Alice High Mariachi Coyote seniors honored with serape stoles, cords

Serape stoles and graduation cords gave Alice High School’s Mariachi Coyote seniors a ceremony that honored more than diplomas. The recognition tied graduation to years of music, school pride and family support, turning a final senior-season milestone into a visible celebration of identity in Alice.

The tribute carried extra meaning at Alice High, which was established in 1887 and now sits at 1 Coyote Trail in Alice. The campus serves grades 9-12 and enrolled about 1,290 students in the 2024-2025 school year, while Alice Independent School District says it serves just over 4,800 students across Alice and surrounding communities in Jim Wells County. In a town where the high school is one of the most visible symbols of local life, the mariachi program has become part of how the community sees itself.

For families, the serape-style stole mattered as a cultural marker as much as a graduation accessory. It gave seniors a way to carry heritage across the stage while the cords marked academic completion and the end of high school. At a school where music and performance are closely tied to campus identity, the honors made commencement feel like a community event, not just a formal exercise.

Mariachi Coyote has already built a profile beyond Alice. An El Mariachi Coyote Booster Club supports mariachi programs at William Adams Middle School and Alice High School, creating a feeder path that helps younger musicians move into the high school ensemble. In February 2025, the Wyatt Ranches Foundation gave the program $20,000 to help cover clinics, competition expenses and new equipment. That support came as the group was gaining broader recognition, including reports that it was heading to state competition for the first time in Alice ISD history.

The ensemble’s recent track record has given the senior tribute added weight. Coverage in 2024 described El Coyote Mariachi as a group of 36 high school students singing and playing in Spanish, a reminder that the program is both a performance group and a cultural anchor. A January 2026 report said the group advanced to the UIL State contest after moving through region and area rounds.

For the seniors honored in Alice, the stoles and cords marked a finish line and a handoff. They reflected years of practice, community backing and the way Alice High chooses to celebrate the students who carry its traditions forward.