Arcadia High School (Arcadia, California)

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Arcadia High School
A Symbol of Honor and Pride
Established 1952
School type Public
Grades 9-12
Image:Joey 12.jpg Mr. Joey Ma
Location Arcadia, California, California, United States
Students 3708 (as of October 2006)
Faculty 155
Athletics baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, pep flags, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo
Colors Cardinal and Gold
Mascot Apaches
Website http://www.ausd.net/ahs

Arcadia High School is a part of the Arcadia Unified School District and is a four-year comprehensive secondary school located on a 40-acre site in Arcadia, California.

The school was first opened in 1952, and incorporated the ninth grade into the school in 1994. The incoming freshman class largely consists of students who graduated from Arcadia’s three middle schools (Richard Henry Dana Middle School, Foothills Middle School and First Avenue Middle School).

Arcadia High School has a teaching staff of 155. Six hold doctorate degrees and 82 have masters degrees. The administrative staff consists of the principal, four assistant principals, and two deans of students. A staff of seven counselors hold masters degrees and Pupil Personnel Service Credentials, with three of the counselors licensed Marriage/Family/Child Counselors. Arcadia High School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and received a six-year accreditation in June 2004.[1]

Contents

[edit] Highlights

  • Newsweek ranks Arcadia High School 262nd on its 2006 list of the United States' 1200 best public high schools [1]
  • 250 students compete on 8 award-winning academic teams
  • 48 member Pep Squad
  • 900 students participate in the athletics program
  • Arcadian Yearbook and Apache Pow Wow Newspaper Staff of over 115 students
  • Video Production and Apache News Team
  • Nationally recognized 386 member Apache Marching Band and Colorguard
  • 450 student Concert Band program
  • 315 student Symphony Orchestra program
  • 67 student Percussion Ensemble
  • 112 students perform and compete in 4 choral groups
  • Dance and Theater Production groups
  • Over 50 clubs

[edit] Demographics

As of 2006, the racial makeup of the school is approximately 24% White American (not of Hispanic origin), 1% African American, 0% Native American, 65% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 1% Filipino, 8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[2]

The 2006 student body consists of:

  • 857 Freshmen
  • 949 Sophomores
  • 941 JuniorsImage:Joey 12.jpg
  • 957 Seniors

[edit] Academics

Arcadia High students must complete 225 credits and pass math, reading, writing and swimming proficiency tests to graduate. Arcadia High School offers a broad range of Advanced Placement, Honors level and college preparatory courses.

Advanced Placement courses include: English Language, English Literature, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Computer Science A, US History, US Government, Comparative Government, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Physics B, Physics C, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, French Language, Japanese Language, Music Theory, and Art History.

Nearly all honors and AP classes require admissions criteria, which may include entrance exams, teacher recommendations, and past performance history or audition. Arcadia High does not weigh GPA or rank its students. Many graduate to attend prestigious schools including those of the Ivy League and the University of California system. Many of its students are highly motivated and often participate in multiple extracurricular activities. Arcadia students have a high pass rate in the Advanced Placement exams and have around 30 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists a year. Arcadia is highly ranked considering its large population and the fact that it is a public school.

The current senior class is represented by 29 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists and 50 Commended students.[3]

Image:Joey 12.jpg

[edit] Athletics

Arcadia High School is governed by the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section as a member of the Pacific League. Its athletic mascot is the Apache and its colors are cardinal and gold. The Apache boys compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo. The Apache girls compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo. There is also a pep squad with Song, Cheer, and Pep flags. Arcadia’s main rival is Crescenta Valley High School. Both teams often contend for the League Championship.

Arcadia teams are very competitive and often qualify for the CIF playoffs. In 2005, boys' soccer were finalists in the Division III CIF playoffs. The boys' cross country program is one of the more dominant teams in the state, having placed 3rd and 7th in the 2005 and 2006 CIF-State Cross Country Championships in Division I, respectively. In 2006, the team finished 7th in the open race at the Nike Team Nationals.

Arcadia's Track and Field team is also very competitive, winning almost all of its meets.

Arcadia is known for its Arcadia Invitational, the largest and most prestigious high school track meet in the world. The meet has witnessed many high school records being broken and featured Olympians Quincy Watts, Steve Lewis, Danny Everett, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Gail Devers, Mike Powell, Mike Marsh, Marion Jones, Allyson Felix, Monique Henderson, Deena Kastor, Michelle Perry, Alan Webb, and even Cathy Freeman from Australia.[4]

[edit] Extracurricular Activities

Arcadia High School offers many extracurricular activities including clubs, video production, journalism, yearbook, robotics, ROP, academic teams and performing arts groups. Its performing arts groups and academic teams consistently rank at the top of California and, in some instances, the world.

[edit] Performing Arts

Arcadia maintains a large and diverse performing arts program. It has drama, Orchesis, choir and a music program.

[edit] Music

The music department is very competitive at Arcadia, with a strong music program in the middle schools. The music department consists of groups such as the Marching Band, Orchestra, Color Guard and Percussion. The Marching Band is led by Tom Landes and is one of the largest bands in California with over 400 members. The Arcadia Apache Marching Band consists of the band, the color guard and the percussion led by Kevin Sherrill. The band has marched in the *Rose Parade in nearby Pasadena thirteen times and will march in the 2008 Rose Parade as their fourteenth time. They have also marched in such diverse venues as the Gator Bowl parade and the 55th inaugural parade. Arcadia has held the annual Arcadia Festival of Bands since 1954. The orchestra is led by Rick England and Tom Forbes and has competed in the Heritage Festivals in numerous places, including Orlando, San Francisco and San Diego.

