Stephen F. Austin High School is a secondary school in El Paso, Texas, opened in 1930. It is part of the El Paso Independent School District. The school's mascot is a Golden Panther named "Henry and Penny." The school was designed by Texas contractor and architect Robert E. McKee. When the local school district ran out of money during the construction, McKee donated the remainder owed. Consequently, the school's football stadium is named in McKee's honor. The R.E. McKee Construction Company built the school and used a classic Spanish architecture. The structure is surmounted by a 103-foot tower. The classrooms had marble floors and the hallways are floored with terrazzo.The "A"The school, located minutes from the Franklin Mountains, faces a large, white, block "A" letter painted on the mountain. AHS students traditionally "light" the "A" on Homecoming night's football game which is played at R.E. McKee Stadium. The "A" is lit by placing small cans, full of kerosene and sawdust, around the "A" and lighting them before kickoff. The burning "A" is visible from the home bleachers and AHS supporters chant "Hey, Hey, Look at the A" to signify its lighting."Elroy"The school has an actual, stuffed Golden Panther in the main lobby. The Panther is named "Elroy" after Austin High English and Creative Writing teacher and author Elroy Bode. Bode is a famed West Texas author and has published several books, including Home Country: An Elroy Bode Reader, Commonplace Mysteries, and This Favored Place: The Texas Hill Country.
Reviews, get directions and information Austin High School.
