Pasadena High School is celebrating 100 years of history and traditions with a kick-off homecoming celebration on Sept. 9.
The festivities include an alumni meet and greet, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame Museum, followed by the homecoming football game, at 7 p.m., where the school will recognize this year’s homecoming court and alumni homecoming courts.
100 Years of History and Tradition
Pasadena High School was constructed in the early 1920s and has seen its fair share of expansions over the years.
The school opened its doors to only a few students and a teacher following a major population boom in the city. The first football team played on an old plowed field in 1925 and was led by Coach Paul Long, a social studies teacher and a baseball fan. Seven years later, Stoney Phillips would become the captain of the undefeated team.
The first graduating class earned their diplomas in 1928, with five girls and three boys. By the following year, the number of graduates more than doubled.
Construction on the school continued over the years and was completed in 1929 with the addition of a girl’s gymnasium and an auditorium. In 1931, the school expanded with the installment of a home economics building that is still being used today, followed by a band hall that was built in 1945 and dedicated to Mr. Gene Stuchbery, the first band director at Pasadena High.
By the late ‘40s, a vocational building opened, a new cafeteria was built and the school’s first alumni association had started by Ruth Williams, the first graduating class president. Around this time, the Eagles had hosted their first homecoming celebration and went on to win the district championship that same season.
By 1954, Pasadena High School had grown to over 1,400 students and 68 teachers causing overcrowding issues. In the fall of 1957, South Houston High School opened its doors and transitioned roughly 500 students to the high school to relieve the situation at PHS.
The school continued to expand to accommodate the increase in student population with a boys gym, a new auditorium and the main building of Pasadena High School, built in the early 60s. By the 90s, Pasadena High School added two new floors which housed the existing cafeteria and classrooms.
Pasadena High School has evolved over the years, setting district records and achieving excellence in education.
Kristin Mize, PHS language arts aide, recalls sponsoring the first Oktoberfest event in the district back in 1990. The first of its kind in Pasadena ISD, the event provided students with an opportunity to plan a major event.
“We realized there was a need for a safe place for the students in our feeder elementary schools to trick-or-treat. It was not only a great experience for the students of our feeder schools, but also for our council students,” Mize said. They were doing something for the community and it gave them a great sense of pride. It turned out to be a great success and is still a tradition and a part of Pasadena High to this day.”
In 2010, Pasadena High became the first pilot campus in Pasadena ISD to start an Early College High School program, called PECHS. The PECHS program was jointly created with San Jacinto College to provide a unique opportunity for high school students to earn both an associate’s degree and a high school diploma. PECHS’ proven track record of success eventually resulted in Pasadena ISD expanding the program to each of its traditional high schools.
Here are some more campus accomplishments:
In 2018, PHS earned five Texas Education Agency distinctions
The 1958 football team being the first in the district to compete in the state championship game;
Football District Champions 1937, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1958, 1963, 1970, 1996
Bi-District Football Finalists 1937, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1958, 1963, 1970, 1994, 1995, 1996
Football Bi-District Champions 1937, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1958, 1963
Football Regional Finalists 1937, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1945
Football Regional Champions 1945
Football State Quarter Finalists 1958, 1963
Football State Quarter Champions 1958
Football State Semi-Finalists 1958
Football State Semi-Final Champions 1958
Football Football State Runner Up 1958
Principals
Richard T. Gore 1923-1924
Clara Taylor 1924-1925
Jack F. Horton 1925-1945
Bill Avara 1946-1947
Tilman White 1947-1967
Lonnie Keller 1967-1982
Tom Hancock 1982-1995
Wayne Adams 1995-2002
Morris Fuselier 2002-2006
Chris Bolyard 2006-2009
Joe Saavedra 2009-2019
Laura Gomez 2019-present