Trinity High School (Euless, Texas)

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Trinity High School (also known as Euless Trinity in sports) is a public high school in Euless, Texas. The school serves grade levels 10–12 and is a part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District.

Trinity High School
Front view of Trinity High School
Address
Map
500 North Industrial Boulevard

, ,
76039

Information
TypePublic
MottoResponsibility, Pride, and Determination Make Trinity Different
Established1968
School districtHurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
NCES School ID482406002682[1]
PrincipalRonald Pugh
Faculty155.31 (FTE)[2]
Grades10–12
Number of students2,665 (2022–23)[2]
 • Grade 10940[2]
 • Grade 11925[2]
 • Grade 12800[2]
Student to teacher ratio17.16[2]
Color(s)    Scarlet and Black
Athletics conferenceUIL Class 6A
MascotTrojan
RivalL.D. Bell High School
NewspaperPalantir
YearbookTriune
Websitewww.hebisd.edu/Trinity

The school is named "Trinity" as an homage to the three cities comprised by the school district in which it is located: Hurst, Euless, and Bedford (and also as a reference to the nearby Trinity River, which forms the southern border of the school district). The school's mascot is a Trojan. The Trinity High School football team has won the Texas 5A Division 1 State Championship three times (2005, 2007, 2009).[3][4]

Trinity High School is also notable as the most diverse public high school in Texas and the fifth most diverse public high school in the country.[5] In 2017, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency, with a 5-Star Distinction for Academic Achievements in ELA/Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Post Secondary Readiness.[6]

History

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Alternate logo of Trinity High School, used on some school stationery

Trinity was established as the second high school in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. (The first high school being L.D. Bell High School, which opened in 1957 in Euless and moved to its current site in Hurst in 1965.) The campus sits on a hillside in west central Euless, less than 500 feet from the Euless-Bedford city limit.

In November 2023, voters approved an HEB ISD bond package that included plans to replace Trinity High School's current buildings with a new building at the same campus.[7]

Campus

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Aerial image of the entire campus

Trinity High School is made up of eleven distinct buildings, most of which are named for the department they house (often abbreviated to just the first letter). The nine original buildings were: the Fine Arts Building, the Academics Building, the Library, the Science Building, the Physical Education Building, the Cafeteria, the Driver's Education Building, a small two-story building called D-Building, and an Administration Building. The Physical Education building formerly included a natatorium that was mothballed and eventually demolished in the 2010s. The late 1990s brought three major changes to the campus: a system of covered walkways was built to connect most of the school's buildings, a new band hall was added to the Fine Arts Building, and a wing was added to the Academics Building. This new wing became the new face of the campus because of its large and prominent façade and provided new offices for the principal, assistant principals, and secretaries. The original Administration Building was converted to house the counselors' offices.

In the first few years of the new millennium, two new buildings were added to the Trinity campus. The two-story N-Building lies on the campus's southern edge and houses the Foreign Language Department and many classes of and the office of the coordinator of the International Baccalaureate program. Just a little further into campus from the D-Building is the new W-Building. The W-Building houses special education classrooms and is specifically designed to accommodate the needs of students with physical disabilities. An activity center named for former principal B.J. Murray opened in 2013 with a 70-yard indoor field, offices, locker rooms, and a weight room dedicated after Trinity alum Ryan McBean.[8] The center is colloquially referred to as "the Mac".[9]

Student body

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During the 2016–2017 school year, Trinity High School enrolled 2,574 students in grade 10 (34.4%), grade 11 (34.0%), and grade 12 (31.6%). Ethnicities represented include white (31.3%), Hispanic (29.2%), African-Americans (21.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (9.9%), Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander (3.2%), two or more races (4.3%), and Native American (0.8%).[6] Forty-eight percent were economically disadvantaged.[6]

Euless is home to one of the largest Tongan populations outside of Tonga; the school is known for welcoming and celebrating students from diverse backgrounds.[10][11][12][13] One of the school's most visible cultural celebrations is the varsity football team's performance of the Sipi Tau before and after each game.[14]

Trinity High School receives students from three feeder schools: all students from Euless Junior High school and Harwood Junior High school attend Trinity along with roughly half of the students from Central Junior High school. Students in the attendance zones for Bell Manor, Lakewood, Meadow Creek, Midway Park, North Euless, Oakwood Terrace, Shady Brook, South Euless, Spring Garden, Viridian, and Wilshire elementary schools attend Trinity High School.[15]

