Bel Air Student Council is proud to announce our Bel Air High School Brenda Sandoval Honored Ex for 2021, Colonel Eduardo Monarez!

Colonel Eduardo Monarez graduated from Bel Air, class of 1986.

During his time at Big Red, he was a member of the marching band, Student Council as well as the swim team.

Colonel Monarez served 27 years in the United States Airforce. He was the Director of Intelligence for the Cyber National Defense Force as well as the Director of Intelligence for the US Strategic Command. 

As an expert in cyber intelligence, he was on the cutting edge of the United States defense structure and the war on terror. His team would track terrorists and prevent other countries and groups from hacking into America’s computer networks. 

As a member of the United States Airforce, he oversaw a budget of over 49 million dollars. His team was awarded three National Meritorious Intelligence Unit Awards.

Prior to his service in Afghanistan, he served as Commander of the 29th Intelligence Command at Ft Meade, Maryland. He also served in the military in various capacities in Iraq, Spain, and Afghanistan where he planned and led several high-risk combat missions. 

Colonel Monarez has been awarded the Bronze Star with three oak clusters, Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, and several others including one from the government of Spain.

In addition to his military and industrial work, Colonel Monarez is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Hospice of El Paso. Although he lives in Washington DC, he flies back to El Paso at his own expense to service his hometown and community.

Bel Air High School would like to welcome our new principal, Mr. Jake Valtierra!

Jake Valtierra will serve as the new principal of Bel Air High School. Valtierra launched his career in education in 2007 as a teacher at Parkland High School. During his tenure, he has served as a high school history and T-STEM teacher; middle-school assistant principal; high-school assistant principal; and middle-school principal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from UTEP.

Welcome to Bel Air High School.

 A common, and well-known term at Bel Air High School is "BIG RED PRIDE" and for good reason.  We take pride in all of our achievements!  From students to teachers, we strive for excellence with an elite mindset.

We are proud to share just some of our achievements and the programs we offer here at Bel Air High School.

Bel Air High School placed in the top 30% of all schools in Texas for overall test scores.  Our math proficiency is rated at the top 20% in the state.  Our school's math proficiency level is 66%, which is higher than the Texas state average of 49%!

On April 20, 2019, the Bel Air High School Boys soccer team won the 5A state championship. It was the Highlanders' first-ever state championship in soccer.  The Highlanders first made school history in the 2019 season by advancing to the final four for the first time. To win the state championship, the highlanders knocked off the two-time defending state champions Frisco Wakeland. The game was won by a second-half goal scored by the Highlander's Ivar Arroyo who was later named the MVP of the match.

Our programs and extracurricular activities are second to none.

Arts & Humanities
Fine Arts, English Literature, or World Language
Band, Dance, Choir, Guitar, Orchestra, Theatre, Spanish, and French
Multidisciplinary
Four credits in advanced placement, IB or dual credit selected from English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Economics, Languages Other Than English, or Fine Arts
Public Service
Health Science, Law and Public Safety, Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, and Practicums in Health Science, Principles of Law, Correctional Services, Law I and II, and Forensic Sciences
Business & Industry
Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources, Arts, Audio/Video, and Communication, Business Management & Administration, Marketing
Veterinary Medical Applications, Equine Science, and Practicums, Principles of Arts Audio & Video, Animation, Fashion Design, and Graphic Design, Business Information Management I, Business Management, and Practicum in Business, Advertising, Fashion Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Practicum in Marketing
STEM
Engineering - PLTW, Principles of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, and Civil & Architecture Engineering

Extracurricular Activities/Sports

• Award-Winning Percussion Ensemble (2009 WGI Regional Champions: Denver, Colorado)
• Western United States Grade IV Pipe Band
• Bel Air "BIG RED PRIDE" Marching Band (2015, 2017 UIL Area A Marching Band Champions; 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017 UIL State Qualifier)
• Bel Air Jazz
• Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC)
• Student Council
• Speech and Debate
• Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)
• Dance Team - Mu Delta Chi
• Future Business Leaders of Tomorrow (FBLA)
• Spanish Honor Society
• French Honor Society

Boys

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country
• Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Soccer
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Wrestling

Girls

• Mu Delta Chi
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Cross country
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

The state-of-the-art Bel Air Athletic Complex, which houses the Carroll Dibler Gymnasium, was recently completed and features 98,000 square feet of space with dedicated areas for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, wresting and dance.