About Luther Burbank High School
Burbank opened at its present location in September 1937. For more than 30 years the campus also included a junior high school, which was phased out at the end of the 1968-69 school year as part of an overall $22 million building program which included construction of more junior high schools.
While officially named for agricultural pioneer Luther Burbank, the school originally was called the Steve's Gardens Jr.-Sr. High School.
Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. He developed (but did not create) a spineless cactus (useful for cattle-feed) and the plumcot.
Timeline
1937 - Luther Burbank Vocational High School became the only school in San Antonio to offer an agriculture program on a 75-acre student farm laboratory. The high school was named after Luther Burbank (1849-1926), a famous California horticulturist who introduced more than 800 varieties of plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, and ornamental flowers). Terrell F. Gates is the first principal and remains at Burbank until 1971.
1938 - ROTC Cadet Corps was formed under FFA. Chapters were supervised by Sgt. Cassidy.
1940 - National Honor Society was formed.
1941 - First volleyball team was formed.
1943 - Junior Red Cross was organized to help the people who occupied Europe during World War II
1945 - The first edition of the Bark was published by 23 members of NHS. The Future Homemakers of America assisted the war effort by making the U.S.A. scrapbooks for men in the service. The Honor Guard published the school's first newspaper called the Campus Comment.
1947 - Journalism was first offered at BHS. Twenty-one students produced the Campus Comment. Sixteen students signed up for the yearbook class and produced the Bark.
1950 - Radio, Television and Electronic shop was established.
1958- Orange Jacket Drill Team was established. They performed before football games, basketball games, Fiesta parades and participated in competitive marching with other drill teams. Bulldogs won the 16-A District Championship in both football and basketball.
1959 - Commercial Art was introduced. Architectural Drafting was names one of the best developed programs in South Texas.
1960 - Band Majorettes won first place in state. Bulldogs were 16-4A District football champs.
1961- The varsity basketball team won the region championship.
1963- Burbank High School Â?Little TheaterÂ? was remodeled with the addition of new lights and stage for the first production of "The Limelighters"
1965- The Harvest Times was created by Mrs. Forters fifth period class. The newspaper was named the Harvest Times because of the thought that all Burbankers must "Harvest" their educational learning when they entered the business world.
1966 - The staff of the Harvest Times received the Interscholastic Achievement and the Award of Distinguished Merit.
1968 - ROTC consisted of six companies.
1971 - Terrell F. Gates, principal of Burbank since it first opened in 1937, retired.
1972 - For the first time in BHS history, Agriculture and FFA were open to females. Girls volleyball began its first year as an official UIL sport.
1973 - ROTC allowed girls to enter its ranks. Members of the senior class stomped out a grass fire that would have destroyed the football field
1974 - Bulldogs adopted the new Texas orange color.
1976 - The first female basketball team won the district title with a 14-0 record. The boys basketball team won the district title for the third consecutive time. The team was district, city, and region champs, and state finalists.
1977 - Friday, March 11, was declared Luther Burbank Day in San Antonio by Mayor Lila Cockrell. The proclamation honored the Bulldogs for their participation is the state basketball play off in Class 4-A.
1980- The UIL district meet was held at Burbank; BHS placed fourth in overall district competition, making its best showing in six years.
1981 - After 30 years, the symphonic band came home with a first division in UIL competition. The band had the honor of performing for a major motion picture called "Wrong is Right."
1985 - Student council was in charge of Burbank's Fiesta float in the Battle of The Flowers Parade.
1986 - Academic Decathlon was first organized.
1987 - The first graduation class of 1940 from BHS was honored Saturday Nov. 7. Burbank Latin Club was the first Latin Club in SAISD that was organized and affiliated with the American Classical League.
1998 - Burbank High School is authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
2000 - The first group of seniors participates in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
2001 - The first group of students becomes eligible for the IB Diploma.
2001/2002 - Principal Andrew Rodriguez marks his first year at BHS
2004-2006 - New Orleans Saints practice in the SAISD Spring Sports Complex because of the Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and numerous hurricanes that struck in the summer and fall of 2004.