The State of Texas defined "college readiness," or readiness to undergo university studies, by scores on the ACT and SAT and in the 11th grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests. Holly Hacker of The Dallas Morning News said that the school was "high-performing" in that regard.[16]

Academics

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TAKS - Met Standard (Sum of All Grades Tested)[17]
Subject 2005

School (10,11)

2006

School (10,11)

2006

District (all grades)

2006

State (all grades)

Reading/ELA 86% 93% 93% 87%
Mathematics 74% 82% 85% 75%
Science 73% 77% 80% 70%
Soc. Studies 92% 96% 94% 87%
All Tests 61% 70% 79% 67%

Among Tarrant County high schools, Trinity High School ranks eighth (of forty-six) in average points above passing on the 11th grade TAKS test.[18]

On The Washington Post's 2016 list of America's most challenging high schools, Trinity High School is ranked 1497th out of approximately 22,000 public high schools, based on a ratio of 1.886 college-level exams taken per graduate.[19] Using similar criteria, the school was ranked 304th in the nation (and 6th within Tarrant County) on Newsweek's 2007 list of the top 1,200 high schools in the country[20]

Among Trinity's class of 2016, the average Old SAT score was 1442 (Texas state average was 1375), and the average ACT score was 21.8 (Texas state average was 20.3).[6] In 2016, the school had 7 National Merit semifinalists[21] and 2 semifinalists in 2017.[22]

Trinity High School is an International Baccalaureate World School. The program graduated its first group of seniors in 2004.

Athletics

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Trinity High School has been ranked in the top 1% of "Best High Schools Sports" at the local, state-wide, and national levels.[23] Trinity hosts its home football games at Pennington Field, which they also share with L.D. Bell High School. Most athletic activity at Trinity occurs in the "P" building, as well as the activity center.

 
Players performing the Haka in the annual game versus L.D. Bell

Achievements

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  • Currently playing in Texas 6A Division 1 American football, the Trinity Trojan football team has earned 28 Texas State Playoff appearances, including 23 District Championships, seven semifinal appearances, 5 state championship appearances, and three state titles.
  • The Boys' Tennis team succeeded in taking the 4A All-District Title in 1978, defeating L.D. Bell with a Finals match between Trinity's Robert Matuszewski and L.D. Bell's Tom Ferris.
  • The Girls' Soccer team reached the State Playoffs in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. They have also won the NSCAA Team Academic Award in 2005 and 2006.
  • The Boys' Soccer team reached the State Playoffs in 1986, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2019.[24]
  • The Girls' Basketball team has earned playoff spots 17 times in the past 20 seasons, including a 33–2 record in 2002. They became the Area Champions in 2007.
  • The Boys' Basketball team were the 1996 State Runners-Up.[25]
  • The Boys' Gymnastics team won State Championships in 1990 and 2002.[25]
  • The Girls' Lacrosse team won the Div. II State Championship on May 6, 2007. They entered the tournament ranked second and defeated the defending div. II champions (9-8).[26]

Fine arts

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Band program

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In January 1972, Trinity's symphonic band was invited to represent the United States by Mexico's Department of Cultural Exchange, performing at Three Rivers High School before playing three concerts in Monterrey, Mexico.

The band continues to participate in UIL competitions. In 2017, they resumed membership in Bands of America and participated in the Super-Regional Championship in Atlanta at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they placed 15th.[27]

Drama

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The Trinity Drama Department has also had its share of success, advancing to the State finals for UIL One Act Play in 1987, 1990, 1991, and 1992. They won the State Championship in 1992.

Photography

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The Trinity Photography Department is a 6 time State Champion program. In 2008 Trinity had at least 9 finalists in the Best of College Photo Contest. At the Texas A&M Photo Shootout and the Association of Texas Photography Instructors Winter Conference in Arlington the Trojans brought home 33 awards. In 2008 alone the Trinity Photo Department won over 100 awards. They also had a special appearance in the nationally broadcast Dallas Cowboys End of Year Special in 2008.[28] The Trinity Photography Department won State Championships in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, and 2019.

Choir

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The Trinity Choir program has seen success after success in National Competitions and at home. In 2007, the Trinity High School Choirs won 10 out of the 11 awards at the Disney Festival and received Sweepstakes ratings in the UIL Competition. The show choir, Harmony, is a 14-16 member auditioned ensemble and perform throughout the Metroplex including places such as The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Nationalization Ceremony for immigrants, and the Ft. Worth Petroleum Club.

