User talk:Spencerich

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Citing sources
Welcome to Wikipedia!

I took a look at your edits at Lee High School (Houston) - I applaud your efforts to expand the history of the school.

Unfortunately, your edits are not cited to sources. Wikipedia requires carefully placed inline citations, so that we know where the information comes from. Please see Citing sources and V

Also in your edits you removed the inline citations that supported my paragraphs in the history section. That does not help the encyclopedic quality. When you add information to another article, please leave in the already cited info unless you can cite the same info to a different source, or unless you are for a reason challenging the info.

If you need more assistance with this matter, please let me know.

Thank you,

WhisperToMe (talk) 17:55, 20 December 2010 (UTC)
 * I added back some of the original info from your revisions at Lee_High_School_(Houston,_Texas) - They are tagged, awaiting references. WhisperToMe (talk) 18:20, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

Hey Spencerich. The best way to chronicle Lee HS in its early history is to get archives of newspaper articles. On Wikipedia the best sources to use are reliable secondary sources. Newspaper articles from the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Post would be sufficient.

Unfortunately none of the Houston Post articles are online due to legal concerns. With the Houston Chronicle articles from 1985 onward are available, but 1984 and before, no.

However I can access the archives of the Chronicle and Post at the Houston Public Library in Downtown and at the University of Houston Library. If I know the names and dates of newspaper articles about the founding and development of Lee, I can get microfilms of these articles and use them to add info to the article.

If you know the names and dates of these articles, I would be happy to look them up at the library and get copies of them. WhisperToMe (talk) 22:38, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

Lee source bonanza
Alright, I'm going through the articles and seeing what I can find. I just sourced a paragraph explaining how Lee's American football team was big news from the 1960s to the 1980s. By the way, Fickman went to Midland Lee, not Houston Lee. WhisperToMe (talk) 00:08, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Hi Whisper to Me; I think we should meet at some point and talk about the sourcing you use for these Lee HS Wiki updates. Some examples of incorrect info:

-I know Andy Fickman personally, and spoke with him here at Channel 13 prior to his movie being launched in the fall. He graduated from Houston Lee. - Lee hasn't had an active golf team since 2005. I have no clue where this sourcing came from, but it is wrong. -Lee Key Club existed from 1963-2002. It never required any financial statements for admission. I was the President and the Lieutenant Governor of the Texas Oklahoma District- Key Club International. Of This I am a citable source... -The RE Lee Alumni Association is the alumni liaison for Lee, and we are working on alum directory as we email...We are sanctioned by HISD, work with the principal on projects, have an office located on campus in room 654, and are on line at www.houstonleealumni.org

I would like to see some HISD records/ stories about high schools over this time period ( mid 60s-mid 90s ); that would be very telling about the school's rise (and fall) relative to other HISD schools. Lee had an IB program before Lamar, but it ended in the 1990s and there are no people still on campus ( or at HISD) who can source this. Also, around 1995, one of the 12 principals at Lee between 1989-2000 threw out every single one of the trophies, UIL awards, banners, conference championships, etc. earned at the school up to that date, determining (i'm told) that they did not reflect the current and new students at the new Lee.

The alumni association 12 member elected board ( representing 23000 Robert E. Lee HS alums) meets monthly, on campus ( 1st Thursday, 6pm) for anyone interested in participating or learning more about helping Lee.

Responses to queries about Lee content
WhisperToMe (talk) 04:57, 17 February 2011 (UTC)
 * "Lee hasn't had an active golf team since 2005." - Okay, so is there a source saying that the golf team disbanded during that year? I could also check the school's website to see if Golf is still listed in the sports list. Anyway, even if it is disbanded, the article should still talk about the golf team, since the Houston Press did a feature on it. EDIT: Can't find a listing of the sports teams on the current website.
 * About the key club: the article "Personal Touches" by Debra Viadero from EducationWeek says:
 * "IN THE 1960s AND 1970s, Lee High was an all-white school where students had to produce their parents' financial statements in order to join the Key Club, says Ms. Morrow, who was a student here part of that time." - Marla Morrow is the person who EducationWeek cites. - What I will do is modify the statement to say "Marla Morrow, a former student quoted in EducationWeek, said..."
 * "Of This I am a citable source" - Well, a person can't be cited. A published document from that person can be cited. It might be a good idea to contact EducationWeek and/or Morrow about this. If you write an editorial in the Chronicle or something, you might also be given an opportunity to respond to the Key Club stuff.
 * "would like to see some HISD records/ stories about high schools over this time period ( mid 60s-mid 90s ); that would be very telling about the school's rise (and fall) relative to other HISD schools." - As in information added to pages of other high schools? I understand that the Houston Press wrote an article on Wheatley High School (Houston) and its decline by the late 1990s.

