Memorial High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

located in

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...

, United States. It was established in August 2002 after a merger of three previous high schools:

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, and Stephen F. Austin. Since then, Port Arthur Memorial High School has been the only high school in the

Port Arthur Independent School District Port Arthur Independent School District is a public school district based in Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur, Texas, United States. The district serves most of Port Arthur and a portion of Groves, Texas, Groves. In 2012, the school district wa ...

. It serves most of Port Arthur and a portion of Groves. Initially, the school used the former Lincoln and Jefferson campuses; its new facility opened for the 2009–10 school year on the northern side of Port Arthur. It also has a 9th Grade Center in the Port Acres area of Port Arthur, on the former Austin Middle School campus. When Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen F. Austin high schools were consolidated, students voted on the name for the new high school and the top two vote-getters were "Memorial High School" and "

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

High School". In September 2007, school board member Terry Doyle suggested renaming Memorial High School after the late Staff Sgt. Lucian Adams, a Port Arthur native who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his bravery in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Employees of the school district established a museum of artifacts from the three former high schools plus the Catholic Bishop Byrne High School.

Athletics

Memorial High School currently participates in District 22-5A. Memorial participates in the following UIL sports where it has had success in many district championships and playoff wins: * Football * Volleyball * Cheerleading * Cross Country * Basketball * Soccer * Track and Field * Swimming and Diving * Baseball * Softball * Tennis * Powerlifting * Golf

Organizations

Memorial has many organizations including an award winning: * Marching Band known as "The Marching Heat" * Dance/Drill Team known as the "Flames" usually made up of 30-60 girls * The Titan Press Newspaper and Yearbook * NJROTC * Theatre * MHS Choir on Fire Among over 30 clubs.

Notable alumni

* Eric Alexander, former NFL linebacker, attended Stephen F. Austin *

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the Southern rap duo UGK (Underground Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wi ...

, rapper and former member of UGK, attended Thomas Jefferson * Aaron Brown, former NFL defensive end, attended Lincoln * Jonathan Babineaux, former NFL defensive tackle, attended Lincoln * Jordan Babineaux, former NFL cornerback, attended Lincoln * G. W. Bailey (Thomas Jefferson Class of 1961) — stage, television and film actor * J'Covan Brown (born 1990), basketball player in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). ...

, rapper and former member of UGK, attended Lincoln *

Jamaal Charles Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college footb ...

, former NFL running back * Todd Dodge (Thomas Jefferson alumni) — a former Texas high school football coach *

Kevin Everett Kevin Everett (born February 5, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Bills in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. He p ...

, former NFL tight end, attended Thomas Jefferson * Goose Gonsoulin, former NFL safety, attended Thomas Jefferson * Danny Gorrer, former NFL cornerback * Mike Green, former NFL linebacker, attended Lincoln * Gary Hammond, former NFL wide receiver and running back, attended Thomas Jefferson * Duriel Harris, former NFL wide receiver, attended Stephen F. Austin * Xavier Hernandez, former MLB pitcher, attended Thomas Jefferson *

Stephen Jackson Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...

, former NBA guard, attended Lincoln * James Johnson, former NFL running back, attended Thomas Jefferson * Jimmy Johnson (Thomas Jefferson Class of 1961) —

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

coach, also a college coach * Paul Jones, professional wrestler *

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

(Thomas Jefferson Class of 1960) — A rock, soul, and blues singer and songwriter, member of the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

* Carl Larpenter, former NFL offensive lineman, attended Thomas Jefferson * Bobby Leopold, former NFL linebacker, attended Lincoln * Tim McKyer, former NFL cornerback, attended Lincoln *

Inika McPherson Inika McPherson (born September 29, 1986, in Port Arthur, Texas) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She was the 2013 US Indoor champion. During her career, McPherson has been issued with two, separate anti-dop ...

, national champion high jumper * Marcus Price, former NFL offensive lineman, attended Lincoln * Elandon Roberts, NFL linebacker * Amber Chardae Robinson, actress * Dan Rogas, former NFL offensive lineman, attended Thomas Jefferson * Cotton Speyrer, former NFL wide receiver, attended Thomas Jefferson * Raymond Strother,

political consultant Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely televi ...

, attended Thomas Jefferson * Kary Vincent Jr., NFL player * Joe Washington, former NFL running back, attended Lincoln

References

External links

Port Arthur ISD
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 2002 High schools in Jefferson County, Texas Public high schools in Texas 2002 establishments in Texas