[edit] Choir

Arcadia High School has two of the most prestigious choral groups in southern California: New Spirit, an all-girls' show choir, and Chanteurs, a mixed show choir. Chanteurs has been around for 51 years and New Spirit is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2006. Both groups have continuously earned the highest honors in competitions throughout southern California, maintaining its rank as two of the top show choirs in its years running.

[edit] Academic Teams

Arcadia is also home to several powerhouse academic teams, including Academic Decathlon, Destination Imagination, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Team, Speech and Debate, Math Team, National Ocean Sciences Bowl, National Science Bowl, Quiz Bowl, and Science Olympiad. The Constitution team has been one of the most consistent teams on campus and qualified for the State finals for the 19 consecutive years as of 2006. The Science Bowl and Quiz Bowl teams have become dominant teams in their respective regions. The Science Bowl team won the JPL regional in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2003 and thus qualified for the national tournament in each of those years. The Quiz Bowl team qualified for the NAQT HS national championship tournament in 2002, 2006 and 2007.

[edit] Clubs

Arcadia High has many clubs governed by the associated student body, including Chinese Club, Korean Culture Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Junior State of America, Young Democrats of America, Key Club, National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, Interact Club, Leo Club, Students Promoting Literacy Club, French Club, Physics Club, and Astronomy Club.

[edit] Journalism

  • Yearbook: "The Arcadian"
  • Newspaper: "The Apache Pow Wow" [2]
  • Magazines: "The Apache Beat" and "The Cardinal and the Gold"
  • Video: "Apache News"

[edit] Recent Awards and Achievements

[edit] 2004-2005 School Year

  • The Arcadia Marching Band marched in the 55th inaugural parade.
  • The World Guard placed 5th at WGI World Championships.
  • The Percussion Ensemble placed 9th at WGI World Championships.
  • The Constitution team placed 4th in the state competition.
  • Academic Decathlon placed 2nd in its division.
  • Destination Imagination placed 2nd in its region.
  • The Science Olympiad team placed 1st at the regional competition and 3rd at state competition.
  • The Ocean Science Bowl team placed 3rd at regional tournament.
  • Speech and Debate team placed 3rd in California.[5]

Image:Joey 12.jpg

[edit] 2005-2006 School Year

  • Arcadia had 37 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists.
  • Boys' cross country placed 3rd in the 2005 CIF-State Cross Country Championships in Division I.
  • Boys' soccer were finalists in the Division III CIF playoffs.
  • Arcadia Swimming Team beat archrival Crescenta Valley, their first win in more than fourteen years.
  • The Percussion Ensemble placed 12th at WGI World Championships and 3rd at SC-PA Championships
  • The World Guard placed 3rd at WGI World Championships and 1st at WGASC championships.
  • The Speech and Debate team placed 2nd at the State Qualifications category, and has sent more than 15 individuals to the State Champion Competition.
  • The Academic Decathlon placed 1st in the North Region and 8th overall, taking home 58 medals.
  • The Destination Imagination improvisation team placed 1st at regional competition and 2nd at state competition and qualified for the Global Finals.
  • The Constitution team placed 3rd in the state competition.
  • The Quiz Bowl team won the Caltech High School Tournament and qualified for the NAQT HS National Championship Tournament.
  • The Science Bowl team placed 2nd at JPL Regional tournament.
  • The Ocean Science Bowl team placed 3rd at USC Regional tournament.
  • The Science Olympiad team placed 2nd at regional competition and 5th at state competition.

[edit] 2006-2007 School Year

  • Arcadia had 29 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists.
  • Boys' cross country placed 7th in the 2006 CIF-State Cross Country Championships in Division I. The team finished 7th in the open race at the Nike Team Nationals.
  • The Band attended the Logan Field Tournament for the first time, representing the Southern California bands in a Northern California competition. The band won second place overall, earning the highest Percussion and Auxiliary scores of the night.
  • The Academic Decathlon placed 3rd overall at county level for both A and B teams.
  • The Quiz Bowl team won the TWAIN Tournament, took 2nd place at the Trojan Wars tournament and qualified for the NAQT HS National Championship Tournament. The team also placed 24th in the world in the Knowledge Masters Open.
  • The Constitution Team placed 4th in the state competition.
  • The Ocean Science Bowl Team placed 3rd at the regional competition.
  • The Destination Imagination improvisation team placed 2nd at regional competition and has qualified for state competition.
  • The Speech and Debate Team placed 3rd overall at the State Qualifier tournament, sending 15 members to state (as of March 11, 2007).
  • The Arcadia Future Business Leaders of America chapter placed 2nd at sectional competition and has 20 members qualified for state competition.
  • The Arcadia Orchestra and choral groups competed at the Epcot Music Festival in Orlando, Florida during spring break and brought back seven plaques and eight trophies. A new record.
  • The Science Olympiad team placed 2nd at regional competition and has qualified for state competition.

[edit] 2007-2008 School Year

  • The Arcadia Marching Band will march in the Tournament of Roses Parade for its fourteenth time on January 1, 2008.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://district.ausd.net/docs/ahs_profile_06-07.pdf
  2. ^ http://api.cde.ca.gov/APIBase2006/2006Grth_SchDem.aspx?allcds=19-64261-1930288
  3. ^ http://district.ausd.net/docs/ahs_profile_06-07.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.arcadiainvitational.org/
  5. ^ http://chinese.ausd.net/docs/2004-05_class_achievements.pdf
  6. ^ http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Bruce-Bochte.shtml
  7. ^ http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/S/Mark-Smith.shtml
  8. ^ http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/K/Steve-Kemp.shtml

[edit] External links

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