Cheerleaders yelled, the band played and football players wearing their new white, black and silver jerseys greeted students arriving at the new Sonia Sotomayor High School on Monday.
The new Northside Independent School District high school on San Antonio’s fast-growing far West Side officially opened its doors to students after weeks of preparation and three years of construction.
As teachers arrived, they were greeted by Principal Ada Bohlken, who opened the $131.7 million new school after being principal at NISD’s Oliver Wendell Holmes High School for nine years.
“There’s about 1,700 students coming to this campus today,” said Bohlken. Sotomayor won’t have a senior class this year as the school district allowed rising seniors to remain at their current high schools.
Sotomayor High’s school mascot is the Wildcats, and the school colors are black, silver and white.
Junior Charlize Tenayuca, a cheerleader, said she transferred from Harlan High and is excited to be a part of the first graduating class at a school named for the first Latina Supreme Court justice.
“I feel really proud she’s really representing us and San Antonio and a lot of Latina women out there,” said Tenayuca, who has been on campus for cheer practice since early August.
Tenayuca said the Sotomayor campus has more features than other schools, including more vending machines on each floor, fans and a pavilion for shade on the outdoor courtyard.
“It’s the little things,” she said.
Allie Desbien, a band student, also transferred from Harlan High and said she transferred to the new campus because the school was closer to her home. The sophomore student on the drumline is the precision captain and president of the school band.
She is excited for the upcoming football games, which begin Friday at Farris Stadium, where the Sotomayor Wildcats will face LEE High School. The band will play at halftime and at the stands, she said.
“I was a part of [writing] the lyrics to the Alma Mater and fight song,” said Desbien. “We really wanted to show that this school was going to fight and even though we’re a new school with new classes, we’re still going to work just as hard and do our very best.”
Carl Israel, parent of a 10th grader and band parent association board president, said band parents are kicking off the school year by raising funds to cover transportation costs, music and drill designs, and a semi-trailer, which the board hopes to purchase for $75,000, as well as purchasing extra instruments and feeding students before and after practice.
Israel said he was proud his daughter was attending a school that had significance in its name.
“I think [Sotomayor] definitely is a trailblazer,” said Israel. “It’s nice to see some recognition in that and see how we’re supporting — all across the district — various different trailblazers.”
Even at a brand new school with up-to-date facilities, the effects of the nationwide teacher shortage are being felt, with some Sotomayor students being taught by full-time substitute teachers, according to an NISD spokesman.
Before the school year began, community members gathered to form the campus vision, with the goal of being committed to the success of the students, said Bohlken.
“We want to make sure our kids are well supported in whatever they do on our campus,” she said. “We want them to be successful, we want them to be college-competitive and career ready.”
The main building is three stories high and lies on 75 acres of land. It is NISD’s 12th high school and was built to relieve overcrowding at John M. Harlan High School, which opened in 2017, as well as drawing students from William H. Taft High School and Sandra Day O’Connor High School.
The campus is the first in the district to offer a renewable energy program in which students will study energy for four years and learn how to save energy throughout their lives. The program will be enhanced after the first year with more courses, instructors and partnerships, and with the addition of a state-of-the-art facility, said Bohlken.
There is one cafeteria, which is the centerpiece of the campus, a large set of stairs at the entrance, and each classroom has large windows to invite natural lighting in.
On Nov. 9, officials are planning a school dedication ceremony and have invited Sotomayor. There’s no word yet on whether the justice will attend, but Bohlken remains hopeful Sotomayor will visit the school to meet students and staff.
“It is truly an honor to have the school named after her. We’re very grateful for that,” said Bohlken.
