- Cypress Creek High School (Harris County, Texas)
-
Cypress Creek High School Location 9815 Grant Road
Houston, TX 77070
United StatesInformation Type Public high school Motto You Just Can't Hide That Cougar Pride Established 1977 School district Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Principal Jim Wells Staff 245 Faculty 200 Grades 9-12 Enrollment 3375 (as of 2011) Student to teacher ratio 1:16.875 Color(s) Blue and Silver Athletics UIL 5A Athletics conference University Interscholastic League Team name Cougars Newspaper Cougar Connection Information (281) 897-4200 Website Cypress Creek High School website Cypress Creek High School, also known as Cy Creek, is a public secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States. Cypress Creek, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District.
Cypress Creek High School opened in the fall of 1977. The first graduating class was in 1980. Over the years, several additions were made to expand the building. In 2004, a major renovation project was passed by Proposition 1 from the 2004 Bond Referendum [1]. All of the interior and much of the exterior is to be remodeled, and new classrooms are to be added. The project was expected to cost approximately $51 million and was completed in 2010. The new renovations, included a new wing in the building, made room for 50 to 100 additional classes and renovated the old parts of the school dating back to the 1970s. As well, a "Black Box Theatre", a Multi-Purpose Room (nicknamed the "Third Gym") and 6 Assistant Principal/Counselor offices, which were spread around the school, were included in the additions.[2]
Cypress Creek features a CISCO Networking Academy class. Students may commute from other Cypress-Fairbanks high schools to take the course. Additionally, in the school year 2010/2011, an ROTC program was finally added to the school after years of students commuting to other high school campuses to participate in the programs.
Contents
Academy System
Along with the renovations in the 2010/2011 school year, Cypress Creek HS implemented a new "Academy" System based on 16 career pathways as deemed by the organization Achieve Texas, and based on different high schools around the state of Texas and the Country (including nearby Atascocita High School). Administration at Cy Creek combined many of these academies to form 6 that students can choose from. They include:
- Academy A: AIM (Agriculture, Architecture, Industrial and Manufacturing)
- Programs of Study: Architectural Designer, Interior Design, Agriculture Welding, Animal Science, Transportation Servicing and Maintenance, Heavy Industrial Metal (welding), Environmental Service Systems, Veterinary Science, Warehousing and Distribution, Plant and Animal Technology
- Academy B: Business and Finance
- Programs of Study: Administrative and Information Support, Advertising & Sales Promotion Marketing, Banking & Related Services, eMarketing, Financial Management and Accounting, Management, Marketing.
- Academy C: Education and Human Services
- Programs of Study: Culinary Arts, Education-Teacher (Small Children and School-Age), Personal Care Services, Restaurant and Food Services (management), Therapeutic Services.
- Academy D: Government, Law and Public Administration
- Programs of Study: Law Enforcement, Legal Services-Technical, Pre-Law, National Defense & Public Administration.
- Academy E: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) (the most popular academy)
- Programs of Study: Engineering Technician, Pre-Engineering, Health Science Biotechnology, Health Science Diagnostic Services and Health Information, Medical Support Services, Health Science Therapeutic Service/ Patient Care.
- Academy F: Arts, Communication and Information Technology
- Programs of Study: Arts and Animation, Fine Arts (including Dance, Dramatic Arts, Musical, Vocal), Visual Arts (including Artist and Fashion Design), Interior Design, Journalism, Web and Digital Media, Computer Information Systems, Computer Systems Technician, Network Systems Engineering, Software Engineer, Technology Engineer, Radio/Television, Sound/Video/Film Production.
Each academy includes one Counselor and one Assistant Principal to guide the students (that total approximately 400-600 in each academy) toward the career that interests them. Additionally, each staff member will follow approximately 15 students during the year to help the students if needed. However, changes to academies may be made at the end of each school year if the student feels like his/her future lies in a different pathway.
With the new academies and the administration of Cy Creek trying to steer the campus into a new way of teaching to better prepare the students for their future, a new bell schedule was implemented in the 2010/2011 school year. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, the students attend their regular 7 classes with 6 minutes in between each class. However, Wednesdays and Thursdays implement a "Block Schedule" in order to get more information to the students in a longer class period. Wednesdays include 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th periods as well as an advocacy period in which a teacher advises a group of students (all students share gender, grade and academy) in their high school career. On Thursdays, students attend 2nd, 4th and 6th periods and are released from the campus at 12:58 (instead of the normal 2:30). This new schedule was implemented in order to include the advocacy time, and to allow for training of teachers during the extra time after school on Thursdays, without extending teacher's working hours. The plan has been met with a surprise liking from the students and parents.
During the 2010/2011, 2011/2012, and 2012/2013 school years, the school will be expanding the academy program and changing it so that it fits the school the best. With the plan's implementation, the school has been awarded a grant for $500,000 in order to nurture the new program, and has been named a "High School that Works" (one of about 1000 nationwide and the only in Cy-Fair ISD)
Athletics
Varsity sports at Cypress Creek HS include tennis, basketball, baseball (boys), softball (girls), swimming, water polo, cross country, football (boys), track and field, golf, soccer, wrestling, and volleyball (girls).
Cypress Creek HS Sports have been very successful:
The football varsity team at Cy Creek bounced back from an 2-8 record in the 2007 year to back to back to back district champions for 2008 - 2010. As of August 26, 2010, Cy Creek is one of the highest-ranked football teams in Texas.
