John Jay High School (San Antonio) Explained

John Jay High School is a public high school in the Northside Independent School District of San Antonio, Texas and classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League. During 20222023, Jay High School had an enrollment of 2,248 students and a student to teacher ratio of 14.41. The school received an overall rating of "C" from the Texas Education Agency for the 20212022 school year.^[1]

History

All high schools in the Northside Independent School District (NISD) are named for US Supreme Court Justices, and the first Supreme Court Chief Justice was John Jay. John Jay High also contains a magnet school, the John Jay Science and Engineering Academy.^[2]

Student Locator Project

On October 1, 2012, the high school and Anson Jones Middle School began the controversial "Student Locator Project."^[3] Students were required to wear school IDs embedded with RFID microchips at all times. Student Andrea Hernandez was suspended from the school for refusing to wear the badge for religious reasons, linking it to the "mark of the beast" in the biblical book of Revelation.^[4] The Rutherford Institute filed a suit on behalf of Hernandez, and on November 21, 2012, a judge tentatively blocked the suspension.^[5] Hernandez was expelled from the school in January 2013. In July 2013, she was allowed to re-enter the school, which had abandoned the RFID project.

Athletics

The Jay Mustangs compete in these sports:^[6]

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross country
• American Football
• Golf
• Football
• Softball
• Swimming and diving
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Volleyball
• FIRST Robotics Competition

Championships

• 2002 5A State Champions in Boys' Basketball^[7]
• 1991 5A State Champions in Girls' Volleyball^[8]

2015 football incident

On September 4, 2015, the athletic program attracted national attention after a game in which two players, identified as Victor Rojas and Michael Moreno, drove into the back of umpire Robert Watts during the final moments of the event.^{[9] [10]} Rojas was ejected from the game and both were suspended from the team the next day. The two players were later suspended from school and an assistant coach, Mack Breed, who may have provoked the incident, was also suspended. The incident made national news.^[11] Breed admitted to ordering the hit, although he later recanted the statement. He resigned that same month.^{[12] [13]} He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. Part of his sentencing included permanently surrendering his teaching license.^[14]

Notable alumni

• Scott Ankrom (Class of 1984) - Former NFL wide receiver. Played one season for the Dallas Cowboys.^[15]
• Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, political consultant^[16]
• Clarissa Davis (Class of 1985) - Former NCAA basketball All-American and two-time Naismith National Player of the Year. Olympic and women's professional basketball standout. Inducted into The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.^[17]
• Derrick Hatchett (Class of 1975) - Former NFL player
• Wallace B. Jefferson (Class of 1981) - Former Chief Justice, and first African American justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, 2004-2013.^[18]
• Gina Ortiz Jones Iraq war veteran and Texas politician.
• Rene Lira (Class of 1989) - Rowlett High School band director and official Cerveza Lite Rocket League team mascot.
• Thomas Lott (Class of 1974) - Former NFL player
• Mickey Mahler (Class of 1970) - Former Major League pitcher. Played six seasons for three teams.^[19]
• Rick Mahler (Class of 1971) - Former Major League pitcher. Played thirteen seasons for four teams, primarily the Atlanta Braves.^[20]
• Sammy Morris (Class of 1995) - Former NFL running back. Played 12 seasons for four teams.^[21]
• Bo Outlaw (Class of 1989) - Former NBA basketball player. Played 15 seasons for five teams.^[22]
• Reuben Reina (Class of 1986) The most accomplished distance runner in Texas high school history. Former Olympian in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Inducted into both the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame.
• Josh Reynolds (Class of 2013) - Current NFL wide receiver for the Detroit Lions ^{[23] [24] [25]}
• Chris Ross (Class of 2003) - Current professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.^[26] As a junior, sank a 50-foot half-court buzzer-beater to give Jay the 2002 Class 5A state basketball championship.^[27]
• Yolanda Saldívar - Convicted murderer of Latin music superstar Selena, and currently serving a life sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.^[28] Saldivar attended, but did not graduate from Jay.
• Demetria Sance (Class of 1995) - Former Olympic volleyball player^[29]
• Billy Smith (Class of 1971) - Former MLB Player
• Billy Taylor (Class of 1973) - Former NFL player
• Scott Thomas (Class of 1982) - Former All-American college football player (defensive back) at the Air Force Academy; elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross as a USAF F-16 combat pilot in Desert Storm.^[30]
• Jacob Zeno (Class of 2019) - College football quarterback for the Baylor Bears and the UAB Blazers^[31]

