Rancho Alamitos High School
| Rancho Alamitos High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
11351 Dale Street Garden Grove, California | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Principal | Mary Jane Hibbard |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | Green and Gold |
| Team name | Vaqueros |
| Website |
www |
Rancho Alamitos High School is located in Garden Grove, California. It is a member of the Garden Grove Unified School District. The high school first opened in the spring of 1957 with no senior class. The first graduating class was in 1958.
History
Rancho Alamitos High School opened its doors in 1957. Its name means ranch of the little cottonwoods and is an acknowledgement of the Hispanic heritage of this area. The forty acres of the Rancho Alamitos High School campus was part of the original Rancho Los Nietos (grandchildren), circa 1784. Later, the land was divided among many family members into smaller Ranchos. In the 1950s, the Garden Grove Union High School District purchased the land from the Evans family. Construction of Rancho Alamitos High School began in 1956 and was nearly complete by 1957. There were two homes on the property facing Dale Street that were used as classrooms until construction was completed in 1959.
Rancho Alamitos first opened for grades nine through eleven on the Garden Grove High School campus during the fall of 1956. In the spring of 1957, the Rancho Alamitos campus officially opened under the direction of the first principal, Mr. Don Kennedy. The first senior class graduated in the spring of 1958 under the principalship of Mr. Richard Bivin. In 1960, Mr. Sam Chicas was principal and was succeeded by Mr. Vic McClain (1961). Rancho’s next principal was Mr. William Zogg (1964), followed by Mr. Tracy Strong (1966), Mr. Ron Forsyth (1976), Mr. Jim DeLong (1982), Mr. Bob Mesa (1985), Mr. Tom Robins (1991), Mr. Gene Campbell (2000), Mr. Frank Mackay (2006), and Ms Mary Jane Hibbard in 2009.
Logo
The school colors are green and gold. Until the mid-1970s the school mascot had been "Poco" (pronounced pō'kō / poh-koh), a cartoon character of a short male dressed in a large poncho with a serape, a Mexican–Indian throw blanket or rug over one shoulder and a large sombrero on his head, covering the eyes.
The school logo was changed to a cowboy boot spur because of racial controversy regarding the character of Poco. More recently, the school's crest or a big letter V with the word "Rancho" across it would be seen on most planners and/or merchandise.
Academics
- U.S News & World Report "The Best Schools in United States": Silver Medal.[1]
Sports
The school's athletic teams are known as the Vaqueros (a Spanish type of cowboy figure), though Rancho students tend to shorten its name to "Vaqs".
The athletic teams are part of California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section, participating in the six-team Garden Grove League, mostly against other schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District.
The Vaquero football team had moderate success in the early to mid 90's, led by a slew of talented running. The team made two straight Div. VII Finals appearance. Falling just short in 1992 by a score of 14-13, to Sunny Hills High School. Running Back Leon Vickers was the Div. VII player of the year for his performance. The following year they fell to Mira Costa 29-17, their last finals appearance. In 96 and 97 the Vaqs posted back to back undefeated regular seasons, only to lose to rival Pacifica in the Semi-finals ('96) and Northview in the Quarter Finals ('97). In 1996 Leo Kosi was the Div. VIII MVP while in 1997 David Vickers held the same honor.
Categories of Sports
- Soccer
- Football
- Volleyball
- Track and Field
- Cross Country
- Water Polo
- Swim
- Tennis
- Baseball
- Softball
- Basketball
Notable alumni
- Richard Andrew Anderson, from the class of 1978, NBA Basketball player.
- Patrick Burris, from the class of 1968 was a Judo Olympian in 1972 and 1976.
- Gary Hall, Sr., from class of 1969 – 3-time Olympian (swimming), 1968, 1972 and 1976.
- Alexa Hamilton, from class of 1976, actress.
- Gary Hill, from class of 1961 – played for the Minnesota Vikings in 1965.
- Gerald Laird, MLB catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, attended his freshman year, graduated from La Quinta High School.[3]
- Danny Lockin, stage and film actor.[4]
- Steve Martin, comedian, writer, actor, musician and composer, attended Rancho Alamitos his freshman and sophomore years, graduated from Garden Grove High School in 1963.
- Ray Martinez, from class of 1973 "DJ RayMar" American Disc Jockey Hall of Fame Inductee, and Author.
- Craig Paquette, from the class of 1987, Third Baseman in MLB from 1993–2003.
- Curt Pringle, from the class of 1977, former State Assemblyman, Speaker of the California State Assembly - 1996 and former mayor of Anaheim, California 2002-2010.
- Jim Silva, from class of 1962 - former State Assemblyman, former Member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, former Mayor of Huntington Beach
- Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of football star O. J. Simpson, graduated from Dana Hills High School in 1977.
- Paul Soliai NFL Defensive Tackle For the Miami Dolphins and Pro Bowler attended Rancho Alamitos from his freshman to his junior year before moving to American Samoa.[5]
- Randy Vataha, from class of 1967 – Wide Receiver, NFL.[6]
References
- ↑ http://www.usnews.com/listings/high-schools/california/rancho_alamitos_high
- ↑ "rancho alamitos high school".
- ↑ "The Class of '98 : Catcher Gerald Laird Has the Tools for Success - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1997-09-23. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ↑ Pollock, Mike. "Singing, Dancing Lessons Pay Off for Young Actor." Ogden Standard-Examiner. January 3, 1970.
- ↑ {{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/01/news/ss-14631 |title=PREP FOOTBALL 2000 / GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE - Rancho Alamitos - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=2000-09-01 |accessdate=2012-12-03}}
- ↑ "Prep Notes - It's In The Numbers - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1992-10-01. Retrieved 2012-12-03.