History

Americas High School First opened its doors on September 1996. Being a new school it enrolled seventh, eighth and ninth graders. That first generation of ninth graders became the first generation to graduate in May 2000.

Students

Hispanics, Caucasians, African Americans, are a part of the students of Americas High School. The school is mostly composed of Hispanic students, with mixed Caucasians and African Americans.

Clubs

-Marching Band

Marching band

Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...

-Mock Trial

Mock trial

A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...

-Student Council

Student council

Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...

-Academic Decathlon

-Speech and Debate

-National Honor Society

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

-BPA

MOCK TRIAL

The Americas High School Mock Trial team competes annually at the El Paso County Courthouse in a simulation of a trial for civil and criminal cases in alternating years. The team consists of three attorneys that deliver opening and closing argument, direct, and cross examination, and six witnesses (three per side) that help to tell the story of any given case.

Coaches -
Teresa Candelaria (2004-present)
Robert Almonte II (2008-present)
Jaime Esparza (2004-present)
Aaron Setliff (2004-2007)

The team won the regional championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with undefeated records each year and a combined record of 19-0 against El Paso teams. Additionally, the team from 2009 finished State Runner-Up in Dallas, Texas after losing to Skyline Academy by one point on three different ballots in the championship round. The 2010 team finished 12th in Texas. In 2011 the Americas Mock Trial Team became the first ever El Paso Mock Trial team to capture the State
Title, in addition to becoming the first Americas team (in any capacity) to win a state championship. The State Championship Team consisted of three attorneys (Enrique Esparza, Edwin Felix, and Zach Fields), six witnesses (Texas Quezada, Anabella Tarango, Savannah Rappe, Nayell Palomino, Chris Ramos, and Joshua Monarez), and a timekeeper (Jacob Parsont).

The 2011 State Champion team went on to the National High School Mock Trial competition in Phoenix, AZ in May of 2011 and defeated the state champions from Nebraska, Louisiana and South Carolina and lost a split decision to Indiana, who went on to win the National Title. In all the team from Americas finished 5th place in the world at the competition, performing better than any team from Texas had done on the National level since 1999. The team was also the only team to take a balloting judge from Indiana on the year, and was a mere 2 points shy of beating Indiana. (In the round AHS received one ballot by 8 pts, and Indiana received two ballots by 2 pts each.)

The 2011 team finished with a record of 14-2, losing one round to St. Thomas Episcopal before defeating them in the state semifinals and losing one round to Adams High of Indiana, who went on to become the national champs. The team that was together for two years leading up to the 5th place finish had a combined record of 22-4, and for the three members that were on the team for a full four years (Texas Quezada, Zach Fields and Edwin Felix), they finished with a total record of 35-8 in high school.

NJROTC

-Armed Drill Team
Participates in precision marching competitions carrying a rifle. Although the majority of the members have been historically male, the first female member took command of the team in 2002. Since then the team has had at least one other female commander and several other female competitors.

-Unarmed Drill Team
Participates in an unarmed variant of the precision marching competitions done by the armed drill team. This team historically consists of female members until the first male member took command in 2004.

-Academic Team
The academic team competes in drill meets by completing a multiple choice style exam consisting of questions based on naval science.

-Rifle Team
The rifle team competes by shooting targets in various positions with an air powered pellet gun.

-Sword Team
The sword team is a non-competitive team that is employed to honor VIP's both inside and outside of school related events. The team traditionally consists of eight primary members. Two squads are formed consisting of four members each arranged in order of heights, shortest in the front and tallest in the back. The commander assumes a position within the two squads. For events where the team must escort a female, the eight primary members are male cadets and two female cadets are attached to the team as assistants.

The team starts each event by marching in and then turning in so that the two squads face each other. The commander gives the command to arch swords, and the team executes by pointing the swords up in the air at a 45 degree angle. After a VIP passes by a member of the team, their sword is slowly lowered and then replaced on the cadet's shoulder. For female escorted events, the primary members will trade out their swords for roses after all the VIP's have passed through the arches. This switch is completed by the two assisting members. The female to be escorted is presented with a rose by the first member and is passed on to the next cadet who presents the female with his rose. The ceremony concludes after all the roses have been given out.

