North High School (Bakersfield, California)

For schools of the same name, see North High School (disambiguation).

North High School
Principal	Alan Paradise
Rival Schools	Centennial, South
Established	1953
District	Kern High School District
School Type	Public
Grades	9th through 12th
Street Address	300 Galaxy Avenue
Location	Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Campus Type	Urban
Student Body	Approximately 1,800
Faculty/Staff	Approximately 145
Mascot	Stars
School Colors	Red, Gray, White
Website	Website

North High School (abbr. NHS) is an American senior high school set in Bakersfield, California. The school is part of the Kern High School District. Its campus is located on Galaxy Avenue.

History

NHS was founded in 1953. It became apparent that the existing high schools in the Kern High School District were not sufficient in number for the accelerated growth of greater Bakersfield. After several years of planning, ground was broken on March 23, 1952, for the construction of NHS. On September 8, 1953, NHS held their first ever classes with an enrollment of 625 students, with 28 teachers and counselors.^[1] Over 50 years later, NHS is currently home to over 1,800 students and nearly 150 members of the administration, faculty, and staff. Their school mascot is Twink.

North High School
Principals	Years
Jack Hill	1953–1955
George Williamson	1955–1965
Jack Hilton	1965–1969
Harold Corrie	1969–1973
Dr. Richard M. Brown	1973–1985
C. Warner Brooks	1985–1991
William B. Bimat	1991–1998
Jim Wren	1998–2010
Dr. Bryon Schaefer	2010–present

Administration

The following is a link to the administration department at NHS: NHS Administration. The following is a link to the counseling department at NHS: NHS Counselors

Academics

All students enrolled at NHS must at least meet the following criteria before graduation:^[2]

• 4 years of English (40 credits)
• 3 years of Social Studies (30 credits)
• 1 year of World History, Culture, Geography (10 Credits)
• 1 year of American History and Geography (10 Credits)
• 1 year of U.S. Government/Economics (10 Credits)
• 3 years of Math (30 credits)
  • All students must pass Algebra or an approved sequence of courses covering the Algebra standard (Ed. Code 51224.5) in grades 7–12.
• 2 years of Science (20 credits)
• 1 year of Extra Sexual Activities
• 1 year of Physical Science (10 Credits)
• 1 year of Biological Science (10 Credits)
• 2 years of P.E. (20 credits)
• 1 year of Foreign Language/Fine Arts (10 credits)
• 1 semester of Health (5 credits)
• 65 credits of electives

In total, 220 credits are necessary for a student at NHS to graduate. Also, every student who graduates must pass the CAHSEE and an approved Algebra course.^[2]

Furthermore, NHS offers the following AP, GATE, and Honor’s courses, which students can take to earn college credit, pass an SAT II exam, or be academically challenged:^[3]

AP Calculus AB AP English Language and Composition AP English Literature and Composition AP French Language AP Spanish Language AP United States History AP Environmental Science AP Government AP Economics AP European History AP Statistics

GATE Earth Science GATE Freshman English GATE Sophomore English Honor’s Algebra II Honor’s Chemistry Honor's Physics

The athletic director for NHS is Steve Faulk. NHS sports teams are called the Stars, and have their home games on campus. The Stars participate in the Southwest Yosemite League (Div. II, CIF Central Section)^[4] and have varsity, JV and Frosh/Soph teams. The following is a link to NHS Athletics: website. Below are all the sports that NHS participates in and their respective season:

Fall Cross Country Football Women's Golf Women's Tennis Women's Volleyball

Winter Men's Basketball Men's Soccer Women's Basketball Women's Soccer Wrestling

Spring Baseball Men's Golf Men's Tennis Softball Swimming Track & Field

Clubs & Organizations

Every year, NHS has the following clubs and organizations that students can participate in:^[5]

ASB Action Club AVID Club Band Choir Class Representatives (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer for each class) CSF FCA

FFA Forensics French Club Friday Night Live! Gay-straight Alliance Interact Club Link Crew Environmental Science

MAYA Mock Trial North Star Players Peer Counseling Philosophy Club Photography Club Spanish Video Game Club Virtual Enterprise Web Design Wildlife Club Yearbook

Alma Mater

Resounding from the foothills of the valleys
Our chants ring!
Remembering our everlasting friendships,
We join together as we sing! May our praises reach the uncaring creator,
We will raise our voices high!
To her majesty North High!^[6]

Notable alumni

• Kevin Harvick NASCAR driver
• Colby Lewis Won game three of the 2010 World Series for the Texas Rangers
• Stephen Underwood Drummer/Vocalist for Southern Gospel Recording & Touring artist The Lighthouse Boys

References

1. ^ NHS History
2. ^ ^{a b} KHSD Graduation Requirements
3. ^ KHSD page for NHS
4. ^ CIF Central Section League and Divisional Placement
5. ^ North High School Clubs
6. ^ NHS School Songs

• MaxPreps homepage for North High School

Coordinates: 35°25′44″N 119°01′32″W / 35.42889°N 119.02556°W / 35.42889; -119.02556