External links

• Northside Independent School District

Notes and References

1. Web site: TEA . . 13 February 2024.
2. https://nisd.net/schools/namesakes/2 Northside ISD Namesakes John Jay High School
3. Web site: Students at Texas school forced to wear RFID tracking badges . 11 October 2012 . 22 August 2013.
4. Web site: Tracking system called "mark of the beast" by student dropped in San Antonio . 22 August 2013 . 22 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130822003941/http://nbclatino.com/2013/07/18/tracking-system-called-mark-of-the-beast-by-student-dropped-in-san-antonio/ . dead .
5. Web site: US student suspended for refusing to wear school-issued tracker . 22 August 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130210105846/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-11/22/student-refuses-to-wear-rfid . 10 February 2013 .
6. http://www.theathleticsdepartment.com/schools/San-Antonio-Jay/ The Athletics Department
7. https://www.uiltexas.org/basketball/archives-boys/0b236665af594107833fc0c16727bda4 UIL Boys Basketball State Archives 2001-2002
8. Web site: UIL Girls Volleyball State Archives 1991-1992 . 2018-02-21 . 2017-06-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170621113219/http://www2.uiltexas.org/athletics/archives/volleyball/state/91_92/index.html . dead .
9. https://www.espn.com/moresports/story/_/id/13596539/northside-independent-school-district-investigates-john-jay-high-school-players-hit-referee Texas school district suspends players after referee hit
10. https://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/09/06/san-antonio-high-school-football-referee-video?xid=si_social School district suspends football players for targeting referee
11. Web site: Montgomery . David. 2015-09-12 . Body Blow on Texas Referee Shakes School and Sport . New York TimesReuters . 2018-02-20.
12. Web site: Assistant Mack Breed told John Jay principal he ordered ref hits in anger. ESPN. 10 October 2015. 2015-09-23.
13. Web site: John Jay assistant coach Mack Breed, accused of ordering hit on ref, resigns. ESPN. 10 October 2015. 2015-09-24.
14. Web site: Former John Jay coach pleads guilty in assault on blindsided official; charges against players to come. USA Today. 21 June 2016. 2015-12-14.
15. Web site: Scott Ankrom . NFL.com . 2018-02-20.
16. Web site: Cummings' wife was a San Antonian before her D.C. Life. 19 October 2019.
17. Web site: NCAA Women's Basketball's Finest (PDF) . NCAA . 2018-02-20.
18. Web site: 2013-09-03 . Texas Supreme Court's first African-American justice resigning . Reuters . 2018-02-20.
19. Web site: Mickey Mahler at Baseball Reference.com . BASEBALL REFERENCE.COM . 1 August 2013.
20. Web site: Rick Mahler. BASEBALL REFERENCE.COM . 1 August 2013.
21. Web site: Sammy Morris . NFL.com . 2018-02-20.
22. Web site: Bo Outlaw . Basketball Reference.com . June 24, 2013.
23. Web site: Josh Reynolds Player Profile at NFL.com . NFL . 2018-02-20.
24. Web site: How Texas A&M WR Josh Reynolds Went From Overlooked to One of the Best Receivers in the 2017 NFL Draft . 6 April 2017 . STACK . 2017-12-30.
25. Web site: Titans Add Former Rams WR Josh Reynolds on One-Year Deal . Tennessee Titans. 2021-10-07.
26. Web site: Chris Ross . Philippine Basketball Association . October 13, 2017 . April 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170428044431/http://www.pba-online.net/profile/Chris-Ross/245/ . dead .
27. Web site: Chan . Lorne . 2010-03-04 . Jay star Ross still living the dream . MySA.com . October 13, 2017.
28. http://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=05422564 Offender Information Detail Saldivar, Yolanda
29. Web site: 2007-10-11 . Longhorn legends: Volleyball Hall of Honor inductee Demetria Sance . texassports.com/ .
30. Web site: Scott Thomas. mysanantonio.com. 2013-08-01. 2011-05-14.
31. Web site: Jay QB's dream becomes a reality as he signs with Baylor. San Antonio Express-News. Terrence. Thomas. David. Hinojosa. December 20, 2018. September 12, 2023.