Dougherty Valley High School
Encyclopedia
Dougherty Valley High School (commonly Dougherty, Dougherty Valley, Dougherty Valley High, or DVHS) is a public high school
located in the Windemere development of San Ramon
, California
, USA
. Dougherty is one of four high schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District
(SRVUSD), along with California High School, San Ramon Valley High School
, and Monte Vista High School
. Constructed by Shapell Industries of California and Windemere Ranch Partners BLC, Dougherty was the first developer-built school in the SRVUSD. The school opened its doors in 2007.
Dougherty's mascot is the Wildcat
, and its school colors are navy
, Columbia blue
, and silver
. Dougherty is known for its state-of-the-art campus, which features a performing arts center and aquatics center in a joint-use agreement with the city. The school has a diverse student body with a significant population of Asians. Dougherty is the top school in the district based on Academic Performance Index
and is developing as an athletic force. The school is also home to a number of clubs. The school newspaper, the Wildcat Tribune, is notable as the first print publication to interview Chesley Sullenberger
after the events of US Airways Flight 1549
.
Dougherty Valley High School was built by Shapell Industries of California and Windemere Ranch Partners BLC, which were also the two main developers of the Dougherty Valley area in general. Shapell was obligated through a December 1988 agreement with the SRVUSD to "contribute its fair share of the cost of additional high school space needed to serve students generated by the project," with the project mentioned being the construction of 11,000 houses in the area. Dougherty is the first developer-built high school in the SRVUSD, in contrast with the typical method of a developer and the state funding the school district for construction of any necessary schools. The district and developers began further negotiations regarding the school's construction in 2001.
The school's name was chosen from more than 150 suggestions submitted to an online survey, although the name, school colors, and mascot had to be approved by the Board of Education
. The school logo was designed in 2006 by Jennifer Wong, at the time a senior at Monte Vista High School
, after winning a student logo design contest with 12 other entries. Wong received $500 for her design and was honored alongside the contest's runner-ups at a school board meeting. Denise Hibbard, who had been an assistant principal at California High School for six years, was chosen as Dougherty's first principal.
at the school was held on September 23, 2005, with school board members Nancy Petsuch, Greg Marvel, and San Ramon Mayor
H. Abram Wilson
in attendance. The construction of the school was divided into two phases. The first phase, which involved site grading, utilities, and paving, commenced in May 2005 and was completed by January 2006; the second phase, which involved constructing buildings, landscaping and creation of ball fields, commenced in February 2006 and was completed by August 2007. In a December 2006 meeting, the City Council of the City of San Ramon approved the construction of a performing arts center and aquatics center for joint-use between the city and the SRVUSD. Total construction took 16 months, five months less than predicted.
The construction of the school cost approximately $128 million, and the total cost, including inspections and management, was about $150 million. The costs of the performing arts center, to which the city contributed $4 million, and the aquatics center, to which the city contributed $9.2 million, were expected to exceed revenues by $400,000 each. According to City Councilmember Scott Perkins, "Other cities have stand-alone [aquatic] facilities that cost $35 million. Were getting 90 percent of that use for a quarter of the price." In addition, the city approved the $4 million construction of an independent study
school on Dougherty's campus, to replace the area's older independent study school built in the 1970s. The expenses of construction were shared between Windemere BLC, Shapell, the school district, and the City of San Ramon.
, said that parent volunteering
would be encouraged at the new school.
In 2009, the SRVUSD was affected by a major statewide school budget crisis. 236 layoff
notices were sent to teachers within the district, more than half of whom worked at Dougherty. All permanent teachers were rehired with the help of a $144 per-parcel tax measure passed in May 2009, expected to raise $6.7 million yearly. During the 2009 flu pandemic in the United States
, one tenth grade student at Dougherty was known to have been infected with the Influenza A/H1N1 virus; however, closure of the school did not occur, as it was found to be unnecessary and inconvenient. According to Principal Hibbard, "We just have to make sure we educate parents", and the school administration reacted to the outbreak by sending out an email to parents with advice from the Center for Disease Control.
In the summer of 2011, SunPower
began construction and installation of solar panels in the school parking lot. The school district used federal funds from low-interest qualified school construction bond
as part of government stimulus from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
for the project. When completed, the panels will reportedly provide the school with between two-thirds to 80 percent of its energy needs.
freshmen and tenth grade
sophomores in 2007, and in each successive school year another grade was added until the standard ninth to twelfth grade
range was reached in 2009.