Latest Lee edits
Hi! I noticed the latest edits you made. Here are my comments: WhisperToMe (talk) 01:30, 1 September 2011 (UTC)
 * 1. The name of the subject in the lead sentence on Wikipedia is always bolded, not italicized. I don't see a problem emphasizing Gulfton in the lead. The most prominent neighborhood actually contributing students to Lee as of 2011 is Gulfton. There are other communities, but many of the sources I read tie Lee HS to Gulfton. Also http://www.houstonleealumni.org}/ does not belong in the infobox - it should only have official school sites. The external links section may have http://www.houstonleealumni.org}/ though
 * 2. I do not see a reason why the lead picture was removed. A picture of the physical building needs to be in the infobox
 * 3. I'm fine with the updating of population figures. However you can't say "1,500 (2011)" without a source. http://dept.houstonisd.org/profiles/Lee_HS.pdf has 1,891 as of 2010 as the latest figure, so until HISD posts the new enrollment numbers in the winter, we have to go with 1,891.
 * 4. Thanks for fixing the error (it was a YES Prep, not a Kipp)
 * 5. About the change "In 2010, Amstutz was removed as principal of Lee."
 * http://blogs.chron.com/schoolzone/2010/03/new_lee_high_school_principal.html says "HISD officials never divulged whether Amstutz left the job willingly or unwillingly,[...]" so unless you can find a source saying he was removed, we must say "he stopped being the principal" - "was removed" implied he did not willingly leave, but the newspaper said it couldn't tell.
 * 6. I reverted some changes if they did not match exactly what the sources said.
 * About band or orchestra - I can't find evidence that the school offers them, on its website. If the school has them, it needs to say so on its website.
 * Your revision said: "From the 1960s through the 1990s[...]"
 * but firstly the source only stated the 1960s and 1970s:
 * Secondly in 1991 there were already more Hispanic students than White students: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2364002518/school.aspx - In 1988 it was majority White.
 * "As of 2010 Lee is coordinating an alumni database " should be kept as such, because that is the year of the source. If another source says the same thing as 2011, then we can do that.
 * In 1989 it was plurality White. In 1991 it was not a plurality anymore. I also don't have a source saying that in the 1980s it was majority wealthy white. The parameter wealthy is not measured in the information I have.
 * 7. Unfortunately http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sslc/federal_grantees/cohort4/project_directors/washingtondc/LeeHSAmstutz.pdf is now dead and I haven't found an archive for it...

Hi Whisper to Me. http://schools.houstonisd.org/lee is the new LEE HS webpage. In it, you will find info in the "about us"/principal's corner/message from the principal, regarding the new band, swim team, cheerleaders, jazz program, drama, etc. this school year. Also, the HISD Connect has updated the list of notable alumni, which i have included on the page, sourced to the website, but not formatted apparently. I will continue to try and find sourcing for information, but the new census numbers were taken from both Principal Davila's comments to our alumni meeting in August, 2011, and Erika Mellons' Chron.com Sept, 2011 blog on HISD, entitled " Apollo school numbers down". I will work on getting a new photo of the school that does not have police cars or concertino wire in it. Please remember, many times the Wiki page is the first impression a new parent has of the school, and determines if they will investigate enrolling their child further, or run the other direction! Thanks for your guidance, and look forward to working further on bettering this page with you.
 * You are welcome :)
 * One other thing, about http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lee_High_School_(Houston,_Texas)&diff=next&oldid=450200778 - Please don't simply copy and paste text from the HISD website (compare) - as that is against their copyright. Please restate their lists in your own words
 * WhisperToMe (talk) 18:08, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Spanish article available
Spencerich,

I started a small Spanish article at es:Escuela Preparatoria Lee (Houston). Considering Lee students mostly live in Spanish speaking families and many of the parents don't know English this article can be very useful WhisperToMe (talk) 08:22, 15 November 2013 (UTC)

New name
I updated the articles in English and Spanish since the HISD board gave Lee High a new name. WhisperToMe (talk) 13:44, 21 May 2016 (UTC)