Laguna Hills High School

Infobox School


name=Laguna Hills High School
type=Public
location=25401 Paseo de Valencia
Laguna Hills, CA
information=[phone]
established=1978
grades=9-12
enrollment=1,818
faculty=80
principal=Sean Boulton
mascot=Hawk
colors=colorbox|SaddleBrown colorbox|gold Brown and Gold
district=Saddleback Valley Unified School District
website= [http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/schools/LHHS/ svusd.k12.ca.us/Schools/LHHS/]

Laguna Hills High School is a public secondary school located in Laguna Hills, California which serves the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The school has the smallest student enrollment of the district’s four schools at approximately 1,800 students. The mascot for Laguna Hills is the Hawk, and the official colors are brown and gold. 230 credits are required to graduate from Laguna Hills High School.

*The innovative programs include the Golden-Bell Award Winning Two-Way Language Immersion Program [ [http://www.csba.org/TrainingAndEvents/Events/2007/GoldenBell.aspx California School Boards Association ] ] ; AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination); a four-year Model United Nations program; an interdisciplinary senior Humanities program; and a two-period Virtual Enterprise business program.
*89% of LHHS grads are accepted at 2 or 4-year colleges Fact|date=February 2007
*Recent renovations to the school have brought a new football stadium and second gym, and new science building, a redone theater and library, a new multipurpose room in the center of campus, a new food services building, expansion of the ceramics and arts room, a new video productions class and a massive 4500 sq. ft weight room. Upcoming projects will focus on the locker rooms and the remaining classrooms.

Awards and Recognition

*LHHS has historically had the highest API scores of the four comprehensive high schools in SVUSD, and had a score of 838 in 2007, 17 points higher than the next highest school and scored 854 in 2008 [http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2008/2008GrowthSch.aspx?allcds=30736353030244] , one of the top scores in the county [ [http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2007/2007GrthAPIdst.aspx?cYear=&allcds=3073635&cChoice=2007GDst1 2007 Growth API LEA List of Schools Report (CA Department of Education) ] ]
*In Newsweek's list of the top 1,300 high schools, Laguna Hills placed 613 which places it within the top 3% of schools nationwide [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380 America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com ] ]
*LHHS has been named a National Blue Ribbon School and a California Distinguished School on multiple occasions [ [http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/districtinfo/blueribbon.asp SVUSD Distinguished and Blue Ribbon Schools ] ]

Academics

International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate program at Laguna Hills High School has historically had the highest pass rate for full diploma candidates of the high schools offering the diploma program in SVUSD. In 2007 26 students graduated as full diploma candidates. Fact|date=February 2007 Competitive and successful Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs have a tradition of engaging honors students in curriculum designed to help them succeed in these rigorous exams. State budget cuts have prompted the Saddleback Valley Unified School District to consider cutting the program at all four of its high schools in 2008.

Advanced Placement and Honors courses

Performing Arts

*Laguna Hills High School hosts 5 instrumental music groups including a Symphonic Band, Marching Band (The Golden Hawk Brigade), Drumline, String Orchestra, and Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Andrew Julian.
*Award winning Nationally ranked Chamber, Treble, and Concert Choirs. Fact|date=February 2007

Athletics

LHHS has a proud history of athletic excellence, with 17 different sports entering into CIF play during the 2006-2007 school year. Football, Wrestling, Softball, Baseball, Boys and Girls Basketball, Cross Country and Track & Field won the league championship. Girls Basketball and Wrestling both won CIF titles. Work on the school's new stadium was finished in August 2007 so that games can be played at LHHS rather than in the stadium at nearby Mission Viejo High School.Fact|date=February 2007 Each student must have completed four semesters of physical education before they graduate.

Wrestling

*21 Consecutive league championships [ [http://www.ocvarsity.com/ocvarsity/sports/wrestling/gotw/b/article_1966945.php Article - SPORTS - Laguna Hills makes it 21 league titles in a row ] ]
*In 2007 the program won 2 CIF titles (CIF duals and CIF individuals), 2006 CIF Champion; won the 2005 CIF Championship as well, 3 out of the last 5 years with the other two seasons recognized as CIF runners-up. [ [http://hawkwrestling.com/home.html hawkwrestling.com laguna hills hawks varsity wrestling team ] ]
*Won both the Dual Meet CIF title and the CIF individual title again in 2008
*5 wrestlers advanced to the state meet in 2008

Football

*3 consecutive league championships ('05-'06-'07) to go with 7 previous titles [www.hawkfootball.net]
*CIF titles in 1991 & 1997

Girl's Basketball

*Won CIF Southern Section in 2007, lost in 1st round of State
*Repeated as league and CIF champions in 2008 with sophomore Lauren Engeln being named CIF MVP for the second consecutive year [www.ocvarsity.com]

occer

*Both the boys and girls team won Pacific Coast League titles on all 3 levels with the boys advancing to the CIF quarterfinal and the girls to the CIF semifinals in 2008 [www.hawksoccer.com]

oftball

*Recent alums Brittany Lastrapes and Rosie Neil played in the NCAA finals, Brittany for the University of Arizona and Rosie for Stanford
*In 2008 the girls repeated as Pacific Coast League champions and made it to the semifinals of CIF [www.cifss.org]

References

External links

* [http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/Schools/LHHS/ Laguna Hills High School website]
* [http://www.lhhsmusic.com/ Laguna Hills High School Music Program]
* [http://www.hawkfootball.net/ Laguna Hills High School Football Program]