In 2007, Dougherty had 277 female students, representing approximately 48.6% of the total student population, and 293 male students, representing approximately 51.4% of the total student population. Nestled in the culturally integrated Windemere development, Dougherty consists of students from many different backgrounds and is the most diverse in the district. Because of its diversity, San Ramon parks and community services division manager John Skeel said in 2007 that "We know that with the new high school (Dougherty Valley High School) and all the new schools, it's important to stay on top of race issues. With the mixture of middle- and low- income housing in newer neighborhoods, that could be an issue as well." Dougherty's 2007 enrollment included a large population of Asian students, accounting for 41.2% of the student body. 32.5% of the school identified themselves as White, 6.5% as Filipino, 6.1% as African American, 4.9% as Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% as Pacific Islander, 0.2% as American Indian or Alaska Native, and 7.9% with more than one ethnicity or no response.
In order to graduate from Dougherty, students must meet all high school course requirements set by the SRVUSD. These requirements include four years of English
; two years of mathematics
with the completion of Algebra 1; one year of a life science course, including biology
; one year of a physical science, including chemistry
or physics
. The required social sciences courses are one year of geography
, one year of world history
, one year of United States history, one semester
of American Government, and one semester of Economics
. The physical education
requirements are one year of ninth grade PE and one year of a tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade PE course; these courses include net sports, team sport
s, body shaping, weight training
, sports conditioning, power walking, and yoga
. One semester of health is also mandatory in order to graduate. Many electives are offered. The school's music program, led by Teri Musiel, includes an orchestra
, a jazz band
, a symphonic band, a concert band
, and a choir
.
Greatschools.com awarded the school a perfect ten out of ten score, based on a comparison between the school's standardized test scores and those statewide; it is one of the few schools in California to be distinguished as such. In 2009, Dougherty had an Academic Performance Index
rank of 905 out of a possible 1000, growing from the 2008 base score of 891. The school was the highest ranked high school in the SRVUSD, the 27th highest high school in the state, and the 744th highest school in the country by API score. In 2011, Dougherty Valley improved by 12 points the previous year with an API score of 921, making them the 3rd highest high school in Contra Costa County as well as the 1st highest high school in SRVUSD.
Dougherty occupies approximately 54 acres (218,530.4 m²) of land and can accommodate up to 2,200 students. Space has been left open to potentially expand the campus in the future, which would allow for 200 more students to attend. Considered to be state-of-the-art, the campus received the award for Best of California in the K-12 category for Northern California from California Construction magazine. There are 11 major buildings on campus, including four two-story classroom buildings, a career tech facility, a library
, a commons building, an administration
building, and two gym
nasiums. The school has 80 classrooms. For athletic purposes, the school has a 2,800-seat stadium with lights, a press box
, and a track. Also at Dougherty are two baseball field
s, two softball fields and eight tennis court
s. The campus is also home to the area's 11222 square feet (1,042.6 m²) Venture Independent Study School.
Dougherty also shares a performance arts center and aquatics center with the city of San Ramon under a joint-use agreement. The performing arts center includes a 600-seat proscenium
theater, a 3500 square feet (325.2 m²) rehearsal room, a box office
, lobby, dressing rooms, rooms for vocal and instrumental music, and city offices. In addition to school productions and concert
s, alternative rock
band Gin Blossoms
, stand-up comedian
Caroline Rhea
, and others have put on shows at the performing arts center. The purpose of the performing arts center in relation to the school is twofold: students are able "to work with some of the professional artists in mentoring and master class programs", and, according to Principal Hibbard, it allows for "larger presentations that can serve all our schools in the area". The aquatics center features a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool and locker rooms.
The Dougherty Valley Athletic Department's mission statement
is to "offer athletes positive and rewarding experiences while fostering strong character development." Sports offered include cross country
, football
, golf
, tennis
, water polo
, volleyball
, cheerleading
, basketball
, soccer, wrestling
, baseball
, lacrosse
, softball
, swimming
, diving
, badminton
, and track and field
. Most of the sports distinguish both a men's and a women's teams, and golf and tennis for men occur in a later season than for women. The athletics department is run by athletic director Evan Powell and assistant athletic director Nechia Miller. Dougherty hired 44 coaches during its opening year, and current coaches include ex-Irvington High School
coach Bob Spain for varsity football, ex-Amador Valley High School
coach Doug Vanderhorst for girls basketball, and former Major League Baseball
player Darren Lewis
for the varsity baseball team.
