Saginaw High School (Texas)

Athletics

Saginaw High Rough Riders enjoy opportunities to participate in a number of sports, including football, baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, tennis, swimming, cross-country, and track & field.

Although most of the athletic programs have enjoyed success, the football team has had few successful seasons. The team posted a 1–9 record for the 2011 season, which was an improvement over the 2010 0-10 season that saw the team give up 338 more points than it scored. They cut the point differential down to 190 in the 2011 season. In the 2009 season the team played in its first and last ever playoff game, despite only winning 4 games. In the 2012 season, however, the football team showed improvement in its win-loss ratio, winning 8 out of 11 games during the regular season, eventually making the playoffs. The team was under Coach Mike Peters going into the 2013 season.

The 2009 boys' soccer team made its first-ever playoff appearance. Coaches Sam Trevino, Jason Carnley and Jason Crawford guided the team to a playoff berth with a fourth-place finish in district play.

The men's gymnastics team placed sixth at the state meet in 2010 and improved their placement to third in 2011. The Saginaw gymnastics team later went on to be the 2012 and 2013 State Championship team. Leading contributors were Justin Stringfellow, Steven Ramirez, Grant Wooldridge, Jacob Doest, and Clay Brightwell. Justin Stringfellow placed within the top three on nearly every event, and became a State Champion on the vault event. The team is coached by Eric Briley.

Spirit of Saginaw Band

The Spirit of Saginaw Band was founded in 2005. The band began its first marching season with 80 members and participated at the Plano East Marching Festival, earning a Division II at UIL Region. In 2006 the band grew to 130 members and participated in Bands of America, the Plano East Marching Festival and earned a Division I at UIL region. In 2007 the band had 160 members and won its first marching competition of the year, the Golden Triangle Marching Classic and received its second top-three placement. The color guard and percussion participated in the Crowley Guard & Drumline Competition. The guard placed 1st, with Best Weapon Line and Best Color Guard. Percussion placed second. They tied for first (with the Azle marching band) in the UIL Area A marching competition and received 14th place at the UIL State Marching Championships in San Antonio. In 2008 the band placed 2nd at the Aledo Unleash the Sound Competition (eventually winning this contest in later years), received a Division I at UIL Region and placed 3rd at the USSBA State Championships, including 1st Place Color Guard and 1st Place Percussion. The Guard & Percussion participated again at Crowley, where the guard placed 2nd, 3rd overall and Percussion won a caption for best snare line. Percussion attended PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention) November 5–8 and placed 6th out of 10 bands in their division. The Saginaw Band also received the UIL Sweepstakes Award five years in a rows, beginning in 2008. The concert bands are currently under the direction of Matt Pearson and Alyson Holley. Percussion director is Jason Jerger. Colorguard/Winterguard directors are Molly Owen and Art Grossman. Visual director is Jonathon Paredez.

For 2005–2006, Drum Majors were sophomores Maegan Davis Jordan Yamada. The show for that year was Genesis, featuring excerpts from Dvorak's "New World Symphony."

2006–2007 drum majors were sophomore Brad Baker and juniors Maegan Davis and Jordan Yamada. The 2006 show was Descent Into Madness, based loosely around the plot of the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining.

2007–2008 Drum Majors were juniors Brad Baker and Brittany Harris and seniors Maegan Davis and Jordan Yamada. The show for this year, A Purple Heart, was a tribute to the brave soldiers who fought and died in World War II. It featured music from the Mel Gibson film, We Were Soldiers

2008–2009 Drum Majors were seniors Brad Baker and Brittany Harris and junior McKenna Johnson and Courtnee Morton. The 2008 program was Lost, based on the television series by J. J. Abrams of the same name, featuring the music of Michael Giacchino

2009–2010 Drum Majors were seniors McKenna Johnson, Courtnee Morton and Lauren Daughhetee and juniors Morgan Mitchell and Samantha Le. The 2009 Marching program was Romeo & Juliet, which included four movements.

2010–2011 Drum Majors were seniors Samantha Le and Morgan Mitchell, and juniors Lauren Robertson and Phil Esmaili. The band consisted of over 270 members for this season. The marching program was titled "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror," including pieces from Copeland's ballet entitled "Grohg" with music arrangements by Timothy J. Gorgas.

2011-2012 Drum Majors were seniors Lauren Robertson and Phil Esmaili and juniors Alexis Brandt and Sarah Vowell. The marching program was titled "Rise Up," featuring music from Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of The Rings."

2012–2013 Drum Majors were seniors Sarah Vowell, Karla Melendez and Alexis Brandt, and junior Steffani Vera. The marching program was titled "Arctic Circle" and featured music of Coldplay and Jean Sibelius, arranged by Timothy Gorgas. The program included the four movements Northern Quest, Arctic Blizzard, Aurora Borealis and Perpetual Twilight.

Instated as a 4A program, the Spirit of Saginaw band was reclassified to 5A as of the 2010–2011 school year

In 2015 Gabby Salinas was named to the 5-A Texas All-State Band, first chair.

List of competition programs by year:

2005–2006: Genesis

2006–2007: Descent into Madness

2007–2008: A Purple Heart (4A state bound)

2008–2009: LOST

2009–2010: Romeo and Juliet (4A state bound)

2010–2011: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror (5A state bound)

2011–2012: Rise Up! "The Lord of the Rings"

2012–2013: Arctic Circle

2013-2014: The Life Aquatic

2013-2015: Outbreak

2015-2016: Heart Of The Phoenix

2016-2017: Stained glass

Saginaw High School Theater

The Saginaw High School Theater is directed by Trista Tredaway, who has had 16 years of directing experience, and was formerly the assistant director of the Saginaw Theatre program until 2012 upon David Kersh's departure. Tredaway had directed several community and student theatres in the South Texas area before moving to Fort Worth, and she has worked independently to prepare actors for traveling venues such as those in New York and Los Angeles. She has more than 25 former students now successful in their own theatre careers.

Kersh, the director prior to 2012 is a 17-year veteran teacher, having taught at Garland Lakeview Centennial and more recently at Fossil Ridge High School in Keller. Before his teaching career, Kersh spent 15 years as a professional actor, appearing in numerous musicals, plays, independent films and commercials. He earned his BA in Theater from Texas Wesleyan University and his teaching credentials from The University of North Texas. He has competed at all levels of the UIL One Act Play competition, earning First Runner-up and Best Actress at the 2008 State Meet.

The program was formerly led by director Jeffrey Smith from the school's opening until 2010. Jeffrey Smith is a 12-year Theater Arts teaching veteran, in his ninth year with Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD. Prior to his work as a teacher, Smith was a professional actor-technician on the east coast. He obtained his master's degree from Lamar University in the summer of 2009. He is now an assistant principal at Saginaw High School.

List of performances by year:

Starsteppers dance team

The award-winning Starsteppers dance team perform at SHS varsity football games, pep rallies, basketball games, community events, competitions and camps.

Cheerleader controversy

The Fort-Worth Star Telegram reported on April 8, 2010, that a group of cheerleaders from the school were disciplined after spiking their teammates' soda cans with urine. The incident happened during that previous winter when at least one of the cheerleaders urinated into a cup and then mixed its contents with soda bought at a nearby restaurant. At least two girls were given in-school suspensions and others received lesser punishments, according to the Star-Telegram. The girls were barred from cheer leading events for the rest of the school year but were allowed to return the following year.