Pasadena High School (PHS) is a
public high school in
Pasadena, California. It is one of four high schools in the
Pasadena Unified School District.
History
The school was first established as a district school in 1884 and became Pasadena High School in 1891.
In 1928, the school merged into
Pasadena Junior College and operated as a four-year school, grades 11, 12, 13 and 14. Pasadena realigned its 6-4-4 school system in 1954 with Pasadena High School regaining its separate identity. PHS, however, shared the
Pasadena City College Colorado Boulevard campus through the graduating class of 1960 when PHS moved to its present campus on
Sierra Madre Boulevard at Washington Boulevard.
The
Rose Parade, post parade
Showcase of Floats takes place in front of the high school utilizing some of the school grounds and parking lots.
Pasadena High School's athletic field was renovated, adding light towers, a new track and replacing the grass field with artificial turf. It opened at the start of the 2009-10 school year. The school's junior varsity and varsity football teams as well as the boys' and girls' soccer teams play their home games. The school also is used for its track meets in the spring.
On January 8, 2019, Pasadena High School opened the renovated Tom Hamilton Gymnasium at the cost of $19 million. It is used for boys and girls junior varsity and varsity basketball teams and the girls volleyball team for their home games.
The school's auditorium is named after Gladiss Edwards, who was the principal during the late 1950s and into the 1960s.
Student profile
In the 2016-17 school year, Pasadena High School's student population consisted of 1,777 students, with 60.3% of students being Latino, 17% white, 11.8% African-American, and 5.8% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian/Alaska Native.
Academics
Pasadena High School offers several special unique programs. The Graphic Communications Academy was established in partnership with the
Printing Industry of Southern California
Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...
and Pasadena City College. The Visual Arts and Design Academy is linked with the
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena City College and the
Pasadena Art Armory. The Center for Independent Study program is a remedial program to help students who are behind in credits. PHS also offers a career pathway called the App Academy, which helps students learn about web design.
Sports
Turkey Tussle
Pasadena High School competes against
John Muir High School
John Muir High School is a four-year comprehensive secondary school in Pasadena, California, United States and is a part of the Pasadena Unified School District. The school is named after preservationist John Muir.
History
In 1926 the Pasadena ...
at the
Rose Bowl in a football game known as the Turkey Tussle. The tradition began in 1947, and Muir leads the series 42-18-2.
NJROTC
Pasadena High School also has a NNDCC unit, which is a non-funded version of the
US Navy's NJROTC program.
Pasadena High School has had a Reserves Officer's Training Corps since 1920 starting as Army but has also been Air Force and Marines as well in the past. They disbanded in 2017-2018 academic year.
Notable alumni
*
Louise Beavers, 1920, Actress
*
Walt Becker, 1986, film director, "
Van Wilder," "
Wild Dogs," "
Old Dogs (film)
''Old Dogs'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Walt Becker and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams with an ensemble supporting cast played by Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard, Lori ...
"
*
Armon Binns, 2011, NFL player
*
Carol Cleveland, 1960, actress, associated with ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus'' TV show
*
Mike Connelly, 1952, NFL lineman,
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
*
Michael Cooper, 1974, basketball player and coach, 5-time NBA champion, WNBA head coach
*
Donald D. Engen, 1941, US Navy Vice Admiral, former Administrator of
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
and Director of
National Air and Space Museum
*
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is an American disc jockey, television personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show '' The Newlywed Game'' on and off since 1966. He also hosted the successful revamp version o ...
, 1955, radio-TV personality, host of ''
The Newlywed Game'' and longtime broadcaster of
Rose Parade
*
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is ...
, 1914,
Hollywood film director (''
Scarface'', ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', ''
Rio Bravo
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
'')
*
Chris Holden, 1978, 53rd
Mayor of Pasadena, city councilman (District 3) (1989–2012), California State Assemblyman, 41st District (2012–)
*
Michael Holton, 1979, basketball player and
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
analyst
*
Chidi Iwuoma, 1996, NFL Player
*
Payton Jordan, Hall of Fame Olympic track coach and
Masters track and field world record holder
*
Kathryn Le Veque, 1982, bestselling historical romance fiction author and publisher
*
Jim Matheny, UCLA and professional football player
*
Chris McAlister, 1995, NFL Player
*
Edwin McMillan, co-recipient of 1951
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
*
Charley Paddock, two-time Olympic champion, "fastest man in the world"
*
William H. Press
William Henry Press (born May 23, 1948) is an astrophysicist, theoretical physicist, computer scientist, and computational biologist. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the ...
, 1965, astrophysicist and 165th president of
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...
*
QUIÑ (Bianca Quiñones), singer
*
James Sanford, 1980 world's fastest human
*
Stan Smith, 1964, tennis player and two-time Grand Slam singles champion
*
Bill Sweek, 1964, basketball player and coach
*
Jerry Tarkanian, college basketball coach, NCAA champion and
Hall of Famer
*
Kevin Tighe, 1962, actor ''
Emergency!
''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama
A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television) ...
''
*
Lester Towns, 1995, NFL player
*
Alex Van Halen, 1972, member of rock band
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
*
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...
, 1973, founding member of
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
*
Lee Walls, Major League Baseball outfielder
*
Cynthia Whitcomb, 1969, television writer and playwright
*
Dick Williams, 1947, former Major League Baseball player and manager
*
James Turrell, 1961, an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Educational institutions established in 1884
Public high schools in Los Angeles County, California
1884 establishments in California
Schools in Pasadena, California