Aliso Niguel High School
Encyclopedia
Aliso Viejo, California
Aliso Viejo is a city in Orange County, California. It had a population of 47,823 as of the 2010 census, up from 40,166 as of the 2000 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, the only city in the county to incorporate since 2000...
, U.S. Most of its students reside in the communities of Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel. The school is a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School, and a New American High School. Aliso Niguel was ranked as number 683 in Newsweek's 2008 list of the top 1,300 high schools in the nation, falling within the top 5% of high schools nationwide.
History
Opening its doors in 1993 with a student body of 1600, ANHS became the fourth high school in the Capistrano Unified School DistrictCapistrano Unified School District
Capistrano Unified School District is the second largest school district in Orange County, California, the 12th largest in California and the 82nd largest in the United States. The district currently has 51,512 students...
. With the implementation of Digital High School grant in 2000, Aliso Niguel High School invested over $1 million in new technology and related instruction. Additionally, all teachers have e-mail addresses and web sites for swift communication with parents. Organized parent involvement takes the form of an active PTSA and a wide range of parent booster organizations.
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In 1996, Aliso Niguel was selected as a California Distinguished School
California Distinguished School
A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a selection...
, the youngest school ever to be recognized as such by the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
of Education. In 2000, Aliso Niguel High School received national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School and New American High School. In 2004, The Western Association
Western Association
The Western Association was the name of five different leagues in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries.The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western Association on October 28, 1887...
of Schools and Colleges granted Aliso Niguel a six-year term of accreditation, which it renewed for an additional six year period in 2010.
Student ethnicity
| Year | Caucasian | African Am. | Hispanic | Asian | AmerInd | Unspecified | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2164 | 82 | 295 | 409 | 8 | 163 | 3121 |
| 2007 | 2218 | 85 | 304 | 404 | 10 | 175 | 3226 |
Facilities
Although the high school started small (with about 1,400 students) in their first year, the highschool grew rapidly over the years, and it still continues to grow to this present day. Currently, the school has 26 portable classrooms in its southern parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
adding to 22080 square feet (2,051.3 m²), and 100 permanent classrooms. The permanent buildings are 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) forming a grand total of 222080 square feet (20,631.9 m²) on the campus, making Aliso the largest school in the district.
Academics
In 2005, the school's students scored within the top 90% of all schools on the California High School Exit ExamCalifornia High School Exit Exam
The California High School Exit Exam is a requirement for high school graduation in the state of California, created by the California Department of Education to improve the academic performance of California high school students, and especially of high school graduates, in the areas of reading,...
. 90% of all students that took the English Language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Arts passed and 91% passed in the Math section.
Sports
Aliso Niguel's sports teams are known as the Wolverines and compete in the South Coast LeagueSouth Coast League
The South Coast League of Professional Baseball , based in Conyers, Georgia, was a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Southeastern United States. It operated in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and was not affiliated with either. It folded...
of the California Interscholastic Federation
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
's Southern Section. From 1998 to 2005, they were members of the Sea View League
Sea View League
The Sea View League is an athletics conference consisting of six high schools in Orange County, California, and is part of the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section....
, and in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
before 1998.
Pep Squad
- 2005 season: The Aliso varsity cheer team won the USA first place national title.
- 2006 season: The varsity cheer team won second at USA and the JV cheer team won first.
- 2007 season: The Varsity cheer team took the USA national title grand champions, and first place on the international level in Hawaii.
- 2008 season: The JV and varsity teams received first place at the National Competition: "King of the Bleachers". The Varsity Song team traveled to Florida for the NDA competition to compete against teams from all over the US and got 2nd place in the Team Performance division, losing first place by .02 points.
- 2010 season: The Varsity Cheer team won first place at U.S. Finals in Las Vegas, and 1st place at NCA nationals hosted at Knotts Berry Farm. The JV Cheer team won 1st Place at COA Nationals.
Marching band
The Aliso Niguel Marching BandMarching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
is a representative class that rehearses outdoors. As part of the Western Band Association
Western Band Association
The Western Band Association is a nonprofit organization that promotes high school music education in California, Arizona and Nevada. Specifically, the WBA organizes many marching band competitions for high school students...
, they perform in four marching competitions and participate in the WBA finals. They also perform in the Laguna Niguel Holiday Parade in the second Saturday in the month of December every year. The marching band won the title for 2008 WBA combined 1/2/3A Grand Champion.
Dance ban
In September 2006, the Principal Charles Salter canceled the remainder of all school dances in response to students "freak dancing" and arriving drunk to the first dance of the year. Salter stated that he would bring back dances if, and only if, students and parents could cooperate and develop a solution to "the problem." This story initially received regional attention. The story gained widespread, national attention later that month when the school's annual HomecomingHomecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
Dance was banned.
The dance ban was covered by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, The Morning Show
The Morning Show
-Australia:* The Morning Show, the top rating morning talk show hosted by Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies on Channel Seven.* The Morning Show, the original title for the chat show Good Morning Australia, which later became 9am with David and Kim...
with Mike and Juliet, and the national news program Geraldo at Large
Geraldo at Large
Geraldo at Large is a United States television newsmagazine, hosted by Fox News correspondent-at-large and former talk show host Geraldo Rivera.-History:...