Yearbook

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Trinity's Triune Yearbook has received National Awards for its 2007 publication. Including the Gold Medalist from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the highest ranking category. They have been nominated to receive the prestigious CSPA Crown Award presented only to the top 30 yearbooks in the Nation. They received the All-American rating with 5 marks of Distinction from the National Press Association, the NSPA's highest ranking. Triune has been selected as an elite NSPA Pacemaker Finalist recognizing the top 25 books nationally. They have also been selected by Taylor Publishing as a top 5% outstanding yearbook that will be shared with yearbook staffs around the country.[29]

Trojan Crew

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Formerly called Trojan Men, the now co-educational Trojan Crew waves the schools banner during football games, the school scores a touchdown, the Crew runs the letter flags and Nike flags down the field in support, raising the spirits of the players and the student section.[30]

Notable alumni

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Name Distinction Graduated
Garth TenNapel Former NFL linebacker (1976–78) for the Lions and Falcons ~1972[31]
Neil Denari Architect 1975[32]
Mike Baab Former NFL center (1982–92) for the Browns, Patriots, and Chiefs 1978[32]
Layzie Bone Rapper, member of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony c. 1991 [33]
Michael Muhney Actor 1993[34]
R. K. Milholland Webcomic author c. 1993
D. J. Brigman Professional golfer 1994[32]
Sarah Shahi Actress 1998
Bethany Joy Lenz Actress on One Tree Hill (TV series) and singer-songwriter c. 1999 (attended, but graduated elsewhere)[35]
Erek Hansen Basketball player formerly with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds 2001[36]
Ryan McBean Former NFL defensive end with the Baltimore Ravens 2003[32]
Daniel Woolard Professional soccer player for D.C. United 2003
Dustin Ybarra Stand-up comedian and actor[37] 2004
Brandon Brooks Basketball player formerly with the Tulsa 66ers c. 2005
Trevor Vittatoe Former NFL quarterback with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts 2006
Dimitri Nance Former NFL running back with the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XLV Champion 2006
Kimberly Matula Actress 2006
Robert Griffin Former NFL player with the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts c. 2007
Denarius McGhee Offensive assistant for the Houston Texans of the NFL 2010[38]
Hiva Lutui College American football player at the University of Utah c. 2012
Sam Tevi Former NFL player for the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts c. 2013
Myles Turner NBA Center with the Indiana Pacers 2014
Kader Kohou NFL cornerback with the Miami Dolphins 2015
Sara Grace Wallerstedt Fashion model 2017
Mack Beggs Wrestling champion, transgender rights activist 2018
Ollie Gordon II College American football player at Oklahoma State University 2022[39]

Championships

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Year Organization Award
1978 Rodeo Team Chute Dogging Championship (Barry Winford)
1979 Rodeo Team Saddle bronc Championship (Dino Hebb)
1987 Debate Team State Mock Trial Championship
1990 Men's Gymnastics UIL State Championship
1992 Drama Department UIL State Championship One Act Play
1992 Journalism Department UIL Silver Star Award for Newspaper (The Palantir)[1]
1995 Speech & Debate Texas Forensic Association State Championship Lincoln Douglas Debate [2]
2002 Men's Gymnastics UIL State Championship
2005 Women's football (soccer) NSCAA Team Academic Award
2005 American Football UIL State Championship
2006 Women's Soccer NSCAA Team Academic Award
2007 Girls Lacrosse UIL Division II State Championship
2007 Football UIL State Championship
2007 Women's Soccer NSCAA Team Academic Award
2008 Cheerleading National Champions
2008 Criminal Justice Texas Public Service Association State Championships
2009 Girls Lacrosse UIL State Championship
2009 Football UIL State Championship
2020 Girls Wrestling UIL State Championship[40]

