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20-417: Willowridge High School can refer to: Willowridge High School (Houston) Willowridge High School (Pretoria) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about schools, colleges, or other educational institutions which are associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

40-468: A Z-Ro rap song which talks about the school at the school entrance. The sign was made as a dedication to Houston rap culture . The following elementary schools feed into Willowridge: The following middle schools feed into Willowridge: Ronald McNair Ronald Erwin McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American NASA astronaut and physicist . He died at the age of 35 during

60-589: A 62-game winning streak) earning a pair of Texas Class 5A state titles. One of the streets on the WHS campus was named in memory of former principal Edgar Glover, Jr. Glover, who served as principal between November 1982 until his death in April 1993. Coincidentally, an elementary school named in Edgar Glover, Jr's honor opened on August 17, 1994 [(Opened fall 1992 [3] )]. The second phase of Willowridge High School

80-430: A high school teacher named Pearl. Growing up alongside his older brother, Carl S., as well as his younger brother, Eric, McNair grew up in a low-income household, his home having lacked both electricity and running water . The family later moved into a better, though still poor-quality household following the death of McNair's grandfather. His older brother, writing in a posthumous biography about McNair, described how

100-466: A piece of music for Jarre's then-upcoming album Rendez-Vous . It was intended that McNair would record his saxophone solo on board the Challenger , which would have made McNair's solo the first original piece of music to have been recorded in space (although the song " Jingle Bells " had been played on a harmonica during an earlier Gemini 6 spaceflight). However, the recording was never made, as

120-648: A score of fellowships and commendations. He became a staff physicist at the Hughes Research Lab in Malibu, California . McNair was also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity . In 1978, McNair was selected as one of 35 applicants from a pool of 10,000 for the NASA astronaut program. He was one of several astronauts recruited by Nichelle Nichols as part of a NASA effort to increase

140-568: A section of Houston inside Fort Bend County, including the neighborhoods of Briargate, Chasewood, Willow Park II, Mayfair Park, Ridgemont, Ridgegate, and Briar Villa. The school also serves the Fort Bend County portion of Shadow Creek Ranch , a community within the city of Pearland [2] . This school is well known for its marching band , known as the "Mighty Eagle Marching Band." Under band directors Mr. Ronald Thornton (head), Delcenia Hill, Maurice Ross, Robert Lee, and Robert Jackson,

160-647: Is also renowned for its basketball program. In 2001, the men's team accomplished the rare feat of having two McDonald's All-Americans in Daniel Ewing and T. J. Ford , who went on to play for Duke University and Texas , respectively. The first phase of Willowridge started in February 1978 and was occupied in September 1979. Willowridge was the second (racially integrated) high school opened in FBISD. In

180-666: Is now named after him. A children's book, Ron's Big Mission , offers a fictionalized account of this event. McNair attended Lake City Elementary School and Carver High School, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1967. In 1971, McNair received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics , magna cum laude , from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina . At North Carolina A&T, he studied under professor Donald Edwards , who had established

200-483: The 1980s, the school was known for its successful football program. During the 82-83 season, NFL Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas led the football team to the Texas Class 4A state Championship. This era also produced other NFL players such as O. J. Brigance , Charles Arbuckle , Allen Aldridge , Selwyn Jones and Stanley Petry. From 1999 to 2001, the men's basketball team compiled a 75–1 win–loss record (including

220-548: The Atlantic Ocean, 73 seconds after liftoff. McNair was initially buried at Rest Lawn Memorial Park in Lake City, South Carolina. His remains were disinterred in 2004 and moved to Ronald E. McNair Memorial Park, located elsewhere in Lake City. McNair was an accomplished saxophonist and jazz enthusiast. Before his last fateful space mission, McNair worked with French composer and performer Jean-Michel Jarre on

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240-817: The band performed at the Rose Bowl in 1994 and Orange Bowl in 1996. In 2001, the band participated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and in the summer of 2005, the Willowridge Band vacationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, a rarity for high school bands. The band also hosted the Bands of America contest at Rice Stadium on October 1, 2005. They have consecutively won 1st place at the MLK Battle Of The Bands and All-American Battle Of The Bands. The school

260-407: The family "covered the floor and furniture with pots and pans to catch the water dripping through the roof" when it rained. In the summer of 1959, McNair refused to leave the segregated Lake City Public Library without being allowed to check out his books. After the police and his mother were called, McNair was allowed to borrow books from the library; the building that housed the library at the time

280-406: The flight ended in the disaster and the deaths of its entire crew. The final track on Rendez-Vous , "Last Rendez-Vous," has the subtitle "Ron's Piece," and the liner notes include a dedication from Jarre: "Ron was so excited about the piece that he rehearsed it continuously until the last moment. May the memory of my friend the astronaut and the artist Ron McNair live on through this piece." McNair

300-603: The launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L , in which he was serving as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven. Prior to the Challenger disaster, McNair flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B aboard Challenger from February 3 to 11, 1984, becoming the second black person in space. Ronald Erwin McNair was born in Lake City, South Carolina , on October 21, 1950, to Carl C. McNair, an auto repairman , and his wife,

320-512: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willowridge_High_School&oldid=742767300 " Category : Educational institution disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Willowridge High School (Houston) The school serves many areas of northeast Fort Bend County east and north of FM 2234, and

340-515: The number of minority and female astronauts. McNair flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B aboard Challenger from February 3 to 11, 1984, becoming the second African American to fly in space. Following the STS-41-B mission, McNair was selected for STS-51-L as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven. The mission launched on January 28, 1986. He and the other six crew members were killed when Challenger disintegrated nine miles above

360-607: The physics curriculum at the university. In 1976, McNair received a PhD degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidance of Michael Feld , becoming nationally recognized for his work in the field of laser physics . That same year, McNair won the AAU Karate gold medal. He would subsequently win five regional championships and earn a fifth-degree black belt in karate. McNair received four honorary doctorates , as well as

380-484: Was completed in summer 1992 and dedicated on September 23, 1992 [(Opened fall 1992 [4] )]. During the expansion, the Ronald McNair Auditorium was dedicated in memoriam (the middle school next to Willowridge was named after Christa McAuliffe ). In 2017 the school temporarily closed due to a mold contamination. Circa 2018 Jay Shells, a New York City graphic designer, installed a sign referring to

400-580: Was supposed to have taken part in Jarre's Rendez-vous Houston concert through a live feed from the orbiting Shuttlecraft. McNair was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004, along with all crew members lost in the Challenger and Columbia disasters. A variety of public places, people and programs have been renamed in honor of McNair: McNair was married to Cheryl McNair, and they had two children. Cheryl

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