San Felipe High School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker at San Felipe High School has to say — and friends, this one's worth the stop. Now, 1929 is where you want to set your clock. The San Felipe Independent School District had just formed, and before the dust even settled on that decision, the people of the community made up their minds: they were going to have a high school.

And when they put it to a vote — a bond to build the thing — every single resident voted yes. Unanimously. Not a single holdout.

That right there ought to tell you something about the kind of people we're talkin' about. They got to work. The building went up at the corner of Plaza and Garza Streets, and by December of 1930, the doors swung open.

The new campus held the full range of grades — secondary students in the main building, sixth through eighth tucked into a structure out back. Traditional subjects, competitive sports, fine arts — the works. And those students?

They called themselves the Mustangs. The mighty Mustangs of San Felipe High School, wearing purple and gold. Then comes 1932.

The school held its very first commencement exercises. Seven students crossed that stage. Seven.

A small number, sure — but you better believe every one of those families remembered it. What made San Felipe High School something more than a building, though, was the people inside it. Teachers who cared.

Administrators who showed up. Parents who stayed involved. That combination has a way of building more than just students — it builds a community.

And this school knew it. It hosted adult education classes, citizenship classes. It served as a voting place.

When floods came and families had nowhere to go, San Felipe High School opened its doors and housed them. For over forty years, it was the cornerstone of that community. Then 1971 arrived.

San Felipe I.S.D. consolidated with Del Rio I.S.D., and the school closed. Now here's the part that gets me. Most schools, when they close, they fade.

The alumni scatter, the stories thin out, and after a generation or two, you're left with nothing but an old photograph and a vague memory. But San Felipe High School has an alumni association — active, organized, keepin' the flame — which the marker itself calls a rarity for a school that no longer exists. Seven students at that first graduation.

Forty-some years of Mustangs in purple and gold. And still, the memory holds. That's not nothing.

That's a community that built something worth remembering.

What the marker says

In 1929, San Felipe Independent School District (I.S.D.) formed; one of the district’s first decisions was to establish a high school. Residents voted unanimously for a bond for the institution. Building was completed at the corner of Plaza and Garza Streets and the new high school opened in December 1930. The new campus hosted a full range of grades, with secondary students attending school in the main building and grades six through eight housed in a posterior structure. The high school offered traditional subjects, competitive sports and a wide range of fine arts. The colors for the mighty Mustangs of San Felipe High School were purple and gold. In 1932, the school held its first commencement exercises for a graduating class of seven students. San Felipe High School was known for its caring teachers, who along with administrators helped to create a close-knit community. The school also had high parental involvement. This encouraging atmosphere shaped students, aiding them in achieving later career and life success. Additionally, the school served as a focal point for the community. It held adult education classes and citizenship classes, functioned as a voting place, and has housed families displaced by floods. In 1971, San Felipe High School closed when San Felipe I.S.D. consolidated with Del Rio I.S.D. Memory of the institution has been kept alive by the generations of students who attended and by the school’s alumni association, a rarity for a school that no longer exists. Today, San Felipe High School is remembered for being a cornerstone in the San Felipe community for over 40 years. (2009)