References

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  1. ^ "Search for Public Schools - Trinity H S (482406002682)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "West Shores High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Lunsford, J. Lynn (November 16, 2006). "A Tongan War Dance Enlivens Football in Euless, Texas". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 2, 2006. Retrieved May 8, 2007. (WSJ link)
  4. ^ Verdejo, Angel (December 22, 2007). "Trinity wins 2nd title in 3 years". Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on January 3, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  5. ^ "2017 Most Diverse Public High Schools in America". Niche. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d "2016-17 Texas Academic Performance Report" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. pp. 1–20. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  7. ^ Sgroi, Matthew (2023-09-25). "HEB ISD proposes $1 billion bond to upgrade aging schools". Fort Worth Report. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
    Sanchez, Jacob; Sgroi, Matthew (2023-11-08). "Voters approve combined $1.5B in school upgrades for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, HEB districts". Fort Worth Report. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
    "What's Proposed -- HEB ISD Bond 2023". HEB ISD. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  8. ^ "Hundreds turn out for activity center ribbon cuttings". Hurst Euless Bedford Independent School District. May 16, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  9. ^ "B. J. Murray Activity Center". Trinity Trojans. Trinity Trojan Football Booster Club. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  10. ^ Longman, Jere (October 9, 2008). "An island for Tongans in a Texas high school". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Goodwyn, Wade (October 4, 2008). "Texas Football Team Thrives On Tonga Connection". All Things Considered (NPR). Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  12. ^ Fox, Laurie (December 18, 2018). "At Euless' Trinity High School, known for winning football, students champion tolerance". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  13. ^ Mauch, Rick (September 17, 2018). "They moved from Venezuela to DFW for a better life. Now they're starring at Euless Trinity". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  14. ^ Walters, Nick (October 16, 2018). "Trinity Trojans' Tongan Advantage". The Old Coach, 247Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2018.[dead link]
  15. ^ "HEB ISD:Map & Attendance Zones". Hurst Euless Bedford Independent School District. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  16. ^ Hacker, Holly K. "Analysis shows true Texas high school performance, stripping away socioeconomic factors." The Dallas Morning News. September 3, 2011. Retrieved on February 10, 2012.
  17. ^ "Academic Excellence Indicator System; 2005-06 District Performance; Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD; Trinity H S". Texas Education Agency. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  18. ^ "Another way to gauge high school quality" (PDF). Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 16, 2007. p. B9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-30. In: Brock, Katherine Cromer; Claassen, Jeff (May 16, 2007). "Identical ratings hide differences / School ratings can hide disparities / School: Change to ratings is considered / Schools: Push to modify ratings system is under way / Schools: Push is under way to modify the ranking system for Texas schools [depends on page and edition; may not be exhaustive]". Measuring up: a guide to Tarrant County schools [in some editions]. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. pp. 1A, 1B, 9B, 10B, 11B [multiple parts, and depends on edition, may not be exhaustive]. ProQuest 462372974 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "America's Most Challenging High Schools: Trinity". The Washington Post. 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  20. ^ "Tarrant schools make the grade". Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Northeast edition). May 22, 2007. and"America's Top Public High Schools / America's Best High Schools / The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools". Newsweek Education. MSNBC. MSN. 2007. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  21. ^ Smith, Diane (September 14, 2016). "National Merit semifinalists: 108 Tarrant-area seniors make list". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  22. ^ "Semifinalists: 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program" (PDF). Thesis Magazine. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  23. ^ "2019 Trinity High School Rankings - Niche". Niche. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  24. ^ "Trinity Trojan Soccer". Trinity Football (soccer) Booster Club. Retrieved May 15, 2007.
  25. ^ a b "Dallas Morning News; My High School; Euless Trinity Trojans; Sports History". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
  26. ^ "Communications Department - District Spotlight - Archives, THS Girls' Lacrosse Win State Championship!". May 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  27. ^ Casanova, Mario. "BOA Atlanta Financial Agreement" (PDF). Trinity High School Band. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  28. ^ "Trinity Photography Awards". Retrieved March 19, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  29. ^ "Trinity Triune Awards". Retrieved March 23, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  30. ^ "Trojan Crew | Trinity Trojans". Trinity Trojan Football. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  31. ^ "Garth Ten Napel". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  32. ^ a b c d "WFAA.com - My High School; Euless Trinity Trojans; Famous Alumni". WFAA.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2007.
  33. ^ @LayzieBTNH (28 May 2014). "Went to this school 1990-91 Trinity High School Euless Tx. http://instagram.com/p/oh11YRouD5/" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 April 2019 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Michael Muhney Biography".
  35. ^ "Bethany Joy Lenz Biography, Age ,Net Worth, Wiki, Real Name, Children, Instagram, Parents, partner". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  36. ^ "Meet Erik Hansen". University of Iowa. November 26, 2003. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  37. ^ Michael Granberry (February 6, 2018). "The ABC show 'Kevin (Probably) Saves the World' is full of Texas connections". Guide Live. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  38. ^ "Division I Championship Subdivision College Football". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  39. ^ Nagel, Cody (2022-02-02). "Texas 2022 RB Ollie Gordon commits to Oklahoma State". GoPokes.com. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  40. ^ "2019-2020 Girls Wrestling State Results". University Interscholastic League. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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32°50′34″N 97°05′47″W / 32.842892°N 97.09639°W / 32.842892; -97.09639