El Toro High School

El Toro High School
Address
25255 Toledo Way
Lake Forest, California, 92630
United States
Information
Type Public
Established 1973
School district Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Principal Terri Gusiff
Assistant principals Dr. CK Green (Guidance), Jonathan Van Tassell (Facilities and Athletics), Kara Haselton-Root (Attendance & Discipline), Kathryn Scheidler (Activities)
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2,925[1]
 • Grade 9 768
 • Grade 10 770
 • Grade 11 676
 • Grade 12 711
Color(s)           Blue & Gold
Team name Chargers
Information (949) 586-6333
Male Students 1,524
Female Students 1,401
Website El Toro High School

El Toro High School is a public high school in Lake Forest, California, and is one of five high schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD). The school has served the area since 1973. The current principal of the school is Terri Gusiff, who succeeded Dr. Allan Mucerino at the start of the '12-'13 school year.

Academics

El Toro's 2010 API score grew to 830,[2] from previous years 800.[3] The school began participating in the International Baccalaureate Program in 2004, the program was scheduled to end in 2011 due to district and state budget cuts,[4] however it is slated to continue into 2012 school year.[5] Over 400 computers are available for student use, including 83 computers in the library and four classroom sets of laptops.

Recent graduates have been admitted to San Diego State University, New York University, University of Southern California (USC), University of California, Irvine, University of California, San Diego, University of San Diego, Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College, University of California, Santa Barbara, Arizona State University, University of California, Santa Cruz, Colgate, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, Caltech, MIT, University of California, Berkeley, UCLA, Notre Dame, Carleton College, Georgetown, Northwestern, Riverside City College, Vassar, Duke, Tufts, California Lutheran University, Westmont College, Loyola Marymount University, Vanguard University of Southern California, Point Loma Nazarene University, The Ohio State University, Trinity University (TX) and the United States Air Force Academy.[6]

Athletics

El Toro's mascot is a bull and teams identify themselves as the Chargers. School colors are blue and gold and teams compete in the CIF Southern Section.

The School's name is Spanish for "The Bull".

Accomplishments include:

2013 football stadium construction

Since the 1990s, a conflict with staunch environmental activists,[7] who live within the vicinity of the school, over complaints of traffic and noise pollution forced El Toro's football team to use Trabuco Hills High School's football stadium as its own, sparking a bitter rivalry. On April 16, 2013, however, the California Board of Education finally OK'd[8] the construction of bleachers and lights at El Toro's home field despite opposition,[9] and on October 25, 2013, the first game[10][11][12] to be held at the newly built home stadium finally took place.

Extracurricular activities

El Toro students participate in over 100 clubs and organizations. Two-thirds of the student body are involved in athletics, visual and performing arts and/or campus activities.

El Toro is home to the award winning ETHS Drama Department. In 2008-2009 the department won first place at the Roleabout festival, first place at the Rancho Cucamonga one act festival, and first place at the Musical Theatre Competition of America. They also put on four main stage productions each year.

El Toro's newspaper, The BullETin was awarded a gold award from Columbia University for its 2006-2007 school year, Volume 19, Issue 1. The award was given for a photograph taken by Sarah Arrin of a male water polo player.

Available programs include Model United Nations, Orange County Academic Decathlon, Scholastic Competition, Video Production, Web Page Design, and Virtual Economics.[13] The Read 180 Program and the Newcomers Program were introduced in 2003. El Toro has highly recognized programs in the fine and performing arts including:

Instrumental Music and Pageantry Program[14]

Drama Department[15] Recent productions include:

"Every 15 Minutes" (presented every other year) is an educational experience that reminds the students, family and faculty of the dangers associated with driving while under the influence of alcohol. It was most recently presented in April 2014.[16]

Every year, the El Toro Engineering Club participates in the Solar Cup race in Temecula, building a solar powered motorized boat, and racing it against other teams across the state.

El Toro High School has two award winning competition show choirs, Soundsation and Choralistics. In April 2009, both choirs competed twice earning 3 golds and one silver. Many alumni of the vocal music program have gone on to perform on stage, screen, and on Broadway productions.

Awards

Notable alumni

Notable

During the California Wild Fires in 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a speech at El Toro High School.[18] It was also used as an evacuation center.

On one side of the school there is a set of 20 stairs known simply as El Toro 20.[19] There is also another one right next to it, but set nearest to the lockers at the ground level has been used more for skateboarding than the other 20 set. The set has been featured in numerous skateboarding videos. The stair set has gained enormous notoriety throughout the skateboarding world. Recently, due to the progression of skateboarding in the school, the two middle handrails of each stair set has been removed. However, skateboarders still skate the sets by performing tricks directly down, or by using the two side handrails on each set.

References

  1. ↑ http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&InstName=el+toro+high+school&SchoolType=1&SchoolType=2&SchoolType=3&SchoolType=4&SpecificSchlTypes=all&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&HiGrade=-1&ID=063386005296
  2. ↑ http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/ca/achievement/3986
  3. ↑ http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/california/lake-forest/el-toro-high/
  4. ↑ http://www.svusd.org/hp_images/7179/D61511-Reduction0910022709a.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.svusd.org/hp_images/7179/D61511-Reduction0910022709a.pdf
  6. ↑ http://etbulletin.org/?p=2257
  7. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/news/district-388123-stadium-lawsuit.html
  8. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/ETHSfield/posts/248017912009087
  9. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/news/district-388123-stadium-lawsuit.html
  10. ↑ http://lakeforest-ca.patch.com/groups/sports/p/window-closing-on-tickets-for-inaugural-el-toro-stadium-game-lakeforest-ca
  11. ↑ http://www.ocvarsity.com/articles/mustangs-69558-trabuco-hills.html
  12. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=338347686309442&set=a.143295295814683.43029.141224122688467&type=1
  13. ↑ http://www.svusd.org/p_subject.asp?sid=10271
  14. ↑
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ http://etbulletin.org/?p=1269
  17. ↑ http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com/biography.htm
  18. ↑ http://gov.ca.gov/speech/7861/
  19. ↑ http://bmx.transworld.net/1000078094/videos/360-el-toro-20-set-crash-video/

External links

Coordinates: 33°38′15″N 117°41′20″W / 33.6375221°N 117.6889403°W