- Chico Senior High School
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Chico High School Established 1902 Type Public high school Principal Jim Hanlon Students 2,083 Grades 9-12 Location 901 The Esplanade,
Chico, California, USAColors Red and gold Mascot Panther Yearbook 'Caduceus' Newspaper 'The Red and Gold (defunct) Website http://www.chs.chico.k12.ca.us Chico High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Chico, California. It currently has 2,083 students.[1]
The first Chico High School on West First Street at the present site of the Meriam Library. Photo from Meriam Library Special Collections
Founded in 1902, it predominately serves as the senior school for graduates of Chico Junior High School.[1] In 1996, Chico High School became a California Distinguished School recognized by the California Department of Education.[1] Then 1998 and 1999 witnessed it earning the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence followed in 2001 with the National Service-Learning Leader School and 2002–2005 National Smaller Learning Communities School award.[1] In 2008, for the first time, Chico High ended off-campus lunch privileges for freshman students.[2]
Chico High School on The Esplanade ca. 1925Since 1967, it has competed with cross-town rival Pleasant Valley High School at the annual Almond Bowl in junior varsity and varsity football. The game was unnamed in the schools' first three meetings, but local businessmen led by KPAY-AM radio executive Frank Mertz named the contest "Almond Bowl" before the 1970 clash, when the schools were members of the newly formed Eastern Athletic League.[3] The freshman game is unofficially referred to as the Peanut Bowl; Chico Junior High School played Bidwell Junior High School from the time of Bidwell's establishment in 1958 until 1992, after which freshmen were incorporated into the high schools.[4]
The school's graduation ceremony, held at California State University, Chico the evening of June 4, 1987, was featured on America's Funniest Home Videos due to the fact the University Stadium sprinkler system began spraying water on the graduates unexpectedly. Principal Roger Williams scrambled to place a garbage barrel over one sprinkler head before it inundated the podium.
Notable alumni
- Eddie Butts, former National Football League player with the Chicago Cardinals, Class of 1922;
- Jack Harris, founder of Harris Ranch, Class of 1932;
- George Maderos, former National Football League player with the San Francisco 49ers, Class of 1951;
- Clayton Dalrymple, former Major League Baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies, Class of 1954;
- Nelson Briles, former Major League Baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, Class of 1961;
- Tonya Alston, 1979 California state high jump champion (5 feet, 9 inches); 1984 NCAA national high jump champion at UCLA (6 feet, 1 1/4 inches), Class of 1979;
- Mike Sherrard, former National Football League player with the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and Denver Broncos, Class of 1981;
- Brian Keyser, former Major League Baseball player with the Chicago White Sox, Class of 1985;
- Roque Santos, Olympic swimmer (Barcelona 1992), Class of 1986;
- Mindi Bach, reporter and anchor for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Class of 1987;
- Matt Lucena, 1995 U.S. Open Tennis Mixed Doubles champion with Meredith McGrath, and NCAA men's tennis doubles champion at the University of California in 1990 with Doug Eisenman and with Bent-Ove Pedersen in 1991, Class of 1988;
- Amanda Detmer, television and motion picture actress, Class of 1989;
- Tanya Ballinger, model, Class of 1991;
- Haley Cope, Olympic swimmer (Athens 2004), Class of 1997;[citation needed]
- Emily Azevedo, Olympic bobsledder (Vancouver 2010), Class of 2001;
- Liz Camy, Division 1 cross country and track star at CSU Northridge, Class of 2002;
- Brett Ratliff, National Football League player with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, Class of 2003.
References
- ^ a b c d "Chico Senior High School - Home Page". Chico High School. 2007. http://chicousd.org/dna/chicohigh/index.html. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Freshmen have the lunchtime blues". Chico News & Review. May 15, 2008. http://www.newsreview.com/chico/Content?oid=664705. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "Dave Davies column: Looking for memories of Almond Bowl". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 30, 2007. http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/CERB/lib00780,11BFDE2B76AB3570.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ WEINTRAUB-Sports, IRA (October 16, 2005). "Rodgers returns to watch Almond Bowl". Chico Enterprise-Record. http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/CERB/lib00780,10D487DF59445A70.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
External links
- Chico Senior High School– Official website
- Chico Unified School District– Official website
Categories:- High schools in California
- Chico, California
- Blue Ribbon schools in California
- Schools in Butte County, California
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