Alhambra High School (Alhambra, California)
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Alhambra High School (AHS) is a public
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 ...
in
Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from " Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains t ...
established in 1898. Existing in the Alhambra Unified School District, it administers one of the most extensive high school and
adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...
programs in California, offering hundreds of academic, cultural, and recreational courses, day and evening, many located on the school grounds. In 2005, it was given a California Distinguished Schools award. The school is located on Second Street, across the street from City Hall and the Police Department, bounded by Second Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Fifth Street, and Main Street. The campus is divided into three parts, by Third and Fourth Streets.


Present

As of January 2015, enrollment at AHS is 3080 students, In this ethnically-mixed school district, the high school is one of the three comprehensive high schools. Curriculum offerings encompass Reading for remedial instruction, to
Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
courses in six subjects, including
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,
Calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...
,
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,
Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
, American Government/
Civics Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of u ...
, United States History,
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,
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,
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
, and
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History

Around 1884, Alhambra citizens saw the need for their own school.Community Life – History of Alhambra
On October 11, 2006, a small explosive device was found on a sidewalk bordering the north end of campus. Hours later, a second similar device was found in a trash can on the south end of campus. The Los Angeles County sheriff's bomb squad safely removed and disabled both items, and the campus was searched. In early 2007, the school was featured on the third season of ''
Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the ea ...
''. 100 members from the senior class of 2007 were invited to participate. Each chef had to prepare 100 portions of a dish for each of the students. It was one of a select few public high schools in California to be awarded a distinguished Great Schools Rating of 8 out of 10.


Demographics

In 2009-2010, the minority population was 95.8%, 31.6% of the students were limited English proficient, and 83.7% considered economically disadvantaged, received free or reduced lunch. As of October 2009, the Alhambra High School student population was 48.7%
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n/
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 43.6%
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
, 5.9%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.3%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, and 0.1% Native American, It is a
Title I The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-rea ...
school.


Athletics


CIF championships

* Badminton: 2000 * Football 1928, 1939, 1946 * Wrestling: 2002


Music

The marching band was selected to march in the 2009 Pasadena
Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
, the first time a band from Alhambra has been in the parade in 40 years. The band made a second appearance in the 2020
Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
as part of the Alhambra Unified School District marching band. The band marched in the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 1964. Alhambra High School alma mater, sung to the tune Annie Lisle by H.S. Thompson: "In the city of Alhambra, challenging the eye, stands a school above all others, stands Alhambra High. AHS to thee we shall be, ever loyal and true. Striving always to do service, for the Gold and Blue. When our high school days are over, and we've scattered wide. We'll recall the name ALHAMBRA, and speak of her with pride."


Controversy

In April 2005, an article was published by ''The Moor'', the school's biweekly newspaper, titled "Latinos Lag Behind in Academics". It discussed that Hispanic students' test scores have improved, then asked why Asian scores were noticeably higher, postulating that Asian students worked harder in academics than Hispanic students, suggesting the latter were "not pulling their weight". The
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
discussed the
achievement gap Achievement may refer to: *Achievement (heraldry) *Achievement (horse), a racehorse *Achievement (video gaming), a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters See also * Achievement test for student assessment * Achiever The Enneagram o ...
in context, noting the outrage and charges of
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
towards the student author and the Latino pride response.


Honors

They are ranked 450 on Newsweek's list of 1,000 "Best High Schools in America". Longtime teacher, Ted K. Tajima, who taught at the school for 35 years, advised the
school newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
and guided it to 26 All-American awards from the National Scholastic Press Association. In October 2016, the
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools Alliance College-Ready Public Schools (LA Alliance) is a not-for-profit organization which operates charter schools in Los Angeles. Based at the Frank E. Baxter Education Complex (next to Gertz-Ressler High School and on the east end of Richard ...
named one of its high schools after him.


Notable alumni

* H. George Anderson, presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America * Bob Boyd, former college basketball player and coach for the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
* Leo Carroll, NFL football player *
Kevin Cheng Kevin Cheng Ka-wing (born 15 August 1969) is a Hong Kong American actor and singer who is currently under the management of the Hong Kong television network TVB. Cheng rose to fame in late 2004 after playing his first lead role in the TVB drama ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
actor *
Dean Cundey Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. (born March 12, 1946) is an American cinematographer and film director. He is known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, as well as his extensive work in the horror genre, ...
, director of photography *
Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list m ...
, novelist *
John C. England Ensign John Charles England (December 11, 1920 – December 7, 1941) was an officer in the United States Navy. He died on USS ''Oklahoma'' after it was torpedoed and sank in the Japanese Empire's attack on Pearl Harbor. The circumstances of h ...
, US Navy officer who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 * Stan Freberg, voice actor and television personality *
Grant Gershon Grant Gershon (born November 10, 1960) is a Grammy Award winning American conductor and pianist. He is Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Resident Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera, member of the Board of Councillors for the USC ...
, music director,
Los Angeles Master Chorale The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional chorus in Los Angeles, California, and one of the resident companies of both The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one of the t ...
*
Hardie Gramatky Bernhard August "Hardie" Gramatky, Jr. (April 12, 1907 – April 29, 1979) was an American painter, writer, animator, and illustrator. In a 2006 article in ''Watercolor Magazine'', Andrew Wyeth named him as one of America's 20 greatest watercolo ...
, watercolorist *
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, alumnus 1933, winner of the 1957 Indianapolis 500 and inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1981. * Derek Hartley, co-host of the ''Derek and Romaine Show'' on Sirius XM Satellite Radio *
Darrall Imhoff Darrall Tucker Imhoff (October 11, 1938 – June 30, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. He spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for six teams from 1960 to 1972. He made an NBA All-Star team, an ...
, NBA player and Olympic gold medalist *
James Jannard James Jannard (born June 8, 1949)
retrieved September 9, 2013
is an American designer, business ...
, businessman *
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, Vietnamese-American actor, most known for films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985) and '' Everything Everywhere All At Once '' (2022). *
Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...
, former Major League baseball player and broadcaster, MLB Hall of Fame member *
Aaron Krach Aaron Krach (born February 15, 1972) is an American artist, writer, and journalist currently living in New York City. Background Aaron Krach was born in Ionia, Michigan on February 15, 1972. He grew up in Alhambra, California, and graduated ...
, novelist, artist, magazine editor *
Dan Larson Daniel James Larson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Larson pitched in all or parts of seven seasons from and . Larson was drafted in the first round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, while at Alham ...
, professional baseball player (
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,
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,
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) *
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(1915): Professor Emeritus at
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pitcher for the
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and
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*
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*
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Dick Wallen Richard “Dick” Wallen (born c. 1937) is a former American football player who was a consensus All-American at the end position in 1957 while playing for UCLA. He was awarded the 1957 W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football pl ...
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Mike Woo Michael K. Woo (born October 8, 1951), also known as Mike Woo, is an American politician and academic who was the dean of the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, College of Environmental Design at California State Polytechnic Univers ...
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Lisa Yee Lisa Yee (born August 27, 1959) is a Chinese American writer and the author of ''Millicent Min, Girl Genius'' (2003), '' Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time'' (2005) and '' So Totally Emily Ebers'' (2007). The three books are a part of a trilogy, summ ...
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References


External links


Alhambra High School website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1898 High schools in Los Angeles County, California Public high schools in California Alhambra, California 1898 establishments in California