Jack Yates High School holds a rich historical archive, shaped not only by its legacy as Houston ISD’s second historically Black high school, but also by decades of student-produced art, film, and audio from its School of Communication.
The skills students develop to prepare for careers after high school also help preserve a record of life in Third Ward, offering a perspective beyond the narratives often portrayed in mainstream media.
As seniors Hannah Estrada, Maja King, and Jariah Authorlee develop projects commemorating the school’s centennial, they consider their contributions to its legacy of pride.
“Our motto at Yates is pride, excellence, and tradition,” King said. “You have pride in your school, you demonstrate excellence through your actions, and you help shape the traditions.”
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE
About the School of Communication
Since 1950, the Jack Yates High School School of Communication magnet program has equipped students with the creative skills, technical expertise, and hands-on experience needed to pursue careers in media, the arts, and digital communication.
The program has helped shape generational talents, including actresses Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, journalist Roland Martin, and jazz saxophonist Conrad O. Johnson.
Students can choose from three areas of study: TV and Film Production, Commercial Photography, and Music Production.
Through a partnership with Houston City College, School of Communication pathways can earn students a Level 1 certificates upon graduation, which counts for at least 18 college credits toward a higher degree.
Hannah Estrada, Photography
With the artistic direction of photography instructors Danielle Mason and Phalyn Honora, senior Hannah Estrada and Jaidyn Harvey, Class of 2026, have curated historical photo collection titled “Eye on the 3rd Ward: A Retrospective.”
The title is in reference to annual HISD student photography exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, “Eye on Houston.” The partnership first started with Yates in 1995, eventually expanding to other campuses.
The banners were on view at The Garage on Alabama event venue this summer and will soon be displayed on the Yates campus. (Courtesy Jack Yates Photography)
Many of the images, including those from former photography instructor Ray Carrington’s collection, were developed in a darkroom and require delicate handling, Estrada said. By digitizing them, she hopes to preserve the photographs beyond the limitations of their material forms.
As a gallery-exhibited photographer, Estrada said she strives to capture emotion as effectively as the delicate archives she has curated. Many of these archives feature aspects of Black music, dance, and fashion that she still captures as a well-known photographer around Houston.
Estrada’s exhibition, “The Roots of Black Beauty” was on display at the Houston Center for Photography in late 2025. (Courtesy Jack Yates Photography)
“There is a picture of a guy at the corner store and he was just sitting there, smiling with a grill in his mouth,” she said of her favorite archive. “The pictures are in black and white, so it just shows how old it is, but that we’re really still the same as we were 100 years ago in a sense.”
Estrada plans to study African American studies in college and pursue a career as a museum curator. Inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of “double consciousness,” which explores how dominant perspectives shape perceptions of Black identity, she hopes to use her work as a photographer and curator to challenge these narratives and celebrate the beauty of her community.
“I’ll take photos and feel comfortable posting them for everyone to see because I know that this is important. This is like a beautiful moment in the black community and people should see it and its value,” she said.
As future historians look back on Yates in the 2020s, Estrada hopes her photographs will carry forward the stories of “pride, excellence, and tradition” preserved by generations of photographers before her.
Maja King, Film
Supervised by instructor Tiffany Holloway, the film class is producing a documentary featuring decade-by-decade on-camera interviews with Yates alumni dating back to the 1920’s.
Senior Maja King is serving as the project’s director, editor-in-chief, and spokesperson for the 2020s decade (a well-deserved honor for the 2026 Miss Jack Yates).
Her day-to-day consists of contacting a wide net of alumni and coordinating interviews with Holloway, recording and editing monologues, and weeding through yearbooks to include images that capture different stages of Yates history.
As a Yates legacy tracing back to her great grandfather, she knew exactly who to call when faced with the task to track down alumni from all decades.
“I called my grandpa the minute I knew that I was going to be working as editor-in-chief on the project and I was like, ‘Papa, I need whoever you have and whatever you have,’” she said.
In “Hot Off The Reel with Ken Burns,” King delivered the short film’s opening monologue, asking the documentarian a probing question about his approach to archival research. (Screenshots from YouTube)
This isn’t her first time in the director’s chair. King was part of Yates’ historic debut at the SXSW film festival for two short films: “Hot Off The Reel with Ken Burns” and “New Heights with J.D. Wallace,” the latter which featured the Yates alumnus and current University of Texas at El Paso football player.
She’s also leads video editing for weekly game day media alongside senior Gabriel Jimenez. This experience laid the groundwork for her career goal of becoming a sports agent and attorney, specializing on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) representation.
While her leadership usually places her in an editing or directorial role, she’s spending more time behind the camera nowadays. She said she wants to understand camera mechanics like the “back of her hand”—specifically how lighting, frames per second, and shot types affect the story’s mood.
As her work gains recognition, King remains committed to putting Yates in the spotlight and building a legacy of positive representation that has shaped her own journey and will inspire future generations.
“We have so many people that come to support us, and it’s not out of charity, it’s out of love,” she said. “I think that is the same love that makes us able to be a family and accomplish these things that hadn’t been accomplished before. I think it’s going to be an ever-growing cycle of positive change.”
Jariah Authorlee, Audio
With the assistance of music production instructor Anthony Terrell, seniors Jariah Authorlee and Daviah Collier, are producing a four-part podcast series—with an episode dedicated to each campus location—on Yates’ history.
The full podcast episodes will be published on the department’s YouTube channel on Friday, Nov. 6, Terrell said.
SEE MORE Follow the department’s YouTube channel to stream Authorlee and Collier’s podcasts. ↗
Like King, Authorlee also consulted with her family as a multi-generational Lion.
“I know Yates has changed so many times and in so many different ways, but it’s the same ‘pride, excellence, and tradition.’ That’s what I love about it,” she said.
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Authorlee said the skills she builds in the recording booth will directly benefit her future legal and judicial career.
Authorlee draws inspiration from the viral podcast “Tonight’s Conversation,” admiring how its multi-generational panels bring together older and younger voices to share life advice and answer relatable questions.
Beyond software, Authorlee is refining her broadcast presence by working on vocal projection and detailed verbal explanations to convey visuals to an audio-only audience with clarity.
Authorlee’s dream career path is to attend law school and eventually preside as a judge. She recognizes that mastering vocal projection, clear explanation, and articulate delivery in the recording booth builds the exact communication rigor required to argue cases in courtrooms and deliberate legal rulings.
She said she wants to be recognized for her love of the campus and dedication to sharing the traditions that make it unique. She also hopes it will connect her to a larger network of Yates alumni who could mentor her in her career.
“I think people will come across my name and be like, ‘She really made sure she put it out there for the history of the 100-year Yates project,’” she said. “I’m trying to focus on exporting these stories.”
BEFORE YOU GO
Terrell’s music production class also created a commemorative song and music video titled “We So Fly.” Watch it here. (Courtesy Yates Magnet)