Type Public High School Principal Bill Manley School color(s) Blue, Orange, White Mascot Volunteers Motto Cross the Line Colors White, Orange | Established 1973, 1991 Grades 9-12 Athletics UIL Class 6A Phone +1 682-867-4400 Number of students 3,100 | |
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Address 2101 Highbank Dr, Arlington, TX 76018, USA District Arlington Independent School District Profiles | ||
James Bowie High School is a secondary school in Arlington, Texas. The school is a part of Arlington Independent School District and serves students in grades 9 through 12 in southeast Arlington and southwest Grand Prairie. Bowie High competes in Class 6A within the University Interscholastic League that governs interschool athletic, artistic, and academic competition in Texas.
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The Original Bowie High School
The original Bowie High School opened in 1973, relieving Sam Houston High School. The original Bowie, AISD's fourth high school, was located three blocks west and two blocks south of Sam Houston. Cathy Brown of The Dallas Morning News wrote "Bowie, in its first incarnation.bargain.n, are [sic] too close together to effectively serve the city's population. So community, be warned." Many students in the Houston zone wanted to transfer to Bowie because it was newer, and the transfer process made it easy for them to do so.
Martin High School opened in 1982, and the growth patterns in southern Arlington changed, so the district chose to close the original Bowie. The original building is now Workman Junior High School.
The New Bowie High
In 1991, construction concluded on the new Bowie High School at 2101 Highbank Drive in Southeast Arlington, just south of I-20 and west of State Highway 360. The new Bowie opened in 1991. Bowie now draws attendance from southeast Arlington and parts of southwest Grand Prairie. New academic wings, a new gym and expanded cafeteria all helped with the fast growth in this area. The school's population was at its largest in 2002 with an enrollment of approximately 3100 students. The enrollment today is projected at around 3200 students, making it one of the largest high schools in the area & second largest in Arlington behind Martin's 3300 average student enrollment. The first principal of James Bowie High School was Jean Richerson until her retirement. Following her was Cheryl Rose, Davey Jones, and Darrell Sneed, who has been Bowie's principal since 2001. He later left Bowie after the 2007-2008 school year ended and became the Associate Superintendent of Secondary Education of Mansfield ISD. Sneed's successor was later announced to be Michelle Wilmoth-Senato at a reception. The current principal is Bill Manley. He was announced principal on April 4, 2013. Before becoming principal, Manley was the Dean of Instruction at Bowie since 2011. Bowie was rated a TEA Recognized High School in 2010. (Arlington James Bowie and Arlington James Martin are the only two high schools in the Arlington district to receive this recognition. According to www.greatschools.org, Bowie is also the most diverse High School in Arlington. The demographics are: African American: 40%, Hispanic: 27%, White: 19%, Asian/Pacific Islander: 14%. The student subgroups are: Economically Disadvantaged: 42%, Special Education: 11%, Gifted and Talented Students (Academically Advanced): 35%, Limited English Proficient: 5%. Though the almost half of Bowie students are economically disadvantaged, 35% are gifted and talented and compete very well in Academics and UIL competitions.
In 1998 Brown said that "Bowie has not experienced the fear of changing demographics. But whenever the time comes, that school will be the best equipped to handle it. Why? Because Bowie started its second life with a diverse enrollment, and its leaders have made "multicultural" a descriptive badge of honor to be worn with pride."
City rivalry
What used to be:
Academics
In May 2006, Bowie High School joined the International Baccalaureate program. The Class of 2008 was the first class offered the opportunity to earn the IB Diploma.
The school participates in the Advanced Placement Program, offering the following Advanced Placement (AP) classes: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP English, AP European History, AP Geography, AP Government, AP Latin, AP Macroeconomics, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Psychology, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, AP US History and AP World History.
Dual credit courses, taken at Tarrant County College (SE Campus) and/or UT Arlington, are offered in Algebra II, Art IV, English IV, Geology, Government/Economics, Music History, Psychology and Sociology.