Covina High School

Covina High School
Address
463 S. Hollenbeck Ave.
Covina, California
United States
Coordinates 34°4′51.45″N 117°54′2.03″W / 34.0809583°N 117.9005639°WCoordinates: 34°4′51.45″N 117°54′2.03″W / 34.0809583°N 117.9005639°W
Information
Type Public
Established 1897
School district Covina-Valley Unified School District
Principal Christiana Kraus
(2014 - present)[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1,650 (as of early 2011)
Color(s)          Cardinal and White
Mascot Colts
Website Covina High School

Covina High School, commonly known as Covina High or CHS to the students, is a public high school located in Covina, California, United States. Covina High School is one of three comprehensive high schools within the Covina-Valley Unified School District. Established in 1897, Covina High is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges. There are approximately 1,600+ students enrolled for the 2010-11 school year.

The teaching staff includes fifty-six regular education teachers and six special education teachers. Additional personnel include the school principal, an assistant principal, two deans, a student activities director, four counselors, and three librarians.

The school's mascot is the colt. The school colors are cardinal and white.

Academics

The school offers coursework in science, mathematics, foreign language, history, English, art, Family and Consumer Sciences (Home Ec.), Music, Choral, Business, Computer Technology and Photography. Special education is available.

School Within a School

The SWS program consists of about 80 freshman and 60 sophomore students, each with a team of 5 teachers working collaboratively within each group. Teachers meet weekly to discuss student progress and cross-curricular assignments. From the recent state tests scores the SWS program raised their average scores over 100 points from their 8th grade year to their 9th grade year in both English and Math.

Athletics

Covina competes in the CIF Southern Section: Valle Vista League with Baldwin Park High School, Northview High School, Pomona High School, San Dimas High School, Nogales High School, and Glen A. Wilson High School.

Covina boys/girls track and field teams have won numerous Valle Vista titles and emerges as one of the best teams of the San Gabriel Valley and the division. Boys track went on a 7 consecutive league championship tear from 2002-2008.

The Colts football team won the CIF Championship in 1925, 1926, 1928, 1939, 1980, and 1995. The Colts baseball team won the CIF Championship in 1979, 1981, and 1988, which is the most by a Valle Vista League program, and is also a 25-time Valle Vista League Champion. The Colts softball team won the CIF Championship in 1989.

Boys Sports : Baseball, Basketball, X-country, Football, Wrestling, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field. Girls Sports : Volleyball, X-country, Tennis, Basketball, Wrestling, Soccer, Swimming, Softball, Track and Field.

Clubs

Because of the school's number of students and GPA records, the school offers many different clubs[2] during the school year, for student with high grade scores there are special advance clubs and for low grade scores some clubs give free tutoring for students who need it.

Gun Incident

On the morning of Thursday, April 30, 2009, a student from Covina High School was arrested at his house for possession of a loaded gun in a school campus.[3] A second student was arrested during school hours.[3] Police said two suburban high school students had a pair of loaded handguns, a drawing depicting a killing and the intention of randomly shooting people on campus.[4] The students' plot was discovered before it could be enacted.[4]

The boys, ages 15 and 16, were charged Friday after the older student's stepfather contacted West Covina police to say his guns were missing from a gun locker.[5] They had taken the weapons onto the campus of Covina High School three times and told investigators they were considering using them, West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell said.

"Due to the interviews, we were of the mind that they were, at some point, they were going to randomly shoot people at school.[4]

The 16-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, grand theft of a firearm, being a minor in possession of a handgun, and having a firearm on campus. The other boy, 15, faced the same charges except for grand theft, and was instead charged with receiving stolen property, said Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.[6] Covina High School Principal Claudia Karnoski said she conducted her own investigation. The boys had shown the loaded guns to three or four friends, who failed to alert teachers, apparently because they didn't want to get into trouble.[7] One of the suspects had commented to the group that they should shoot people during a campus assembly that happened just before spring break, which started April 6. The principal said the incident was serious, though the plot was not carefully planned.

People will automatically think it was a Columbine-type plan. I am not downplaying it, but I don't think it was to that elevation.

Claudia Karnoski[8]

Karnoski said each boy was "like one of the everyday kids" at Covina High, a school of 1,500, and they had not been in trouble before. She said there was no indication of any grudge against staff members or students.[9] The boys, whose identities were not released because they are juveniles, were arrested, one at home and the other at school. Mitchell did not know if the boys had been assigned attorneys and they remained in juvenile custody.[10][11]

Besides a Glock .40-caliber handgun and a Smith & Wesson .357-caliber handgun, police found several rounds of rifle ammunition with the boys but no rifle. Investigators also seized a drawing one of the boys allegedly made depicting a hooded figure shooting another character in the head. Underneath the drawing, the word "Exterminate" was written.[7][12][13]

Karnoski said the boy who drew that was a keen artist and had notebooks filled with all kinds of sketches. "It is disturbing, I don't know what it referred to."[7][13]

The incident marked the first time the Covina-Valley Unified School District had experienced guns on campus, officials said.[7][13]

Responses to the incidents

The Press arrived at the school on April 30, 2009 at 9:00PM and 10:00PM. Most of the news spread on May 1, 2009, one day after the arrests were made. A mother of a Covina High School student said "I'm in complete shock right now. With everything going on, I'm really shocked they didn't notify me yesterday."[14]

Students at the school were surprised by the incident. On an interview with ABC News a freshman student said the majority of students had no idea what had happened: "I think they probably just got them and took them away 'cause there was no sirens, no cop cars, we didn't see anything." [15] In a Fox News interview an anonymous mother claimed to be ashamed and in complete shock.[16] A student from the school said "I didn't believe it until the morning when I saw parents were picking up their kids and we were notified of the urgent assembly."[17]

Band

The Covina High School Marching Band is a competitive Division 3A marching band and has won several Bands of America Regional competitions, and has created a reputable name for themselves over the years. Covina High School also has an award winning jazz band, salsa band, and a competitive Indoor Drumline.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Welcome to Covinahigh.net
  2. ↑ "Club List". Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 THOMAS WATKINS (2009-05-01). "SoCal Students plan shooting". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 THOMAS WATKINS (2009-05-01). "Schools arrested in for possession". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  5. ↑ Daniel Tedford (2009-04-30). "Covina High School students arrested". StarNews. Pasadena Star-News. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  6. ↑ Alleged school shooting plot uncovered in Covina, Calif. | abc7.com
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Los Angeles News and Video for Southern California - KTLA.COM - KTLA 5 - ktla.com
  8. ↑ U.S. and World News | Jacksonville, FL - St. Augustine, FL - Brunswick, GA | Firstcoastnews.com
  9. ↑ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ie3vJ4YWf1IyIxUjuO0u4U_7QmhgD97TO0LG0
  10. ↑ http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_12268955
  11. ↑ http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_12272447
  12. ↑ http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/2_Teens_Arrested_in_Campus_Gun_Plot_20090430 Archived May 4, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 The San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/01/state/n161259D12.DTL&type=health. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "News spread a day after the incident". ABCnews. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  15. ↑ "Students arrest went unnoticeable". ABCnews. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  16. ↑ "Parents believe the staff including students are great". MyFOXLA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  17. ↑ "Covina students "could not believe it"". MyFOXLA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "It's Tough to be a Bird". 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  19. ↑ Unusual Occupations L-5-2 at the Internet Movie Database
  20. ↑ Art Afterpieces, ISBN 978-0-8431-0366-3
  21. ↑ Irving Spiegel (June 29, 1941). "A 'GHOST SINGER'S SAGA". The New York Times.

External links