We walk in and out of Coppell High School daily, maneuvering through the halls and trying to get through classes, but many of us do not know the basic history behind our school, or even the exact amount of students there are.

These eight facts about CHS give a bit of insight as to where our Cowboy pride comes from and why our school is so distinct.

1) Our sports teams used to be called the Coppell Tigers.

This was before 1963, when the mascot and name of the sports teams became Cowboys. The name changed because of the creation of the Dallas Cowboys professional football league in 1960 and also because Coppell was home to its own rodeo.

2) The first senior class graduated in 1965.

The first senior class graduated from CHS in 1965 meaning that the 2014-2015 school year marked the 50th graduation of students. However, they did not graduate from the same campus we have today. Their school was part of today’s Pinkerton Elementary School and the class was made up of only 25 students.

3) 12 current staff members attended CHS.

Art teacher Elsa Reynolds, AP Human Geography teacher Andrew Patterson, Applied Communications and English teacher Jessica Short, Social Studies teacher Brittany Jurca, English teacher Sean Smith, AP U.S. History teacher Scott Shelby, Algebra I teacher and football coach Nate Blackwell, Spanish teacher Emily McCoy, AP English teacher Tracy Henson, debate coach Brian Bloss, Student Services receptionist Linda Adams and principal’s secretary Terry Phillips, all graduated from CHS.

4) There are 359 different courses available at CHS for 10th-12th grades.

The 2016-2017 Course Guide describes 359 classes ranging from core classes (Math, Science, English, Social Studies) to electives and from on-level classes to International Baccalaureate (IB) classes.

5) A group of students came up with the CHS “We Are One” slogan.

Students invited to be part of the CHS Student Leadership Group during the 2014 school year would meet every six weeks in the school library with Principal Mike Jasso to discuss how to be a good leader. At one meeting they were asked to create a slogan that embodied our school spirit, and someone threw out the idea of CHS “We Are One” which stuck, and is now used as our school slogan.

6) There are currently 3,214 students at CHS.

The number of students at CHS seems to always be an estimate in conversation, but the 2015-2016 school profile states the exact number is 3,214. The school is expected to add about 800 students in the next six to eight years.

7) Buddy Echols Field is named after a superintendent.

Our football stadium is named after Buddy Echols, a former superintendent of Coppell Independent School District (CISD). Assuming this position in 1989, during a time of rapid growth for the district, he helped schools keep up with the growing number of students.

8) CHS has produced several professional sports players.

Among famous sports alumni of our school are Major League Baseball (MLB) players Cole Green, Corey Kluber and Jason Stokes, North American Soccer League (NASL) player Jamie Watson, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) player Chioma Ubogagu, National Football League (NFL) players Emmanuel Moody and Dan Raudabaugh, Canadian Football League (CFL) player Devin Smith, Harlem Globetrotters player Joyce “Sweet J” Ekworomadu and National Basketball Association (NBA) player Marcelinho Huertas.