Madera High School

Madera High School is the first school and original high school in the central San Joaquin Valley city of Madera, California, serving students since 1894. The school colors are royal blue and white, and its mascot is the coyote.

History

Madera High School's layout has been changed over the years. Originally, a brick schoolhouse served as MHS; this was destroyed in a fire in the early 1900s. In 1907 a new similarly styled brick building—nicknamed the "Main Building"—was constructed. Soon, more buildings began appearing. In 1976, the "Main Building" was demolished, because it did not meet earthquake standards; the area where it was located is now known as "the Pit" and is the hub for lunchtime activities. By 2000, the school's current layout had been completed. In 2004, the main office building was refurbished, and most of the school followed suit in 2006.

The school's original colors were purple and white. In 1949, with the color purple becoming scarce after the events of World War II, it was changed to its current blue-and-white color scheme. Purple has since been adopted as one of the main colors of Madera South High School.

From the early-1900s until sometime in the 1950s, the school was known as Madera Union High School, and was subsequently referred to as such in the following decades until 1992.

In 1989, the Madera Unified School District commissioned the building of a new, separate high school; overcrowding at MHS was the main reason for this. Construction began in 1990, but the project was brought to an abrupt end in 1992, for budget reasons. Because the site was not big enough to be considered a stand-alone high school, the campus was renamed "South Campus," and served as the second half of Madera High School. The original flagship campus was nicknamed "North Campus" as a result. However, the November 2002 passing of a school bond allowed South Campus to be completed, and as renovations at North Campus were underway, the new Madera South High School opened its doors in August 2006. The last "mega class" of Madera High graduated in 2008, being the largest graduating class in MHS history.

Courses

Similar to Madera South High School, Madera High features many "career schools"—i.e., mini-schools located within the campus, customized for whichever career a student wishes to choose from. These career schools are known as:

• Health Sciences
• Engineering & Technology
• Humanities
• Business/Human Services (originally two separate career schools prior to 2006)

Associated Student Body

Madera High has its own student government like most schools. The ASB class decides how things at school happen, such as rallies, dances, and other events. There are mini inside ASB such as:

• Academics
• Activities
• Athletics
• Class Office (President & VP of C/O 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
• Clubs
• Community
• Coyote Crew (Link Crew)
• Culture
• Noontimes (originally a part of Activities)
• Rallies & Special Events (originally a part of Activities)
• PR

Marching band

The Madera High Marching Band & Colorguard has made a name for itself, before the school split, the band was located on Madera South's campus. In 2007, the band moved back to its home at North Campus. Since then, the band has received many awards and captions for their talent. In November 2010, the band placed 7th out of their division at the Western Band Association Grand Championships with a score of 80.95. The Madera High School Marching Band of the 2012-2013 school year will be hosting championships at Buchanan High School.

Stadium Road Showdown

Since the official split of the two schools, Madera High and Madera South have been a rival of each other. In 2008, the first annual Stadium Road Showdown game was held. The game derived its name from the street that both schools are on. Anticipation filled the town as the battle of Madera began. Madera High's Varsity Football team beat Madera South 35-0, and was awarded a giant "saw" which references to Madera's roots of being a lumber town. The winning school keeps the award in their front office. In 2009, Madera High narrowly beat Madera South once again, 14-13.

Scoreboard

• 2008- Madera High 35-0
• 2009- Madera High 14-13
• 2010- Madera High 45-28
• 2011- Madera South

New High School

In late 2008, Madera Unified bought land for a new high school in the northern part of town, the school will be named Madera North High School. When Madera North is completed, Madera High can no longer be called "North".

Feeder Schools

The schools that feed into Madera High are Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Howard K-8 School, La Vina K-8 School, and Dixieland K-8 School.

The elementary schools that feed into Thomas Jefferson Middle School are: John Adams Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Madison Elementary School, Parkwood Elementary School, and George Washington Elementary School.

Notable Alumni

• Zoila Gurgel - professional female mixed martial artist, Won the Bellator Women's 115 lb Championship^[2]

Notes

1. ↑ "Madera High School School Profile". Madera High School. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
2. ↑ "Zoila Gurgel MMA Bio". Retrieved 2014.