Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 at the 2020 census. History The area encompassing Fountain Valley was originally inhabited by the Tongva people. European settlement of the area b ...

, USA. It was established in 1966 and is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. It is notable for its

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

with Edison High School, particularly during the

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

season when both schools compete in the "Battle of the Bell". For the first few years after opening, the school had a larger student population than any other high school west of the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

with approximately 4,300 students. Due to the large student body, school days were split into two shifts, mornings for underclassmen and afternoons for upperclassmen. Over the years, enrollment decreased due to various factors, including the opening of Edison High School in 1969. The athletic teams are known as the Barons and the school colors are red, blue and gold. The school had to renovate some of its buildings, which were sinking, starting in 2002. These renovations yielded new

portable buildings A portable, demountable or transportable building is a building designed and built to be movable rather than permanently located. Smaller version of portable buildings are also known as portable cabins. Portable cabins are prefabricated structu ...

in an area that was previously a parking lot. In 2006, these semi-permanent portable buildings were replaced with permanent facilities. In March 2011, the track and football field were renovated. The dirt track was replaced by a synthetic track and the field was replaced with new natural grass. The field has since been replaced by imitation grass and turf. The school's marching band, called the "Royal Regiment", represented California at Ronald Reagan's 1981 inaugural parade. " When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was played by the marching band as hostages were released from the American embassy in Tehran. In fall 1996, a scene from the 1997 film ''

Wag the Dog ''Wag the Dog'' is a 1997 American political satire black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro. The film centers on a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer who fabricate a war in Al ...

'' was filmed at FVHS during a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

game and used the 1997 graduating class as extras. In March 2005, the school drumline and band was filmed in Gwen Stefani's "

Hollaback Girl "Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). It is a hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The song was written ...

" music video. In April 2007, the school was recognized as a California Distinguished School for the second consecutive time. The school is renowned for its vocal music program and the advanced choir, called the "Troubadours", which has performed at conferences and conventions.

Leadership

List of principals: * Paul Berger19661979 (founding principal) * Larry Lucas19791980 * David Hagen19801985 * Mike Kasler19851991 * Gary Ernst19912000 * Connie Mayhugh20002004 * Chris Herzfeld20042014 * Kirk Kennedy20142015 * Morgan Smith20152021 * Paul Lopez2021present

Academics

Advanced placement

Fountain Valley High School has an advanced placement (or AP) program which allows high school students to study college-level course work. Nearly every AP course available is offered at FVHS.

Athletics

The school currently competes in the Sunset League and is a part of the

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a ...

Southern Section (CIF). Before 1974, the school competed in the Irvine League. The school fields all of the following sports: boys'

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, soccer, swim,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

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. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. On the girls' side, Fountain Valley fields the sports of basketball, cross country,

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

, golf, soccer,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo. In the past, there were

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

and

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

teams. Fountain Valley High School has won 18 CIF Team Championships * 1973 Girls' swimming * 1977 Wrestling * 1978 American football * 1978 Gymnastics * 1980 Girls' gymnastics * 1981 Girls' gymnastics * 1981 Gymnastics * 1985 Baseball * 1985 Wrestling * 1988 Football * 1994 Baseball * 1995 Baseball * 1996 Girls' volleyball * 2005 Girls' cross country * 2015 Wrestling * 2018 Tennis * 2019 Wrestling * 2020 Wrestling Fountain Valley has had two coaches and one athlete enshrined in the CIF hall of fame: Carol Strausberg (basketball coach), Ron LaRuffa (baseball coach) and Shirley Babashoff(swimmer). The school also holds Five Counties

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

Championships, which is one of the biggest tournaments in the US. The wrestling

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

has won 29 League Champion titles (Irvine 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974) (Sunset 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). The American football game against rival Edison High School on December 11, 1980, was the fourth-highest attended game in state history with 28,968 fans in attendance. It was held at Anaheim Stadium, now known as

Angel Stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los An ...

Notable alumni

* Summer Altice, actress and model *

Nicholas Arciniaga Nicholas Arciniaga is an American long-distance runner who competed at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and finished 7th at the 2014 Boston Marathon. Running career High school Arciniaga attended Fountain Valley High School, where he ...

, 2013 USA marathon champion * Shirley Babashoff, 1975, competition swimmer, Olympic champion * Tara Lynne Barr, 2011, actress *

Craig Brewer Craig Brewer (born December 6, 1971) is an American filmmaker. His 2005 movie ''Hustle & Flow'' won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and achieved commercial success, along with an Academy Award for Best Original Song, "It's ...

, 1990, film director, producer, screenwriter * Blake Davis, 2002, former Major League Baseball infielder for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

David Denman David Denman (born July 25, 1973) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' The Replacements''. His other feature credits include ''Big Fish'', '' Fair Game'', ''The Nines'', '' Shutter'', ''Smart People'', '' Fanboys'', '' Let Go'', '' ...

, actor * Peter Girguis, 1971, professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology *

Kim Gruenenfelder Kim Gruenenfelder is an American author and screenwriter. She became known for writing women's fiction, specifically romantic comedy fiction, novels. Her debut novel, '' A Total Waste of Makeup'', has been published in six languages and eight ...

, writer * Luke Hudson, 1995, former Major League Baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals * Casey Janssen, 2000, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

* John Kosty, NCAA men's volleyball coach * Ken Margerum, 1977, NFL wide receiver, college football coach. First Team All-America (Stanford), College Football Hall of Fame * Michelle Pfeiffer, 1976, actress *

Chris Tillman Christopher Steven Tillman (born April 15, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, and played with them until 2018. He was named an All-Star ...

, 2006, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Jasmine Tookes Jasmine Tookes (born February 1, 1991) is an American model and former Victoria's Secret Angel. Early life Tookes was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. She has a younger sister, who is 19 years her junior. She did gymnastics for ...

, model * C.J. Wilson, 1998, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Texas Rangers (baseball) The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. In 2020, the Rangers move ...

and the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

References

External links

*
District website
{{authority control High schools in Orange County, California Fountain Valley, California Public high schools in California Educational institutions established in 1966 1966 establishments in California