-Color Guard
The Color Guard team is both competitive and ceremonial. The team competes with a minimum of four members, but with as many as six in some instances. Two of the members hold rifles instead of flags and stand at either end of the squad. During a home football game in 2004, four members from the sword team were attached to the color guard to uncase the colors before a performance. There has traditionally been four separate color guard teams that take turns performing at home football, basketball, volleyball, and softball games.

-Admin
The cadets assigned to handle the administrative functions of the battalion are said to work in the Admin section. The cadets in this section are responsible for keeping cadet records and publishing awards and promotions.

-Supply
This section is responsible for issuing uniform items to incoming cadets and replacing unserviceable items from veteran cadets.

-Staff
The battalion staff functions similar to a board of directors in a corporation. The commanders from each element as well as all the department heads convene once a week with the BCO, BXO, and CMC.

-Chief's Mess
The Chief's Mess was established at Americas High School by retired Navy CPO Ramos, who was the NSI at the time. The organization brought together all of the cadets that had attained the cadet rank of c/CPO, c/SCPO, or c/MCPO.

-A/B Company
"Alpha" and "Bravo" Companies are the two main bodies of the battalion and consists of cadets that are not members of the drill teams. Company A consists of cadets that attend their Naval Science class on odd days and Company B consists of cadets that attend their Naval Science class on even days. Each company is broken into three platoons. The six platoons compete annually for the "Bravo Zulu" award that is given during the AMI.

-C Company
"Charlie" Company consists of only members from any one of the drill teams.

Fine arts

-Guitar Club

-Band

The Americas High School Blazer Marching Band is a consecutive participant in the Bands of America competitions and a state band. They have received consecutive 1st division ratings on the UIL competitions and SISD Marching Festivals.

-Flags

Americas is proud to sponsor the AHS Fortissimo group, this Winter Guard group have won many regional competitions as well as national competitions. Fortissimo received second place in the 2007 WGI World Competition.

-Choir

-Dance

-Orchestra
The Americas High school orchestra is very accomplished. The orchestra includes violins, violas, basses, and cellos. The orchestra has won many competitions in in district, UIL, and out of State Competitions.

-Theater

Athletics

-Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

-Boys Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

-Cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

-Cross Country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

-Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

-Girls Basketball

-Girls Soccer

-Golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

-Softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

-Swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

-Tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

-Track

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

-Volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

-Wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

Americas High School has built a very strong wrestling program...winning 7 district championships 2000,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2010. From 2000-2010 Americas has had 13 All State Wrestles and One State Champion. Kevin Jury won the state title at 125 lbs in 2006 and was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler at the State Tournament.

Campus

The Americas High School main building is arranged in an "L" shape consisting of 3 main hallway pods and 2 smaller hallways at either end. Each of the three main pods have two floors with classrooms on either end of a diamond shaped hallway. The second floor of each pod opens in the center to reveal the first floor. Additional classrooms have been added to the main building by filling in the space in the center on the first floor of each pod.

Americas High School houses the following areas starting with the northern most section of the school, moving south, then east:

The theatre, make-up room, dance room, choir room, textbook locker, culinary arts room

Cafeteria, student activities room

Classrooms

Rotunda, library, administrative offices

Classrooms

Gym

A concrete band practice field is in the middle of the "L". This field is also used as a marching pad for the NJROTC.

Like the other High Schools in the Socorro Independent School District

Socorro Independent School District

The Socorro Independent School District or SISD is a school district located in El Paso, Texas in an area referred to as East El Paso and is rapidly growing.The interim Superintendent is Mrs...

, there is not a stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 located on campus. Track/Swim Meets and Football/Soccer games are played at the SISD Student Activities Complex

SISD Student Activities Complex

The SISD Student Activities Complex, known locally as "The SAC" is a High School football stadium in the far east side of El Paso, Texas.It has a capacity of 11,000. It is owned and operated by the Socorro Independent School District for high school football, soccer, swim meets, and track & field...

.

A grass field is located on campus for freshmen football games and as a parade field for the NJROTC.

A second grass field is used primarily for the placekickers.

External links

• Americas High School

• http://schools.sisd.net/amh/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=552&Itemid=224