Quartz Hill High School

Quartz Hill High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Quartz Hill, California. Founded in 1964, it is the third oldest comprehensive high school in the Antelope Valley Union High School District.

Campus

The basic layout of Quartz Hill High School's eighty-acre campus is a courtyard surrounded by several quads and athletic buildings,Fact|date=March 2008 a design that is typical of high schools in Southern California.Fact|date=March 2008 The school's campus was originally designed for 1,800 students, but over two times that number are currently enrolled. In the school year 2008-2009, there is a reported number of 3,100 students now attending the school, some even foreign exchange students.Fact|date=March 2008

From the summer of 2003 to the fall of 2004, Quartz Hill High School's campus underwent a $15 million modernization that updated the majority of the school's classrooms.Fact|date=March 2008

tudent Body

Quartz Hill High School consists of approximately 3,900 students, and the school's population is growing. Most of the school's students live in Quartz Hill, Palmdale and Lancaster, cities in the Antelope Valley of northern Los Angeles County.Fact|date=March 2008

*American Indian: 0.8%
*Pacific Islander: 0.03%
*Filipino: 1.8%
*Asian: 3.2%
*African American: 8.4%
*Hispanic: 15.3%
*White: 100%

Academics

Quartz Hill High School is one of 65 high schools in California to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, which began at the school in 1998. Advanced Placement (AP) classes are also available in nearly all academic departments.Fact|date=March 2008

Quartz Hill High School is consistently ranked as the top school in its district and one of the top schools in the state according to the Academic Performance Index.Fact|date=March 2008

Quartz Hill High School is the only school in the district to have a student receive a perfect score on the SATs.Fact|date=March 2008

Activities

Activities at Quartz Hill High School includeFact|date=March 2008

*Associated Student Body (ASB), which organizes dances, assemblies and other events that promote school spirit
*American Cancer Society (ACS)
*National Honor Society (NHS)
*Model United Nations
*Animal Rights Club

*Amnesty International Club
*Key Club
*Hiking Club
*Young Democrats Club
*Young Republicans Club

*Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

*Future Farmers of America (FFA)
*Multicultural Club
*The Ubiquity, a student-run newspaper
*Cavalier, the class that produces the school's yearbook
*California Scholarship Federation (CSF)
*Spanish Club
*French Club
*German Club
*Asian Pacific Club
*Electronic Gaming Club
*Marine Biology Club
*Marching Band
*Mock Trial
*Christian Club
*Armed Forces Club
*Anime Club
*Japanese Culture Club
*Hip Hop Club
*Drama Club
*Go Club
*Speech/Debate Club

Sports

The sports program at Quartz Hill High School includes Marching band, football, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, cross country, track and field, tennis, swimming, wrestling, volleyball and golf. Fact|date=March 2008

The mascot of Quartz Hill High School is the Rebel, a Confederate soldier. Rebel teams began interscholastic competition in the mid-1960s.Fact|date=March 2008

The Cross Country team of 1979 was the first of any sport at QHHS to win the CIF-SS Championship.

The Wrestling team was the Golden League Champions for 10 consecutive years.

In 1990, Quartz Hill competed in Southern Section football in Division I for the first time. The unheralded Rebels won Eight games in a row to include playoff games at home against Long Beach Wilson and on the road against Rubidoux High School (Riverside) and Mater Dei High School (Anaheim) to reach a sectional championship for the first time. The Rebels fell to Loyola High School, 24-14, in the championship game at Anaheim Stadium. At a critical juncture in second half the dubious play calling of head coach Jon Albee, refusing to hand the ball to Selves Smith on the goal line and rather taking 4 shots on the ground with Eric Thomas, cost the Rebels their destiny.

In 2002, The Quartz Hill men's Soccer team set history within the Antelope Valley being the first team ever to win a CIF Championship at the Division 1 level. Led by Kiel McClung (CIF Player of the Year), the Rebels finished undefeated at 28-0-2. The Rebels scored 118 goals for, and only allow 18 goals against. The Rebels 118 goals finished 4th all time in most goals scored in a season in CIF history. The Rebels finished the 2002 season ranked #3 in the nation.