. The principal later reinstated the dances with explicit rules that were developed by five parents, five students and three school officials. The first dance under the new rules was the Winter Formal of February 2007. These rules include the type of dancing students are allowed to do. Also, in order to attend any school dance, students and their parents must sign a dance contract before buying a ticket. Although students are upset over losing their Homecoming dance, many are relieved that the ban has been lifted and hope that this will not happen again.
Protests
ANHS students protestedProtests against the Iraq War
Beginning in 2002, and continuing after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, protests against the Iraq War were held in many cities worldwide, often coordinated to occur simultaneously around the world...
against the Iraq war by walking out of school on March 20, 2003
March 20, 2003 anti-war protest
On March 20, 2003, the day after the invasion of Iraq had begun, thousands of protests and demonstrations were held around the world in opposition to it. In many cases, these protests were known as "Day X" protests, reflecting the fact that they had been organized to occur when war started,...
, the day after the U.S. began military strikes in Iraq. Students marched from campus onto a nearby hill overlooking the school, where they stood for hours, holding signs bearing anti-war slogans that could be seen by other students and teachers on campus.
On April 2, 2010, nearly 500 students walked out of their first period class to protest impending teacher pay cuts. At about 7:50 A.M. roughly 400 students had congregated under the large canopy in front of the school. After being ordered numerous times to return to class by a number of high-ranking school officials, the students ignored the order, and marched up the driveway to the one road leading to the school. They overran it, waving signs, and chanting in support for their teachers. After reaching the main intersection of Aliso Creek Road, and Wolverine Way, the students took over the four corners of the intersection and continued waving signs and chanting. Numerous passing drivers showed support by leaning in their horns, or waving out the window. At about 8:30 A.M., Capistrano Unified School District Officials showed up to witness the protest, although school officials followed the mass of students in order to prevent a riot like situation that occurred at nearby Dana Hills High School, several days earlier. For the most part, the protest remained peaceful, albeit loud and energetic. Police were also on hand to make sure nothing got out of hand. At 9:30, students began to march back to the high school, to return to classes, only to find proctors waiting for them, and all classroom doors locked. The students were detained (under the canopy at which the protest started), but were later released during passing period. The rest of the school day was allegedly filled with false fire alarms, but nothing more. The protest received immediate coverage from the local newspaper Orange County Register http://www.ocregister.com/news/students-242295-teachers-protest.htm, as well as the local contingent of national new corporation CNN http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-428254.
Capistrano Unified School District even released a response to the incident saying,
"People have emotions, and those emotions sometimes get expressed when you're young in ways that aren't acceptable." "It doesn't surprise me. But we don't want to see our students missing time in class. They're going to college and they're going to be tested, and they need that class time," said school board President Anna Bryson.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/students-242435-school-teachers.html
Immediately after the incident, in an article published to The OC Register, school officials promised that students will be disciplined for their actions, saying that "Even Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi served the consequences for their civil disobedience."http://www.ocregister.com/news/students-242295-teachers-protest.htm
Some parents allegedly support their students actions, saying the walkout may help the district "Wake Up".
http://www.ocregister.com/news/students-242295-teachers-protest.htm
Notable alumni
- Sasha CohenSasha CohenAlexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen is a U.S. figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion.-Personal life:...
, Olympic figure skaterFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions... - Ivan KoumaevIvan KoumaevIvan Koumaev is an American dancer.Koumaev was born in Khabarovsk, Siberia, Russia and moved to Mill Creek, Washington when he was seven years old. He started dancing at age 11, after watching the film Breakin....
, participant on So You Think You Can Dance (Season 2)So You Think You Can Dance (Season 2)The second season of So You Think You Can Dance premiered May 25, 2006, with new host Cat Deeley.On August 16, Benji Schwimmer was announced as the winner of season 2 and received the grand prize of $100,000, a new hybrid SUV, and a one year contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New... - Derek Lee RockDerek Lee RockDerek Lee Smith , more commonly known as Derek Rock, is the drummer of alternative pop/rock band Mêlée and ska band Suburban Legends. Derek’s drumming styles include rock, pop, electronic, and hip hop...
, drummer for ska band Suburban LegendsSuburban LegendsSuburban Legends are a third wave ska/pop band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998, and are currently based out of Santa Ana, California.- History :... - Josh Partington, lead guitarist for Something CorporateSomething CorporateSomething Corporate is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their current line-up includes pianist and vocalist Andrew McMahon, guitarist Josh Partington, bassist Kevin Page and drummer Brian Ireland....
- Skip SchumakerSkip SchumakerJared Michael "Skip" Schumaker is a Major League Baseball Outfielder and Second Baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Biography:...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder and second baseman, St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to... - Kyla RossKyla RossKyla Ross is a United States gymnast from Aliso Viejo, California. Kyla trains at Gym-Max in Costa Mesa, California, where she is coached by Jenny Zhang and Howie Liang...
, American gymnastArtistic gymnasticsArtistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...