School type Public, high school Superintendent Lillian Torrez Principal Robbie Trujillo | Founded 1917 NCES School ID 350252000583 Phone +1 575-751-8000 Mascot Tigers | |
Address 134 Cervantes St, Taos, NM 87571, USA | ||
Taos high school eq documentary
Taos High School, founded in 1917, is the public high school in Taos, New Mexico, United States. It is located outside of Taos Pueblo, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Contents
History
The first high school in Taos County opened in the fall of 1917 with Jesse Howard as director. The site of the first THS was west of the present Enos Garcia Elementary School. At the time the building was the Presbyterian Church, which included a few rooms for the first classes under the new teacher. Principal Emma McKean soon took charge of the school and remained at its head until 1921.
The first graduating class of Taos High was the 1921 class with seven members. During that year a new high school was constructed and served for 20 years. It was during this era that THS began offering student activities and clubs such as orchestra, glee club, 4-H, Future Farmers of America and drama. Tiger athletics were also established, beginning with basketball and track in 1923 and football in 1937. The Don Fernando yearbook and the Tigers' Roar newspaper first appeared during the 1937-1938 school year. Principals who followed McKean were Albright, Palmer, Don C. Piper, Ernest Lyckman, Wesley Freeburg, Culbert, Fred Jones, Jacob Bernal, Paul Springer and Joseph W. Evans.
In 1942, a new high school and gymnasium were constructed on Don Fernando Street due to increased enrollment. The former high school building was the new home of Taos Junior High School. Principals who served at this campus were Bright E. Greiner who served until 1955, Orlando Ortiz who served until 1959 and Bill Parr who served until 1967. The building is still in operation and the home of Enos Garcia Elementary School.
The Class of 1968 was the first to graduate from the current campus on Cervantes Street. In the fall of 1967, the modern complex of cinder blocks, tile floors and recessed lighting opened its doors to an estimated 800 sophomores, juniors and seniors. The new building was able to offer educational opportunities which were not available at the old THS because of cramped conditions. Among the improvements mentioned were a cafeteria and library located within the building, a student lounge, departmental sections and a landscaped patio.
The 2016–17 school year marks the 99th anniversary of Taos High School and the 49th anniversary of its current campus.
Student activities and clubs
Activities offered by the school include:
Athletics
Taos High School competes in the NMAA District 2-AAAA.
The first boys' basketball and track teams were organized for the 1923–24 season. The first football team was organized in 1937.
The Tigers captured their first state championship in 1924 in boys' track. This win ended a four-year streak held by the Albuquerque Bulldogs who took second place.
Taos High was a charter member of the Northern Rio Grande Conference established in 1946, along with El Rito, Espanola, Los Alamos, McCurdy, St. Catherine's, Santa Cruz and the U.S. Indian School competing for conference championships in football, boys' basketball, baseball and track. It remained a member of the NRGC through the 1962–63 school year.
The Taos Tigers won their first Northern Rio Grande Conference (NRGC) football championship in 1951 by defeating the Espanola Hornets 58–0. The Tigers won their first NRGC basketball championship in 1948 also by defeating the Espanola Hornets. Their first conference baseball championship was in 1951.
Prior to 1954, Taos High School was a member of District 2 (1932–1949); District 9 (1950); and District 11 (1951–1953)
Current teams
Taos High School participates in the following athletics: