Canyon High School (Santa Clarita, California)

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Canyon High School
Established	1968
Type	Public
Principal	Bob Messina
Faculty	110
Students	2800
Grades	9 - 12
Location	Canyon Country, California, California , USA
Colors	Green and Gold
Mascot	Cowboy
Website	http://canyonhighcowboys.com

Canyon High School is a high school in the William S. Hart Union High School District in the Santa Clarita, California community of Canyon Country, California. The school first opened in 1968. The student population is approximately 2800 in grades 9 through 12.

1 Academics
2 Athletics
- 2.1 Other Athletic Championships
3 Notable alumni
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Academics

Canyon High School has a comprehensive academic program with emphasis on preparation for higher education. All preparatory courses required by the University of California and other institutions of higher learning are offered.

Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Foreign Languages, and Fine Arts. The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program encourages students from non-academic backgrounds to undertake the college preparatory curriculum and provides them with resources to increase their chance of success in strong academic programs.

Canyon High School supports an active Career Paths program which prepares students for careers in Theatre Arts, Health Science, Video production, Engineering, and Industrial Technology. Students engaged in the Career path programs attend specially tailored classes and are affored internship opportunities in their chosen fields. The Career Paths programs ties into the William S. Hart district's Regional Occupational Program (ROP) which offers real-world experiences for students in 30 different career fields ranging from Forensics to Floristry.

Canyon High also has an excellent fine arts department with award-winning programs in choral music and theatre. A centerpiece of the theatre program is the annual children's theatre performances for local elementary school students.

[edit] Athletics

Canyon became known for its outstanding football program in the 1980s under sometimes controversial head coach Harry Welch (he was sometimes accused of conducting practices before the dates approved by the CIF). After winning three California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section titles, the Cowboys were supplanted by cross town rival Hart and Valencia High Schools in the 1990s and 2000s as the top programs in the area. Welch resigned from coaching under controversy but continued to teach at the school. He was rehired as football coach in 2001 and Canyon has restored some luster in recent years, capped by another CIF championship in 2005 in which they defeated Hart twice - once for the league title and again in the CIF championship game.

On December 9, 2006, Canyon defeated Moorpark High School 24-22 to secure the 2006 CIF-SS Northern Division title.

On December 16, 2006, Canyon played De La Salle High School, ranked first in the nation, for the state championship. Canyon defeated their heavily-favored opponent 27-13 becoming the first Division 1 state football champions since 1927. Soon after the Canyon team won the state championship, Harry Welch quit as coach, citing an unwillingness to work with school administration. He subsequently retired from the Hart school district and accepted a position at a St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano.^[1]

On December 2, 2006, Canyon hosted a rugby team from Perth, Western Australia. Despite jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, the Hart district Wildcats were defeated by the Trinity College, Perth team in a hard fought game, 39-34.

[edit] Other Athletic Championships

1995 - Girls Cross Country State Champions
2001 - Boys Cross Country State Champions

[edit] Notable alumni

Crystl Bustos - a two time Olympic gold medalist on the USA Softball team and three times gold medalist at the Pan Am Games.^[2]
Lauren Fleshmen - a professional runner. Personal bests: 4:11-1500m 8:43.95- 3000m 15:02.52-5000m.
Erik Hiljus - Major League Baseball pitcher^[3]
Nate Longshore - College football quarterback. He is the starting quarterback for the California Golden Bears.
Chuck Osborne - DT NFL 1996-2001. Played at University of Arizona 1992-96.^[4]
Chris Seddon - Major League Baseball pitcher
Jane Wells - Jane Wells is currently a CNBC business news reporter, based in Los Angeles, covering the defense and technology industries. Wells came from CNBC's “Upfront Tonight” where she was senior correspondent.