California High School (San Ramon, California)
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox school
| name = California High School
| image = Cal High School 01.jpg
| location = 9870 Broadmoor Drive
San Ramon, California 94583
| country = United States
|coordinates = {{coord|37|44|48|N|121|56|46|W|display=inline,title}}{{Cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1670389|title=GNIS Detail - California High School|author=United States Geological Survey|date=November 9, 1995|work=Geographic Names Information System|publisher=United States Geological Survey|accessdate=December 29, 2009}}
| type = Public
| established = 1973
| ceeb = 053229
| principal = Demetrius Ball
| newspaper = The Californian
| website = {{URL|http://www.calhigh.net/}}
| teamname = The Fighting Grizzlies
| enrollment = 2,869 (2023–2024){{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=0635130&ID=063513005943|title=California High|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|accessdate=December 28, 2024}}
| teaching_staff = 111.75 FTEs
| campus =
| colors = {{nowrap|Black and orange {{color box|#CC5500}} {{color box|black}}}}
| nickname = Cal, Cal High, The Grizzlies
| athletics_conference = East Bay Athletic League
}}
California High School (commonly referred to as Cal High) is one of two public high schools located in San Ramon, California, United States (Dougherty Valley High School is the other). It is one of four high schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and serves students from the western portion of San Ramon and the unincorporated area of Norris Canyon. Its mascot is the grizzly bear.
As of the 2014–15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,639 students and 107.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 24.5:1. There were 78 students (3.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 39 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=0635130&ID=063513005943 School data for California High], National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
Cal High's athletic rivals are Monte Vista High School and San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, and De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
Campus
Cal has an all-weather track and an aquatic center, including a multi-use athletic stadium and fields (football, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field). Outside, there are six tennis courts, four baseball/softball fields including one baseball field and one softball field intended for games, and an indoor gym and stadium. In 2004, a two-story, ten-classroom building was completed and was designated the World Language building. In 2006, the school added a new main building (67 classrooms on 3 stories) and a new library. In 2007, the school completed a new careers and technology building, student quad, and counseling building. In 2008, the new fine arts building was completed. In March 2010, a second gymnasium was completed on the site of outdoor basketball courts, called the Event Center. In April 2010, a new theater, which was under renovation for three years, opened. It has nine classrooms and is fully fitted with a video production studio and sound room, and an art gallery to display student work. Cal high has a large student and faculty parking area, though demand exceeds available space.http://www.chs.srvusd.k12.ca.us/CHSHOMEPAGE/facilities.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004085130/http://www.chs.srvusd.k12.ca.us/CHSHOMEPAGE/facilities.html# |date=October 4, 2006 }} — California High School website: "Facilities" In light of this, many of the streets around the school are permit parking zones. Cal High also has a recently renovated weight room, equipped with lifting machines and 12 fully stocked Olympic weightlifting cages used mainly by the football team and weightlifting class. Twelve years of construction were concluded with the installation of SunPower solar panels over the back parking lot in the summer of 2011.
Schedule
Unlike other schools in the district, Cal High operates on a block schedule. Classes are 95 minutes long from Monday through Friday. The base schedule consists of six 95-minute periods; students have three classes per school day. Odd-numbered classes are on one day and even numbered classes the next. Some students opt to add an extra 60-minute "B-period" class to their schedule. B-period classes meet on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for 60 minutes from 2:40-3:40 pm.[http://www.calhigh.net California High School Official Site] Students have a designated "tutorial" period after their first period of the day and lasts for 30 minutes. During this time period, they can read, study, collaborate on work, or get help from teachers. There is no tutorial on Wednesday, hence the day is shorter ending at 2:05 pm.
Awards and recognition
During the 2006–07 school year, California High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-2003.pdf U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 through 2006 (PDF)], United States Department of Education. Retrieved May 11, 2006. the highest award an American school can receive.[http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819233705/http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 |date=August 19, 2007 }}, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
Cal High's student-run monthly newspaper is The Californian. The first school newspaper, The Bear Facts, was started in 1973.