The school was part of the East Bay Athletic League
(EBAL) for its first year, but has since moved to the Diablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL). Dougherty's main rival is considered to be Dublin High School
, due to the close proximity of the two schools and past controversy between the schools' respective coaches. As a young school, Dougherty was competitively growing and establishing itself during its first two years without seniors on its varsity teams. Athletic director Freitas commented in 2008 that "When I was first thinking of taking this job, a lot of people said I should think twice, because we'd supposedly have no chance to win. [...] We have our challenges ... but we're competitors. And we want our coaches here to be like coaches everywhere else, where they're able to create an atmosphere where kids want to do well and succeed." At the 2008 North Coast Section
football playoffs, Coach Spain said "Our oldest players are juniors, so [our] kids are still developing and this allows us another week of evaluation." Earlier the same year, Spain said he believed it would take one or two more seasons
for the team to improve into a viably competitive program.
before being dissolved by the school's administration in 2009. Published online and in print, the Tribune featured sections on news, editorials, opinions, features, entertainment, and sports. The first attempt to create a newspaper club occurred in the inaugural school year, although it fell through because the teacher supporting the club the was unable to receive approval from the school's administration. The newspaper club was founded by five students during the 08-09 school year. The newspaper has several positions, including editor in chief
, front page editor, editors for each section of the paper, and webmaster
.
The Wildcat Tribune was the first print publication to interview Chesley Sullenberger
after the pilot's emergency water landing
of US Airways Flight 1549
, in a February 2009 special edition
of the Tribune with an article titled "Heroism & Humility on the Hudson". Sullenberger and his wife, both residents of San Ramon, decided with CBS
to grant his first interview to a student journalist, and Dougherty is attended by one of their daughters. Sullenberger met with the principal and Jega Sanmugam prior to the interview, and all preparation was done in secrecy. Sanmugam conducted the interview at Sullenberger's home hours before Katie Couric
interviewed Sullenberger for 60 Minutes
. An additional interview with Couric, about her career and the state of journalism
, was also published in the Tribune. Alex Clemens, a representative of the Sullenberger family, said "The Sullenberger family is grateful to CBS for actively demonstrating a commitment to student journalism."
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Windemere development of San Ramon
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Dougherty is one of four high schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
Creekside Elementary School is one of the 22 elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Creekside is the newest elementary school in SRVUSD and is located in the Alamo Creek neighborhood in Danville, California. The school opened to students in August 2009 with...
(SRVUSD), along with California High School, San Ramon Valley High School
San Ramon Valley High School
San Ramon Valley High School is a four-year public high school located in the East Bay neighborhood of Danville, California, USA. San Ramon Valley High School is one of the schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. It is a National Blue Ribbon school from the Blue Ribbon Schools...
, and Monte Vista High School
Monte Vista High School (Danville, California)
Monte Vista High School is a comprehensive, National Blue Ribbon of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, as well as a California Distinguished School and fully WASC-accredited 9-12 public school of more than 2000 students. The school is located in the Town of Danville, CA in the San Ramon Valley,...
. Constructed by Shapell Industries of California and Windemere Ranch Partners BLC, Dougherty was the first developer-built school in the SRVUSD. The school opened its doors in 2007.
Dougherty's mascot is the Wildcat
Wildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
, and its school colors are navy
Navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
, Columbia blue
Columbia blue
Columbia blue, also known as Jordy blue, is a light blue tertiary color named after Columbia University. The typical Columbia blue is defined by Pantone Columbia Blue 3 .- Usage, symbolism, colloquial expressions :...
, and silver
Silver (color)
Silver is the metallic shade resembling gray, closest to that of polished silver.The visual sensation usually associated with the metal silver is its metallic shine. This cannot be reproduced by a simple solid color, because the shiny effect is due to the material's brightness varying with the...
. Dougherty is known for its state-of-the-art campus, which features a performing arts center and aquatics center in a joint-use agreement with the city. The school has a diverse student body with a significant population of Asians. Dougherty is the top school in the district based on Academic Performance Index
Academic Performance Index
The Academic Performance Index is a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. It is one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the California legislature in 1999...
and is developing as an athletic force. The school is also home to a number of clubs. The school newspaper, the Wildcat Tribune, is notable as the first print publication to interview Chesley Sullenberger
Chesley Sullenberger
Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American airline transport pilot , safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California...
after the events of US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
.
