(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT — March 30, 2023) — On the same day that this year’s NCAA men’s basketball championship is scheduled, the El Paso Independent School District will celebrate the completion of yet another campus in its $668 million bond program – this one bearing the name of the iconic point guard of the venerated 1966 Texas Western College men’s basketball team – Bobby Joe Hill. 

Bobby Joe Hill PK-8 School is a consolidation of Collins Elementary School and Terrace Hills Middle School in Northeast El Paso. The ceremony to dedicate the completed campus is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 3, with members of Hill’s family present at the ceremony.  

Hill was part of a renowned team led by Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins at Texas Western, now the University of Texas at El Paso, that made history by starting five Black players in the national championship game March 19, 1966. The Miners defeated the University of Kentucky’s all-white lineup, initiating a seismic shift in college sports that was chronicled in the 2006 film “Glory Road.” 

The $32 million campus features the latest in education technology and learning spaces, a new fine arts wing, a new elementary building, ample student drop-off zones, and a remodeled middle school building. The remodeled portion of the school now has a modernized library and classrooms, student collaboration spaces, life skills classrooms, computer labs and science labs. 

“The Northeast community has yet another excellent option for sending their children to school through El Paso ISD.” El Paso ISD Superintendent Diana Sayavedra said. “Having a top-notch learning environment where students are inspired to thrive is critical to a student’s success. The namesake of a national champion will serve as a good reminder to our students that they, too, can dream and win big.” 

The media is invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4860 Tropicana Ave. 

Make plans 

• What: Media is invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bobby Joe Hill PK-8 School 

• When: 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 3   

• Where: 4860 Tropicana Ave., El Paso, TX 79924.   

• Of note: The campus is named for the iconic point guard of the venerated 1966 Texas Western College men’s basketball team that is credited with changing college sports forever.