Hemet High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Hemet High School
logo =
city = Hemet
state = California
country = USA
colors = Red, White, & Gold
district = Hemet Unified School District
mascot = Bulldogs
grades = 9-12established = 1965
type = Public high school
enrollment = 2562
faculty = 106
motto =
principal = Bill Black
assistant principals = Mike Smith, Larry Kinney, Linda Burke
yearbook =
newspaper = The Bulldog
website = http://www.hemethigh.com/
address = 41701 Stetson Avenue
campus = suburban

Hemet High School is a high school of 2500-3000 students on the eastern side of Hemet, California. The school (CEEB Code #051165) is operated by the Hemet Unified School District. The principal is Bill Black. The school is accredited by the WASC Accrediting Commission for Schools. Hemet High school's mascot is the Bulldog. The school has been at its present campus since 1971, with its main building remodeled in the summer of 2003. There are plans to modernize the remainder of the school, with the addition of new classrooms, labs and a full-size theatre, replacing the current "Little Theatre". Its former campus is now the present location of Santa Fe Middle School and Jacob Weins Elementary.

Notable achievements

Hemet High School's dance team and cheer squad have won national titles. The Academic Decathlon team has won the Riverside County, CA championship 10 years in a row. The Mock Trial team made the top eight in its second year and the finals in its third year in the program. The Air Force JROTC unit brings home trophies and awards every year at local competitions. The most popular was their mid-to-late nineties Jazz Band Ensemble. [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=3908 Among Friends Album Review] ] Under Jeff Tower, the band has traveled the world from Japan to Italy and has been nationally acclaimed. In 2006, football coach Andy Boynton was named the ABC7 / NFL High School Coach of the Week for Southern California. [http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=football&id=4734588/ KABC-TV November 4, 2006]

Hemet High and Iraq

Five graduates of Hemet High School have died in the Iraqi War, more than any other high school in the United States. [Fetbrandt, Steve and Douglas Quan (March 16, 2007) [http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_H_hemet15.41d094d.html "Hemet suffers most Iraq war grief in state."] "Riverside Press Enterprise".] The dead are Keith Yoakum (class of 1984), Jason Chappell (2000), Charles Sare (2001), Michael Estrella (2001), Kenny Stanton (2004), and Marc Retmier (2008). [del Barco, Mandalit (March 27, 2007) [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9151785 "California Town Hit Hard by War Losses."] NPR.org]

In national news

Hemet High has been the source of two national sex scandals. In 1994, Hemet High's former football coach, Randy Brown, and his wife, Kelly, pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiring to persuade two football players to have oral sex with Kelly Brown. In 2003, history teacher Peter Ruzzo was tried and convicted of six counts of molestation of a child under the age of 16 with an exchange student whom was living with him and his wife. Both men were fired as a result. [Patringenaru, Ioana (May 29, 2003) [http://www.press-enterprise.com/newsarchive/2003/05/29/1054192248.html "Arrest shocks Hemet High."] ]

Notable alumni in reverse chronological order

*James Lafferty, class of 2003, actor, "One Tree Hill" [ [http://www.nndb.com/edu/302/000069095/ NNDB, Hemet High School, James Lafferty] ]
*Daniel Morrione, class of 1996, uncredited session musician on Donald Fagen and Steely Dan recordings after 2000 (tenor sax).
*Coralie Simmons, class of 1995, Olympic water polo champion Fact|date=August 2007
*Eric Nolte, graduated in the 1980s, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres & Texas Rangers. Fact|date=August 2007
*Jennifer York, graduated in 1980, former KTLA 5 news anchor. Fact|date=August 2007

Sports

Hemet High had a history of being Sunbelt League champs in most sports but have struggled in recent years. The fall sports are football, boys' waterpolo, girls' tennis, cross country,fencing, and girls' golf. Winter comes with girls' waterpolo, boys' and girls' soccer, wrestling, and boys' and girls' basketball. Spring includes track, boys' baseball, girls' softball, boys' and girls' swim, boys' tennis, and boys' golf.

Also present at the school is Hemet High Varsity Cheer.

External links

* [http://www.hemethigh.com/ Hemet High School. Official site.]
* [http://www.hemetusd.k12.ca.us/sites/info.html/ Hemet Unified School District website]

Currently, Hemet High is in the process of rebuilding their pool. The new pool is going to be regulation size so water polo and swim team members may compete there. Reconstruction should be over by 2011. The trailers are also going to be replaced by two story classroom buildings as well as a new front office there too.

References