Cholla High School (also known as Cholla High Magnet School) is a

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

, located on the West Side of

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, United States. Cholla is a magnet high school (drawing students from the entire district) in the

Tucson Unified School District Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) is the largest school district of Tucson, Arizona, in terms of enrollment. Dr. Gabriel Trujillo is the superintendent, appointed on September 12, 2017, by the Governing Board. As of 2016, TUSD had more tha ...

and serves over 1,700, students, grades 9–12. The school name originates from the cholla cactus, which is prominent throughout Tucson and Arizona. The school mascot is the Charger (a medieval war horse) and the school colors are orange and blue.

School history

Opened in 1969 on the west side of Tucson, constructed by the Del E. Webb Corporation. Cholla High Magnet School has become widely known as the high school that former

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Sean Elliott attended before enrolling at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. The school's gymnasium has since been renamed the "Sean Elliott Gymnasium", and Elliott's high school jerseys grace the walls.

Academics

Cholla's specialties include The Global Village (an intercultural / international and law-related studies program), an English Language development program, parent support groups, social workers, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, honors programs, career counseling, student assistance programs, International Baccalaureate (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Math, History, English, Spanish, German, Arabic, Visual art, Theatre, Music, Psychology), Advanced Placement (Human Geography, World History, Computer Science), English honors programs, the QUICC Program (Quality Instruction in a Continuous Curriculum), ASSIST Program, music theory, folklorico,

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

programs and ethnic studies programs.

Athletics

Cholla presently competes in the 4A Gila Conference, Division I.

Notable alumni

Sean Elliott Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who starred as a small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career a ...

(1985): former professional

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

basketball player * Vance Johnson (1981): former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

football star for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

* Ajak Magot: Former Idaho State basketball player and current professional player for Arino Basket Termoli Italy * Mel Stocker: former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player (

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

) * David Tineo: artist, teacher, political activist

References

External links

Official website

Arizona Department of Education School Report Card
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1969 Public high schools in Arizona International Baccalaureate schools in Arizona Schools in Tucson, Arizona Magnet schools in Arizona 1969 establishments in Arizona