In 2006 the Quartz Hill Baseball team won the first ever C.I.F. championship in the Antelope Valley for baseball. The team went 24-5 overall, including 10-2 in Golden League play. The team beat Murrieta Valley 10-4.Calvin Culver was named CIF division 3 player of the year from that team,Kyle Harris,Chase Tigert,and Matt Hutchinson played a very big role in the success of the championship season.Brett Schaeffing was the catcher and Thomas McEachern was the backup catcher. The Rebels were coached by Aaron Kavanagh. Casey Feickert was drafted as a pitcher in the 8th round by the Kansas City Royals of the 2007 draft and played right field for the Rebels. Calvin Culver was drafted as an outfielder in the 26th round by the Atlanta Braves in 2008 and played center field for the rebels.

Mission statements

Mission Statement: The mission of Quartz Hill High School is to produce responsible citizens who are able to communicate effectively, set and achieve realistic goals, and who become life long learners.

Vision Statement: Quartz Hill High School desires to provide the staff with training, instruction and modeling to improve the instructional strategies, curriculum offerings, and learning for all students. It is the school’s vision that all students will reinforce their fundamental academic skills through the use of appropriate instruction, current technology, and an environment most conducive to learning. The school desires to equip staff with the skills which will assist in providing all students opportunities for post-high school success.

Planned school attack

On December 15, 2005, two former Quartz Hill students were arrested for planning a Columbine style at the school. The two youths allegedly intended to attack the school on St. Valentine's Day of 2006. News reports described them as goths and indicated that they had accumulated knives, ammunition, a gas mask and bomb-making instructions. They were charged on December 19, 2005 with conspiracy to commit murder. [cite news |title=Teen Enters Plea In Alleged Columbine-Style Attack Plan |url=http://www.knbc.com/news/8599044/detail.html |publisher=KNBC |date=April 10 2006 |accessdate=2008-03-31] [cite news |title=Man pleads no contest in Quartz Hill High murder plot |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20061215-0238-ca-schoolplot.html |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |date=December 15 2006 |accessdate=2008-03-31]

Tensions flared again on January 13, 2006, when a rumor that the former students who had been arrested would again attempt to attack the school using pipe-bombs. According to Principal Mark Bryant, the planned attacks were merely "rumor, upon rumor, upon rumor", as the two youths are still being held in custody. This "Friday the 13th" rumor was passed between students via internet messages and cell-phone text messages. In response to the threat, nearly 50% of the student body was absent from the campus by the time the school day had finished. In the end, the only disruption to the day was a firecracker explosion within a trash can during the school's lunch break. [cite news |author=Associated Press |title=Rumors of attack keep hundreds away from high school |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060114-0636-ca-schoolplot-hoax.html |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |date=January 14 2006 |accessdate=2008-03-31] [cite news |author=Karen Maeshiro |title=ATTACK RUMOR FRIGHTENS KIDS HUNDREDS STAY AWAY FROM QUARTZ HILL HIGH |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ATTACK+RUMOR+FRIGHTENS+KIDS+HUNDREDS+STAY+AWAY+FROM+QUARTZ+HILL...-a0141304423 |work=Daily News (Los Angeles) |date=January 14 2006 |accessdate=2008-03-31]

Notable alumni

*Michelle Perry - Silver medalist in heptathlon, at "NCAA Outdoor Championships" in 2001 [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_22118.htm] , competitor in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
*Kiel McClung - Professional Soccer Player USL First Division
*Aaron Emanuel - Drafted by New York Giants in 1990 NFL draft 1990 NFL Draft [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2D6163DF934A15754C0A966958260]

References

External links

* [http://www.qhhs.org Official Web Site]
* [http://www.craigverse.com/journalism/Index.htm The Ubiquity]
* [http://www.ibo.org International Baccalaureate Organization]
* [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/index.asp Academic Performance Index]