Conception (1988–2006)
The school's name was chosen from more than 150 suggestions submitted to an online survey, although the name, school colors, and mascot had to be approved by the Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
. The school logo was designed in 2006 by Jennifer Wong, at the time a senior at Monte Vista High School
Monte Vista High School (Danville, California)
Monte Vista High School is a comprehensive, National Blue Ribbon of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, as well as a California Distinguished School and fully WASC-accredited 9-12 public school of more than 2000 students. The school is located in the Town of Danville, CA in the San Ramon Valley,...
, after winning a student logo design contest with 12 other entries. Wong received $500 for her design and was honored alongside the contest's runner-ups at a school board meeting. Denise Hibbard, who had been an assistant principal at California High School for six years, was chosen as Dougherty's first principal.
Construction (2005–2007)
An official groundbreakingGroundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
at the school was held on September 23, 2005, with school board members Nancy Petsuch, Greg Marvel, and San Ramon Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
H. Abram Wilson
H. Abram Wilson
H. Abram Wilson is a Republican politician and current mayor of San Ramon, California.-Early life:Wilson was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1946, the son of two educators. His great grandfather had been one of the first physicians in South Carolina...
in attendance. The construction of the school was divided into two phases. The first phase, which involved site grading, utilities, and paving, commenced in May 2005 and was completed by January 2006; the second phase, which involved constructing buildings, landscaping and creation of ball fields, commenced in February 2006 and was completed by August 2007. In a December 2006 meeting, the City Council of the City of San Ramon approved the construction of a performing arts center and aquatics center for joint-use between the city and the SRVUSD. Total construction took 16 months, five months less than predicted.
Independent study
Independent study is a form of education offered by many high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions around the world. It is sometimes referred to as directed study...
school on Dougherty's campus, to replace the area's older independent study school built in the 1970s. The expenses of construction were shared between Windemere BLC, Shapell, the school district, and the City of San Ramon.
Inauguration and beyond (2007–present)
The SRVUSD opened both Dougherty and Live Oak Elementary School on August 25, 2007. Dougherty began its inaugural school year on August 27, 2007, becoming the first high school in 34 years to open in the SRVUSD. History teacher James Corcoran noted that working at the first year school was an opportunity to develop its community, saying "You oftentimes will go into a school as a teacher, or even a principal, and it's 'This is the way we do it around here.' It's hard to change that once it's been set." Elaine O'Hanlon, founding president of the Dougherty Parent-Teacher AssociationParent-Teacher Association
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
, said that parent volunteering
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
would be encouraged at the new school.
In 2009, the SRVUSD was affected by a major statewide school budget crisis. 236 layoff
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
notices were sent to teachers within the district, more than half of whom worked at Dougherty. All permanent teachers were rehired with the help of a $144 per-parcel tax measure passed in May 2009, expected to raise $6.7 million yearly. During the 2009 flu pandemic in the United States
2009 flu pandemic in the United States
The 2009 flu pandemic in the United States was a pandemic experienced in the United States of a novel strain of the Influenza A/H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as 'swine flu', that began in the spring of 2009. The virus had spread to the US from an outbreak in Mexico.As of mid-March 2010, the U.S...
, one tenth grade student at Dougherty was known to have been infected with the Influenza A/H1N1 virus; however, closure of the school did not occur, as it was found to be unnecessary and inconvenient. According to Principal Hibbard, "We just have to make sure we educate parents", and the school administration reacted to the outbreak by sending out an email to parents with advice from the Center for Disease Control.
In the summer of 2011, SunPower
SunPower
SunPower Corporation designs and manufactures high-efficiency crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, roof tiles and solar panels based on a silicon all-back-contact solar cell invented at Stanford University. SunPower Corporation is publicly traded on the NASDAQ as SPWRA and SPWRB...
began construction and installation of solar panels in the school parking lot. The school district used federal funds from low-interest qualified school construction bond
Qualified school construction bond
Qualified School Construction Bond are a U.S. debt instrument created by Section 1521 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Section 54F of the Internal Revenue code covers QSCBs. QSCBs allow schools to borrow at nominal at zero percent for the rehabilitation, repair and equipping...
as part of government stimulus from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
for the project. When completed, the panels will reportedly provide the school with between two-thirds to 80 percent of its energy needs.