The swimming team at Cy Creek is a remarkable one, with 21 state championships and 3 National Championships since the school's founding. The school has achieved a total of 43 district championships combined out of a possible 66.
The volleyball team at Cy Creek has been very successful as well, achieving top 10 positions in the nation 5 times since the school's founding.
In addition to the varsity sports listed above, Cypress Creek includes the national champion dance team The Silverados and the Cy Creek Cheer leading team.
Other Extracurriculars
Cy-Creek has one of the top theatre arts programs in the state of Texas, having received 9 out of 9 Best Actor awards in the UIL OAP competitions from 2010-2011. They placed second in state UIL OAP this year with The Farnsworth Invention, and Jon Cozart received the Best Actor award at the State level. They also took a musical, Pippin, to the Texas State and International Thespian Conventions in 2009-2010. In addition, they have had numerous students qualify for the International Thespian Convention in Individual Events over the past few years.
Demographics
As of 2009-2010 school year, the demographics of Cy Creek are as follows:
- 45.7% White
- 28.9% Hispanic
- 15.7% African American
- 9.4% Asian/Pacific Islander
and 31.3% of the students are listed as Economically Disadvantaged. [3]
TAKS ratings
Cy Creek has done well on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in recent years, leading the state to rate Cy Creek "recognized" for the second year in a row (for the 2009/2010 school year).
Newsweek rankings
Cy Creek has repeatedly been rated as one of the top 1500 schools in America by Newsweek, with the 2009/2010 school year bringing it the rating 1487, just behind fellow Cy-Fair ISD school Langham Creek, the first time Langham Creek has ranked higher than Cy Creek in the Newsweek ratings.[4]
Famous alumni
- Adam Clanton, TV Personality (KPRC Houston)
- Ashley Axelson, Radio Personality (KRBE 104.1), Class of 1997
- B.J. Symons, Football Athlete (Houston Texans, Frankfurt Galaxy, Berlin Thunder, Tampa Bay Storm), Class of 1999
- Brian Puspos, TV Personality (Soreal Cru on ABDC (MTV))
- Chris Schmidt, Baseball Extraordinaire (Ranger College, Howard Payne University, Alpine Cowboys) Class of 1998
- Chris Severy, TV Personality (KCEN Waco), Class of 1994
- Dan Neil, Football Athlete (Denver Broncos)
- James P. Rauch, Athlete, Class of 1997
- Jeana Sumrall, #33 of Forbes magazine "Richest People" 2010, Class of GED '08
- Jeffrey Schoetlin, Actor/Director (Loveless in Los Angeles), Class of 1996
- John B. Cole, Jr., Actor/Director (The West Wing, Mystery Men, Sleeper Cell, 24), Class of 1992
- Jon Topolski, Baseball Athlete (Florida Marlins, Houston Astros), Class of 1994
- Josh Williams, Football Athlete (Indianapolis Colts), Class of 1994
- Libra Taylor-Thompson, TV Personality (Big Brother Season 10)
- Mark McClune, TV Personality (KREM Spokane), Class of 1996
- Martha Madison (Butterworth), Actress (Days of Our Lives), Class of 1995
- Nick Drago, Dancer, Class of 1999
- Rachel McNeill, TV Personality (KPRC Houston), Class of 1992
- Sam Adams, Football Athlete (Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos), Class of 1991
- Sarah Clay, Cheerleader (Dallas Cowboys), Class of 2004
- John Fitzgerald, CEO Asian Sin-sation Lawn Care and avid pottery artist, Class of 2004
Feeder patterns
Schools that feed into Cypress Creek include:[5]
- Elementary schools: Hancock, Matzke, Moore, Yeager, Hamilton (partial), Francone (partial), Willbern (partial)[6]
- Middle schools: Bleyl, Campbell (partial), Hamilton (partial)[7]
References
- ^ http://www.cfisd.net/newsmedia/press/2004/1204bond.htm%7Ctitle=Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Bond Election Passes with Overwhelming Support From Voters|accessdate= December 12, 2004|author= CFISD|
- ^ http://www.tcdss.net/docs/J.%20Wells%20-%20Transforming%20Tradition.ppt%20[Compatibility%20M.pdf|title=Transforming Tradition|
- ^ http://schools.cfisd.net/cycreek/profile_cycr.htm
- ^ http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/671819-newsweek-com-ranks-top-high-schools.html%7Ctitle= Newsweek.com ranks top high schools
- ^ "High School Attendance Zones (9-10) 2008-2009." Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Accessed September 12, 2008.
- ^ "Elementary School Attendance Zones 2008-2009." Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Accessed September 12, 2008.
- ^ "Middle School Attendance Zones 2008-2009." Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Accessed September 12, 2008.
External links
- Cypress-Creek High School
- Cypress-Creek Alumni website
- Cypress-Creek Silverados official site
- Cypress-Creek Band official site
High Schools Cy-Fair · Cypress Creek · Cypress Falls · Cypress Lakes · Cypress Ranch · Cypress Ridge · Cypress Springs · Cypress Woods · Jersey Village · Langham CreekAlternative High Schools Middle Schools Special Facilities Carlton Vocational Facility · CFISD Adaptive Behavior Center · CFISD Alternative Learning Center · Richard E. Berry Educational Support CenterCategories:- Educational institutions established in 1979
- High schools in Harris County, Texas
- Academy A: AIM (Agriculture, Architecture, Industrial and Manufacturing)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
