Odessa High School (Texas)


Odessa High School is a public high school located in Odessa, Texas, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Ector County Independent School District. The full name of the school is Odessa Senior High School. This name was originally to differentiate it from Odessa Junior High School. Normally, the school is commonly referred to as Odessa High or just OHS. In 2011, the school was rated "Academically Acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency. On April 17, 2014, Odessa High School was named an AVID National Demonstration School.
WWW ectorcountyisd.org/ode/si...

Athletics

The Odessa Bronchos compete in the following sports:
Cross country, volleyball, football, basketball, powerlifting, swimming, soccer, gymnastics, golf, tennis, track, softball, gymnastics, and baseball.

State titles

  • Baseball
  • *1950
  • Football
  • *1946
  • Boys Track
  • *1950, 1951, 1952, 1992

Mascot

The mascot for Odessa High School is the Odessa Bronchos, with all female teams referred to as "Lady Bronchos." This unique spelling of "Broncho" has resulted in Odessa High being the only high school in Texas with this particular mascot.

Band

The Odessa High School band was started in 1932 and has the longest consecutive streak of first division rating in marching contests in the State of Texas, going back 82 years. The band has also been invited to various music festival and contests across the nation. In March 2007, the band was invited to play their marching season selections "Letters from the Front" at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 2004, The Odessa High School Band combined with the band from Permian High School in Odessa to form one of the largest bands ever to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

Culture

Odessa High School students reported ghost sightings and paranormal phenomena at the school for decades, up to 2006, centering around Betty Williams, who was killed during the "Kiss and Kill" homicide in 1961. Mack Herring, her killer, was ruled not guilty by grounds of temporary insanity by a Texas jury as she had asked Herring to kill her. Odessa High's administration applied paint to the school auditorium's windows to counter the ghost story culture. In 2019, KOSA-TV said, "Many believe her ghost still haunts the halls of Odessa High School to this day."

Notable alumni