Jack C. Hays High School

Jack C. Hays High School is a public high school located in Hays County, Texas USA and classified as a 5A high school by the University Interscholastic League. Hays High School is the oldest existing high school in Hays CISD, but was thoroughly renovated in the early 2000s. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.^[2]

Jack C. Hays High School
Location
4800 Jack C Hays Trail Buda , Texas 78610 United States
Coordinates	30.030790°N 97.888710°W / 30.030790; -97.888710
Information
School type	High School
Motto	Have a great, great Hays High School day! Re. 2021 'Have a great, great Hays High School day!!'
Established	1968; 57 years ago (1968)
School district	Hays Consolidated Independent School District
Superintendent	Eric Wright
NCES School ID	480001005244[1]
Principal	Tina Salazar
Teaching staff	133.50 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,191 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	16.41[1]
Color(s)
Athletics conference	UIL Class 5A
Mascot	Hawk
Website	www.hayscisd.net/Domain/27

History

The school is named for John Coffee Hays, a frontier defender, Texas Ranger and hero to those he fought to protect. He achieved fame after leaving Texas in 1849 for California, where he became the first elected sheriff of San Francisco and helped found the city of Oakland. Hays High School was formed by the consolidation of Buda, Kyle and Wimberley high schools in 1968. In 1986, the Wimberley community was released from the Hays Consolidated School District and reformed Wimberley High School. A further split occurred with the opening of Lehman High School in neighboring Kyle in the fall of 2004.

Mascot

The school mascot was a Yosemite Sam-like character dressed in the standard gray uniform of the Army of the Confederate States of America known as "Colonel Jack". While "Colonel Jack" formerly wielded dual revolvers with a Rebel flag belt buckle, a Texas flag in his left hand, and a white flag bearing an H in his right. As with other institutions which draw upon confederate imagery, Hays High School encountered controversy on and off for years before ultimately discarding the rebel flag as an official symbol in 2000 and banning it from official functions entirely in 2012,^[3] followed by retiring Dixie as a fight song in 2015 and replacing it with the school's original fight song, On, Wisconsin!.^[4]

The Rebel mascot was retired following the 2020-21 school year, with the Hawk being chosen as the new mascot beginning with the 2021-22 school year. The colors remain unchanged.

Athletics

Hays High School's Stadium, Bob Shelton stadium is named after legendary Hays High School football coach Bob Shelton, who, until his retirement in 2010, was the only head coach ever for the Rebels. He began coaching at Hays High School when it formed in 1968 and was head coach at Buda High School for four years prior to that. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest tenured high school football coach at the same school in Texas.^[5]

Hays High School competes in these sports -^[6]

Cross Country, Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Powerlifting, Swimming, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Track, Baseball & Softball.

State Titles

• Volleyball -^[7]
  • 1968(B)
• Softball -^[8]
  • 2013(4A)

Notable alumni

• Donnie Joseph, Major League Baseball pitcher^[9]
• Dillon Passage, Tiger King Star Joe Exotic’s recent Husband
• James Rossi, Navy Football Team Captain 2006