of Texas Valley". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved April 15, 2019 – via www.wacotrib.com.
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