J. W. Nixon High School
| J. W. Nixon High School | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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2000 Plum Street Laredo, Texas, 78043 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Forever Green and Gold |
| Established | 1964 Renovated 2015 |
| School district | Laredo Independent School District |
| Superintendent | Dr. Marcus Nelson |
| Principal | Dr. Gerardo Cruz |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2007 |
| Color(s) | Green and Gold |
| Mascot | Mustang |
| Newspaper | The Pony Express |
| Website | J. W. Nixon High School |
Joseph W. Nixon High School is a public high school located in South Texas. It was built in 1964 as the second high school in Laredo, Texas. The original high school in Laredo is Raymond & Tirza Martin High School, previously known as Laredo High School. Both are part of the Laredo Independent School District (LISD).
Over a period of two years (2014-2015), J. W. Nixon underwent a forty million renovation. Several older campus buildings were demolished to create a reconfigured two-story building centered about a U-shaped courtyard. Funds for the project were mostly derived from a construction bond package approved by voters. As of 2016, J. W. Nixon has a new Tennis Complex and Track & Field Complex, along with new classrooms.
J. W. Nixon is named for a former LISD superintendent. It opened its doors in September 1964, with W. E. Lockey serving as Nixon's first principal. The first class to graduate was the Class of 1965. Initially, J.W. Nixon served as a junior high/high school with grades seven through twelve. The original school property consisted of 20 acres (81,000 m2) and the cost of construction was $151,047,568. In 2007 J.W. Nixon had a record breaking with more than 400 students graduating.
About 2 a.m. on December 7, 2012, arsonists torched three portable buildings at Nixon High School. Three other classrooms sustained smoke damage. No individuals were physically harmed in the fire.
In 2014, Nixon and Martin fell short on minimum state standards and were placed on the Public Education Grant list. Similarly impacted is (LBJ) Lyndon B. Johnson in the neighboring United Independent School District.
Viola Ileana Martinez Moore (1929-2017), born in Zapata and a graduate of Martin High School in Laredo, was a subsequent principal of J. W. Nixon, the first Hispanic woman to head a 5-A high school in Texas. The J. W. Nixon Band Hall is named in her honor. After regular retirement, she served for two terms as a trustee of the Laredo Independent School District and as principal of the Roman Catholic Blessed Sacrament Elementary School in Laredo. Her obituary describes her as one of "no limitations, a goal-getter, a catcher of dreams, and the best example for our community as a whole."
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