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[[Keyword:=Cinco Ranch High School|Cinco Ranch High School]] has had numerous controversies despite its short lifespan. It currently participates in the district-wide blocking of [[Directory:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]].

[[Directory:Cinco Ranch High School|Cinco Ranch High School]] has had numerous controversies despite its short lifespan. It currently participates in the district-wide blocking of [[Directory:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]].

==Controversial events==

==Controversial events==

'''Homophobia''': The 2001-2002 yearbook, "Panorama" had a theme of "Firsts", as this was the year of the first graduation in the school's history. To fit this theme, students in English classes were invited to share "firsts" in their lives, in the form of written essays to be placed in the yearbook. One such essay was one written by a male homosexual student about his experience of “coming out” for the first time. This particular essay sparked outrage in the Cinco Ranch High School community as parents as well as faculty members took up arms about this display of sexual orientation. Amidst many other technical errors overlooked by the publishing company of the yearbook, the publisher agreed to reprint some 1,800 copies. The reprint included corrections to technical errors, as well as the removal (and some would argue [[censorship]]) of many student-written stories, particularly the controversial "coming-out" story. <ref>Student Press Law Center (2002). ''Two Houston area schools censor stories about gay students'', June 25, 2006[http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=430]</ref>

'''Homophobia''': The 2001-2002 yearbook, "Panorama" had a theme of "Firsts", as this was the year of the first graduation in the school's history. To fit this theme, students in English classes were invited to share "firsts" in their lives, in the form of written essays to be placed in the yearbook. One such essay was one written by a male homosexual student about his experience of “coming out” for the first time. This particular essay sparked outrage in the Cinco Ranch High School community as parents as well as faculty members took up arms about this display of sexual orientation. Amidst many other technical errors overlooked by the publishing company of the yearbook, the publisher agreed to reprint some 1,800 copies. The reprint included corrections to technical errors, as well as the removal (and some would argue [[censorship]]) of many student-written stories, particularly the controversial "coming-out" story. <ref>Student Press Law Center (2002). ''Two Houston area schools censor stories about gay students'', June 25, 2006[http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=430]</ref>

== Other controversies ==

== Other controversies ==

'''"The Best High School In America"''': The official slogan of the school during the 2003-2004 school year, was the "Best High School in America"; critics of the motto have questioned the assertion of "best". Empirical data provided by newsweek in 2005 concluded Cinco Ranch was in fact the 472nd best high school in America.<ref>Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert (2006). "Top High Schools in America", Newsweek, May 8, 2006</ref> It has been suggested by some that this motto was intended to be motivating and not taken in a literal sense. In the Spring of 2004, Lowell Strike received his Doctorate and became the "''Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction''" at Northwest ISD.<ref>Northwest Independent School District (2004). ''Superintendent's Cabinet'', June 28, 2006[http://www.northwest.k12.tx.us/cabinet.htm]</ref> After his departure he was replaced by Bonnie Brasic, formerly of Mayde Creek Junior High School. She chose not to continue this tradition but the phrase is still in common usage, particularly from older staff members. "Shining the Light onto the Future" replaced the old motto in 2005. Posters displaying the new slogan were placed in almost every classroom of the building and included an acronym for the word future. "Best High School in America" was resurrected for the 2006 yearbook when the journalism department added the phrase on the top of the outside cover.

 

'''"The Best High School In America"''': The official slogan of the school during the 2003-2004 school year, was the "Best High School in America"; critics of the motto have questioned the assertion of "best". Empirical data provided by newsweek in 2005 concluded Cinco Ranch was in fact the 472nd best high school in America.<ref>Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert (2006). "Top High Schools in America", Newsweek, May 8, 2006</ref> It has been suggested by some that this motto was intended to be motivating and not taken in a literal sense. In the Spring of 2004, Lowell Strike received his Doctorate and became the "''Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction''" at [[Northwest ISD]].<ref>Northwest Independent School District (2004). ''Superintendent's Cabinet'', June 28, 2006[http://www.northwest.k12.tx.us/cabinet.htm]</ref> After his departure he was replaced by Bonnie Brasic, formerly of Mayde Creek Junior High School. She chose not to continue this tradition but the phrase is still in common usage, particularly from older staff members. "Shining the Light onto the Future" replaced the old motto in 2005. Posters displaying the new slogan were placed in almost every classroom of the building and included an acronym for the word future. "Best High School in America" was resurrected for the 2006 yearbook when the journalism department added the phrase on the top of the outside cover.

'''Socioeconomic Disparity''': Cinco Ranch HS is located in the center of an expansive, master planned suburban community of the same name, which has been heavily developed since the 1980s. Parents are overwhelmingly of a upper-middle and lower-upper class status, with uniformly high incomes less characteristic of surrounding areas which feed into Katy High School or the older, more urban areas feeding into Mayde Creek. As a result, the majority of students attending school here are of the middle class and higher, with less than 2% falling below the poverty line. Students from other KISD high schools often refer to CRHS as the "[[rich]]" school, though the newly-opened [[Seven Lakes High School]] will probably earn this title as well.<ref>Muni Net Guide. ''Cinco Ranch Demographics'', RICIC, L.L.C. MuniNet Guide, June 28, 2006[http://www.muninetguide.com/states/texas/municipality/Cinco_Ranch.php]</ref>

'''Socioeconomic Disparity''': Cinco Ranch HS is located in the center of an expansive, master planned suburban community of the same name, which has been heavily developed since the 1980s. Parents are overwhelmingly of a upper-middle and lower-upper class status, with uniformly high incomes less characteristic of surrounding areas which feed into Katy High School or the older, more urban areas feeding into Mayde Creek. As a result, the majority of students attending school here are of the middle class and higher, with less than 2% falling below the poverty line. Students from other KISD high schools often refer to CRHS as the "rich" school, though the newly-opened [[Seven Lakes High School]] will probably earn this title as well.<ref>Muni Net Guide. ''Cinco Ranch Demographics'', RICIC, L.L.C. MuniNet Guide, June 28, 2006[http://www.muninetguide.com/states/texas/municipality/Cinco_Ranch.php]</ref>

'''Ethnic Clubs''': It is notable that the school undertook steps to remove the minority heritage club from the list of registered clubs, of which the President was Caucasian. He felt he was himself a minority as he suffered from learning disabilities (although, notably, they also eliminated the Majority Heritage Club, which was formed as a club that allowed anyone in as a response to the discrimination of people not in the minority). The administration also stopped the formation of the Communist Club.<ref>''CRHS Clubs'', June 25, 2006[http://schools.katyisd.org/campus/crhs/clubs.htm]</ref>

'''Ethnic Clubs''': It is notable that the school undertook steps to remove the minority heritage club from the list of registered clubs, of which the President was Caucasian. He felt he was himself a minority as he suffered from learning disabilities (although, notably, they also eliminated the Majority Heritage Club, which was formed as a club that allowed anyone in as a response to the discrimination of people not in the minority). The administration also stopped the formation of the Communist Club.<ref>''CRHS Clubs'', June 25, 2006[http://schools.katyisd.org/campus/crhs/clubs.htm]</ref>