J.J. Pearce High School
Encyclopedia
J.J. Pearce High School is a high school
located in Richardson
, Texas
, United States
. It is named after Joseph Jones Pearce, who served as superintendent for the RISD from 1946 to 1977. It is one of two Richardson Independent School District high schools to have a natatorium
. In 2005, it had an enrollment of 2,015 and a student:teacher ratio of 22:1.
Pearce was established in 1967 with a group of tenth graders housed at Richardson North Junior High School. Prior to 1967, all high school students in the Pearce area attended Richardson High School. In 1968 the school moved to its current home on Coit Road; the campus has been expanded several times since.
Newsweek has also ranked Pearce at #528 in the top 1,000 high schools in the nation. Schools were ranked based on the number of students who signed up for Advanced Placement courses and AP tests. Pearce was named a 1988-89 National Blue Ribbon School.
Pearce High School also has a Academic Decathlon team. The school holds the record for the most national wins in United States Academic Decathlon history claiming five first place titles, and has also succeeded in being in the top ten schools in the state competition since its founding.. They were a recognized school in 2007-2008, also.
J.J. Pearce High school was mentioned in the fifth season of the TV series King of the Hill
; episode Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story. The school was mentioned as a recently eliminated opponent of Arlen High School in a radio contest to have the band No Doubt
perform at prom.
. This is the second time the Choir had been selected to perform at TMEA, the time before being 1988. More recently, the entire choral department was invited to perform at the Vatican
in Italy
. The group performed there in June 2009.
J.J. Pearce was one of the only high schools in America to earns the rights to perform Andrew Loyd Weber's show, Phantom of the Opera. The theater program is great!
The J.J. Pearce band has performed at such prestigious institutions as The Meyerson in Dallas and Carnegie Hall in New York. The band has been named the Texas Honor Band twice, once in 1984 in the 5A category and again in 2001 in the 4A category. J.J. Pearce is also one of only four schools nationwide to receive the coveted Sudler Flag of Honor twice from the Sousa Foundation.
The graduating class of 1987 was reunited on the TV Land
original program High School Reunion, which premiered March 5, 2008.
Lynn Shaw gained fame as Pearce Theater director and teacher for 25 years, having taught Jessica Simpson
during the pop singer's days at Pearce. Shaw died of cancer August 7, 2009. In January 2010, a Tribute Show was held with former students coming back to reprise their roles in various musicals. Proceeds from the show established the Lynn "Zed" Shaw scholarship fund; the first recipients of the scholarship were announced at the show - seniors Avery Hurst and Rachel Moss. ABC's Nightline
featured Ms. Shaw and the tribute show in a segment airing April 15, 2010, re-airing December 24, 2010.
The school will make history as one of the 50 high schools/colleges asked by Rodgers & Hammerstein to perform Phantom of the Opera in 2012.
The school has had a number of students who have pursued careers in the arts including aforementioned Simpson and 2008 graduate Elizabeth Judd who has been cast in the 2010-2011 National Tour of Spring Awakening
. Actress Amanda Alch also attended JJ Pearce High School, and will be portraying Megan McDurst in the upcoming film Bad Kids Go to Hell, based on the comic book of the same name.
Individuals athletes have succeeded as state champions in Track, Tennis, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Golf.
The traditional team sports of football, basketball, volleyball, and baseball/softball have been popular with participation and school support that is within the norm for a suburban public high school, there have been district championships with postseason play in all of the above with individual players and coaches honored.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Richardson
Richardson, Texas
Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 99,223. In 2011 the population was estimated to be 107,684. Richardson is an affluent inner suburb of Dallas and home of the Telecom Corridor with a high...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named after Joseph Jones Pearce, who served as superintendent for the RISD from 1946 to 1977. It is one of two Richardson Independent School District high schools to have a natatorium
Natatorium
A natatorium is a term given for a building containing a swimming pool. In Latin, a cella natatoria was a swimming pool in its own building, although it is sometimes also used to refer to any indoor pool even if not housed in a dedicated building...
. In 2005, it had an enrollment of 2,015 and a student:teacher ratio of 22:1.
Pearce was established in 1967 with a group of tenth graders housed at Richardson North Junior High School. Prior to 1967, all high school students in the Pearce area attended Richardson High School. In 1968 the school moved to its current home on Coit Road; the campus has been expanded several times since.
Newsweek has also ranked Pearce at #528 in the top 1,000 high schools in the nation. Schools were ranked based on the number of students who signed up for Advanced Placement courses and AP tests. Pearce was named a 1988-89 National Blue Ribbon School.
Pearce High School also has a Academic Decathlon team. The school holds the record for the most national wins in United States Academic Decathlon history claiming five first place titles, and has also succeeded in being in the top ten schools in the state competition since its founding.. They were a recognized school in 2007-2008, also.
J.J. Pearce High school was mentioned in the fifth season of the TV series King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
; episode Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story. The school was mentioned as a recently eliminated opponent of Arlen High School in a radio contest to have the band No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
perform at prom.