California High School was ranked No. 250 in the top 500 US high schools by Newsweek in 2011,{{cite web
| url = http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2011/americas-best-high-schools.html
| title = Newsweek rankings of the top US high schools
| accessdate = July 24, 2011
| date = June 19, 2011
| work = Newsweek
}} placing it within the top 1.5% of the over 18,000 high schools in the United States.{{cite web
|url = http://www.betterhighschools.org/pubs/documents/usfactsheetandreferences_final_080406.pdf
|title = High Schools in the U.S.
|accessdate = July 24, 2011
|date =
|publisher = National High School Center
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111003182347/http://www.betterhighschools.org/pubs/documents/usfactsheetandreferences_final_080406.pdf
|archive-date = October 3, 2011
|url-status = dead
}} In 2005, Cal High was a California Distinguished School.{{cite web
|url = http://www.chs.srvusd.k12.ca.us/
|title = Message From Principal
|accessdate = September 14, 2007
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070922231548/http://www.chs.srvusd.k12.ca.us/
|archive-date = September 22, 2007
|url-status = dead
}}
In 2020, the California High School National History Bowl Team won 2nd place. They subsequently won 4th place in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Marshall |title=2020-2021 Bowl Results |url=https://www.historybowl.com/regional-sites/past-bowl-results/2020-2021-bowl-results/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=National History Bee & Bowl - High School Division |language=en-US}}
In 2024, the California High School Men's Tennis Team, led by team captains Kartik Pandian, Jerry Xu, Vishesh Verma, and Ritvik Uprety and coached by Manny Vasquez and Ron Jow, won the CIF Northern California State Championship, becoming the best high school tennis team in Northern California.{{Cite web |title=CIF |url=https://www.cifstate.org/sports/boys_tennis/results/2024_NorCal_Boys_Tennis_Bracket.pdf |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=CIF|language=en}}
Notable people
= Alumni =
- David Bingham (2008) – Major League Soccer player for Charlotte FC.{{Cite web |date=2016-02-19 |title=Earthquakes’ David Bingham in hunt for perfection |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/02/19/earthquakes-david-bingham-in-hunt-for-perfection/ |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}
- Colby Buzzell (1995) – Author of multiple books and well-distributed magazine articles{{Cite web |last=Nevius |first=C.W. |author-link=C. W. Nevius |date=2005-09-13 |title='My War' -- a soldier's wild ride |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/My-War-a-soldier-s-wild-ride-2609559.php |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=SFGate}}
- Chuck Cary (1978) Professional baseball player{{Cite web |title=California High School - Hall of Fame |url=https://chs.srvusd.net/Athletics/Athletic-Boosters/Hall-of-Fame/index.html |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=chs.srvusd.net}}
- David Klech (2006) American track and field athlete{{Cite web |date=2007-06-16 |title=Klech in pursuit of 'a fresh start' / Ex-prep star leaving UCLA |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Klech-in-pursuit-of-a-fresh-start-Ex-prep-2586562.php |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=SFGate}}
- Sandy LaBeaux (1978) – professional football player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Gamblers{{cite web|title=Houston-Gamblers.com|url=http://www.houston-gamblers.com/id93.html}}
- Chris Verhulst (1984) – NFL Professional Football Player Houston Oilers (1988–1989), Denver Broncos (1990){{Cite web |title=2002 Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://chicowildcats.com/sports/2008/10/9/02HOF.aspx?id=93 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=Chico State Athletics |language=en}}
- Andrew Wiedeman (2007) – Former professional soccer player{{cite news|last=Eiges|first=Brandon|date=February 5, 2010|title=Alumnus turns pro in soccer|page=A1|newspaper=The Californian}}
- Ryan Wright (2018) – NFL Professional Football player, punter{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Guerry |date=2021-11-05 |title=Spectacular specialist: Tulane punter Ryan Wright having tremendous senior season |url=https://www.nola.com/sports/tulane/spectacular-specialist-tulane-punter-ryan-wright-having-tremendous-senior-season/article_c68aedbc-3e5f-11ec-9d5d-bf77c36dce31.html |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=NOLA.com |language=en}}
= Faculty =
- Tony Sanchez – Head football coach from 2004 to 2008. Went on to coach the Bishop Gorman High School (Nevada) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas football programs. Sanchez turned around California High "from doormat status to a berth in the North Coast Section finals," according to ESPN.{{cite web|last=Sherman|first=Mitch|url=http://www.espn.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/page/onenationrn131004/tony-sanchez-sets-bar-high-las-vegas-bishop-gorman|title=Sanchez sets bar at Bishop Gorman|date=October 4, 2013|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=April 13, 2015}}
Gallery
File:Cal High School 02.jpg|Memorial sign
File:Cal High School 03.jpg|The science building (pre-2008/09 renovation)
File:Cal High School 04.jpg|The foreign language building
File:Cal High School 05.jpg|The library and main building
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070922231548/http://www.chs.srvusd.k12.ca.us/ Cal High website]
{{San Ramon Valley Unified School District}}
{{authority control}}
Category:High schools in Contra Costa County, California
Category:Public high schools in California
Category:San Ramon, California