Schools in Helotes, Texas – Sandra Day O'Connor High School | Bandera CBD Store

Sandra Day O’Connor High School, 12221 Leslie Rd, Helotes, TX 78023, United States

Sandra Day O’Connor High School is a public high school in Helotes, Texas, United States, San Antonio Metropolitan Area. It’s part of the Northside Independent School District. Opened in 1998, O’Connor High School has continued the tradition of all Northside High Schools to be named after the Supreme Court of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who served from 1981 to 2006 and was the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The colors of the school are navy blue, white and old gold, and the mascot is Panther. 

The first director was Dr. Ken Patranella, who served from 1998 to 2003. He was replaced by Mr. Larry Martin, who served as Chief Executive Officer from 2003 to 2009. The O’Connor Library is named in honor of Mr. Martin. Mrs. Jacqueline Horras is the acting principal. O’Connor High School serves the entire town of Helote and a small part of the broader central town of San Antonio. The campus consists of more than 15 limestone buildings and the walkways are mostly open. The school was ranked “Met Standard” by the Texas Education Agency in 2017. 

• Namesake

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Supreme Court, born 26 March 1930, in El Paso, Texas. Her parents, Harry and Ada Mae, owned the Lazy-B-Cattle Ranch in southeast Arizona, where O’Connor grew up. The remote ranch made formal education impossible, so O’Connor’s parents sent her to stay with her maternal grandma in El Paso. Following high school, O’Connor attended Stanford University, where she graduated in Economics.

• The Institute for Education & Career

The College and Career Center is an important resource for students of O’Connor. It is located in the “A” building and is open at 8:00 a.m. Around 4:30 p.m. Each school day to represent teachers, faculty and parents. The Center shall be staffed by a full-time Career Education Technician. The technician works closely with counselors to plan individual student or group counseling activities related to college and careers. 

The starting point for the use of the Career Center is Choices 360, a web-based computer program that provides up-to-date, easily accessible information on careers, two-year and four-year colleges and universities, business and vocational, graduate and professional schools, financial assistance and armed services. By using a student-issued Choice 360 token or password, parents can assist students in personalizing post-secondary plans when accessing this software at home or at other locations where internet access is available. Students can now complete and save their personal portfolios electronically in school and/or at home. While not allcompassing, the following elements can be found in the Career Center.