| Branham High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 1570 Branham Lane San Jose, California, United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1967 |
| School district | Campbell Union High School District |
| Principal | Tom Utic |
| Enrollment | 1500 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Bruin |
| Accreditation(s) | Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
| Website | branham.cuhsd.org |
Branham High School is a secondary school located in San Jose, California. It first opened in 1967. From 1991 to 1999, Branham had been leased out to Valley Christian Schools. In 1999, the school was reopened as part of the Campbell Union High School District due to increased enrollment within the district,[1] and graduated its first senior class in over a decade in 2002. Branham, as well as Branham Lane, is named after Isaac Branham, an early pioneer of California who became a successful farmer and lumber mill owner. The Branham colors are blue and white and the official mascot is a bruin. Branham is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
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Branham was awarded the title of California Distinguished School during the 2006–2007 school year.[2] During the 2005–2006 school year, Branham's API score increased by 47 points, enabling the school to apply to become distinguished. Branham also participates in the College Board's Advanced Placement program and offers ten AP courses: Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, U.S. History, U.S. Government, English 3, English 4, and Spanish.
Branham High School participates as a member of the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL). Branham fields teams in numerous sports, including football, basketball, baseball, swimming and diving, cheerleading, tennis, badminton, soccer, softball, track and field, cross country, golf, field hockey, and wrestling. Although the athletics program is relatively new, Branham teams have won a number of awards and annually sends representation to the Central Coast Sectionals (CCS).
The traditional "rivals" for Bruin athletes are the Leigh High School Longhorns, mostly due to the close proximity between the two schools. The Bruins baseball team also consider the Westmont High School Warriors to be a division rival.
In 1980, after many years of being "so close", the Bruins Varsity Wrestling team finally won the West Valley Athletic League Championship (the "WVAL" was one of, if not THE premier league of the local leagues of that era), despite only having two seniors on the squad. 4-year Varsity letter-man Scott Domanuer & Jr. Lou Sorrentino won their weight classes at 130's & the heavyweight divisions respectively. The championship was won even though the team was missing some key grapplers for various reasons. The following season, Danny Dodds was able to pin down the California State Championship at the 181 weight class after moving up from the 130 lb. weight class just two seasons earlier. Dan was a 'refuge' from Camden high which closed down a few seasons earlier. The mid-1980s through the middle 1990s the wrestling squad was littered (in a good way) with many young men from the "Mittlestead" & "Sorrentino" clans, and most all wrestled under the tutelage of coach Jack Clark.
The 1984–85 Bruin boys varsity soccer team made it to the Central Coast Section finals losing to Menlo-Atherton 4–3 in a thrilling double overtime game. The team finished the season with a record of 17–2–2. The team was led by CCS First Team selection and "Senior of the Year" Eric Mestressat (forward/defender), Cliff McCready (midfielder) CCS First Team selection and Scott Coutts CCS Second Team selection (goalkeeper).
The 1989 Bruin varsity baseball team started the season with a 2 - 3 record only to rattle off 19 consecutive wins to end the season. The Bruins won the West Valley Athletic League title outright and went on to win the Central Coast Section championship by sweeping through the 4 game playoff, ultimately finishing off Carmel in the championship game by a score of 4 - 2.
The Branham High School Cheerleading Team also received top honors in their 2008–2009 season. They were undefeated through the year, leading up to their first place victory at the USA Nationals in Anaheim, California. They continue to be the only sports team at Branham High to be Nationally Ranked.
The 2010 Bruin boys varsity volleyball team won the school's first Central Coast Section (CCS) volleyball title. They were up with Archbishop Mitty High School, and won in the Division II final.
In 2011 the Branham Boy's Basketball team won the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with a perfect 14 win and 0 loss record. The 2010/2011 Bruin team was the first in school history to ever have gone through league play undefeated. The team went 19 and 5 overall for the season and had a 16 game win streak to end the season.
The Branham High School Music Department is made up the vocal music department and the instrumental music department. Currently, the choir, which is made up of Madrigals and Women's, is directed by Barbara West, the choir director also at Leigh High School.
The Instrumental Music program is made up of Field Marching Band, Color Guard, Parade Band, Pep Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Guitar, and Jazz Ensemble, all directed by Diane Wyant, a California music educator of 20 years and also a Drum Corps International (DCI) Adjudicator.
The marching band has recently been named the Branham High School Royal Alliance. The Royal Alliance performed their first field show competition in nearly 30 years in 2009. The Royal Alliance Marching Band host's summer workshops each year called the "Get in Step" sessions for current members as well as incoming Freshman as well as a week long camp prior to the beginning of the Fall session.
The Branham High School Symphonic Band, in its first CMEA performance in the history of the school, received a Unanimous Superior rating, the highest rating a group can receive from the CA Music Educator's Association. In addition, the band was invited to perform in Carnegie Hall and Chicago Symphony Hall as an award for their Gold performance at the 2009 Los Angeles Heritage Festival in which they placed first in the Symphonic Band category. In April 2011, the band received its second Unanimous Superior rating from CMEA.
The Branham Jazz Ensemble is a very successful group on campus. In addition to nearly a dozen public performances per year, the group travels to the Columbia Jazz Festival in order to rub shoulders with Jazz greats. The Jazz Ensemble hosts a yearly fundraiser called the Jazz Cafe to raise funds for the Branham Instrumental Program.
Kicking off the inaugural season in 1999–2000 with Euripides' classic Medea, the department quickly grew to stage seasons of up to seven plays including original works like "Hollywoodn't" (2002) and a modern adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" (2003) alongside major musical and non-musical productions including Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World (2003), Dürrenmatt's The Visit (2001), Li'l Abner (2004), Eugene Ionesco's Killing Game (2004), and Michael Bennet's A Chorus Line (2005). The group showcased both faculty and student-directed works, developed relationships and internship programs with local theater companies, and produced touring productions. After piloting the first multi-level, multi-faceted curriculum in the district (offering Drama I, Drama II, and Tech Theatre courses), the department earned the 2001 Glenn Hoffman Award for "Outstanding Fine Arts Curriculum", the 2003 Penwomen of America Award for "Outstanding Theater Teacher (E. Dale Smith)", and the 2003 High School Musical Honors Award for "Outstanding Ensemble". The department currently offers a full theater curriculum including a musical theater course taught by Sharon Salazar, a drama club, and a several productions each year.