Located in Rancho San Diego, Valhalla High School 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 ...

operated by the

Grossmont Union High School District The Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) is a public school district located in eastern San Diego County, California, and serves high school, adult school, and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) students in the cities of El Cajon, Le ...

with an enrollment of 2,112 students. The school is characterized by its school colors, orange and white, going by the nickname ''Orange Nation''. During its existence, the school has won the California Distinguished School Award in both 2001 and 2003, and is also accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

. The school is currently directed by principal Joshua Johnson and three assistant principals. Several programs are available to students, including ASB,

marching Marching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady walking forward in either rhythmic or route-step time; and, typically, it refers to overland movements on foot of military troops and units under field orders. Marching is often performed t ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

bands,

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

color guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the military colour is generally carried by a young ...

cheer Cheering involves the uttering or making of sounds and may be used to encourage, excite to action, indicate approval or welcome. The word cheer originally meant face, countenance, or expression, and came through Old French into Middle Engli ...

, dance, and athletics such as football and

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 ...

, among other programs.

History

Upon opening in 1974, the school had a very different open campus atmosphere, with a college-like schedule. The school was centered around the main building, with open-air classrooms. Reflective of this, the original motto was "Freedom with Responsibility". During the 1980s, the school transitioned to a more traditional open campus, although some unique architectural elements remain.

Campus

Valhalla's main structure is a five-story octagonal building. Originally orange, the trim of the building was painted blue in 2009. Classrooms are situated along the outside wall and center of the building. The gymnasiums are freestanding. Sports facilities include a football and soccer field,

diamonds,

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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

courts, and two swimming pools. A new, freestanding, two-story building that houses 12 science classrooms is currently in use. The building was proposed in order to make more room for teachers. It was dedicated in May 2010. In 2015, The main building was closed for renovation and repair of the inner structure. Temporary classrooms took their place for humanities and elective classes. In the 2016-17 school year, students returned to the main building for instruction, and the temporary classrooms were removed.

Traditions

Odin's March is the initiation for any new students or faculty members entering Valhalla High School. They must march up the stairs, through an arch of multicolored helium balloons called the Rainbow Bridge, and touch Thor's Hammer. When a student graduates, they descend the stairs and once again touch Thor's Hammer. This is also done for staff upon entry and exit from their tenure at Valhalla. On Fridays Valhalla students can wear orange to receive a free slice of pizza. Each year the senior class paints a mural that is permanently displayed and hung up inside the school building. Each mural is unique to the year in which that particular class attended including current events not normally related to the school itself.

Notable alumni

Tony Clark Anthony Christopher Clark (born June 15, 1972) is an American professional baseball player and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1995 to 2009 and is the sixth executive director of the Major League Baseball P ...

, Major League baseball player. *

Eric Close Eric Randolph Close (born May 24, 1967) is an American actor, best known for his roles in television series, particularly as FBI agent Martin Fitzgerald in the CBS mystery drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009) and Teddy Conrad in the ABC ...

, Actor. Class of 1985. *

Brad Daluiso Bradley William Daluiso (born December 31, 1967) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played twelve seasons, the majority of them with the New York Giants. In addition, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, ...

, NFL kicker. * Amy Finley, ''The Gourmet Next Door'' host on the Food Network. *

Broc Glover Broc Glover (born May 16, 1960) is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1976 to 1988. Glover earned six AMA national championships, a record which stood for nearly 20 years until 200 ...

, Motocross National Champion. * Greg Garcia, professional baseball player. *

Ryan Hansen Ryan Hansen is an American actor, entrepreneur and comedian. He is best known for starring as Dick Casablancas on the noir drama series ''Veronica Mars'' (2004–2019), as Kyle Bradway on the Starz comedy series ''Party Down'' (2009–2010), and ...

, actor. *

Darrell Long Darrell Don Earl Long is an American computer scientist and computer engineer who is Kumar Malavalli Endowed Chair of Storage Systems Research and Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz.Greg Louganis Gregory Efthimios Louganis (; born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic diver, LGBT activist, and author who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on the springboard and platform. He is the only man and the second diver in Ol ...

, Class of 1978. Four-time Olympic Games gold medalist in diving. * Sean O'Sullivan, MLB pitcher. *

Jason Russell Jason Russell (born October 12, 1978) is an American film and theater director, choreographer, and activist who co-founded Invisible Children, Inc. He is the director of ''Kony 2012'', a short documentary film that went viral in the beginning of ...

, co-founder of Invisible Children. * Pete Thomas, American football player *

Dan Gookin Dan Gookin is a computer book author who wrote the first '' ...For Dummies'' books including ''DOS for Dummies'' and ''PCs for Dummies,'' establishing the design and voice of the long-running series that followed, incorporating humor and jokes in ...

, computer book author who wrote the first ...for Dummies books

Sports championships

*1978-79, 1981, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1994–96, 2000 — CIF Division Champions Men's Water Polo *1986-1988, 1998-1999 — 3A Division III CIF Champs - Boys Soccer *2009 — Division II Champions - Boys Soccer *1987, 1993, 2004 — 3A/Division III CIF Champs - Girls Soccer *2003, 2005 — CIF Champions Men's Swimming *1984-87, 1989–91, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001 Division II CIF Champions, 2005 Division III CIF Champions - Boys Wrestling *1985 — California State Champions - Wrestling *2006 — Division III CIF Champs - Baseball *2005 — CIF Champions - Volleyball *1985-2001, 2008 — Men's Golf Champions *2008 — Girls' Cross-Country CIF Division II champions *2009 — Girls' Cross-Country CIF Division II champions *2009 — Grossmont South League Champions-Football 1st and only title *2010 — Girls' Cross-Country League champions; second place CIF Division II *2010 — Grossmont Hills League Champions-Girls Waterpolo *2011 — Girls' Cross-Country League Champions; third place CIF Division II *2011 — Grossmont Hills League Champions-Girls Waterpolo - Undefeated *2011 — CIF SDS Division II Champions - Girls Water Polo - First ever for an East County School *2012 — Boys' and Girls' Cross-Country Hills League Champions *2019 — Boys' Basketball Grossmont Valley League Champions

References

External links

Valhalla High School
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1974 High schools in San Diego County, California Public high schools in California Education in El Cajon, California 1974 establishments in California