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Sherman High School
Address
2907 W Travis St. Sherman, Texas 75092 USA
Information
School type	Public high school
School district	Sherman Independent School District
Principal	Scott Johnston
Teaching staff	158.48 (on an FTE basis)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,160 (2023-2024)
Student to teacher ratio	13.63
Color(s)	Maroon & White
Athletics conference	UIL Class AAAAA
Mascot	Bearcats
Website	www.shermanisd.net/shs

Sherman High School is a public high school in Sherman, Texas, United States. It is part of the Sherman Independent School District located in central Grayson County and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.

Athletics

The Sherman Bearcats compete in cross country, volleyball, football, basketball, powerlifting, swimming, Soccer, golf, track, tennis, softball and baseball.

State Titles

Sherman (UIL)

• Boys Track -
  • 1921(1A), 1932(All)

Sherman Douglas (PVIL)

• Football -
  • 1964(PVIL-2A)

State Finalists

Sherman (UIL)

• Baseball -
  • 1964(5A)

Sherman Douglas (PVIL)

• Football –
  • 1965(PVIL-2A)

Rivalry

Sherman High School and neighboring Denison High School have had a long-standing football rivalry dating back to 1901. Each year, the schools play for "The Battle of the Ax" in which an engraved axe is awarded to the winner. This is the longest continuous rivalry among all high schools in the state of Texas.

Dramatic acting policy

In November 2023, the Sherman Independent School District affected a production of Oklahoma! at the school when its principal told parents that it would cast only students “born as females in female roles and students born as males in male roles,” stating publicly that it took issue with the profane and sexual content in the musical. Multiple students, including cisgender girls cast in male roles, lost their roles in the production. In particular, trans boy Max Hightower was forced to relinquish the lead role. The set for the musical was demolished as a result.

Students and parents organised to protest the decision. In an attempted compromise, the board suggested recasting the students in a version of the musical intended for middle schoolers or younger, a version which would have cut Hightower's solo in the performance.

On 13 November, the school board voted 7-0 to reverse the decision and apologised. Before the vote, 65 people spoke, and The New York Times reported that "only a handful voiced support for the district’s restrictions." After the vote, the board announced that they would announce a special meeting for 17 November to open an investigation and consider action against the district superintendent, Tyson Bennett, which may include “possible administrative leave.”

Notable alumni

• Charlie Johnson (Class of 2002) - NFL offensive lineman - played for Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts.
• Jimmy Hotz (Class of 1971) - Record Producer, Recording Engineer, Inventor, Author, Musician, Audio Expert and Electronic Music Pioneer.
• Curtis Scott Luper (Class of 1984) is an American college football assistant coach at Auburn University
• Hunter Smith (Class of 1995)- NFL punter - played for Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts.
• Michael Quinn Sullivan (Class of 1988) - Journalist, conservative political activist
• Jimmy Turner - NFL player
• Kirby Hocutt (Class of 1990) - Athletic Director, Texas Tech University
• Pete Spratt (Class of 1990) - Former Fighter, Ultimate Fighting Championships
• Kyle Crick (Class of 2011) - Major League Baseball (MLB) player
• Chris Gittens (Class of 2012) - MLB player
• John A. Hilger (Class of 1926) - United States Air Force brigadier general and participant of the Doolittle Raid during World War II

References

1. ^ "SHERMAN H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
2. "2015 Accountability Rating System" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2015.
3. The Athletics Department
4. UIL Boys Track Archives Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ UIL Football Archives Archived 2012-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
6. UIL Baseball Archives Archived 2013-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
7. Battle of the Axe
8. ^ Goodman, J. David (November 14, 2023). "In Texas, a Fight Over Gender and School Theater Takes an Unexpected Turn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
9. Condon, Ali (November 7, 2023). "Trans boy banned from playing male lead in school production of 'Oklahoma!'". PinkNews. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
10. Oshin, Olafimihan (November 7, 2023). "Trans student in Texas kicked out of lead role in high school musical". The Hill. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
11. Russell, John (November 7, 2023). "School kicks trans teen out of high school musical because he wasn't born a boy". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
12. Weisberger, Jason (November 7, 2023). "Texas HS yanks lead role from student for being trans". Boing Boing. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
13. ^ Yurcaba, Jo (November 14, 2023). "Texas school district reverses decision that removed trans student from 'Oklahoma!'". NBC News. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
14. ^ "Sherman's Gittens makes his Major League debut". Archived from the original on June 19, 2021.
15. Brigadier General John A. Hilger, United States Air Force. Accessed August 17, 2022.

External links

• Official website

• Schools in Grayson County, Texas
• Public high schools in Texas