SHHS Alumni Association

Today, Sam Houston High School is a Title I campus. This is a designation based on the number of low-income students who are considered at-risk for school achievement. 

The SHHS Alumni Association is different because we harness alumni and community support to improve educational outcomes for SHHS students. We act as an alumni association, an advocacy group, and a booster club for every program SHHS offers, with a focus to remove systemic barriers and promote educational equity for every student. The students and faculty at Sam Houston are under-served and under-resourced, but more importantly, they're full of talent and potential. It is up to us - the alumni - to continue the legacy of Texan traditions and values, and ensure future Texans have the support they need to perform to their fullest capabilities.

Our Needs

We are seeking to expand both our "ASA (Alumni Support Application)" and "Texan Helping Texans" programs. Funds raised on North Texas Giving Day are our main source of funding for these programs each school year, and we can only provide support to the level that we are able to fundraise.

Through these programs, we have assisted the SHHS community by fulfilling requests from faculty, staff, and administrators to provide:

• travel and sponsorship funding so students can compete at high levels with their peers
• support for students in shelters
• emergency food and clothing
• baby care items for teen parents (which is important so they can focus on school and plan for continuing their education)
• funding to feed students participating in extracurricular activities after school who were otherwise going hungry after school.

Additionally, we established a food and personal care pantry on campus, which the SHHS social workers and counselors now manage.

Program Details

ASAs are requests submitted by teachers who are in need of immediate support for SHHS students and/or the programs they sponsor, ensuring their valuable time can be spent on instruction, not fundraising. The Association fulfills the ASAs that provide the greatest impact to the most students. ASAs give flexibility and discretion to provide immediate care to students and faculty as soon as needs are identified locally within the school. No one knows what SHHS students need more than the teachers and faculty they interact with each day. Through this program, we are able to fund programming for hundreds, if not thousands, of students at SHHS.

Texans Helping Texans is a program that provides ongoing support for the most vulnerable students at SHHS - those in the FIT (Families in Transition), and PEP (Pregnancy, Education, and Parenting) programs. The Association works closely with administrators, social workers, and counselors throughout the year to identify needs and provide both regular and immediate support for students and families. Formerly the "Beyond Lunch" Food Pantry, Texans Helping Texans now encompasses providing non-perishable food, clothing, personal hygiene items, and baby needs.