Enrollment
In the 2008-2009 year, 1,001 students were enrolled in Dougherty. Admission is based primarily on the location of students' residency, although birth date documentation and immunization records are also required from new students. The school opened in 2007 with 570 students, fitting the initial prediction of between 450 and 600 students. 95 of these students had transferred to Dougherty from another school in the district, and the majority of the freshmen came from Windemere Ranch Middle School. The school started with only ninth gradeNinth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
freshmen and tenth grade
Tenth grade
In majority of the world,Tenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten. The variants of "10th grade" in various nations is described below.-Australia:...
sophomores in 2007, and in each successive school year another grade was added until the standard ninth to twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
range was reached in 2009.
In 2007, Dougherty had 277 female students, representing approximately 48.6% of the total student population, and 293 male students, representing approximately 51.4% of the total student population. Nestled in the culturally integrated Windemere development, Dougherty consists of students from many different backgrounds and is the most diverse in the district. Because of its diversity, San Ramon parks and community services division manager John Skeel said in 2007 that "We know that with the new high school (Dougherty Valley High School) and all the new schools, it's important to stay on top of race issues. With the mixture of middle- and low- income housing in newer neighborhoods, that could be an issue as well." Dougherty's 2007 enrollment included a large population of Asian students, accounting for 41.2% of the student body. 32.5% of the school identified themselves as White, 6.5% as Filipino, 6.1% as African American, 4.9% as Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% as Pacific Islander, 0.2% as American Indian or Alaska Native, and 7.9% with more than one ethnicity or no response.
Academics
Dougherty operates on a daily schedule based around six periods, plus an early "A period" to students with an extra elective class in their schedules. The schedule includes a 15 minute "brunch" period early in the day, and a 35 minute lunch period later in the day. Classes at Dougherty start at 7:33 AM for students with an A period and at 8:30 for students without an A period. Wednesday is "Staff Collaboration" day, during which the staff holds a meeting from 7:30 to 8:25 AM. On this day, school starts an hour later for students, and each period is shortened. A 20 minute advisory period is held on Wednesdays to educate students on any additional information the staff wants them to know. A school day ends at 3:00 PM but the schedule is modified for "minimum days" and for final exams. The school's schedule has undergone two minor changes: initially, advisory was on Mondays and lunch was only 30 minutes long.In order to graduate from Dougherty, students must meet all high school course requirements set by the SRVUSD. These requirements include four years of English
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...
; two years of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
with the completion of Algebra 1; one year of a life science course, including biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
; one year of a physical science, including chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
or physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. The required social sciences courses are one year of geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, one year of world history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, one year of United States history, one semester
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
of American Government, and one semester of Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. The physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
requirements are one year of ninth grade PE and one year of a tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade PE course; these courses include net sports, team sport
Team sport
A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...
s, body shaping, weight training
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
, sports conditioning, power walking, and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
. One semester of health is also mandatory in order to graduate. Many electives are offered. The school's music program, led by Teri Musiel, includes an orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, a jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
, a symphonic band, a concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
, and a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
Greatschools.com awarded the school a perfect ten out of ten score, based on a comparison between the school's standardized test scores and those statewide; it is one of the few schools in California to be distinguished as such. In 2009, Dougherty had an Academic Performance Index
Academic Performance Index
The Academic Performance Index is a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. It is one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the California legislature in 1999...
rank of 905 out of a possible 1000, growing from the 2008 base score of 891. The school was the highest ranked high school in the SRVUSD, the 27th highest high school in the state, and the 744th highest school in the country by API score. In 2011, Dougherty Valley improved by 12 points the previous year with an API score of 921, making them the 3rd highest high school in Contra Costa County as well as the 1st highest high school in SRVUSD.
School facilities
School library
A school library is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources...
, a commons building, an administration
Academic administration
An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities...
building, and two gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasiums. The school has 80 classrooms. For athletic purposes, the school has a 2,800-seat stadium with lights, a press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
, and a track. Also at Dougherty are two baseball field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
s, two softball fields and eight tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s. The campus is also home to the area's 11222 square feet (1,042.6 m²) Venture Independent Study School.
Dougherty also shares a performance arts center and aquatics center with the city of San Ramon under a joint-use agreement. The performing arts center includes a 600-seat proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
theater, a 3500 square feet (325.2 m²) rehearsal room, a box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
, lobby, dressing rooms, rooms for vocal and instrumental music, and city offices. In addition to school productions and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
, stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
Caroline Rhea
Caroline Rhea
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...
