| Sunny Hills High School | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1959 |
| Type | Public |
| Principal | Judy Fancher |
| Faculty | 95 |
| Students | 2,577 |
| Location | Fullerton, California, United States |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Athletics | 15 sports |
Sunny Hills High School (SHHS) is a public high school located in Fullerton, California, USA. Established in 1959, it is part of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District.
The campus, consisting mostly of single-story open plan buildings, is situated on 42 acres (170,000 m2) in western Fullerton; the quality of public schools in the area has contributed to its relative affluence.[1] SHHS has been an International Baccalaureate World School since 1987, and hosts the largest IB program in California. It has been recognized three times as a California Distinguished School, in 1988, 1994, and 2009, and recognized as one of the top high schools in the United States in the March 30, 1998, March 13, 2000, and June 2003 issues of Newsweek magazine.[2] At 284 in the magazine's latest (2007) rankings of public high schools, Sunny Hills remains in the top 1 percent of schools in the country.[3]
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On June 1, 1995, 1988 Teacher of the Year at Sunny Hills High School, Janet Greene, allegedly tried to kill her former lover Loretta Coller and another woman after breaking into the former lover's Glendora residence and firing at both women while they chatted in the kitchen. Coller died from complications from the gunshot wounds. Coller had been the drama teacher of Sunny Hills High for nearly twenty years. Coller was recovering from loss of her first lover, Diane, from cancer when Greene befriended her.[4]
In December 1992, a group of 5 Sunny Hills students led by ringleader and honor student Robert Chan, planned and carried out the murder of Foothill High School student Stuart Tay. In what is known as the "Honor Roll Murder", academic standout Stuart Tay was beaten by Chan and his group after the group suspected Tay would betray their plan to burglarize a computer dealer's home. The events, people, and circumstances of the murder inspired Justin Lin's 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow.[5]
On May 27, 2008, history teacher and a cross-country coach Gregory Abbott was arrested, charged with possession of a weapon on a school campus and possession of narcotics for sale. According to Fullerton Police, Abbott was arrested following an anonymous call at 10 A.M. the same day, in which the caller claimed "he had purchased drugs from a person he believed to be a teacher at Sunny Hills." While conducting a search of Abbott's car, police found an unloaded shotgun, some prescription drugs and a small amount of marijuana packaged for sale.[6] Abbott was booked into Fullerton City Jail and was released after posting $25,000 bond. After further investigation, the Fullerton Police Department determined that Abbott had been the victim of a set-up by his estranged wife Devon Abbott and an unidentified male accomplice.[7]
In the 2009-2010 school year, Sunny Hills High School hosted the first successful 50th anniversary celebration, A Taste Of Sunny Hills, in the FJUHS District. Its ASB members, PTSA, teachers, clubs, and volunteers helped contribute by setting up and taking down decorations, working at the booths, and serving edibles. Also in 2010, its senior class was noted as the most spirited class the school has ever seen. This was contributed by the Boys' Varsity Basketball team placing first in the Freeway League Championship and moving on to CIF—although it should be noted that the senior class of 2004 was similarly quite spirited in that their Boys' Varsity Basketball team actually won the CIF Southern Section II-AA championship and went all the way to the CIF State II-AA semifinals as well.
Enrollment: Using 2010 SHHS records, Sunny Hills High School serves 2517 students—1267 (50.3%) males and 1250 (49.7%) females. Approximately 98 percent of the students come from within the FJUHS District. The ethnic population has remained fairly consistent over the last five years: 48.9% Asian, 19.1% White, 24.8% Hispanic, 1% African-American, about 0.001% Native American, 5% Filipino (mostly) and Pacific Islander (Samoan/Chamorro/etc.), and about 0.01% Indonesian.