Manvel High School opened in Fall 2006 with only 9th and 10th grades.[4] The high school, one of five to be established in the suburban areas of Greater Houston in 2006,[5] was projected to have 706 students in its first year.[6] By 2008, it had 1,200 students,[7] and by 2009 it had 1,630 students.[8]
Manvel High School, Alvin ISD's second high school,[9] was established to serve the western portion of Alvin ISD,[6] and provided relief for Alvin High School upon the opening. Darrell Alexander was the first principal of Manvel High School. By April 2006, Alvin ISD had hired assistant principals, athletic coaches, a librarian, and a band director for Manvel High.[10] Its first class, consisting of 275 fourth-year students (seniors), graduated in 2009.[4]
Manvel High was built in two phases. Phase I, with 220,113 square feet (20,449.2 m2) of space, initially had a capacity of 1,500 students and was built for $52 million. Construction on Phase Two, with 128,000 square feet (11,900 m2) of additional space, began in January 2008. Gamma Construction Co. built this phase and SHW Group designed it. The school's capacity increased to 2,500.[7] The expansion included a two-story academic building, with 75,000 square feet (7,000 m2) of space; an 800-seat auditorium; a nine-classroom expansion to the fine arts wing, itself 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) of space; an expansion of the weight room to 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of space, twice its previous size; and a parenting education and childcare building with 7,000 square feet (650 m2) of space. Construction on the auditorium was delayed due to damages from Hurricane Ike in September 2008; the construction company had to replace the previous sets of steel with new ones.[8] The school's elevator was the first in the city limits of Manvel, and the only elevator until the construction of a hotel just north of the school on Highway 6.
Manvel previously served all of Manvel, all of Iowa Colony,[15][16] and additional portions of unincorporated Brazoria County (including Lakes of Savannah, the area around Rosharon[citation needed]). Its service area formerly included Meridiana.[17]
In 2006 Kirk Martin was hired as the assistant athletic director and as the American football coach.[6] The first volleyball coach previously worked in schools in Illinois and was last working as a coach and teacher at Clear Creek High School. Varsity volleyball was scheduled to begin in 2007.[21] Varsity American football games for Manvel High began in 2008.[22]
The school adopted a Lakota Sioux-era rallying cry, "Hoka Hey," for use in athletic competitions.[23]
The teacher of the year and paraprofessional of the year each receive a letter jacket after being awarded as such.[23] Over the years, multiple MHS students have been lost to car accidents and other events; in their honor, there is a tree and a plaque bearing their names in front of the school.
Student discipline
Phillip Mena and Jill Courtney of KHOU-TV wrote that the number of fights that occurred in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years, 48, were "not out of the ordinary for similar-sized schools in the area."[30] In April 2014, a student was stabbed in a fight.[31]