, and others have put on shows at the performing arts center. The purpose of the performing arts center in relation to the school is twofold: students are able "to work with some of the professional artists in mentoring and master class programs", and, according to Principal Hibbard, it allows for "larger presentations that can serve all our schools in the area". The aquatics center features a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool and locker rooms.
Athletics
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is to "offer athletes positive and rewarding experiences while fostering strong character development." Sports offered include cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, soccer, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. Most of the sports distinguish both a men's and a women's teams, and golf and tennis for men occur in a later season than for women. The athletics department is run by athletic director Evan Powell and assistant athletic director Nechia Miller. Dougherty hired 44 coaches during its opening year, and current coaches include ex-Irvington High School
Irvington High School (Fremont, California)
Irvington High School is an American public high school located in Fremont, California. It is one of five public high schools in the Fremont Unified School District.-Campus:...
coach Bob Spain for varsity football, ex-Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School is a public high school in Pleasanton, California, USA, a city east of San Francisco. Amador Valley is one of four high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, which includes Foothill High School, Village High School, and Horizon High School. The school was...
coach Doug Vanderhorst for girls basketball, and former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major 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...
player Darren Lewis
Darren Lewis
Darren Joel Lewis is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago White Sox , Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox ; he played his final season in 2002 with the Chicago Cubs...
for the varsity baseball team.
The school was part of the East Bay Athletic League
East Bay Athletic League
The East Bay Athletic League is a high school sports league in the North Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. Its member institutions are located in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in the cities of Alamo, Concord, Danville, Livermore, San Ramon, and...
(EBAL) for its first year, but has since moved to the Diablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL). Dougherty's main rival is considered to be Dublin High School
Dublin High School (Dublin, California)
Dublin High School is a four-year public high school located in the East Bay neighborhood of Dublin, California, USA. Dublin High School is one of the schools in the Dublin Unified School District.-History:...
, due to the close proximity of the two schools and past controversy between the schools' respective coaches. As a young school, Dougherty was competitively growing and establishing itself during its first two years without seniors on its varsity teams. Athletic director Freitas commented in 2008 that "When I was first thinking of taking this job, a lot of people said I should think twice, because we'd supposedly have no chance to win. [...] We have our challenges ... but we're competitors. And we want our coaches here to be like coaches everywhere else, where they're able to create an atmosphere where kids want to do well and succeed." At the 2008 North Coast Section
North Coast Section
The North Coast Section is a part of the California Interscholastic Federation, governing the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, up along the northern coast of the state of California, from Fremont in the south to Crescent City in the north. It also governs the private schools in the...
football playoffs, Coach Spain said "Our oldest players are juniors, so [our] kids are still developing and this allows us another week of evaluation." Earlier the same year, Spain said he believed it would take one or two more seasons
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
for the team to improve into a viably competitive program.
Wildcat Tribune
The Wildcat Tribune was Dougherty's official student newspaperStudent newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
before being dissolved by the school's administration in 2009. Published online and in print, the Tribune featured sections on news, editorials, opinions, features, entertainment, and sports. The first attempt to create a newspaper club occurred in the inaugural school year, although it fell through because the teacher supporting the club the was unable to receive approval from the school's administration. The newspaper club was founded by five students during the 08-09 school year. The newspaper has several positions, including editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
, front page editor, editors for each section of the paper, and webmaster
Webmaster
A webmaster , also called a web architect, web developer, site author, or website administrator is a person responsible for maintaining one or many websites...
.
The Wildcat Tribune was the first print publication to interview Chesley Sullenberger
Chesley Sullenberger
Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American airline transport pilot , safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California...
after the pilot's emergency water landing
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
of US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
, in a February 2009 special edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
of the Tribune with an article titled "Heroism & Humility on the Hudson". Sullenberger and his wife, both residents of San Ramon, decided with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
to grant his first interview to a student journalist, and Dougherty is attended by one of their daughters. Sullenberger met with the principal and Jega Sanmugam prior to the interview, and all preparation was done in secrecy. Sanmugam conducted the interview at Sullenberger's home hours before Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
interviewed Sullenberger for 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. An additional interview with Couric, about her career and the state of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, was also published in the Tribune. Alex Clemens, a representative of the Sullenberger family, said "The Sullenberger family is grateful to CBS for actively demonstrating a commitment to student journalism."