Van High School is a public high school located in

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

(

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

). It is part of the Van Independent School District located in east central

Van Zandt County Van Zandt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, in the northeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,541. Its county seat is Canton. The county is named for Isaac Van Zandt (1813–1847), a mem ...

and classified as a 4A school by the UIL. With just over 750 students, it is the largest high school in

. In 2015, the school was rated " Met Standard" by the

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

Academics

The fine arts program has won state in a One Act Play - **2002(3A), 2005(3A), 2007(3A), 2011(3A).

State Titles

*3A UIL State Championships for Poetry and Prose Interpretation. *3A UIL Social Studies Team State Championship in 2010. *3A UIL Current Issues and Events State Championships in 2011 and 2012. *3A FFA LDE Quiz Team State Championship in 2011. *4A TSA Corbin Wood, State Champion in 2015 In the 2015 UIL Academic State meet, of which Van High School competes in annually, the Social Studies team placed second for team. Also, the Computer Science team placed fourth for team.

Theater

Van's theater department has appeared at the State UIL Theater Competition 12 times since 2002. Van has won the 3A UIL One-Act Play State Championship four times: In 2002 for "Godspell", 2005 for "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", 2007 for "Man of La Mancha", and 2011 for "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Van has also placed second in state three times: in 2008 for "The Elephant Man", in 2014 for "And People All Around", and in 2017 for "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" They have placed third in state 5 times: in 2004 for "Assassins", 2009 for "The Devils", 2010 for "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", 2013 for " Mrs. Packard", and in 2015 for "Don Quixote."

Speech and debate

The Van Forensics program competes locally as well as statewide and nationally. The program has had top-ten finishers at the NDCA National Tournament, The Tournament of Champions, The TFA State Tournament, and UIL State Tournament as well as having students win TFA State, UIL State, and The NCFL Grand National Tournament. Two students qualified for Nationals in Original Oratory and two qualified for Nationals in Congressional Debate.

Athletics

The Van Vandals compete in these sports - Cross Country, Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Powerlifting, Golf, Tennis, Track, Softball & Baseball, and Marching Band

State Champions

*Boys Basketball - **1942(1A), 2005(3A) *Football - **1979(2A) *3A UIL State Powerlifting Title - Clayton Kendrick in 2009. *3A UIL State Track & Field Pole Vault - Chris Carroll in 1988.

State Finalists

*Softball - **2006(3A) *Volleyball - **1975(2A)+, 1975(2A)^ *Track & Field - 1995 & 1996 Pole Vault Nathan Abston 1996 (2nd), 1992 1993 & 1994 Pole Vault Chad Perry 1993 (2nd), 1988 Pole Vault Chris Carroll (1st) Bobby Cotton (4th), 1985 Pole Vault Steve English

Notable alumni

* Leon Black-Former Head Basketball Coach at the University of Texas * Jermie Calhoun-Former College Football Player for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

and Angelo State Rams. *

Todd Fowler Todd Fowler is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Houston Gamblers in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football ...

-Professional Football player for the Dallas Cowboys, All State Running Back, and member of the Vandal's 1979 State Championship Football team. (1985–88) *

Jacob Hines Jacob Albert "Doc" Hines (May 1, 1927 – March 3, 2020) was an American politician, veterinarian, and beef farmer. Hines was born in West Salem, Ohio on May 1, 1927, and graduated from Homer High School in Homerville, Ohio. Hines served in th ...

-World Renowned professional tennis player, holder of multiple ATP 1000 titles, as well as multiple Grand Slam championship titles

References

External links

Van ISD
{{authority control Schools in Van Zandt County, Texas Public high schools in Texas