Fine arts
J.J. Pearce has a choral program. The Acapella Choir was selected as the 2008 TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) State Honor Choir, and performed at the TMEA convention in February in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. This is the second time the Choir had been selected to perform at TMEA, the time before being 1988. More recently, the entire choral department was invited to perform at the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The group performed there in June 2009.
J.J. Pearce was one of the only high schools in America to earns the rights to perform Andrew Loyd Weber's show, Phantom of the Opera. The theater program is great!
The J.J. Pearce band has performed at such prestigious institutions as The Meyerson in Dallas and Carnegie Hall in New York. The band has been named the Texas Honor Band twice, once in 1984 in the 5A category and again in 2001 in the 4A category. J.J. Pearce is also one of only four schools nationwide to receive the coveted Sudler Flag of Honor twice from the Sousa Foundation.
The graduating class of 1987 was reunited on the TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
original program High School Reunion, which premiered March 5, 2008.
Lynn Shaw gained fame as Pearce Theater director and teacher for 25 years, having taught Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
during the pop singer's days at Pearce. Shaw died of cancer August 7, 2009. In January 2010, a Tribute Show was held with former students coming back to reprise their roles in various musicals. Proceeds from the show established the Lynn "Zed" Shaw scholarship fund; the first recipients of the scholarship were announced at the show - seniors Avery Hurst and Rachel Moss. ABC's Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
featured Ms. Shaw and the tribute show in a segment airing April 15, 2010, re-airing December 24, 2010.
The school will make history as one of the 50 high schools/colleges asked by Rodgers & Hammerstein to perform Phantom of the Opera in 2012.
The school has had a number of students who have pursued careers in the arts including aforementioned Simpson and 2008 graduate Elizabeth Judd who has been cast in the 2010-2011 National Tour of Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
. Actress Amanda Alch also attended JJ Pearce High School, and will be portraying Megan McDurst in the upcoming film Bad Kids Go to Hell, based on the comic book of the same name.
Athletics
The high school has had successful teams in all sports with state championships in team Gymnastics, Swimming, Tennis, Golf, and Soccer. The Pearce Women's varsity soccer team won the 4A state championship in 2009 and 2010.Individuals athletes have succeeded as state champions in Track, Tennis, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Golf.
The traditional team sports of football, basketball, volleyball, and baseball/softball have been popular with participation and school support that is within the norm for a suburban public high school, there have been district championships with postseason play in all of the above with individual players and coaches honored.
Notable alumni
- Jeff AgoosJeff AgoosJeffrey Alan "Jeff" Agoos is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team....
(b. 1968), World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
veteran soccer player who played in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the U.S. - Ray ChildressRay ChildressRaymond Clay Childress, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman in the NFL for the Houston Oilers from 1985–1996, earning Pro Bowl honors five times....
(b. 1962), class of 1981, NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Pro BowlPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
defensive lineman. - Amanda Alch (b. 1990), film and television actress
- Benji Lovitt (b. 1973), class of 1992, Notable Israeli-American comedian
- Lane GarrisonLane GarrisonLane Edward Garrison is an American actor best known for the role of David "Tweener" Apolskis on the television series Prison Break.-Early life:Garrison was born in Dallas, Texas on May 23, 1980 and raised in Richardson, Texas...
(b. 1980), class of 1998, Actor on Prison BreakPrison BreakPrison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an... - Chris JackeChris JackeChristopher Lee Jacke is a former professional American football placekicker best known for playing for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League....
(b. 1966), class of 1984, NFL kicker - Kin ShrinerKin ShrinerKin Shriner is an American actor, best known for playing Scott Baldwin on both daytime serials General Hospital and Port Charles .-Personal life:...
(b 1953), class of 1972, actor better known for his run on soap operas including General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. - Wil ShrinerWil ShrinerWil Shriner is an American actor, comedian, director and game show host.-Life and career:Shriner was born in New York City, New York, the twin brother of soap opera actor Kin Shriner and the son of Eileen “Pixie” McDermott and Herb Shriner, a Hoosier humorist who had several shows in the early...
(b. 1953), class of 1972, television and movie actor. - Ford Austin (b. 1971), class of 1990, motion picture actor and director.
- Jessica SimpsonJessica SimpsonJessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
(b. 1980), recording artist, actress, dropped out of Pearce junior year in 1996. - Scott Turner (b. 1972), class of 1991, NFL defensive back and politician.
- Anthony DorsettAnthony DorsettAnthony Drew Dorsett, Jr. is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the sixth round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
(b. 1973), class of 1992, son of Hall of Fame running back for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos, Tony Dorsett. Former defensive back for the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. - Julie CypherJulie CypherJulie Cypher, born August 24, 1964 in Wichita, Kansas, is best known as the former partner of Melissa Etheridge.Cypher attended the University of Texas at Austin. She married actor Lou Diamond Phillips in 1986. In 1988, Cypher met Etheridge while assisting on the music video for the song, "Bring Me...
(b. 1964), class of 1982, motion picture director, ex-wife of actor Lou Diamond PhillipsLou Diamond PhillipsLou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
and ex-lover of singer Melissa EtheridgeMelissa EtheridgeMelissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
. - Elizabeth Judd (b. 1989), class of 2008, starred in second national tour of Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening as Wendla Bergmann.